Now that the amazing 2010 winter solstice, the 24-hour period with the least amount of sunlight, has passed (here at the Sea of Trees in So. Cal. we had rain and clouds and couldn't see the lunar eclipse), the Sun begins to make its triumphant return. For those of you who have already had late year holidays and festivals (Diwali, Hanukkah, Yule, and , uh, Festivus) and those about to have such festivals (Christmas, Kwanzaa), I hope you have had, or will have, the best celebration ever. And as the Sun returns, we begin to think of a better coming year with improved (or at least not deteriorating!) finances, happiness, and health. This often means changing our lives in a minor or major

When I first began to study Wicca and Witchcraft (which at the time were considered synonymous), there were several things that were accepted as “fact.” Nine million Witches were burned during the Inquisition or “Burning Times.” Wicca was the rebirth of an ancient religion. Various Witches were going to disagree with each other as to what was real Witchcraft and who were really Witches, leading to what can generously be called “Witch Wars.” Well, the “wars” were at best minor skirmishes, primarily between some very ego-driven people, most of whom have been forgotten. I'm inclined to think the reason they were relatively small was simply because communication was

As we come to the end of 2010, people are naturally interested in what will happen to them and those they care about in the coming year. Many of us will ask questions of astrologers, Tarot readers, etc., while others of us will investigate the charts and cards for ourselves. But are such divinations accurate and correct? The ancient oracles used to speak in puzzles rather than clearly giving answers to questions. This resulted in plenty of room for interpretation and misinterpretation. Although the interpretation may have been in error, the divination itself was correct. In 1994, Chic and Sandra Tabatha Cicero edited the first volume of The Golden Dawn Journal (recently republished as

One of my all-time favorite TV programs was Connections with James Burke. He did other shows, including The Day the Universe Changed, but they all have one thing in common: he showed how one small development in one area of endeavor could result in massive changes in other areas. I had always been interested in history. As George Santayana wrote, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it," and I really never wanted to see the same things happen again and again. But Burke's shows are more than interesting, they actually make old, dried up history positively fun and exciting. I honestly think that if more people had history teachers like Burke, the world would be a