I know it's short notice, but I've just been invited back to be interviewed live on Witchtalk this Sunday, February 28, at 1:00 p.m. Pacific (4:00 p.m. Eastern) for two full hours. Witchtalk is part of blogtalkradio, so you can hear it over the internet anywhere on earth. "Now with more than 14,000 listeners, Witchtalk is one of the most popular shows on BlogTalkRadio. With the sole intent of helping people understand and have a contact with Paganism and Witchcraft, Witchtalk brings you the best occult personalities right into your ears. This is not a radio show - this is something else!" There are two ways you can actively participate. First, go to this link when the show starts and

Today I read a great blog post by Alan Joel entitled, "The Day You Stop Believing is the Day a Little More Magic Dies." In it he writes, "It is not unusual for magical practitioners, especially beginners, to lose faith in magic... "Maybe you cast a magic spell and your life hasn't made the 180 degree turn you were hoping it would make... "So maybe you start losing faith in magic, miracles, impossible dreams. Maybe you start thinking that ordinary life is all there is, the daily grind, day in and day out." Joel believes it's a "crying shame" when you stop believing in magic. "Why? Because every time someone (that's you) stops having faith in magic, stops doing daily magic rituals, a

Yesterday I received an email from a reader in Eastern Europe who wanted to know if he had to use Hebrew when doing the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram. Couldn't he use his native tongue? Actually, this is a question I receive all the time. Some people want to use a language other than Hebrew (or Greek or Latin or Egyptian). Some people don't want to use the God names of ancient Judaism, of Greek or Roman Paganism, or of the early Egyptian pantheon. Can they change it to something else? The answer, I'm afraid, is  a definite "maybe." Before I say why I think you can do this, I'd like to give some arguments why you shouldn't. Take Me Away I regret that I don't remember the

Many years ago (pre-internet popularity), a young woman started the Wiccan/Pagan Press Alliance (WPPA). The goal was to establish communications between writers and publishers of books, magazines, and newsletters so that people could share ideas, successes, and challenges. I encouraged that woman to write a book, and she eventually did so. Her name: Silver RavenWolf. Many of those newsletters and magazines are gone, now, replaced by new websites that allow for more and faster communication. But there hasn't been a real replacement for the WPPA. However, I think the Pagan Writers Community may be providing just such a service to the community. It says on the site that …the Pagan