This year's Drumming Day falls on a full moon—a great opportunity to recognize the power of percussive rhythm in ritual. Drums are among the most ancient of instruments and are still a driving force in rituals today the world over. They help us keep time, energize us, and unify our movements. Many people play drums at circles and events, but few recognize that it's important not only to make a noise but also to listen to what's happening around them. When we listen as we play, we connect ...
Like so many spells, this one is simple, but it packs a wallop. You'll need a glass dish, a silver spoon, and half a cup each of white sugar, brown rice, and pink Himalayan salt. Silver draws down the nurturing energy of the moon. White sugar entices and summons. Brown rice grounds the energy of fertility and abundance so it can be made manifest. Pink salt protects, but with a loving and kind energy. Put the sugar, rice, and salt in the glass dish, and place the spoon on top, with the bowl of ...
In one of the subplots of The Merchant of Venice, Jessica (Shylock's daughter) elopes with Lorenzo. It's true love. In act 5, they are sitting together and gazing up at the sky. Lorenzo's speech is one of Shakespeare's most evocative:How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank!Here will we sit and let the sounds of musicCreep in our ears: soft stillness and the nightBecome the touches of sweet harmony.Sit, Jessica. Look how the floor of heavenIs thick inlaid with patines of bright gold: ...
Talk about a liminal time! Not only is it All Saints' Day and the Witches' New Year, but it's a new moon as well. Plus, both the sun and the moon are in Scorpio, the sign of alchemy, secrets, and desires. Today is a portal to a new way of being, so light a black candle, invoke the Divine, and answer the following questions in a journal. (Don't think too much beforehand. Just write and let your feelings flow.) What conditions would you like to let go of forever, and which would you like to ...