Pan, the God of Woods, Pastures and Music
By Alana

In ancient Greece Pan was the god of woods and of pastures. Pan was half man and half goat. He was mostly human in appearance, but his lower half was that of a goat and he had horns on his head. The Greeks believed that Pan dwelled in the forests, mountains, and caves. Pan was the protector of Sheppards and their flocks. Farmers and Sheppards throughout Greece prayed to him for the protection and fertility of their livestock. The name of the god signifies all, Pan came to be considered a symbol of the universe and personification of Nature; and later was still regarded as a representation of all the gods of paganism itself.

Pan is said to have been hideous, yet he had many affairs with various Nymphs. When Pan approached the Nymph Syrinx she ran away from him in fear to the gods of Olympus. The gods of Olympus pitied her and changed her into many reeds. Pan decided that he still would possess the Nymph even if it could not be in the manner that he wished; taking the reeds he made a panpipe. Pan created beautiful music with his instrument, music of an unreturned love. Due to this, he was also known as a god of music.

Pan, like other gods who dwelt in forests, was dreaded by those whose jobs caused them to pass through the woods at night, for the gloom and loneliness of such scenes caused the mind to have superstitious fears. Therefore sudden fright without any visible cause was attributed to Pan, and called a Panic terror.

Sage (Salvia Officinalis)
By Magical Panther

Gender: Masculine
Planet: Jupiter
Element: Air
Tarot Card: High Priest

Powers: Immortality, Longevity, Wisdom, Protection, Wishes.

Spiritual or Magickal Properties:
Comes from the Latin Salvare meaning "To Save"
Sage has been burned in Native American Ceremonies
Sage awakens the inner guide and allows a clarity of mind.
The third eye of the sixth chakra is open by burning sage.
It is used as a smudge at the beginning of gathering to align the group energy.
Is carried to promote wisdom.
Leaves are used in countless healing and love spells.

Symbolically used for:
Contacting the spiritual side of one's nature.
Native American Ceremonies
Sage can be use on a daily basis for purification by lighting a few dry leaves and wafting the smoke over one self and in one's environment.

Affirmation to use:
I open my heart to the channel of wisdom within.

Cautions:
This herb should not be taken internally if pregnant.
Don't take internally in high doses. Find several sources that have appropriate doses of Sage.

Do not abuse, internally; not for long term uses.

The path of the herbalist is to open ourselves to nature in an innocent and pure way. She in turn will open her bounty and reward us with many valuable secrets.

May the earth bless you.

How to Find your Magikcal Name
By MoonRaven

The best way to choose a magickal name is to find a name that calls to you. Many people choose their names from history, mythology, or you could even use the Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter, if that’s what you like. There are no rules, it’s just whatever calls to you.
So once you find your name, it’s important to check if it matches with you well. What I mean by that is, does your numerological Birth number match with the name you like.

Why does the name have to match your birth number? Because you birth number is unchanging you can change everything else in your life but your birth date stays the same no matter what. So by choosing a name that matches your birth number, you are aligning yourself with the same vibrations of the moment you were born.

Don’t get confused, I will explain how to find your birth number.

You find your birth number by adding the digits of your date of birth - an example of this would be - If you were born June 23rd 1956, your number would be -
6.23.1956 = 6+2+3=1+9+5+6 = 36
Bring that down to a single digit:
3 +6 = 9
Then 9 is your birth number. Make sure you include the “19” of the year (1956).

Now that you did some math (And you thought you would never use that stuff in the real world) and you have found your birth number, you can check to see if the name you like corresponds with your birth number. This is done by equating all the letters of the alphabet with the first nine numbers:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
A B C D E F G H I
J K L M N O P Q R
S T U V W X Y Z

Now your thinking what do I do with this nifty chart? Well you take the name you like and find the number value of each letter and add it up. Yes, sorry you have to add again don’t worry it won’t hurt too much. Lets say you like the name DIANA so you add up the letters:

D = 4, I = 9, A = 1, N = 5, A = 1
Therefore DIANA = 4+9+1+5+1 = 20 = 2+0 = 2

But your birth number was 9. For your magickal name, you should aim for a name that matches your birth number - so keep trying, maybe add some letters to the name you like or take some away or try an entirely different name all together. Keep trying until you get a match.

So have fun finding your magickal name and don’t give up. There are also other ways to find your magickal name so do some research like I did. I got most of my information from Raymond Bucklands "Bucklands Complete Book of Witchcraft". It’s a good resource for information on finding your magickal name and many other aspects of the craft. You can find it in the books section of the website. Its an excellent read.

MoonRaven

Mabon
By Sian

The name Mabon comes from the welsh god of fertility in the Arthurian Mythology. He is also the welsh god of wine making. Mabon has a two-fold principle, the holiday centers on cutting things out of your life and also honoring the female dead of the family. Mabon is the second harvest of the year and the day of balance between light and dark. Mabon is often referred to as "Thanksgivings" and is one of the oldest harvest celebrations in Europe. Witches did not believe in this Sabbat until the Norse invaded the British Islands. Witches would decorate the altars with autumn leaves, fruits of harvest, pumpkins and dried corn.

In China, Mabon is known as Chung Ch'iu and marks the end of the rice harvest. In the Judaic celebration Succoth, another holiday harvest with pagan roots, they often observe it by building temporary outdoor dwellings decorated with fall vegetables. In old Rome the equinox marked the famous festival of Dionysis, the god of wine, whose party's lasted for as many days as the revelers could remain upright. In Canada and the U.S.A. the festival is known as Thanksgiving where we eat a turkey and lots of pumpkins and corn.

How to Make a Corn Dolly
By MoonRaven

Take a handful of dry husks of corn and soak in water for an hour or two, until pliable. Fold in the middle and fasten with string one and ½ inch beneath the fold. The round shape formed is the head. Separate out two small bunches for arms and tie them off at the shoulders. Tie another string tightly where you want the waist to be. If you are making a female, you can simply trim the bottom of the stalks off at the desired point and they will be her skirt. If making a male, separate the remaining stalks into two bunches for his legs and tie them off. Crisscross two more small bundles over his shoulders and tie another string around his waist to form the skirt of a tunic. Trim the loose stalks at about mid-thigh height. Tie the arms along their length and trim them where you want them. You may want to have the corn dolly holding something (like a staff or a bundle of grain); in this case, leave extra length which you can wrap around the item and tie tightly back to the arm. For hair and beard, heads of grain can be stuck into the corn dolly's head. A female dolly will want a little cap or such so that she does not look bald. Corn dollies can be adorned with cloaks and hats or other wear.

Uses include: the God or Goddess symbols for the altar during Mabon or other harvest celebrations, table decorations during feasts, Poppets as a symbol of yourself to use for a healing ritual or other ritual. They also make a great gift for a child.

Magickal Haircare
By Demna Gwynvyd

Magick occurs in more than just sacred rituals with special robes and with more than just fancy tools and pretty names. Magick is everywhere around you and in you at all times. Everything you do, everything you think is a magickal act. Brushing your teeth is a magickal cleansing and even a blessing for smooth talking. Putting on shoes is a magickal blessing for steady feet. Even using the bathroom is magickal, you're eliminating or banishing unwanted or unneeded things from your life.

But this month, the everyday magick tip is about magickal haircare. When washing your hair imagine the shampoo taking all your negative energy that is built up and rinsing off and down the drain. When conditioning imagine the conditioner glows with white light to add in positive energy to replace the negative energy just taken out of it. Continue adding white light when drying the hair to keep the positive energy in the hair and not in the water your drying off of your hair. When you brush or comb your hair you can imagine the knots being removed as problems in your life being removed or smoothed out.

I hope these simple tips help you to live a more
magickal and fulfilling life,

Until next time,

Blessed be,
Demna