Celeste
Easter’s Pagan Roots
Easter has Pagan roots. Most Christians don’t realize that. They only know that Easter is usually celebrated on a Sunday in March or April. Unlike Christmas (always on December 25th), Easter is celebrated at widely varying dates.
Why is that? If Christ’s birth date is so easy to pinpoint, why does the date of his Resurrection seem so vague?
Ask almost any Christian why Easter is celebrated at such different dates, from year to year. He or she will usually pause and say, “I have no idea.”
Here’s the answer: Easter is always the first Sunday after the first Full Moon after the Spring Equinox.
Yes, like many Christian holy days, Easter is firmly rooted in Pagan traditions. Most people know that holidays such as Christmas and All Saints Day were deliberately placed on or near times when converted Pagans were accustomed to celebrating.
Easter — based on Ostara, the Pagan celebration of springtime renewal — is a holiday clearly founded on earth-based traditions.
Many Pagans and Wiccans embrace that as another symbol of how all religions are interconnected. We’re happy to share basic spiritual concepts with other faiths. The names may change, but the core beliefs are universal.
Ostara and Easter both celebrate the renewal of life, and they’re an affirmation that the spirit continues after apparent physical death.
Many Christians embrace that unifying belief system as well. Though firmly asserting non-Pagan concepts (such as a powerful devil or Satan figure), the book The More Perfect Way (by Chad and Christopher McCoy), urges Christians to return to first century Christian beliefs. Though some Pagans will be baffled by — or even resent — the “evil” references linked to the Old Ways, few books cover as much ground linking modern religions (such as Christianity) to their time-honored foundations.
Pagans may be more comfortable with books such as Solar Myths and Christian Festivals, by Edward Carpenter (Kindle format). He also connects the events and belief systems that preceded today’s Christian holidays and holy days. However, his views celebrate Pagan (and Wiccan) traditions rather than cast them in Satan’s shadow.
Drawing lines between religions is not helpful. Pagans, Wiccans and Christians can live in harmony. We can find joy in our common concepts, regardless of the labels placed on them.
Whether you call it Easter, Eostre, Ostara, or by some other name, the meaning of the season is the same: A celebration of rebirth, and an affirmation of eternal life through our connection with Deity.
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Though it may seem a little “too Christian” and heavy-handed for some Pagans, this book may be a useful bridge between witches and our Christian neighbors who aren’t too sure if their church is still authentic.
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The Magical Household: Spells & Rituals for the Home
Magick begins at home. If you’re serious about being a witch or practicing Wicca, you know that it’s far more than just casting a spell here or a protection there.
Like any spiritual belief, the Craft and Wicca are part of your daily life. From how you greet the morning to the protection you invoke at night — and everything in-between — magick becomes part of your daily routine and your household.
This is a classic book that belongs in the home of every witch. It takes everyday magickal living beyond the cute “ooh, let’s pretend we’re witches” level. It helps you make every moment magickal… and filled with the power of the Old Ways.
Here’s a summary of this important book:
Recognize and celebrate the magic of life with timeless rites and spells. Create a magical household—a haven of harmony, safety, spirituality, security, and romance. The benefits include a happier existence, protection against thieves, improved
Psychic Self Defense and Protection
Psychic Self Defense and Protection: An Energy Awareness Guide, by John Culbertson, will excite many who use Wicca and the Craft in their daily lives.
People — and some spiritual entities — are not always nice. Some can be outright malicious. It’s essential to know how to protect yourself, your household, and people you care about.
Also, in today’s volatile economy, it can be vital to use protection for yourself, your job and what you own (and value).
In this comprehensive book, author John Culbertson (a Mason and Rosicrucian) shows the exact ways to protect and defend yourself, through energy awareness and your innate psychic abilities.
The topics include:
- Physical actions that themselves provide protection from psychic based attacks
- How to maintain or restore the integrity of the aura from attacks
- The importance of aromatherapy as a defense technique
- Visualization processes that defend against attacks
- The power prayer has on psychic self defense
- Three basic, but very effective magick methods of protection including easy candle magick
- How to protect other people and locations from negativity and energy draining attacks
- The practice of smudging
- Commonly asked questions dealing with psychic & energy defense
This book will help you to raise your energy awareness and to link your energy to positive energy vibrations so you can more easily accomplish what you want in life without being drained by all the negative energy in the world.
The author says:
The first section deals with understanding what a psychic attack is. It is only by fully understanding how energy works that you will be able to understand how psychic attacks happen. Furthermore, it is only after you understand how these psychic attacks happen that you will be in a position to understand how to defend and protect yourself from them.
This is where section two of the book comes in. In the second section we will take a look at various techniques for protecting ourselves, our friends, and even our property from these attacks. As you work with these techniques, you will discover over time that you feel healthier, happier, and more confident in both yourself and where your life is taking you.
Please note that I do consider this book a beginner’s book. It’s a book that I believe almost anyone can pick up, read, and have some understanding about basic new age philosophy concepts that are at work each day of our lives. It is not meant to be an ultimate guide. It is designed as hopefully a great introduction and a place for one to start their new age and spiritual journey.
This book combines every spiritual practice that works. Though the author is clearly well-grounded in Pagan beliefs and practices, the book also taps into the best of Christianity and New Age Philosophy.
When it comes to protection, our attitude is, “If it works and ‘harms none’ beyond returning the energy sent to hurt us, use it if you’re under attack.”
Purists will find enough magick-based information to make this book worth owning.
This isn’t a light, happy book. It’s about tackling the energy that can harm or destroy you and your life. It’s truly a hands-on approach, arming you with the power and intention (without reservations) that you need when the going gets tough.
If you want to survive the regular attacks that are so commonly aimed at powerful people like you and me, you need this book.
Reclaim and preserve your personal power — and your ability to survive (and thrive) — in a challenging world.
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Palmistry
Palmistry, by Johnny Fincham
This isn’t exactly about the Craft. However, it’s useful knowledge and an innovative approach for anyone who’s interested in palm reading, or becoming a professional (and intelligent) palmist.
Many witches and Wiccans will find this useful in their work.
In Palmistry, author Johnny Fincham — known as Britain’s leading palmist — teaches you how to discern and analyze the personalities and life patterns of people, based only on the physical details of their hands.
This book takes you from apprentice to professional in 24 one-hour lessons. And, unlike books that only offer sketches or low-contrast photos of hands, this book includes actual handprints. You can really see what the author is explaining.
He skips the nonsense and gets right to the information that you can rely on. This is close to a science, and the most innovative approach in centuries.
The accuracy can be terrifying. Your life really is in your own hands!
If palmistry interests you, we highly recommend this book.
Free Psychic Readings
Are you looking for a good, free psychic reading? Here’s my advice as a professional in this field.
Free psychic readings can be very good.
WHO GIVES FREE PSYCHIC READINGS?
Some people provide readings as a spiritual calling.
Some psychics give free readings to friends and family, or as practice before launching a business in this field.
Others use brief, free readings so that clients can see whether or not they like the reader or the service.
Anyone can pretend that he or she is a psychic reader, and give “readings” that aren’t accurate.
Free competent psychic readers are often difficult to find… and they can have a waiting list that’s months long.
ARE FREE READINGS WORTHWHILE?
Some psychic services will give you a very short, free reading as an introduction to their psychics and services. Generally, a three-minute reading is enough to get a sense of how well you like that particular psychic. He or she may also tell you one small item of information.
If you’re interested in trying one of those free readings, use this link to respected Keen psychics: FREE Psychic Reading!
However, to receive truly helpful, in-depth information, you’ll usually need at least a ten-minute reading. It takes that long for most psychics to follow these basic steps:
- Connect with your personal energy, to “read” the events and influences in your immediate future.
- Either connect with his or her angel/guide, or one of your loved ones on the other side… or use a divinatory tool (such as Tarot cards, runes or a crystal ball).
- Put the message into words and sentences that convey both the literal sense of the message and the emotional content of it.
- Get feedback from you, to get clarification( from the other side, or from the angel or spirit guide), or to draw more cards to “see” more details about your future.
- Answer your questions.
BETTER THAN FREE… A FULL INTRODUCTORY READING
If you’re on a budget, look for a good psychic service that qualifies its psychics and offers a special introductory rate for a ten-minute reading. Here’s one that we recommend:
We like them because the price is low and you can choose the psychic that you’d like to talk with.
It’s important to talk with the right psychic for you.
Some people prefer male psychics; others find more rapport with women. Some clients like a young, edgy reader; you may feel more comfortable with a psychic that’s had years of experience.
HOW TO GET THE MOST FROM YOUR MINUTES IN A PSYCHIC READING
Tips to get the most from your time:
- Get directly to your question. Don’t waste time asking, “How are you?” or telling your children or dog to be quiet. Get to the point and stay in focus; your energy is important for a strong psychic connection.
- Don’t interrupt. Unless the psychic tells you that it’s okay to interrupt her (or him), don’t ask more questions until the basic reading is completed. (Many psychics work in a semi-trance state. If they lose their connection with the other side or their spiritual guides, it may require additional, valuable minutes to restore that important connection.)
- Be nice. Don’t challenge phone psychic readings with demands like, “Prove it!” or ask something silly like, “What color is my shirt?” Lower emotions like those can completely cut the psychic’s connection with the spiritual realm. (From my experience, that attitude also annoys your loved ones on the other side, and it can take months for them to be willing to help you after that.)
- When to call back. If the psychic makes a recommendation, follow that advice before calling again. It’s fine to call back if you’re confused and need something more fully explained. However, if the psychic tells you to clean your bathroom (to improve your Feng Shui energy), do that before calling back for fresh advice.
- If you’re on a budget… At the start, tell your psychic how many minutes you can comfortably afford. That helps your psychic reader know how quickly to talk and if there’s time to “build up” to anything that’s bad news.
If you don’t want to admit that you’re on a budget, say something like, “I have to leave for an appointment in 15 minutes.”
However, don’t expect the psychic to watch the clock! It’s your responsibility to say, “This has been great, but I have to leave now. Bye!”
Follow this advice and you’ll get the most from your free, inexpensive, or regular psychic reading.
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