Many of the popular religions in the world have books of wisdom that share quotes and messages on how to live the best life. These words of wisdom are treasured and are often shared in conversion and around the home in the form of decorative artwork. Even many YouTubers I admire such as Girl in Calico or Girl and the Word usually accent their videos with a favorite psalm or two.

As a Pagan I thought I would be limited to just the written stories of the Gods and that I might need to work a bit extra hard to piece together phrases of wisdom that could apply to my modern day struggles and joys. Though the more I learned about Paganism I discovered that there are in fact many written sources that can provide us with this daily wisdom.

Today I’d like to share a few quotes from one of my favorite sources of Pagan knowledge -- The Hávamál. The Hávamál is a collection of Old Norse poetry from the Viking Age. It is an important document that reveals the philosophy, ethics, and wisdom of the Norse Pagans. The poems are said to be written by Odin himself and regardless of if that is true or not, I definitely feel connected to Odin when I read these words:

“Rise early
If you have no one to work for you,
And get straight to work.
You loose more than time
If you sleep when it dawns;
For the early riser, wealth is half-won”

“A man needs wisdom
If he plans to wander widely;
Life is easier at home.
He’ll be laughed at
If he sits among the wise
And has nothing to say.”

“A traveler cannot bring
A better burden on the road
than plenty of wisdom.
It will prove better than money
In an unfamiliar place--
Wisdom is the comfort of the poor”

“Don’t hold on to the mead-horn,
But drink your fair share.
Say something useful or stay quiet.
And no one else
Will judge you poorly
If you go to sleep early.”

“If you want to be very wise,
Be happy at home,
And cheerful with guests.
Cultivate wisdom,
A good memory, and eloquence,
And speak kind words often.
You’ll be called a fool
If you can’t say much--
That’s the mark of the unwise”

“What you ask of the runes
Will prove true;
They are of divine origin,
Made by the mighty Gods
And painted by Odin.
You’ll learn best with your mouth shut.”

“I was young once,
I walked alone,
And I became lost on my way.
I felt like I was rich
When I met another traveler--
People’s joy is in other people.”

I hope you liked this post and that it brought a little extra joy into your life. One of the things that really strikes me about the Hávamál is the number of passages about the importance of friendship and community. So I just want to take a moment to say thank you for being a part of my community. Each day I’m excited to see that more and more people are curious and interested in the pagan path and I’m honored to be a part of this growing movement.

Many Blessings,
Scarlet

We’ve all grown up seeing spells performed in movies and tv shows. For the most part these Hollywood depictions of spellwork have led to a lot of misinformation, especially when it comes to understanding how spells work and what to expect when you perform your own spells. The magic of modern day witchcraft looks nothing like Harry Potter or Sabrina, but that doesn’t mean it’s not powerful or effective. In this post I want to share my views on the underlying philosophies, mechanisms, and physics in place that make spellwork work.

We can start by asking ourselves “What is a spell?” While there are many definitions out there, I would define a spell as simply your willpower in action. When performing a spell you are setting an intention, focusing your energy, and sending it outward to achieve a particular result. This intention-setting and exerted energy is the core component of a spell.

Since ancient times people have understood on an intuitive level that our thoughts and focused attention have immense power. Throughout the centuries spellwork was a method that tapped into this power of our own mind & energy and I find it very exciting to see that over time the scientific community has started to warm up to the idea that our minds are in fact very powerful. There have been countless studies on benefits of meditation and there has even been a lot of recent research done on how focused attention can create positive effects in the physical body.

We also know from physics that our thoughts have matter and spells are really just a manifestation of our thoughts. Some of the most fascinating studies being done on the power of our thoughts are about the placebo effect. We don’t yet fully understand how or why the placebo effect works. I think it’s definitely possible that at least part of the reason spellwork is effective is due to the placebo effect. In my view that doesn’t devalue the spellwork, instead I think the placebo effect enhances the effectiveness of the spell. I would recommend reading “Real Magic” by Dean Radin if you’re interested in learning more about the empirical data & scientific experiments currently being done on magic and spellwork.

The power of the mind is not the only component of a successful spell. What makes spells within witchcraft unique is that they also usually include additional materials which are meant to assist and amplify the spell. Often these additional items are nature-based, such as herbs and crystals.

So why would adding natural items increase the effectiveness of a spell? To understand this we need to go against certain aspects of the Western scientific worldview. In ancient times it was commonly believed that nature and the universe had a divine essence or consciousness and that spellwork was a way to tap into this universal energy. As we transitioned into the modern era, a division was formed between science and spirituality. Over time that division widened significantly to the point where more and more people began to view the natural world as just material without any divine or spiritual significance. I definitely recommend reading “Cosmos and Psyche” by Richard Tarnas if you want to learn more about this significant worldview shift.

The common belief held today is that only humans have a high level of consciousness and as such we humans are entitled to dominate the natural world however we want. This worldview is drastically different from how our Pagan ancestors viewed the universe. While pagan societies varied across the world, most of them had an animistic worldview. Many believed that there was a life force or consciousness that connected all things in the natural world. Instead of trying to rule over nature, our pagan ancestors viewed themselves as active participants in the wider natural forces at work.

To me the belief that the universe is completely devoid of meaning and that “true” consciousness only exists within the human mind seems like hubris, especially considering that consciousness itself is still mostly a mystery for modern scientists. I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to believe that there is some inherent power or consciousness within natural materials such as herbs and plants. And if that is true, the addition of these natural materials could add an extra energy to a spell that could enhance and expand its effectiveness.

Usually the specific herb or natural item used contains an attribute that corresponds to the intention of a spell. For example, in a money spell you might use cinnamon as cinnamon is associated with money and luck. This creates a symbiotic relationship where the intention of gaining wealth is enhanced by the herb that shares the same folkloric meaning.

Finally there is a third element that is also occasionally incorporated in spellwork, which is a call for help from the divine. Just as Christians call for help from God during prayer, a witch might ask one or multiple deities for assistance in their spell. Asking for help forces us to lower our ego just a bit. We’re surrendering and reaching out to the divine within the universe and sometimes the divine reaches back.

If we accept a more animistic worldview, we begin to understand that there is so much to the world that we don’t yet know and that instead of trying to assert our dominance as humans, we can strive to humbly work with the powers of nature and the universe. Spells are more than just a way to get what you want in the world, to me they are a mechanism for building a better relationship to the natural world and the divine essence within the universe.

I hope you enjoyed this post and next I want to hear your thoughts on these ideas. Why do you think spells work? Do you agree with some of the points I brought up or am I way off. I look forward to reading all your ideas in the comments.

There are many similar world views and philosophies that tie the Pagan community together. For example, most pagan religions recognize the wheel of the year & the cyclical nature of life. Usually pagan religions also find aspects of the divine within the natural world and seek to focus their rituals and events around nature. However, within the Pagan community there are a ton of different paths you can choose to follow. And it can be tricky, especially for someone new to the pagan faith, to figure out which path is best suited for them.

Here are 4 things you can consider that might help for choosing the Pagan path that fits you best:

1) Your ancestry

If you’re brand new to Paganism and don’t know where to start, you could look towards your ancestors to see which Pagan path they followed. It’s my belief that you don’t have to follow the Pagan religion that matches your ancestry. However, it can be a good starting point if you’re not sure where to begin.

One note about this to consider - in certain pagan paths ancestor veneration is a big part of the practice and in some pagan paths it’s not as important. For example, I’ve learned from practitioners of Hoodoo that ancestors are a big part of their practice and that you might not be able to experience the practice fully if you don’t share that ancestry. On the other side you have Wicca, which focuses much more on deity than ancestors so it’s not as important.

2) How would you like to learn?

Some pagan paths have a certain structure and hierarchy you can follow when it comes to your education. For example, certain Wiccan traditions like Gardnerian Wicca usually have a coven structure with a high priest and priestess you can learn from. Additionally, because Wicca has been the most popular pagan path over the past couple decades there are a lot of options when it comes to education. You could possibly join a mentorship program or there are many online courses you can take.

Other Pagan paths may not have as many books or options when it comes to education. For example, when it comes to Norse Paganism we’re mostly relying on primary sources such as the Havamal or Poetic Edda to understand the philosophy, worldview, and religious practices of this path. There aren't as many books or courses that explain how to practice this path as a contemporary Norse Pagan which means you’re going to have to do a lot of your own research. So I guess you can ask yourself how much of a history nerd am I, because following certain pagan paths, like Norse Paganism, Hellenism, or Kemeticism means you’re going to be doing a lot of historic research.

3) Would you like to practice alone or with a group?

While the Pagan community as a whole is growing each year, certain pagan paths have more community events and meetups than others. If you want to join a coven or a group that has a lot of meet ups, Wicca would probably be a good fit. Even most large scale events like Pagan pride tend to be mostly focused around wiccan traditions. Though this is definitely beginning to change. For example, over the past decade the Norse Pagan community has really grown and there are a lot more meets ups than there used to be. If practicing with others isn’t that important to you then you definitely have more options when it comes to which Pagan path to follow.

4) Trust your Intuition

Lastly, probably the best way to decide which pagan path is for you is to ask yourself what you feel drawn towards. There are certain paths that you’ll naturally gravitate more towards than others. So trust your intuition here and see what feels right. There is no one rule book when it comes to Paganism - you have the ability to choose the path you want. And in my view that is what makes paganism great.

I hope you enjoyed this blogpost! Comment below which Pagan path you follow. And if you’d like to support this channel and the work I’m doing here I would love it if you would join my community on Patreon. One of the new things I’m excited to be offering on my Patreon is monthly live tarot readings. You can sign up here if you’re interested.

We have Lammas coming up soon! For those unfamiliar this holiday occurs at the midway point between the Summer Solstice & the Autumn Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. Since I’m currently in the process of packing up my apartment for my move to Texas I probably won’t be able to have a big Lammas celebration this year. Though one thing I can do for this holiday is bake bread. Luckily, at its core Lammas is a day to celebrate the wheat harvest and eating carbs is probably one of my favorite activities.

Personally I feel that Lammas is an underrated sabbat and there isn't as much excitement around it compared to the other Pagan holidays. So I thought I would share 3 things you may not know that I think make this holiday uniquely awesome.

1: The Many Names for this Sabbat

There are many different names for this holiday. This makes it a bit confusing, but when you look into it the different names actually reveal a lot of fascinating aspects about the history of Paganism. The oldest name for this holiday is Lughnasadh which is Gaelic and is the name used for the celebrations that occurred throughout Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Mann. Lughnasadh is mentioned in some of the earliest Irish literature and the festival itself is named after the Celtic god Lugh.

The term Lammas, which is the name most current wiccans use, actually shows up after the Christian conversion in Europe. The name Lammas is a contraction of the words loaf (as in bread-loaf) and mass (as in Christian Mass). In the Christian tradition, people would bake a loaf made from the newly harvested wheat and take it to church where the bread would be blessed. After the bread was blessed it might even be used in protective rituals. There's a book of Anglo-Saxon charms that states Lammas bread should be broken into four bits and placed at the four corners of the barn to protect the harvested grain.

I find this all super interesting because it’s a great example of how Paganism & Christianity have intermixed over the centuries. While we don’t know exactly when Christians started celebrating Lammas, it’s definitely possible the acts of harvesting & blessing bread and doing a barn protection spell on this particular day was inspired by earlier Pagan celebrations. I mean it sounds pretty pagan to me!

As a modern Pagan, it’s a bit odd thinking about the Pagan & Christian relationship. Sure, it really sucks that many of our Pagan ancestors were forcibly converted to Christianity but at the same time it’s like thanks for preserving our traditions I guess? In reality a large part of what we know about Paganism today comes from the fact that Christians recorded a lot of the folk traditions and incorporated them into their own religious practices. Pagans in northern Europe didn’t write a lot down so a lot of times we need to rely on Christian sources for our information. What makes the story even more fascinating is that nowadays most Christians have stopped celebrating Lammas and now it’s the Pagans & Wiccans who are again celebrating this holiday which really shows the cyclical nature of history.

There are two more lesser known names for this holiday as well. Gŵyl Awst which is the Welsh name for this holiday and August Eve which is the name early Wiccans used for this holiday. The switch to using the name Lammas among Wiccans came much later.

2: Athletic Games on this Sabbat

Sports are probably not one of the things you associate with this holiday, but there are actually some interesting athletic aspects to Lammas. In The Every-Day Book of 1838 William Hone wrote of a Lammas day sport common among Scottish farmers near Edinburgh. In this sport people would build towers out of peat and each team would put their flag at the center of the tower. The farmers would go to others' towers and attempt to "level them to the ground." People were allowed to defend their towers and all the farmers were given a horn they could blow to alert nearby country folk of the impending attack and they would show up and it would turn into a big brawl. If there are any Scots reading this, please let me know if you’ve heard of this game and I’d love to know if there are any communities still doing this.

There are also historic Pagan athletic games associated with Lughnassah called the Tailteann Games. These were funeral games associated with the history of Pre-Christian Ireland. The games were held during the last fortnight of July and culminated with the celebration of Lughnasadh. Modern folklore sources claim that the games started around 1600 BCE, with some sources claiming as far back as 1829 BCE. The games included the long jump, high jump, running, spear throwing, boxing, sword fighting, archery, wrestling, and chariot racing. I don’t know if any modern Irish Pagans have thought about reviving these games, but that would be really wonderful. If I could plan my ideal modern Lughnasadh celebration I would love to have a day of fun athletic competition that culminates in a big feast where everyone would bring homemade baked good to celebrate the harvest.

3: Ireland’s Oldest Fair?

The oldest Irish festival still going on today is called Puck’s Fair and it takes place annually for three days on the 10th, 11th and 12th of August. Every year a group of people go up into the mountains and catch a wild goat for the fair. The goat is brought back to the town and the "Queen of Puck", traditionally a young girl, crowns the goat "King Puck" which signifies that the festivities may begin. The goat is then put into a small cage on a high stand for three days, and on the 3rd day of the fair, he is brought down to be led back to the mountains.

Most Scholars believe the fair's origins stem from the Celtic festival of Lughnasadh. As Lughnasadh symbolises the beginning of the harvest season the goat acts like a pagan fertility symbol. I don’t know about you but I would love to go to this fair if I’m ever up in Ireland.

I hope you enjoyed this post & video. If you did please give it a like and down in the comments let me know what you’ll be doing to celebrate Lammas this year.

The Holly King & the Oak King—you may have heard of these two mythical, pagan figures, but who are they and where do they come from? One of the trickiest things when it comes to modern paganism is understanding the origins of our rituals, folklore and belief. So today, I wanted to look at the story of the battle between the Oak King & the Holly King through two different lenses. First we’ll discuss this story within the Wiccan tradition, and then we’ll look at it from a European traditional witchcraft perspective.

In this Wiccan version of this tale the Holly and Oak kings are dual aspects of the Wiccan God and they personify the changing wheel of the year. The two kings engage in an endless "battle" reflecting the seasonal cycles of the year by representing solar light and dark. At the Winter Solstice, the Oak King conquers the Holly King, and then rules until the Summer solstice. Once the Summer Solstice arrives, the Holly King returns to do battle with the now old Oak king, and this time the Holly King defeats the Oak King.

Often, these two entities are portrayed in certain ways— the Holly King frequently appears as a woodsy version of Santa Claus. He dresses in red, wears a sprig of holly in his tangled hair, and is sometimes depicted driving a team of eight stags. The Oak King by contrast is portrayed as a fertility god, and occasionally appears as the Green Man or other lord of the forest.

So it’s a pretty simple story and a good reflection of the power of the sun as we move throughout the year. But where does this story come from? As with most legends, the actual origins of the Oak King and the Holly King are unknown. Since being introduced into Wicca by Janet and Stewart Farrar in the late 1970s, this story has become a significant part of understanding the cycle of the God & the seasons within Wiccan belief. So you might be asking—did this legend exist before the late 1900s? Well if you look up the Holly King & Oak King online you’ll find plenty of people saying it’s from Celtic mythology. Yet, none of the articles I’ve found give any specific references to Celtic texts or artwork that would indicate this was an integral story among the Celtic Pagans. Like most aspects of Wicca, this story was most likely “inspired” by Celtic & Druidic beliefs. Though if you went back in time and started talking to a Druid about the story of the Holly King & Oak King, it’s unlikely they would have any idea what you're talking about.

Theres also a signifiant issue here—the solstices were not actually celebrated by the Celts. So if the story is based around the rise and fall of the sun’s power during the Winter & Summer solstice, this story is not very Celtic. The Celts celebrated four fire festivals, or cross-quarter days, which are evenly spaced throughout the year and celebrate the transition of the sun throughout the agricultural seasons. These are outlined in the “The Wooing of Emer,” an ancient manuscript of stories set during the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology.

These cross-quarter festivals consist of:
- Samhain, when the summer goes to rest and marks the end of the harvest
- Imbolc, when the sheep are milked at the beginning of spring
- Beltane, which marks the beginning of summer
- Lughnasadh, which denotes the beginning of autumn

These cross-quarter festivals have been combined with festivals associated with the solstices and equinoxes, which come from Norse, Germanic and Anglo-Saxon sources. It was the authors Robert Graves and Aidan Kelly who combined all eight festivals together to form the modern Neopagan Wheel of the Year. Now just because the story of the Holly & Oak King may not necessarily have Celtic Pagan origins, that doesn’t mean that this story should not be included in modern Celtic Paganism. It does a great job anthropomorphizing the movements of the Sun during the wheel of the year and this story helps provide a framework for educating others about Pagan belief structures.

Next let’s look at this story from a different lens using a Traditional Witchcraft perspective. Like Wiccans, many traditional witches incorporate the story of the Holly and the Oak king. However, they change it up a bit so that the battle takes place at the Equinoxes. This means that the Oak King is at his strongest during Midsummer, and that the Holly King is at his height during Yule. From a folkloric and agricultural standpoint, I think this interpretation seems to make more sense. When I first learned of this story I was really confused because the Wiccan concept of the Holly King losing his battle on the Winter Solstice didn’t make sense to me.

In traditional witchcraft the folklore is based predominantly based on the land and the cycles of the seasons. The holly plant blooms year round but the Oak tree drops its leaves in winter and is at its height in Summer. Since traditional craft takes inspiration from what actually occurs in nature, it makes sense that the Oak King would be at his strongest at the summer solstice and the Holly King would be strongest at the winter solstice, so quite a bit of a departure from the Wiccan interpretation.

In the Traditional Witchcraft book Treading the Mill, Nigel Pearson says that the Holly King and the Oak King are two aspects of the King of the Wildwood archetype. He explains that the King of the Wildwood archetype is an aspect of the God and is usually depicted with horns or antlers. However, unlike the Wiccan interpretations of the God, the King of the Wildwood is not kind or gentle.

“He may send moral terror into those that come in his way and can bestow madness and chaos upon those that are not careful in their dealings with him. This is the aspect of the God that the inquisitors of the past loved to scare their flocks with - the very Devil of the Sabbat himself! I do not mean to imply here that there is anything negative or even “evil” about this aspect, purely that he embodies the pure, unrefined driving force of the masculine side of Nature, which is truly “red in tooth and claw.”

Pearson goes on to describe the fearsome and powerful aspects of the Oak King and Holly King respectively. His traditional witch understanding of these figures is a clear departure from the Wiccan interpretation.

So, where does this leave us? We’ve looked at two versions of the Holly King and Oak King and I think they both provide value in different ways. The traditional witch understanding of these figures is intense; it shakes us out of our comfort zone and forces us to come face to face with the harsh realities of the natural world. It is in these moments of facing fear and discomfort that allows the witch to grow and develop. However, I wouldn’t exactly consider the Traditional Witch interpretation of the Holly & Oak King to be very joyous or fun. Luckily, we have the Wiccan interpretation for that.

I think that’s the main message here - that there is a time and place for each of these interpretations. For example, I would call on and honor the Wiccan version of the Oak King at a Summer Solstice feast. But when it comes to a developing deeper understanding of this archetype I would work with the traditional witch version of these two kings.

I hope you found this deep dive on the Holly King & Oak King valuable and next I’d love to hear your thoughts about this fascinating story. So please share below in the comments. And if you’re interested in supporting my blog & Youtube channel I would love to have you become one of my Patrons.

Many Blessings,
Scarlet

One of the most common questions I receive is if someone can be both Christian and Pagan. This is a difficult question as it depends on what perspective you're coming from. From a Christian perspective the answer is definitely NO as in Christianity you must only believe in the one ‘true’ God. If you’re looking from the Pagan perspective the idea of combining Christianity & Paganism is a bit more possible because as Pagans we can always add on an additional deity, which in this case would be the Christian God, into our religious practice. However, there are some huge differences between the Pagan & Christian lifestyle and worldview that would make combining these two faiths difficult. So for this video & blogpost I want to share what I view makes the Pagan worldview so fundamentally different from Christianity.

Now before we begin, some disclaimers. I am not an official expert on religion. This is just my personal understanding of the differences between Paganism and Christianity so take everything I mention with a grain of salt. I understand that there is complexity and nuance to everything and this is just meant to be an introduction & my personal beliefs. This is also a very difficult topic to tackle because Paganism is an umbrella term and there are many different religions with varying beliefs and practices that could be considered Pagan. For the purposes of this post I’m using commonalities I find among the majority of Pagan religions, though this will of course not reflect all Pagans or Pagan religions.

Now that we got that out of the way here are 4 fundamental differences between Paganism and Christianity:

One God vs. Many Gods

In Christianity there is belief in one true god. Those that believe in this God will ascend to heaven and those that believe in either multiple deities or a different singular God are incorrect and they must be “saved” or else they will not ascend to heaven. In Paganism we believe in multiple Gods. While there may be a hierarchy of Gods, with some more powerful than others, the belief in multiple deities is an essential part to Paganism.

This makes Paganism distinctively different from Christianity and also makes it extremely versatile as each individual can choose the deities they would like to incorporate in their religious practice. This Pagan worldview also allows for religious syncretism which is the blending of two or more religious belief systems into a new system. The deity Hermes Trismegistus is an example of this as he is a deity formed by combining the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth.

Why is Religious syncretism important? Well, Pagans have the ability to adopt other deities and religious customs instead of completely rejecting them as wrong or sinful. Because of this unique feature it is my personal belief that Paganism is very conducive to peacefully living in a society that is filled with a diversity of people with various faiths. Also, as a side note, since there is not ONE true God in Paganism that means that others don’t need to be “saved” so there is no need to proselytize in Paganism. “Spreading the word” or converting others is not necessary or desired in Paganism.

Faith vs. Actions

Faith is the most important aspect of Christianity. Sin can be forgiven as long as you confess & have faith in the one true God. For example, in Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

In most Pagan societies, faith was secondary to actions. It was more important to perform the rituals & festivals to honor the Gods than it was to fully believe in the Gods. It was your actions in life, not your faith, that determined your place in the afterlife. You can look at Valhalla as an example - it was your strength in battle, not your faith, that determined a place in Valhalla.

You can also look towards ancient Roman society where religion was practical and contractual, based on the principle of "I give that you might give." Roman religion depended on knowledge and the correct practice of prayer, ritual, and sacrifice, not on faith or dogma. Excessive devotion or fearful groveling to deities was considered undignified in Roman society. This does not mean that faith was unimportant among Pagan societies, it just means that it was not valued in the same way as it was within a Christian worldview.

For example, we can look at a quote from Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, “Since it is possible that you might depart from life this very moment, regulate every act and thought accordingly. But to go away from among men, if there are gods, is not a thing to be afraid of, for the gods will not involve you in evil; but if indeed they do not exist, or if they have no concern about human affairs, why would I wish to live in a universe devoid of gods or devoid of Providence? But in truth they do exist, and they do care for human things, and they have put all the means in man’s power to enable him not to fall into real evils.”

Here Marcus Aurelius is stating how the Gods have created us not to watch over us to see if we are sinning, but instead they have empowered us to create and mold our own lives. Faith here is not what’s truly important. What’s important is the quest to empower ourselves to actions that better our lives and the lives of others.

Mercy vs. The Warrior

In Christianity there is a focus on humility, peace, and meekness and an de-emphasis on physical strength & the warrior archetype. For example, Matthew 5:5 - “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

This is much different from Paganism. There is not a ‘turn the other cheek’ worldview and Pagan societies were not always peaceful or gentle. In fact, pretty much every Pagan society had at least one God of war.

This does not mean that we as modern pagans condone violence. However, it does mean the warrior archetype has value and that building both physical & mental strength can be an active part of Pagan practice. If you are interested in learning more about the Warrior archetype I would recommend watching the video The Archetype of the Warrior – How Films Help Empower Us All. 

Strength in the Pagan worldview, both personally & collectively as a society, was greatly important. For example, you can consider the value of athletic glory in Ancient Greece or you can look towards Socrates who wrote, “No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.”

In Paganism the body is not sinful nor is it something to be ignored. In fact, the body is an integral part of spiritual practices. Through bodily strength & pleasures we gain access to glimpses of the divine, but that does not mean we should descend into purely hedonism. There is of course a time & a place for hedonism in Paganism, but it must be balanced by a strong body and mind.

Focus on Afterlife vs. Focus on Life

In a Christian worldview the goal is to live in faith without sin so that you may ascend to heaven. In many Christian texts and in certain aspects of modern Christian culture there is a yearning for this life to end and for the rapture to occur. During this time faithful Christians will be chosen by God and the rest of us will descend to hell for eternity.

Even the main symbol of Christianity, the cross, focuses on death and the afterlife. Additionally, you have the concept of the martyr - to sacrifice your life for God leads to sainthood.

By contrast, the afterlife is not as important within Pagan societies. While there are some occasional mentions of places like Elysium or Valhalla, it’s clear that the afterlife was not a main focus of Pagan religions. Instead, a main focus of Pagan religious rites and festivals was to celebrate life & fertility. This celebration of fertility is a clear departure from the Christian worldview.

In Christianity, female sexuality and fertility is often viewed through a lens of sin. Pagan societies however, greatly celebrated fertility - both our human fertility and the fertility of the land. Some of the earliest art we humans created, like the Venus of Willendorf, emphasized the sexuality & fertility of the female form and celebrating this fertility is an integral part of pretty much all pagan religions.

When it comes to death in Pagan societies, it was your legacy that mattered much more than where you end up after you die. For Pagans achieving eternity did not mean dying and going somewhere where you’ll live forever. Instead eternity was achieved when the great acts you performed in life are remembered & retold by your descendants and your community.

There’s a lot more I could discuss about the differences between the Christian & Pagan worldview, such as Purity of God vs Flawed Gods or the Intersection of Science and faith in Christianity & Paganism so let me know if you enjoyed this post and I maybe I will make a part 2.

Next I’d love to hear what you think are some of the fundamental differences between Christianity and Paganism, so please leave your thoughts in the comments.

Unlike other spiritual systems, we witches don’t have a designated sacred space we can go for spiritual practice & ritual.  So instead we need to create it ourselves.  A couple months ago I shared the Wiccan approach to creating sacred space called Casting a Circle.  Today we’re going to discuss a traditional witchcraft method for creating sacred space known as Hallowing the Compass. 

If you’re unsure of the differences between Wicca & Traditional Witchcraft and which approach would work best for you, you can review the previous video I’ve done on this topic.

Like in Wicca, the compass is circular in shape and oriented towards the 4 compass points of North, East, South, and West. The reason for orientating the sacred space around the 4 directions is so that we can take advantage of and work with the natural forces within the Earth. This is especially important in traditional witchcraft as traditional witchcraft focuses primarily with the spirits of the land. This is also why the compass works best if it is created outdoors in nature as opposed to inside your home. 

The purpose of Hallowing the Compass is to set this space apart our mundane reality and create a liminal space.  The space becomes a sort of no-mans land or ‘portal’ where you can experience spirits, deities, and other dimensional spaces.  You may have heard of the term “hedge witch.”  Historically, a hedge witch would use this portal or compass to send their astral body out into other worlds to acquire knowledge & communicate with spirits in other realms.  This journey of the astral self into other realms is called “hedge riding.” While traditionally the Hallowing of a Compass was used for this purpose of “hedge riding,” it can be used for a wide variety of rituals or spellwork that you’d like to do.  

As we go into the details of how to actually hollow a compass, keep in mind that it’s your energy and intention that is more important than the words spoken and the tools used. 

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How to HAllow a Compass

Step 1: Find a Suitable Space & the Directions

Determine the compass directions of North, East, South, and West. This can be done easily with the compass app on your phone if you don’t have an actual compass. You can mark the 4 directions with a stone, a candle, or some type of offering to the spirits of the different directions.

Step 2: Prepare the Stang

Place your stang upright at the North point of your circle and place any materials needed for the ritual at the base of the stang.

What is a Stang? A stang is a tool that’s used in traditional witchcraft to represent the axis mundi and to honor the spirits of the land. The word Stang comes from Old Norse and it means "Pole." It’s usually made up of a wooden staff of shoulder height with either a Y shape or horns at the top.

Step 3: Trace the Circle

Go to the north and take up the stang. Walk along the perimeter of the circle, tracing the edge of the compass circle with the bottom of the stang. As you walk, visualize a blue flame coming from the edge of the stang. Walk the perimeter of the compass three times. When you finish, place the stang back at the north point of your compass.

Step 4: Create a Liminal Space Inside the Compass

The next step is to turn this space into something that is separate from our mundane reality. This involves entering into a trance-lake state. One way to do this is to pace the inside of the compass while chanting. You want to continue to chant & pace the circle until you feel that the atmosphere has become thicker or more electric.

Step 5: Envision your Connections to the 4 Directions

Stand at the center of the compass and envision a glowing line running through your hips connecting you to the East & West. Then envision a line going through your navel connecting you to North and South.

Finally, envision a line going through your spine, like an axis mundi, connecting you up to the sky and traveling deep below your feet into the Earth.

Step 6: Perform your Rite

Your compass is now complete so you can perform whatever you have planned, whether it be a ritual, spellwork, or meditation.

Keep in mind that Hallowing a Compass before every magical act is not necessary so it’s up to you to decide if creating this sacred space makes sense or not for what you’ll be doing.

Step 7: Release the Compass

After your work is done return to the center of the circle. Visualize the lines connecting you to the directions retreating back into your body. Then you can offer thanks to the spirits, energies, or deities that you have worked with.

Next you need to transition the space from something liminal to something that is grounded back into the mundane world. To do this you can walk around the perimeter of the circle in the opposite direction of how you created the compass.

Once you have walked the perimeter 3 times and have felt the energy of the compass fully dissipate you can clap your hands 3 times and say “It is done!”

I hope you enjoyed this post! What are your thoughts on this technique? Have you tried something similar? If you’re interested in supporting my channel and receiving additional witch & pagan resources I hope you’ll consider joining my Patreon family.  

FREE Printable for Your Grimoire/Book of Shaddows: How to Hallow A Compass

Journeying is otherworldly travel. The goal is to move our consciousness beyond our own bodies so that we can experience other realms and communicate with ancestors, spirits, or even Gods.

Some believe that this process is really just occurring in our mind and thus not “real.” Of course, even if that is the case you can ask the philosophical question “does that make it any less real than our mundane reality?”

As with many aspects of spirituality, part of the process of journeying involves breaking away from our materialist assumptions of the world. Materialism is the assumption that everything that exists is matter and the various interactions of matter. In the materialist worldview Gods, Spirits, and even concepts like love are reduced to simple interactions of brain chemistry, and thus are not ‘real.’

To me this worldview seems to leave out so much of the beauty and mystery of the world so I have chosen not to follow a materialist worldview. I mention this because Journeying is one of those things that you won’t be able to fully access until you open your mind to the possibility that there is more than just the material world.

Timing

The first thing to consider is timing. Certain days of the year and phases of the moon are better times to practice journeying than others. Holidays like Samhain & Beltane are traditionally times when the veil between the mundane and supernatural is at its thinnest. At times like these Journeying may be easier but it’s still definitely possible to do throughout the wheel of the year.

Samhain in particular is a great time to use journeying to connect with and communicate with your ancestors and the full moon is always a great time to practice this technique.

How to Practice Journeying

With Journeying, we want to shift our consciousness and there are several ways to get into this altered state. Many people reach this altered state through entheogens like psychedelics and ayahuasca. I personally don’t really like using drugs in my practice but I wanted to mention this as it's a method that many people use and have had a lot of success with.

A common entheogen historically used by witches is known as flying ointment. This is a salve or lotion made with animal fat or vegetable oil which has been infused with poisonous, psychoactive herbs such as henbane, belladonna, and mandrake. During the early modern period there were many reports of witches using this ointment to shape shift and fly to their occult rituals. Nowadays you can get flying ointments online and in general they do tend to be pretty mild, but it’s still something you should be very careful with as it is poisonous.

Now if this all seems very overwhelming, don’t worry! You don’t need to take any substances to practice journeying. Drumming & dancing are great ways to enter an altered state. There are even a lot of guided journey meditations on Youtube that you can try if you’re just starting out.

In practicing journeying, It helps to already have a good amount of experience with mediation and calming your mind. This is because after you’ve entered an altered state through practices like drumming or chanting you want to be able to focus & quiet your mind enough so that you can listen and be open to any messages or visuals that are coming from any spirits, Gods, or ancestors.

If nothing comes through the first time, don’t feel discouraged. Journeying is definitely an advanced technique and I’ve found that it’s something that takes a lot of practice.
If any messages or visuals do come through, make sure you record them in your journal or in your grimoire if you have one so can have a record of experience.

I’d love to hear if you’ve had any experiences with journeying.
So if you feel comfortable please comment below what your own experiences with journeying have been like and if you’ve had any success with connecting to the spirit realm through this process.

I hope you've enjoyed this post & video. If you like my content and are interested in supporting my channel, please consider joining my Patreon family: https://www.patreon.com/scarletravenswood

Many Blessings & Much love,
Scarlet ✨

Hi there! Here's 4 tips that I'd like to share for anyone new to the pagan path.

1) Study different paths to see what resonates with you

Paganism is an umbrella term and there are hundreds of different paths that could be considered Pagan. Perhaps your path might even involve combining a few different traditions. Don’t stress too much about making this decision right away. In my personal journey I began with Wicca but over the years I’ve found myself gravitating more towards Norse Paganism.

In my view studying and learning about these paths is a lifetime pursuit. And while reading the historical texts from your chosen path is important, it's not the whole story. This is because we as modern pagans strive to take what we’ve studied and put it into practice. The goal is use that knowledge to formulate traditions & rituals you can actually perform today that still stay true to the core beliefs of these ancient cultures.

2) Spend time in nature

If you’re looking to develop a connection with the old Gods the best place to connect with them would probably be in nature. While there is a huge variety of pagan paths most of them share a similar reverence for the natural world. Forests, streams, and mountains have been considered sacred places for thousands of years so these are great places to practice rituals or meditation.

Some Pagan cultures, like the Greeks and Romans, erected large temples as spaces to connect with the Gods while others such as the Norse Pagans and Druids situated their worship spaces in a more natural setting. Unfortunately, today we don’t have many physical temples & spaces where we can honor the Gods and those that do exist are cultural heritage sites that rarely let in modern pagans. Luckily, we’ll always have nature as a place where we can worship.

Of course, spending time outdoors doesn’t just have to be for religious reasons; as Pagans we strive to incorporate nature in our day to day life as much as possible. So go for walks and hikes as much as possible. And if you have some outdoor space at home try making a garden or set up a fire pit outside.

3) Record your Experiences

Many people who follow the Wiccan path keep a Book of Shadows or a Grimoire as a way to record their spiritual journey. In my opinion, this is a great idea even if you’re not Wiccan. Some of the things I like to include in my grimoire are recipes and crafts for the different pagan holidays, rituals & spellwork that I’ve found effective, and a list of local herbs and plants and their various uses. What you choose to keep a record of will of course be based on which Pagan path you choose to follow.

Along with my main Grimoire I also keep a dream & meditation journal so I can record any interesting messages and symbols that may be coming through from the other realm.

4) Create an Altar

An altar can be a great way to connect with the Gods on a daily basis. Some Pagans keep an indoor altar, some have an outdoor altar, and some have multiple altars. Since I live in the city, I don’t have an outdoor altar but I do have 2 small indoor altars.

I use a bookshelf in my bedroom as one altar where I keep my runes, my tarot decks, incense, and a few statues of the Gods. I also use the mantle of my fireplace as an altar space and I change it up for the different Pagan holidays. Once you’ve set up an altar it becomes a sacred space where you can leave offerings for the Gods, mediate, or perform rituals.

I hope you enjoyed this post and my corresponding video. Comment below what tips you would like to share for any new pagans out there. And if you'd like to support me in my quest to create free & educational content for Pagans, I'd love for you to consider joining my community on Patreon.