I am unusually hesitant in posting this essay, for I have some ten thousand pages or so of notes, xeroxes, earlier essays, etc. on this topic, only a fraction of which I’ve been able to scan in and merge over the last few weeks. But the sudden upsurge of visitors to my website last Halloween made it clear that I need to have something, however incomplete, here for people to read. So consider this a “beta version,” if you will, and forgive me for not making it as “perfect” as my obsessive-compulsive habits usually dictate. This essay will be updated continuously over the next few years. Please note that many of the books referenced in this essay are out of print and hard to find, though Amazon.com will search for them for you and many such books are available in online auctions or from your local bookseller.

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Thank you for the days,
Those endless days, those sacred days you gave me.
I’m thinking of the days,
I won’t forget a single day, believe me.
–Ray Davies, the Kinks

The most important thing to understand about the eight Witchcraft
Sabbats is that they are not man-made. By this, I mean that they are
not holidays in the same way that Independence Day is a holiday, i.e. a
calendar anniversary of some date that has a special importance in
history. Indeed, the Sabbats of Witchcraft do not commemorate any
historical event and are, as we shall see, almost antithetical to the
concept of history. Nor are they randomly chosen holidays to observe
some social institution, such as Mother’s Day. No, the eight Sabbats of
Witchcraft were not man-made because they existed long before man was
made. Or woman. Or the dinosaurs. Or life on this planet. Indeed, these
eight holidays might be said to be as old as the Earth itself. They
might not have been called “sabbats” then, but they were there just the
same.

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Parenting is hot. Paganism is hot. But to this Pagan mama, it seems that finding a variety of resources to meet the needs of a variety of paths is a bit more difficult than youd think.

Perhaps Gwyneth Paltrow needs to have a come-to-Goddess moment. Maybe Land of Nod should offer My First Cauldron in a variety of peppy colors. But until then, the options for creatively filling your childs world with magick are still being, ahem, crafted.

Pick & Choose Feature Articles

The following articles are available for republication. You are free to copy these articles onto your own
site, print magazine, class hand-out, or newsletter as long as no
changes, additions or deletions are made to the text. All the
information in the box below each article must be included on the
document whenever it is distributed or reproduced.

 Articles
on each of the eight sabbats in the wheel of the year by Mike Nichols
will appear on your site automatically at the appropriate time of year.
Choose either the longer excerpt or the shorter excerpt, each of which
links to the article in its entirety. 

For the long version, insert the following code into your page:

<center><!-- Sabbat Articles by Mike Nichols on www.Spiritualitea.com --><SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript" src="sabbats/code.js"></SCRIPT><!-- GET YOUR OWN DYNAMICALLY CHANGING SABBAT ARTICLES --><!-- AT WWW.SPIRITUALITEA.COM --><!-- USE IT FREE ON YOUR HOMEPAGE --></center>

 For the short version (shown), insert the following code into your page:

<center><!-- Sabbat Articles by Mike Nichols on www.Spiritualitea.com --><SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript" src="sabbats/code2.js"></SCRIPT><!-- GET YOUR OWN DYNAMICALLY CHANGING SABBAT ARTICLES --><!-- AT WWW.SPIRITUALITEA.COM --><!-- USE IT FREE ON YOUR HOMEPAGE --></center>

 Put
Esmerelda on your homepage and she’ll dole out advice on what you’ll
need to create a spell for love, prosperity, protection, psychic
development, and healing (image below is a screenshot only).

 Insert the following code into your page:

<!– Esmerelda’s Spell Advisor by www.Spiritualitea.com –>

</script><form name="messageForm"><table width=190 border=0 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0><tr><td colspan=3><a href="spiritualitoys" target="new"><img src="spiritualitoys/spells.gif" width=190 height=64 alt="Spell Creator" border=0></a></td></tr><tr><td align="left" bgcolor="#999900"><img src="spiritualitoys/left_10x1.gif" width=10 height=27></td><td width=170 valign=top  align="center" align=left bgcolor="#999900"><select name="messagePick" OnChange="messageReveal()" width=170><option value="0">What will you conjure?<option>Love<option>Protection<option>Psychic Development<option>Prosperity<option>Healing</select></td><td align="right" bgcolor="#999900"><img src="spiritualitoys/right_10x1.gif" width=10 height=27></td></tr><tr><td colspan=3><img name="indDISPLAY" src="spiritualitoys/esmerel.gif" width=190 height=123 alt="our suggestion" border=0 ></td></tr><tr><td align="left" bgcolor="#999900"><img src="spiritualitoys/left_10x1.gif" width=10 height=85></td><td width=170 align="center" bgcolor="#999900"><textarea name="messageField" rows=4 cols=18 wrap=virtual>Select a purpose from the pull-down menu above and I will tell you what you will need here.</textarea></td><td align="right" bgcolor="#999900"><img src="spiritualitoys/right_10x1.gif" width=10 height=85></td></tr><tr><td colspan=3><a href="http://www.spiritualitea.com" target="new"><img src="spiritualitoys/bot2.gif" width=190 height=58 border=0></a><br><font face=arial,helvetica size=1><a href="spiritualitoys">Put Esmerelda on your website for free!</a>   </td></tr></table><!-- GET YOUR OWN SPELL ADVISOR AT WWW.SPIRITUALITEA.COM --><!-- USE IT FREE ON YOUR HOMEPAGE --><br><p></form>

When
you wave your cursor over the cup of coffee, steam will magically rise
from the cup. Concentrate on your question, click on the image, and a
window containing your fortune will appear. Learn about coffee &
your future at the same time!
(image below is a screenshot only)

Insert the following code into your page:

<!-- Cafe Nation by www.Spiritualitea.com --><!-- Cafe Nation --><script language="javascript" src="spiritualitoys/cafenation2.js"></script><table width=200 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 border=0 ><tr><td><a href="http://www.spiritualitea.com" target="new"><img src="spiritualitoys/cafeon1b.gif" border=0  width=192 height=38 ></a></td></tr><tr><td valign=top ><a href="javascript:makeRemote()"  onMouseover = "img_act('toc1')"  onMouseout = "img_inact('toc1')"><IMG NAME = "toc1" src="spiritualitoys/cafeoff2b.gif" border=0  width=192 height=200 ></a></td></tr><tr><td valign=top><a href="http://www.cafenation.net" target="new"><img src="spiritualitoys/cafeon3b.gif" border=0  width=192 height=68 ></a></td></tr></table><font face=arial,helvetica size=1><a href="http://www.cafenation.net/cafenationplugin.shtml">put cafe nation on your site free!</a><!-- GET YOUR OWN COFFEE FORTUNE-TELLER --><!-- AT WWW.SPIRITUALITEA.COM --><!-- USE IT FREE ON YOUR HOMEPAGE -->

Want
to know if you and you-know-who are compatible? Enter your sign on the
left, his/hers on the right, and see whether or not you’re on fire or
merely tepid (image below is a screenshot only).

Insert the following code into your page: 

<center><!-- Astro-Love by www.Spiritualitea.com --><!-- AstroLove --><script language="javascript" src="spiritualitoys/astrolove.js"></script><!-- GET YOUR OWN ASTRO-LOVE AT WWW.SPIRITUALITEA.COM --><!-- USE IT FREE ON YOUR HOMEPAGE -->

Q: How do I perform a love spell?
I know the dangers and i still want to try. I honestly feel this person
I want to put it on and I really are meant to be and I believe this
person really does care for me but is afraid to show it.

–Patti

A: This is probably one of the
toughest and most common questions a witch will encounter. Witches have
the power to change so many
things in their lives — why shouldn’t a witch draw someone special to
her?

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Q: Could you elaborate on the
difference in Old Religion, Eclectic
and Kitchen Wiccan and the mixes of these? I’m searching through the
web, but I’d like a comparitive opinion or observation, not my
uneducated deductions…Thank you.

– Kimberly

A: As you probably already know,
Wicca is a twentieth century religion. It was created out of human
minds, a mix of ancient practices, turn of the century spiritualism,
and ceremonialism and has evolved to incorporate environmental and
feminist beliefs. The more witches you meet, the more different
traditions you may hear about and they can sound a bit confusing,
especially when the names don’t appear to reveal much about their
particular practice.

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Q: Since I first learned about wicca and magic and all that about
spiritualism I have been wanted to become a witch. I have made a small
book of shadows and I perform some small time rituals. But I never had
any comunication with any real wicca other than reading stuff on the
net. I only wonder what am I supposed to do to gain power and knowledge
to become a stronger witch.

–Lucas

A: The first thing that any witch
comes to realize is that practicing Wicca involves transformation of
the self. The quest for power and knowledge becomes the quest for power
over one’s actions and knowledge of one’s inner self, both dark and
light.

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Q: I started practicing wicca
several years ago with a coven that had many
internal problems. The coven fell apart and I stopped practicing.
However, lately, I’ve been feeling the need to pick it up again. What I
am unsure of is; when (ie: which sabbat, moon phase, etc.) should I
start on… and is it unwise to just try to pick it up again after
neglecting it for so long? I would really appreciate your help.
– Bridgid

A: Working with others is
probably one of the most rewarding parts of being Wiccan. Losing ties
to a coven can be devastating and can rock the foundation of your
beliefs. But it’s possible to bounce back and be a stronger witch for
the experience.

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If you’ve been following this
column, you’ve probably noticed a not-so-subtle change. I have taken a
new Craft name, Phoenix. So, what prompted the change and what does it
mean? Why a “fake” name at all?

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Q: I am told that there is a special energy in stones, rocks, crystals,
and other natural earth formations. how does one go about *feeling* the
energy in these objects, how does one meditate on these things, and what
else
are they used for?

— Marley

A: The energy that is attributed to stones and crystals is usually a
product of an association, emotion, or other sense that someone feels
about the stone. It may not necessarily be the case that a spark like
lightening jumps off that chunk of obsidian, but its smooth surface may
spark images in your mind’s eye that are just as potent.

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