Sacred Samhain

Tonight the veil is thin. Tonight we remember those who have gone before. Tonight the Goddess takes on a duel aspect, on the one hand She is the expectant mother who will give birth at the next festival of the Winter Solstice and on the other She is the Dark Mother - the Wise Woman. This is the Crone who asks us to journey within to explore our shadow selves and to give that aspect as much reverence as the sunnier side of our nature which is more often the aspect we portray to the world.
It matters not which face of the Goddess turns to face us, Her other aspects are always there and just because they may not be visible to the naked eye does not mean they fail to exist.

'In the marriage bed
Your Goddess lies,
Her youthful eyes
Still shine behind an ageing veil......'

From 'The Mermaid' - Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers

Samhain & the Full Blood Moon

The full blood moon graces our skies as Samhain approaches and for the Celts this signified a time of feasting, fires, honouring the ancestors & sacrifice.
The Gods were thought to draw near to the earth plane under this moon and kings would gather their tribes in order to make a human sacrifice to appease the Gods & keep everyone safe through the harsh winter to come. On occasions the sacrificial victim may be a beggar, whilsr on others an elderly king would give up his life.
Today gentler alternatives are preferred such as sacrificing a habit which no longer serves us or sacrificing the clothes which hang unworn in our wardrobes by giving them to a deserving cause. Afterall what better time to make new resolutions & clear out the clutter than at the beginning of the celtic new Year?
Read more 'Mrs Darley's pagan whispers'

The Principle of Correspondence

The Hermetic Principles tell us that every level of being is governed by the same universal laws, 'As above, so below, as below, so above.'
Hence we are able to call upon the Gods from the higher realms to aid our magickal workings, just as we may use a crystal, or candle from the earth realm, thus a table of correspondences is invaluable for those who wish to craft their magick.
Read more: 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Paths to Magick'

The Priciples of Hermetics

The Principles of Hermetics are complex to understand & even harder to incorporate within our daily and magical lives.
Hermetics tell us that this world and indeed everything that is throughout time and space is a creation within the mind of 'The All' (God, The Divine, Goddess, The Light - call it what you will). Man also creates mentally, thus everything that we see on the earth plane other than that which is part of nature, began with a thought in the mind of man.
The newly released Mrs Darley book, 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Paths to Magick', investigates the seven Hermetic Principles in detail.

The Blood Moon

October's new moon should now be visible in our skies just before sunset. This was the Celtic Blood Moon and was the time when the maternal qualities of the Goddess were honoured, including the gift of life itself. The Celts believed that the spirit of a person dwelt within the blood and as the harsh times approached, the Gods were called upon to strengthen the blood of the tribe.
This Blood Moon is in the sign of Libra - time for artistic activities, justice, partnerships, emotional balance, love, and diplomacy. May the Blood Moon strengthen your resolve and bring you peace of mind.
Read more 'Mrs Darley's Moon Mysteries'

For thousands of years witchcraft and sorcery had formed an accepted part of man's culture. The earth's elements, the chanting of charms and the power of natural forces were used by many  ancient cultures to weave spells and to enhance or hinder the flow of life.
With the firm establishment of the Roman Church throughout Europe however a new meaning was given to the words 'witchcraft & sorcery' and it was this new definition which led to hundreds of years of persecution and misconception.
This new definition began to associate witchcraft with the devil, whose job it was to bring down the Christian church and so it was that the witch hunts began, leading to one of the most horrendous and degrading eras of religious persecution.
'It fastened on European juisprudence for nearly three centuries the duty of combating the devil and saving mankind from his clutches.....it served as justification for pitiless persecution'  (Hansen)

The brutal history of the persecutions are explored in great detail in the latest Mrs darley book - 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Paths to Magick'

Golden October

October is a month of contrasts, beautifully warm days with a dusting of frost to begin and end. The month begins with green leaves and ends with the forest floor covered in a blanket of gold. Christmas goods may be in the shops but for those who follow the seasonal wheel, the most important event in the Pagan calendar happens this month- that of Samhain. Here the end of the old and the beginning of the new is celebrated and those who have gone before are honoured and remembered as remnants of their wisdom are recalled in the flames of the Samhain fire.
In the heavens this month we have a treasure trove of meteor showers, beginning with the Draconids on the 8th and 9th in the North West after midnight. It is a sparse shower however with around 10 meteors per hour. On the 21 and 22 the Orinoids shower us with around 20 meteors per hour of yellow and green fireballs and is best viewed in the east after midnight. On the 29 Uranus is at its closest approach to earth and can be seen all night due south.
For more information on the festivals Read 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers', visit 'Mrs Darley's Herbal' shop in Bewdley Museum, Worcestershire, or visit www.arcanus.co.uk for courses and workshops.