When I moved to San Francisco, I didn’t know a soul, but I used this tried-and-true trick to fill my life with friends.
On the first Friday after a new moon (Freya’s Day, which is ruled by Venus, is ideal for fun, love, flirtation, gossip, and good times), light amber incense. Anoint yourself with amber oil and dance around, arms flung out and upward. Say aloud:
I call upon you, friend Freya, to fill my life with live and joy. I call upon you,
Goddess, to bring unto me that which I enjoy in the form of people, wise and kind. This I ask and give thanks for; blessed be.
For your celebratory mask-making ceremonies, you can and should design your own wild woman images. You can also choose from a list of classical goddess images, such as:
Peacock Woman is Juno, whose totem is the royally plumed bird
The full moon is the most powerful time of the month and a critical time to celebrate with friends. This ritual will heighten your spirituality, your friendships, and your connection to the universal powers. As I write this, it is a full moon in Scorpio and I’m looking forward to getting together with my friends for a hullabaloo. We are waiting for the “witching hour,” midnight. There are thirteen of us, a perfect number for a coven, and we will gather in our favorite spot in the woods overlooking the Pacific Ocean. We have thirteen stones that mark each of our spots in our gathering place.
A larger stone sits in the middle, a natural altar upon which we will place a goblet of wine before an image of the goddess. We will all bring candles in sturdy, tempered glass votives to light our way, and we will perform a rite I learned from my elders.
To prepare the way for letting new friends enter your life or to focus your attention on existing friendships, set up an altar where you can concentrate your energy and clarify your intentions. If you already have an altar in place, incorporate some of the following elements to enhance your relationships with others as well with yourself. The more you use your altar, the more powerful your spells will be.
Your altar can be a low table, the top of a shelf, or even a shelf. First, purify the space with the smoke of a lit sage bundle. This is called “smudging” and is an essential part of witchcraft. You can dry wild sage to use or purchase it in any herb store. Once you have smudged the space, cover your friendship altar with a pink-colored scarf or cloth and place pink and white candles in each of the four corners. (Pink is the color of affection and white represents purity.) Place rose quartz and calming fluorite stones around a vase of fresh flowers, often with poppies, daisies, or whatever connotes fun and friendship to you.
We often think of deities as being less tethered to the Earth than we are, so it only makes sense that many of them have winged creatures among their symbols and iconography.
I've written about birds in Minoan art before, but from a more general perspective, looking back toward the Minoans' ancestors in Neolithic Anatolia. But a lot happened after those people migrated down to Crete and began a new life there. So let's discover which birds - and other winged creatures - are associated with which deities in Modern Minoan Paganism.
One of the more exciting aspects of revivalist spirituality is the discovery of new-to-us deities. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does, we do a little happy dance!
In this case, a happy dance is especially appropriate. Allow me to introduce you to a new deity pair: Thumia and Kaulo.
Thesseli
You should post on Substack too, where you won't have to worry about being deplatformed or kicked off the site for your views. (Also, I've archived th...
David Dashifen Kees
I feel it necessary to state, unequivocally, that anti-trans points of view are not an essential part of Paganism. As a trans Pagan myself who helps ...
