Spirit Writer

[This article was originally published on the Pagan site at BellaOnline and later at HubPages.  HP has deemed this article idle, so I'm republishing it here.] *Please note that in some of my older pieces I used the term "Pagan community" a lot.  I've come to really dislike the term but at the time it seemed to fit how I was writing. Pagans and Grief As the Neo-Pagan community ages, we have come to realize the inherent need for something that more established religions take for granted – a process to help us with the death of a loved one. The Pagan Book of Living and Dying by Starhawk, M. Macha Nightmare, and the Reclaiming Collective provides valuable guidance for the dying, their caregivers, friends and family. Grief can overcome us whether death is sudden or is brought on by a long illness. The stress is compounded when misunderstandings arise regarding religion. These misunderstandings can happen even if Pagans are completely open about their beliefs or s

Scent can evoke an emotional response both positive and negative. That response can be used in magic to create change. Author Scott Cunningham provides an introduction to using aromatherapy effectively in magic and ritual to create desired changes in the magician's life in Magical Aromatherapy: The Power of Scent . Mortar & Pestle - Common implements in herbal magic.  Photo source. Essential Oils for Magic Aromatherapy is a complex subject and is used as an alternative medicine treatment for physical and emotional health. Magical Aromatherapy is not a manual on how to treat health problems with essential oils but how to use them and other items such as flowers in magic. Cunningham provides listings for many common and some less common oils. While the physical attributes are given, his focus is magical and he explains what magic the scent is best for including prosperity, love, protection or increasing psychic ability. He gives examples of techniques to be used i