magic

Spiral Snow Spell

This winter ritual can work in the snow, but if you’re in a sunny climate like Southern California, you can practice it just as easily. Gather some stones– at least twelve, to arrange in a spiral– a candle, and matches or a lighter. With the stones gathered, hold your hand, palm down, over the stones, […]

Amae – a word for love

I am familiar with some of the ancient greek words for love, like eros, from which we got the lovely word erotic; agape, which means spiritual selfless love; and philia, deep non-romantic love, like the root of my hometown Philadelphia: the city of brotherly love. A couple weeks ago I learned of amae, a Japanese concept of love. Upon learning […]

Imbolc

Imbolc, pronounced EM-bolgk, is an ancient Irish festival marking the midpoint between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. Imbolc was celebrated in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man on February 1st and 2nd, or when the ewes were lambing. It is one of the four Gaelic festivals: Samhain in autumn, Imbolc in winter, […]

Set a positive intention

One of my favorite forms of magic is combining my mind, my heart, and my will to form a powerful intention. I am very careful with the words I say, think, and write, because I believe in the power of words. I believe the words we choose create our lives. When we say a lot […]

Ritual for Morning

How do you begin each month, each week, each day? Do you have a ritual, a prayer, or an intention to mark all the new possibilities before you? Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh, has this gatha, or poem, ritual for morning: “Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I […]

Listening to music aloud in your home creates more intimacy

Playing music aloud in the home generates more intimacy, according to a study by neuroscientist Daniel Levitin, author of This Is Your Brain On Music. “When music is playing at home, people become physically closer. The average distance between household members decreased by 12% during the in-home study. In the U.S., housemates (usually family members) spent four and […]