NASHVILLE, Tenn. – On October 20, 2024, Correllian TV and Divination TV hosted a telethon in support of Mother Grove Goddess Temple in Asheville, an event that highlighted the power of community in the wake of Hurricane Helene’s devastation. Since the first day of the storm, the temple, led by the ever-dedicated Byron Ballard, has been on the front lines, raising donations and providing critical aid to survivors. Ballard’s tireless efforts have deeply impressed the community, as she has consistently extended her hands to help those in need.
Hurricane Helene hit the Appalachian region hard, with recovery efforts complicated by the area’s unique terrain. Many families are still struggling to rebuild their lives. Mother Grove Goddess Temple has responded with remarkable determination, operating a food pantry, delivering supplies to hard-hit communities, and ensuring no one is forgotten. The temple has remained open for those wishing to drop off or collect supplies, and every donation has made a tremendous difference.
Rev. Mary Hawkin in Nashville proudly announced the telethon’s success, which raised $2,364.54 over eight hours. The event was hosted by Rev. Mary Hawk, Rev. Don Lewis, and Ed “The Pagan” Hubbard, with Byron Ballard making several appearances to share updates on the temple’s ongoing relief work.
Entertainers such as SJ Tucker, Brian Henke, Louis Garou, Krista Chapman Green, Tuatha Dea, Ser Eboni Nash, and the Starlight Darlings kept the spirit of hope alive throughout the event.
Rev. Mary expressed her pride in the community’s effort: “This is a testament to what Pagans can do when we all work together.” Byron Ballard, too, reflected on the day’s success, calling it “amazing.” The funds raised will go directly toward essentials like propane heaters to keep people warm, especially for those still without power.
Donations are still being accepted via PayPal (info@mothergroveavl.org) and Venmo: @MotherGrove-GodddessTemple.
NEW YORK – Antonio Pagliarulo, author of The Evil Eye: The History, Mystery and Magic of the Quiet Curse, and the forthcoming “The Queer Saints: A Radical Guide to Magic, Miracles and Modern Intercession” was published in the Boston Globe discussing Tomie DePaola’s Strega Nona who has become a TikTok sensation. Pagliarulo covers Strega Nona’s connection to folk magic. Pagliarulo writes that Strega Nona may not be a glamorous “Mayfair Witch” but “she has a magical pasta pot that can cure all ills.”
Pagalia rulo covers the development of the Strega Nona character and deep connection to Italian folk magic and ritual practices in the community.
He also noted that in a world filled with fear and uncertainty, many are turning to folk traditions for comfort rather than traditional religion or science. People seek solace in the home, embracing rituals that connect them to nature and their ancestors. My grandparents, devout Roman Catholics, practiced these family customs without seeing them as occult, passing down folk magic rooted in protective care. This wisdom continues to offer peace and safety in challenging times.
Cloudy Moon over Miami MJTM
Following last week’s excitement over the rare Hunter’s Moon supermoon, Google is joining in on the lunar fun just before Halloween. Today, they launched an interactive Google Doodle on their search homepage to celebrate October’s third quarter moon, also called the last quarter or last half moon.
In addition to the clickable Doodle, Google is introducing a monthly online card game, inviting moon enthusiasts to challenge their understanding of moon phases by playing against the moon itself.
The game is called Rise of the Half Moon and Google described it:
On October 24th, we’re launching a brand new, recurring Doodle card game that tests your knowledge of moon cycles. You can also download your own lunar calendar to track the moon’s phases and learn more about the rise of the Half Moon with the Doodle, or even discover what Moon phase matches your personality with our fun TikTok filter. The game will return with the cycles of the moon, so keep an eye out through the rest of the year for a chance to play again.
Image Credit: Google
Loki’s Torch, an Annual Loki Devotional, Seeks Art and Writing Submissions
Loki’s Torch, the annual devotional anthology published by Lokean Publications, is taking submissions of written and art works about and devoted to the god Loki through October 31st. Those who wish to submit works to the anthology can read the submission guidelines and access the submission forms here.
This will be the sixth annual full-color devotional anthology released by Lokean Publications. Past editions have included contributions from authors Dagulf Loptson, Bat Collazo, Erin Lale, Avnas Mars, and Arielle Lokadóttir and are currently available here through MagCloud.
This year’s theme, “Loki: Patron of Misfits” describes what many Loki devotees have experienced. Those who have not necessarily felt at home in other spiritual communities have found a spiritual protector in Loki, and for some, a spiritual home in the community of Loki’s Wyrdlings.
Loki’s Wyrdlings, a trans-led community for people of all traditions who work with Loki, is the driving force behind “Loki’s Torch” and the upcoming LokiFest, a free online convention at which spirit workers and academics of varying Pagan persuasions offer classes, workshops, meditations, and rituals each December.
Writers and artists are encouraged to submit their Loki-centric works to Loki’s Torch by October 31st, 2024! While submission guidelines note that the publication does not accept AI art or derivative works (such as fanfiction using copyrighted characters), original artworks, prayers, poems, spells, essays, and original short stories are encouraged.
Registration for Circle Sanctuary’s Samhain Festival is now closed but you can still take part in our 50th anniversary celebration by watching our free livestream event on Saturday, October 26th from 1:30-2:30pm Central Time. Go to YouTube/@CircleSanctuary to enjoy photos, videos, stories and reflections by the Circle Sanctuary community.
Circle Sanctuary invites individuals and groups to share memories, experiences, perspectives, and well wishes for our 50th Anniversary Celebration online.
Circle Sanctuary is a non-profit international Nature Spirituality resource center and church. Founded in 1974, Circle helps people from many spiritual orientations connect with each other as well as with the spiritual dimensions of Nature. More information: circlesanctuary.org
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Happening Soon….
In Ludington, Michigan, a Magical Samhain Awaits
As Samhain approaches, Ludington, Michigan prepares for an annual institution. For years, Four Directions Alchemy has hosted a Samhain event focused on bringing together the community and offering the general public a comfortable introduction to witchcraft and magic.
“The annual Samhain celebration, originally titled ‘Witches’ Night Out,’ was inspired by a three-week class on ‘Introduction to Everyday Witchcraft,’ Four Directions Alchemy’s founder, wellness coach and soul alchemist Sarah Domin, explains. “This class covered a variety of topics, including mini spells, their history and common uses, how to open and close a circle, and the creation of the ancestor altar for Samhain.
“The purpose of the celebration was to introduce people to the significance of Samhain, share its stories and history, and offer a taste of the bountiful harvest. It was also a way to express my gratitude to loyal supporters by hosting a festive event. The celebration provided a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere, allowing curious individuals to explore the shop without feeling pressured to purchase anything. Additionally, the event served as a valuable opportunity for local networking and building community connections.”
Domin first opened Four Directions Alchemy in Ludington with the goal of providing a space for many modalities of healing and spiritual practitioners in the local area, and her vision has succeeded wildly. From folk medicine to a range of energy healing modalities, Four Directions Alchemy has become a destination for residents of northern and western Michigan seeking wholeness and transformation.
This year the shop welcomes a new Samhain feature: author and Pagan theologian Catherine Carr will be joining them to sign books and answer questions about her book, “World Soul: Healing Ourselves and the Earth Through Pagan Theology.”
Carr, who debuted the book at the Parliament of World Religions last year, hopes that her work can help bring the Midwestern Pagan community closer together.
“I know so many Pagans in Michigan, in Illinois, and Indiana,” Carr told us. “But there are still so many people in these states who tell me they’re having trouble finding other practitioners near them, or that they want to explore witchcraft or Paganism but don’t know where to start. I’m hoping that this book tour can help to get the word out about local gathering places and introduce people to each other.”
Carr describes World Soul as a Pagan theology primer that is friendly to Pagans of all levels, as well as interfaith audiences and the Pagan-curious. “It doesn’t cover specific traditions, obviously—there are thousands of those. But the book tries to get at what makes Pagan theology, and modern Pagan culture, different from the imperial religions. I was lucky enough to be able to come at that through a lens of modern political science and consent culture, which can tell us a lot about what different groups of people value and why certain spiritual arts and theological ideas might not be well-loved by empires and corporations.”
Domin and Carr both see themselves as transformation workers, seeking to help people find power and freedom outside the systems that seek to control individuals through guilt and shame.
“Now more than ever,” Carr says, “we need to be breaking away from these systems and finding our roots in the world. The way we have commodified living beings and pulled people out of relationship with this planet just is not sustainable.”
The $10 tickets, which cover the cost of refreshments, materials for apple manifestations and mini spell-jars, the chance to win one of several magical goodie baskets, and an evening of conversation with Domin and Carr are available here.
November 1-3, 2024
Hekate is the Queen of Witches, do you know the specific rituals to worship Her and when to do them? This year Hekate’s Sickle Festival is happening on the Dark and New Moon, Nov. 1-3, allowing for the Goddess of Time and Space to be honored on the same days the ancients did.
On the Dark Moon (Friday), we honor Hekate with the Deipnon, a ritual of gratitude and cleansing. The Noumenia will be held on the New Moon (Saturday) to receive her blessings and honor new beginnings. Come and be gifted with a special altar piece for working magic with Hekate at this sacred time every month.
Enjoy Celia Farran in Concert, Drunken Divination, Workshops on Magic and Spell Casting, a Witches Ball, and Casino and MORE.
This year we are bringing back the Community Awards, so those in the Pagan Community can be thanked and recognized for the hard work they do. The Wild Hunt is being recognized for their impact to the community. We would love to have you join us and share in the magic!
For 2025…
Turning the Tide 18: “Lunar Mysteries” Festival is happening the weekend of February 7-9th, 2025. Reservations are now open and we are excited for you to reserve your spot! Come join Everglades Moon Local Council as we celebrate our 18th year of hosting our wonderful Turning the Tide Festival in Northern Miami-Dade County. This small but fantastic festival is full of rituals and great workshops. This year we are delving into the Lunar Mysteries Want to join us? Go to Turning The Tide 18 Reservation Link and Reserve your spot today.
Announcements
Thank you to Everyone!
Here it is at long last! Share and enjoy! It’s been a long journey creating this issue. There have been with many left turns and right angles as we went from an idea to this moment. All of this is possible because of your passion, your support, and the hard work of the editors, writers, and artists herein.
Coreopsis Journal of Myth & Theatre
“Walking Another Path”
https://societyforritualarts.com/coreopsis/
Autumn 2024.
Volume 12 Number 2. ISSN 2333-0627
Cover Art by Lauren Raine, “Walking Away” all rights reserved.
Roses and Wildflowers Magazine of Mythopoeia and Fabulism – Volume One Number Two
Autumn 2024 “Walking Away”
Cover art: Jack Ruttan Background: Helena Domenic all rights reserved.
Dedicated to the memory of Ursula K. LeGuin and inspired by “The Ones Walk Away From Omelas” on the anniversary of the first publication in New Dimensions (3) in 1973 and subsequent printing in The Wind’s Twelve Quarters in 1975.
“The place they go towards is a place even less imaginable to most of us than the city of happiness. I cannot describe it at all. It is possible that it does not exist. But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas.” ― Ursula K. Le Guin, The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas
Tarot of the Week by Star Bustamonte
Deck: Ghosts & Spirits Tarot by Lisa Hunt, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc
Card: Ace of Swords
This week, there is likely to be an emphasis on perseverance, which may mark the beginning of a cycle involving intense activity. There is also potential for creative thinking and new approaches to problem-solving, providing opportunities for major breakthroughs. Additionally, there may be an underlying energy of standing up for truth, justice, and what is ethically and morally right.
In contrast, there is the potential for holding onto plans or projects that are either no longer feasible or supported, or where the initial enthusiasm fueling them has waned. Taking a step back, clearing the mind, and then reassessing plans is likely the best path forward. It is possible that key information is missing from calculations, and uncovering this absent data could be a game changer, revitalizing both the spirit of a project and oneself.
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