Initiation rituals are one of our most important rites of passage. We Crow Women are a close, close sisterhood! We have been circling for over 25 years, which has to be some kind of a record. There have been sisters who have moved away, and new crow women have been added to our nest. We …
While unpacking, I found this battered photograph of the Crow Women, and memories flooded back. In the picture we stand in front of the lake, smiles turned toward the camera as the sun sets. We are ready to set out to serve as Amazons. We are younger in the photo–women in the prime of life, …
Come Autumn, the earth undresses, settles down and prepares to stretch out under a blanket of winter and rest. In this blog, we’ll make an easy, no-sew handkerchief doll to use in ritual–Mabon or otherwise. It’s easy enough that it can even be done by a group within or just before your ritual. The Crow song …
Another Ritual to Celebrate the Crone In my last post about Croning, I explained the importance of demarking this important life transition with ritual. (Go back and read that to catch up. Done? Great, welcome back.) This week, I offer a ritual to help welcome the aging pagan or witch into the tribe of the …
The Crow Women songs that we put out for the world are original words and music, except for some of my songs. There are a lot of really nice melodies out there, traditional folk songs and old time Christian hymns, that cry for better or at least different words. Pagan words. Putting new words to …
Crone. Hag. Witch. To modern pagans and wiccans, these are honorifics, not insults. A pagan woman spends her whole lifetime becoming a crone, and by Goddess, she deserves a ritual worthy of that investment! I’ve been planning my Croning for nineteen years, which is all the more amusing considering that I’m only forty-five. Of course, …
Any way you spell it, the first harvest sabbat of Lunasa is a time to celebrate what is coming to fruition in your life! As I plan the Crow Women’s ritual gathering for this pagan festival, I contemplate the joy of accomplishment that I want to share and incorporate into our celebration. I know hard …
As Lughnassad approaches, I am excited to harvest my favorite fruit for mead making: wild plums. The fruit heavily loads down the branches of a tree behind my house as I wait in anticipation until they have ripened to sweet perfection. Which is perfect timing for giving thanks at the first harvest festival feast, and …
The Wiccan holiday of Lammas is upon us, so let’s decide what to sing! Lammas is the first of the three harvest festivals celebrated by modern pagans and Goddess worshipers. Lammas is also called Lughnassad, for the Celtic god Lugh. It’s the festival of the first harvest, as Mabon (fall equinox) is the second harvest …
Crow Magic was my first foray into recording with the Crow Women. Imagine my elation when our most prolific and arguably most talented songwriter Alane Crowomyn asked me to sing a lead on one of her songs. If only because of that, Farewell, My Familiar holds a special place in my heart. But it isn’t the …
