Welcome to Kala’s Quick Five, where I chat with fascinating authors, artists, teachers and researchers and ask them five questions about their work. My guest today is Edain Duguay, a paranormal/fantasy novelist, best selling eBook author and award winning blog writer.

Kala: Edain, welcome to Kala’s Quick Five. You’re a pagan and the former owner and editor of The Pagan Activist. How has your spiritual journey as a pagan, enhanced your life and your writing?

Edain: Thank you for inviting me, Kala.

I have been a practicing Pagan since the age of 17 and for a while, during my first marriage, life took me away from my studies and from the spiritual life I wanted to lead. After my life changed, I fell back into step with my spiritual side and instantly felt I was in the right place for me, an inner peace has been growing ever since.

I’ve been writing since the age of nine when I wrote and ‘published’ my first book in a school project and was ‘bitten by the writing bug’. I’ve noticed that since I returned to practicing my Pagan/Heathen beliefs, my writing and imagination have expanded beyond words. It’s as if living the spiritual life I wanted has opened up my creative side and the story ideas and characters are now rushing to get out.

Kala: You write in the paranormal/fantasy genre as well as in young adult and children’s books for age eight and older. The children’s books include: Holly the Hasty Witch, Ash the Solitary Witch, Ivy the Stubborn Witch and Hazel the Unwise Witch. What inspired you to write this series of books and how many will there be in the full series?

Edain: I was inspired to write this series whilst raising my daughter, Melissa.

There was a huge lack of Pagan related children’s books around and even less that were realistic, even if still fiction. Yes, I could read to, or with her, about magicians and strangely deformed bad guys but after working in a school and observing the many problems that children go through in their lives, I wanted to create stories that would connect with children and have a realistic Pagan thread to them.

‘The Witchlets of Witches Brew’ series may not be classed as ‘high adventure’, but they can be associated with real life problems and, hopefully, give children a good Pagan related base to help them work through some of their issues.

In total, there are eight tales in ‘The Witchlets of Witches Brew’ series, the remaining four will be published in 2011. All these stories center around eight friends, who live in the modern day Pagan village of Brew, commonly known by the name of ‘Witches Brew’ because everyone who lives there is a Witch. The villagers of Brew worship the land and the seasons, they celebrate the wonders of life and nature during their eight ‘wheel of the year’ celebrations. The celebrations also see deep changes within each child’s life and every tale is relative to the yearly celebrations around which it is set.

Kala: E-books can allow for a quick turn around on publication. As an avid reader, when I fall in love with the characters in a series, it can be tough to wait years for the next book to become available.  As the owner of Wyrdwood Publications, you have four new books scheduled to be released in 2011. What prompted the decision for you to publish e-books and how have your fans responded with this decision?

Edain: I too have felt bereft when I’ve come to the end of a book and I know I’ll be waiting a long time, possibly years, before knowing what happened next. This need and the possibility of a reduction in trees being cut down, led me to look for a suitable alternative and, of course, eBooks filled that niche.

The response from my fans has been excellent. I believe one of the reason why my eBooks have been so well received is the fact that they are in PDF format and can be read on any computer, saving the reader the expense of costly e-readers and making them accessible for all.

I do have plans to publish some of my eBooks as paperbacks, but I’ll also be including these publications in the ‘Green Leaves’ policy that Wyrdwood Publications uses. This policy is connected to the Eco-Libris project and means that for every copy sold, a tree is planted in a deforested area of the world. Some of the eBooks published by Wyrdwood Publications are already included in this project and I hope to add more over time.

Kala: You write a monthly column called ‘The Pagan Heathen’, great title! What topics do you discuss in the column?

Edain: The Pagan Heathen is a column I write for The Pagan and the Pen website. Most columns on the website relate directly to a Pagan outlook and lifestyle. When I was invited to write a column I wanted to give my Heathen side a voice and the owner of the website was very encouraging.

Essentially, The Pagan Heathen is a monthly column, which explores Paganism and Heathenism and how the two can meld together. The subjects of the articles published so far have been; Sumbel 101, the Norse virtues vs. the Druidic virtues, an in depth look at the Noble Virtues of Perseverance, Courage and Hospitality. There is also an interview with an Asatru author, who has been published through Wyrdwood Publications and there will be another interview, with an author who also writes children’s fiction, in November. Future articles will include, amongst many other topics, a look at the meaning of Kindred and an exploration of what the Wild Hunt and Yule mean to Heathens.

Kala: Beyond your writing Edain, how else do you explore your spirit?

Edain: I enjoy helping to bring to life spiritual groups in whatever way I can, I have been a founding member of a Druid Grove (ADF), a Asatru Kindred and an Eclectic Circle. I’ve also created and hosted pub moots and been an organizer of a Pagan music festival and a women’s retreat.

When I’m not writing or working on a community project, I like to get outside and connect with nature. My husband and I are working towards our goal of eventually buying a piece of land and living off it in a sustainable way, this, of course, means we are doing a lot of studying to gain the knowledge we will need, but the end result will be worthwhile. You can see our progress via our blog: Gramarye ~ the Magical Homestead.

I would just like to say thank you, Kala, for the opportunity to be here today.

Kala: Edain, thank you for joining me here on Kala’s Quick Five. More about Edain Duguay, Wyrdwood Publications, her books and her work can be found here: http://www.edainduguay.com

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Enjoyed this article? Kala welcomes your comments and reads them all. Don’t miss a thing! Subscribe by clicking the button at the top right corner of this article. By doing so, you’ll receive e-mail updates every time a new article by Kala Ambrose is posted – and it’s free! To read archived articles by Kala Ambrose, visit her main page at National Metaphysical Spirituality Examiner and as the National Haunted History Examiner.

More about Kala Ambrose: Kala Ambrose is an award winning author, wisdom teacher and host of the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show. Her book 9 Life Altering Lessons: Secrets of the Mystery Schools Unveiled, delves into the mysteries of ancient Egyptian mystery schools and explains their wisdom teachings. Kala Ambrose is a highly interactive teacher on a mission to educate, entertain and inspire. She teaches and lectures around the U.S. on the Ancient Wisdom Teachings of Egypt and Greece, Exploring Auras, Chakras and Energy Fields, and Wise Woman Wisdom (how to connect with your feminine power). More information about Kala at www.ExploreYourSpirit.com

Welcome back to Exploring the Magic of Halloween and the Spirit of Fall. Thus far, we’ve discussed a brief history of Halloween and the legend of enchanted apples as well as the ancient tradition of celebrating November 1st as the New Year.

The Magical and Mystical Inspired Tip to consider today is….

Have a Seed Planting Ceremony

As I mentioned in the first article about Halloween – …’The history of holidays is one of the courses that I teach to students who study the ancient wisdom teachings with me. They always find it interesting when I discuss the date of January 1st, which we now toast as the New Year, yet it falls in the dead of winter.  If one was working with the elements and magic of nature, would it not make more sense to make resolutions and plant seeds in the Fall, so that they would have time to germinate and sprout forth in the Spring?  When one makes a resolution and plants that seed of thought in the dead of winter, there is little warmth and light to nurture these thoughts and it is no surprise to many of us, that the new year resolutions are dead and gone only a few weeks afterwards, as there was no nourishment for the seeds to take hold’.

The power of thought and manifestation allows us to create and form our dreams in our mind so that we can then take action to bring these dreams to fruition. The season of Fall represents this time for our seeds of thought to be planted in our mind, so we can give them some contemplation and introspection.

Want to create a seed planting ceremony tradition of your own?

Here’s your magically inspired tip of the day!

Invite friends to celebrate the New Year on Halloween and make resolutions for the new year. Hand out packages of seeds along with little clay pots filled with soil to each of your guests and invite them to plant new seeds of thought this Fall which will manifest and bloom with their new dreams in the Spring.  Use a toothpick and a small piece of white paper to make a sign that sticks in your clay pot and write one word that describes the dream that you are wanting to manifest.

If it’s not too late to plant bulbs in your backyard, dig a small hole and plant some bulbs to hold the energy of your resolutions and dreams. When they bloom this Spring, they will be a powerful reminder of how it takes time for dreams to manifest and that with care and action, they bloom! Don’t forget that you can also plant your old carved pumpkins into the ground with your bulbs, as they make great compost!

Sweet Dreams gentle readers and Happy Exploring! *~Kala~*

Click here to read the articles on Halloween or the Enchanted Apples.

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Enjoyed this article? Kala welcomes your comments and reads them all. Don’t miss a thing! Subscribe by clicking the button at the top right corner of this article. By doing so, you’ll receive e-mail updates every time a new article by Kala Ambrose is posted – and it’s free! To read archived articles by Kala Ambrose, visit her main page at the National Haunted History Examiner and the National Metaphysical Spirituality Examiner.

More about Kala Ambrose: Kala Ambrose is an award winning author, intuitive and talk show host of the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show. Her thought-provoking interviews entice listeners to tune in around the globe! Described by her guests and listeners as discerning, empowering and inspiring, she speaks with world renowned authors, artists, teachers and researchers delving into metaphysical, holistic and paranormal topics. Kala’s book, 9 Life Altering Lessons: Secrets of the Mystery Schools Unveiled delves into the mysteries of ancient Egyptian mystery schools and explains their wisdom teachings. Kala Ambrose is a highly interactive teacher on a mission to educate, entertain and inspire. She lectures on the Ancient Wisdom Teachings of Egypt and the Mystery Schools, Working with Auras, Chakras and Energy Fields, and Wise Woman Wisdom.

Welcome back dear readers, to Exploring the Magic of Halloween and the Spirit of Fall. Each day up till October 31st, I’ll bring you mystical and magical tradition-filled ways to celebrate and embrace the spirit of the season. Yesterday, we began this series with a brief history of Halloween. Today we’re moving into some of the customs and traditions of Halloween, discussing their origins and how you can incorporate these traditions to connect with nature and the spirit world. Perhaps this is the right time for you to open up to the possibilities…

The Magical and Mystical Inspired Tip to celebrate today is….

Find Love using an Enchanted Apple.

This comes from the Roman tradition of celebrating Pomona, the goddess of trees and fruit. The fruit most associated with Pomona is the apple and most likely this is where the tradition of bobbing for apples began during Halloween.  Pomona was known as the goddess of plenty and she was celebrated during this time along with festivities for abundance and the harvest.

Most interesting though is that while the harvest was being celebrated, Pomona held court, and she was associated with trees blossoming, rather than the end of a cycle such as the harvest. Her name comes the latin word pomum, which means fruit.  One theory is that she held court during this time as a reminder that the cycle of nature and life continues and that even when things look near their end, a new cycle of plenty will blossom again soon. Another description for Pomona might be ‘hope springs eternally’.  Pomona is frequently depicted with a cornucopia full of delicious fruits which would have been traditionally used in the Fall as a harvest celebration of abundance.  We now use the cornucopia in modern day in the American tradition of Thanksgiving, so the next time you’re sitting at the table for Thanksgiving with the family, take note of the cornucopia, and offer a toast of gratitude to Pomona with your glass of apple cider.

It’s time to debunk more superstitions again. Most of the superstitions associated with Halloween were created in order to turn people away from celebrating the natural traditions and connections with the goddess energy. The apple is a symbol of fertility and it has been misrepresented in patriarchal stories, beginning in the Garden of Eden. One only has to look at stories presented today in politics, to see how quickly they are turned and misrepresented by the various parties, to achieve an end goal. The apple has been misrepresented along with symbols associated with it, including the pentagram. The pentagram (a symbol of the five pointed star) has been mis-represented as something to do with evil and dark energy, when in actuality, it’s a symbol of the goddess, fertility, unity and immortality. The five points represent earth, air, fire, water and spirit and the circle around the five points unites them together to create life and synergy. Many cultures have used this symbol, including the ancient Pythagoreans, who connected it to Hygieia, the goddess of health )where the word hygiene comes from) and they found it to hold principles of sacred geometry.  In the 21st century, there is now a movement to take back this symbol to represent the Divine Feminine again, rather than how it has been wrongly accused as something dark. One example is Dan Brown’s book Angels & Demons which refers to the pentagram as a symbol of the Divine Feminine and Venus.

The ancient Celts understood the energy of the pentagram as the Divine Feminine. When the Romans conquered Britain, the two cultures began to mesh and it was the Romans who brought apple trees to Britain. When the Celts cut an apple in half, they saw that the points in the apple formed into the shape of the pentagram. Therefore, when the Romans explained that their goddess Pomona was their goddess of fertility and that her symbol was the apple, it was easy for the Celts to accept and agree with this symbol, as their symbol of the pentagram was right there in the middle of the apple.

The apple then became a popular symbol throughout Europe for fertility. In some parts of Europe, apples were tossed when a couple was married, as a symbolic gesture of fertility for the couple. It was said that the first woman to catch an apple, would be the next to marry. Over time, this custom moved from tossing apples at the wedding, to tossing a bouquet of flowers which included apple blossoms. I’m willing to bet that this may have evolved due to some apple related injuries when tossed at wedding guests. The custom then evolved from tossing apples to bobbing for apples. The tradition continued, that the first person to ‘catch’, i.e., bite into an apple and pull it out from bobbing in the water, would be the next to marry.

Want to find information about your true love using an apple?

Here’s your magically inspired tip of the day!

Select a juicy red apple and peel the skin in one long piece. Hold the peel of the apple in your hand and say aloud, ‘As I fling this apple peel, my true love’s name will be revealed’. Fling the apple peel over your head and turn around to look at the shape that the peel forms on the ground. It is said that the apple peel will form into the first initial of your true love’s name.

Until we meet again in the morrow gentle readers, happy exploring! *~Kala~*

Missed yesterday’s article on Halloween, read it here.

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Enjoyed this article? Kala welcomes your comments and reads them all. Don’t miss a thing! Subscribe by clicking the button at the top right corner of this article. By doing so, you’ll receive e-mail updates every time a new article by Kala Ambrose is posted – and it’s free! To read archived articles by Kala Ambrose, visit her main page at the National Haunted History Examiner and the National Metaphysical Spirituality Examiner.

More about Kala Ambrose: Kala Ambrose is an award winning author, intuitive and talk show host of the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show. Her thought-provoking interviews entice listeners to tune in around the globe! Described by her guests and listeners as discerning, empowering and inspiring, she speaks with world renowned authors, artists, teachers and researchers delving into metaphysical, holistic and paranormal topics. Kala’s book, 9 Life Altering Lessons: Secrets of the Mystery Schools Unveiled delves into the mysteries of ancient Egyptian mystery schools and explains their wisdom teachings. Kala Ambrose is a highly interactive teacher on a mission to educate, entertain and inspire. She lectures on the Ancient Wisdom Teachings of Egypt and the Mystery Schools, Working with Auras, Chakras and Energy Fields, and Wise Woman Wisdom.

Welcome to Kala’s Quick Five, where I chat with fascinating authors, artists, teachers and researchers and ask them five questions about their work. My guest today is Judika Illes, an independent scholar, educator, and author of several books of folklore, folkways, and mythology about the subjects of magic, the occult, divination, diverse spiritual traditions, witchcraft, and the paranormal. She has a certification in therapeutic aromatherapy and taught introductory courses on that subject for the Australasian College of Herbal Studies (2000-2002). She is a practitioner of taromancy, tasseography, and other forms of divination. Her published books include The Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells, The Encyclopedia of Spirits, The Element Encyclopedia of Witchcraft, and the topic of our interview today – The Weiser Field Guide to Witches.

Kala: Judika, it’s a pleasure to speak with you again. I so enjoyed our conversation on the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show, where we discussed your work and your book, Magic When You Need It. We’re back again, this time to discuss your new book, The Weiser Field Guide to Witches: From Hexes to Hermione Granger, From Salem to the Land of Oz, which hits the stores on October 1, 2010.   What prompted you to write a field guide about witches?

Judika: My very earliest encounters with books of magic and metaphysics involved the old Samuel Weiser bookshop in New York City and so it is such a wonderful, marvelous karmic turn of events that I now find myself affiliated with the Weiser publishing house whose historic roots stretch back to that store. Last year, Weiser Publishing initiated a metaphysical field guide series: Raymond Buckland’s The Weiser Field Guide to Ghosts was the first book in the series. When Weiser asked whether I would like to write a field guide to witches, I jumped at the chance. I am honored to be following in Raymond Buckland’s footsteps and I feel so blessed to be working with Weiser Books.

Kala: The book covers famed historical legends including Aleister Crowley and Marie Laveau to popular cinematic figures such as Harry Potter and the Wicked Witch of the West. I’m excited to see that you included historical figures as well as modern day pop icons. I saw “Wicked” performed live this year and found it to be a fantastic twist and representation. What did you uncover during your research for this book that you found to be most fascinating?

Judika: Did you read Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, the Gregory Maguire novel that the musical is based upon? I loved it.  It addressed a lot of my own personal issues with the MGM movie, The Wizard of Oz. These issues are discussed more fully in one of my other books, The Element Encyclopedia of Witchcraft, which has substantial sections devoted to L. Frank Baum’s novel, The Wizard of Oz, the movie versions, and Maguire’s novel. I would really like to see the “Wicked” musical one day.

I’m always fascinated by twists, always trying to look at old subjects from different or fresh perspectives. I can’t say that there’s one most fascinating thing in The Weiser Field Guide to Witches for me because the entire topic enthralls me. There’s nothing about witches, witchcraft, or even just perceptions about witches and witchcraft that doesn’t interest me. But I am always uncovering new details. Researching is like intellectual archaeology and so you’re always digging up something new, something that will help you re-examine a topic from different angles.  During the researching of The Weiser Field Guide to Witches, I was able to uncover new details about people I’ve written about before- new for me, anyway.

For example, while writing this book, I read a lot of Sybil Leek’s work: now I’ve loved Sybil Leek since I was a kid and saw her on television, I think on the Mike Douglas show but I did not know she had written a children’s book, The Jackdaw and the Witch. I also hadn’t realized that all of Sybil’s many books, many of which were best-sellers, are now out of print, which I find very distressing.

For a change, I focused on Franz Bardon’s involvement with folk magic and herbalism, something that is rarely discussed as emphasis tends to be on his work with hermetics. For those unfamiliar with him, Franz Bardon is an extremely significant figure in the history of witchcraft and magical practice but he was a modest man who lived behind the Iron Curtain and is all too often overlooked.

Many of the details of Veronica Franco’s life were new and surprising for me. She was a Venetian courtesan who survived Europe’s witch hunts. She was a rarity: a well-educated, very literate and articulate woman who successfully defended herself against witchcraft charges and was freed.  When you write about the history of witches and witchcraft, you inevitably tell a lot of sad stories. Veronica did not have an entirely happy ending—she was quite poor at the end of her life—but it was a nice change to discuss a witchcraft-accusation tale that did not end in complete tragedy.

Kala: Of all of the titles that women have claimed, the term witch I believe, has been the most misused, misunderstood and misrepresented over the centuries. I have past life memories of practicing the wise woman ways and being condemned for doing so in those past lives. It is so sad at times to still see how misunderstood the term is to this day. Can you define and bring some clarity to our readers on who witches were and who they are today?

Judika: I have similar past life memories, Kala. My absolute favorite definition of “witch” is from author Aline DeWinter—I quote it in The Weiser Field Guide to Witches: “A Witch is a person who sees everything as alive and powerful. We walk in a sacred manner and all of nature responds.” I can’t possibly say it any better.

For me, a witch is a person possessing both spiritual freedom and personal power. A witch has a kind of freedom of soul and mind, even if she sometimes finds herself oppressed by life’s circumstances in other ways. A witch is in touch with her own personal spiritual and magical power and makes conscious choices and decisions regarding when and if and how to access and use that power. I think those are eternal definitions that apply now and forever.

But the word “witch” also gets very carelessly thrown around a lot: it’s evolved into an umbrella term encompassing incredibly diverse, often contradictory definitions. That’s as true now as it was in the past. The word “witch” has historically been applied to healers, priestesses, magical practitioners, shamans, and practitioners of polytheistic faiths. It’s also used as a derogatory term for people interested in the occult, unconventional people, and also as a misogynistic term for women in general, especially uppity women who don’t display sufficient submissiveness.

I am constantly asked whether I’m a witch and my consistent response is to ask the questioner to define the word “witch” for me, which usually really annoys them.  Now I’m not a particularly confrontational person but it’s crucial that the word “witch” be defined: you have to be careful because one person’s definition is not the same as another’s.  I define “witch” very positively. I have always loved and admired witches: as a child, I perceived Hansel and Gretel as a tragedy because the witch was murdered. Hansel and Gretel was a really stressful story for me to hear but I was worried about the witch, not the kids. However, I am well aware that not everyone shares my perspective. So when someone asks you if you are a witch, for safety’s sake, before you answer, you need to know whether they perceive witches as role models or as servants of Satan.

Kala: In your book, you also explore the ancient goddesses including Isis, Hekate, and Aradia among others. Do you feel that the calling of the high priestess is returning? Many express an awareness that the Divine Feminine energy is rising at this time, how do you feel this will affect the world?

Judika: Lilith, Kybele, Yemaya, and Oshun are also among those included in The Weiser Field Guide to Witches. And Naamah and Nephthys, too. I can’t overlook my Ladies! I create field guides and encyclopedias and so I try very hard to write from a neutral position. I present a lot of diverse information, I’m not writing only about my own personal experiences but, that said, a lot of what I write about is very personal to me. I write from within the traditions, not merely as an observer.

I think the calling of the high priestess has never gone away—the difference is that in the 21st century more of us are now in a position to heed that call and to demonstrate our devotion in a public fashion and thus serve as inspiration and encouragement to others. So the response to the calling can expand exponentially whereas previously, for reasons of safety, these practices had to be maintained under deep cover, very discreetly and secretly and on a much smaller scale. If the Divine Feminine energy is nurtured and allowed and encouraged to rise, then that will be humanity’s salvation.  We are in trouble without it.
But it is very much a calling.

There is a basic shamanic tenet that the Call of the Spirits—or a specific deity or goddess—can only be ignored at your own risk. If you feel that call in your heart, mind, or in your blood or bones, you must respond. The alternative is depression, illness, general frustration and unhappiness. But the wonderful thing is that the spirits—and I use that word as an equalizer, I write about so many of them from so many traditions that I very consciously try not to impose a hierarchy—the spirits do respond. They speak with us and will negotiate methods of veneration and communication that suit each of us. So just as there are many ways to be a witch, there are many ways to be a high priestess. And new paths are being forged all the time. We are blessed to live in a magical and spiritual renaissance and it is crucial that we nurture and protect it.

Kala: Judika, looking back at your life thus far in review, how has your practice of the metaphysical arts enhanced and affected your life. Have you been surprised by the journey along the way?

Judika: Kala, it has enhanced and affected every aspect of my life. I cannot even begin to imagine who I would be without it. I do believe in the concept of the witchblood. My fascination and identification with witches, witchcraft, and metaphysics manifested at such an early age: it was just there inside me from the start. I can’t even begin to explain it otherwise. I have personally had a very circuitous spiritual journey, a surprising and unpredictable personal path. For example, what I am working on now is another massive encyclopedia, this one devoted to saints of many spiritual traditions. If you had told me twenty years ago that I’d be working with saints, I would have laughed. I wouldn’t have believed you. And yet here I am.

Kala: Judika, thank you for joining me here on Kala’s Quick Five. More about Judika and her book The Weiser Field Guide to Witches at www.judikailles.com

Judika: Thank you so much, Kala! It’s always a pleasure speaking with you!

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Enjoyed this article? Kala welcomes your comments and reads them all. Don’t miss a thing! Subscribe by clicking the button at the top right corner of this article. By doing so, you’ll receive e-mail updates every time a new article by Kala Ambrose is posted – and it’s free! To read archived articles by Kala Ambrose, visit her main page at the National Haunted History Examiner and the  National Metaphysical Spirituality Examiner.

More about Kala Ambrose: Kala Ambrose is an award winning author, intuitive and talk show host of the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show. Her thought-provoking interviews entice listeners to tune in around the globe! Described by her guests and listeners as discerning, empowering and inspiring, she speaks with world renowned authors, artists, teachers and researchers delving into metaphysical, holistic and paranormal topics. Kala’s book, 9 Life Altering Lessons: Secrets of the Mystery Schools Unveiled delves into the mysteries of ancient Egyptian mystery schools and explains their wisdom teachings. Kala Ambrose is a highly interactive teacher on a mission to educate, entertain and inspire. She lectures on the Ancient Wisdom Teachings of Egypt and the Mystery Schools, Developing Business Intuition, Working with Auras, Chakras and Energy Fields, and Wise Woman Wisdom. More about Kala at: www.ExploreYourSpirit.com