Happy New Year

Every New Year represents a  new beginning. Old mistakes can be corrected and forgotten, wrongs can be forgiven and washed away, we can learn from past failures, and new goals can be created. January 1st brings new hope that the world will be a better place -- if we do our part to make it so.

Here's some tips on making 2024 a fantastic year for yourself and others:

Work hard, and don't expect free handouts from others.

Live a simpler life, save your money, and pay down your debt.

Eat healthy, exercise, and manage your stress effectively.

Set aside time to work on your hobbies and spend time with loved ones.

Protect the vulnerable people around you -- children, the elderly, and those weaker and more frail than you.

Be kind to animals.

Stand up to bullies and those who enjoy harassing and threatening others.

Do not make politics and political conflict the center of your life.

Study the issues from both sides and make informed and intelligent decisions.

Go to church, show gratitude and humility, and engage in spiritual practices like prayer.

Embrace all people, denounce violence, and be tolerant of different viewpoints and cultures.

Above all, love yourself -- and be good to yourself.

Have a healthy, prosperous, and happy 2024!

Dawn Pisturino

December 30, 2023

Season of the Witch

 

Halloween witches are traditionally portrayed as old, ugly hags with stringy gray hair, long, warty noses, pointy fingernails, and clawed hands. They ride broomsticks, collect black cats, owls, rats, and other animals as familiars and pets, and cast maleficent spells on unsuspecting people. They exude malignant, negative energy wherever they go. They are evil beings who seek to do harm to others.

However, "witches" have served various purposes throughout history, from natural healers, midwives, oracles, spell casters, matchmakers, advisors to kings, devil worshipers, and evil conjurors. There is no single definition for "witch" since wise women have played significant roles through the centuries, and good witches have existed alongside bad ones.

When Gerald Gardner published The Meaning of Witchcraft in 1959, modern Wicca was born, which seeks to bring the natural and mystical worlds together in a positive and life-affirming form. Do no harm is the primary Wiccan motto, although traditionally expressed as "An' ye harm none, do what ye will." A far cry from the ugly Halloween crone!

Samhain (Halloween) is the most important festival in the Wiccan year, for it marks the end of the year's life cycle when the veil between life and death is at its most fragile. This is the night the dead are remembered and invited to partake in the festivities. As the old year ends, the new year begins. Celebrants look forward to new possibilities, more abundant harvests, and a happier and more fulfilled life.

As you sip your pumpkin spice latte and indulge in delectable chocolates and pastries this Halloween, remember it is a holiday that encompasses many layers of meaning. For some, it is "a night of frolic," as the Sanderson sisters would say (Disney's Hocus Pocus). It is a night of hope for others, looking forward to a new year. While there may be mischief makers and people with evil interests on the prowl, this is true every night of the year. The evening news reminds us every night.

So, take advantage of the holiday season and start partying heartily!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Dawn Pisturino

October 28, 2023

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