StregaCrafts/Arsenic.com to donate auction items for the Society of Elder Faiths Coffeehouse

Ciao a tutti,


The Society of Elder Faiths is having their annual Coffeehouse on Saturday, November 17th.  As an active member of the Pagan community and as a (board-) member of the SEF, I think that it's very important that we support our local organizations. Any organization is only as strong and vibrant as the members who participate and support it so let's do this!

StregaCrafts/Arsenic.com is going to donate 3 gift-baskets for the auction.

I'll be making gift baskets of our new Rituali Saponi (pictures at the link)!

Our all natural soaps are custom made for us and come in a bar of approximately 5 oz.

• We carefully choose ingredients and colors to me magically correct and then charge and dedicated each one to its specific magical purpose. 
• Basic ingredients for all cold processed handmade soap are as follows: Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Soybean Oil, Hemp Oil , Organic Shea Butter , Water, Lye*, and Natural Fragrance. 
• Our soap contains: NO Preservatives! NO Animal Products! NO Petroleum Products! NO Parabens! NO Lauryl Sulfate! 
• Colors may vary in shade/tone as our soaps are made made and blended.

Gift Basket #1 -

• Diana - Dedicated to Diana/Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt and the Moon, and Queen of the Faeries. Color: This 5 oz bar is a white (yellow/white) in color. Scent: Clean scent of sandalwood and trees and misty moonlight. Ritual uses: Perfect for all ritual uses such as purifying baths to prepare for magic and ritual. Also used for wishes, healing, exorcism, spirituality, hidden Mysteries, intuition and insight, and to honor the Queen of Faeries.
• Apollo - Dedicated to Phoebus Apollo, variously recognized as a god of light and the sun, truth and prophecy, healing, music, poetry, and more. Color: This 5 oz bar is a light brown/orange and yellow blend. Scent: Medium scent of fresh berries and sunlight. Ritual uses: Energy, skill (athletic and artistic), vibrancy, healing, music, divination, luck, money.
• Hermes - Dedicated to Hermes, God of Merchants, messengers, and travelers. He is also a Psychopomp and patron of those who work with their mind. Color: This 5 oz bar is burnt orange/yellow.  Scent: Orange and cinnamon. Ritual uses: Communication, commerce, creativity, clear thought, cleverness, dispel glamour, the descending Muse, travel, divination.

Gift Basket #2 -

• Demeter - Dedicated to Demeter/Ceres, the Goddess of Abundance, Fertility, and Harvest. Color: This 5 oz bar is a golden brown. Scent: Medium scent of rich oatmeal. Ritual uses: Fertility, agriculture, nature, prosperity, health, motherly interests, abundance, growth, new ventures.
• Persephone - Dedicated to Persephone/Proserpina, the Queen of the Dead and Eternal Spring. Color: This is a 5 oz red striped bar. Scent: Pomegranate and cherry. Ritual uses: Evoke eternal spring, beginnings and endings (death and rebirth), the Underworld, comfort to the dead and those left behind, the Mysteries, prosperity and abundance.
• Hades - Dedicated to Hades/Pluto, God of the Dead and King of the Wealth of the Hidden Earth. Color: This 5 oz bar is charcoal colored. Scent: A blend of aloes and earthly garden fragrances. Ritual uses: Riches and prosperity, the Afterlife, endings and death, work with the Dead and the Underworld, purification, psychic powers.

Gift Basket #3 -

• Zeus - Dedicated to Zeus/Jupiter, Father of the Gods and Wisdom. Color: This 5 oz bar is yellow with green/blue swirls. Scent: Crisp mountain air and hints of purifying sage. Ritual uses: Conquering all things, wisdom, judgment, law and the courts, immortality, protection.
• Hera - Dedicated to Hera/Juno, mother of the Gods and Patron of the Family and domestic life. Color: This 5 oz bar is a an off-white/purple color. Scent: Fresh lilac with a hint of wisteria. Ritual uses: Motherhood, marriage, spiritual alignment, wisdom, blessings, centering, balance, peace, healing, happiness, release, purification, garden magic, immortality.
• Hestia - Dedicated to Hestia/Vesta, the Goddess of the Hearth and eternal flame. Color: This 5 oz bar is lavendar in color with lavendar buds. Scent: Lavendar and ylang-ylang. Ritual uses: Hearth, home, health, protection, family, domesticity, right order.

I hope to see you there!


Benedizioni,


---Vincenzo

Community is important

The title of this blog might be self-explanatory to most of us, at least is it for most of my friends and immediate community.

As Pagans, Witches and Wiccans, part of our religion or spirituality (indeed, a major part) is serving the Gods.  That means different things to different people.  Generally speaking, for someone who is Wiccan it means that we hold to the Rites of our particular Tradition.  Our Rites honor the Goddess and the God, turn the Wheel of the Year, and connect us with Them through aligning ourselves with what is happening in the world around us.  This might take the form of Sabbat and Esbat celebrations or other devotional Rites.

However, a big part of my personal spiritual practice is community.  Specifically, service to the community.  I don't understand Witches who say that community service (at least community interaction) is not a part of their practice.  Yes, our Rites let us connect with Them but the easiest and most effective way of seeing Them manifest in the world around us to to see Them in the very faces of the like-minded folks in our community.  If I can see Them in the people with whom I interact, how could I not serve Them?  Seems like a no-brainer for me.

For a number of years, I've been in a state of semi-retirement from teaching the Craft and from actively participating in community events within the greater Boston community.  Mostly because I was burnt out due to my perception of "entitled Pagans", bickering about definitions, witch-wars and flame fests.  Last year, that began to change with my involvement in the Society of Elder Faiths (the SEF).

Over the past year, I've had the opportunity to attend social events, open Sabbat celebrations, and network with folk who I might not otherwise have met. What was surprising to me was that I was enjoying myself. Through attending the SEF open events, being encouraged to actively participate, and offering
to coordinate the Befana Yule event, I gained a valuable and renewed perspective and appreciation in regards to community.  What I came to realize is that community is more important than I was letting myself believe and experience.

As a direct result of interacting with the SEF community, I have come out of my semi-retirement and am once again participating in community. It was a direct result of positive community interaction that prompted me to start the Sheaves of Demeter and, once again, begin teaching.  It was a direct result of positive community interaction that prompted me to attend the Feast of Lights and reconnect with some old friends that I hadn't seen in far too long.  It was a direct result of positive community interaction that prompted me to offer my serviced to the SEF as a potential board member to nurture community and grow positive connections with others.

Recently, I was appointed to the Board of the SEF and I am happy to say that I look forward to the coming year (and longer!) where I can offer my services to help nurture such a wonderful community.

If you can afford the time and effort, I would encourage you to become more active in your local community especially if your local community isn't doing what you'd like to see it do or if it is not quite as positive as you would like it to be.  Remember, if you want change and a more positive community, YOU need to change it.

Benedizioni,

---Vinnie

December 2009 Newsletter

Your One-Stop Occult Shop   December 2009 Newsletter

Arsenic & Old Lace Happy December!  Happy Yule! Happy December! Snow, chilly weather, decorations, family gatherings, good homemade food, the good witch Befana, the rebirth of the Sun King, and an all night Solstice vigil.  All of those things and more are part of our family traditions during this time of year. However you and your family celebrate the holiday(s) of this season, we would like to wish you the very best and safest of times. "Our Christian friends are often quite surprised at how enthusiastically we Pagans celebrate the 'Christmas' season. Even though we prefer to use the word "Yule", and our celebrations may peak a few days before the twenty-fifth, we nonetheless follow many of the traditional customs of the season: decorated trees, caroling, presents, Yule logs, and mistletoe. We might even go so far as putting up a 'Nativity set', though for us the three central characters are likely to be interpreted as Mother Nature, Father Time, and the baby Sun God. None of this will come as a surprise to anyone who knows the true history of the holiday, of course." The above paragraph comes from a great Yule article by Mike Nichols.  We are lucky enough to have him permission to repost the entire article on our site: Yule/Midwinter's Eve. Since this is such a wonderful solar-centered time of year, we'd like to offer you a special gift.  For December, we're going to put all of our "sun themed items" on sale for our members! Save 15% on sun-themed merchandise!  We've neatly gathered them all into one spot for you:  December Featured Products. New & Noteworthy - New Collections, Networking Pages, & Blogging Our blog is going to be moving!  We'll still have links to it from our site, but the new blog will have it's own special address: http://stregonemago.blogspot.com/. Because we send out a monthly newsletter, the blog will become more focused on Vinnie's personal musings rather than specifically store-centric stuff.  However, it will also contain events that we are planning or attending.  Over the next few months, we will also be duplicating some articles over there. Featured Products for December:  In honor of the turning of the Wheel and the Yule rebirth of the Sun, we've gathered all of our sun-themed products in one convenient space.  Members save 15%. For the New Witch Collection:  What's a new Witch to stock their cupboards with? We know the choices can be difficult so here are our suggestions!  We've picked a few items from each of our most popular categories to help the new Witch start out! You'll find all the essentials such as elemental Tools, devotional Statues, Jewelry, and more. Join us on Facebook at our own FanPage!  Come on by and start a discussion on our Fan Page or even review a product.  We also post upcoming event that we sponsor or attend. Come by and let us know what you think! Upcoming Events - A Befana Yule   Join Vinnie and the Society of Elder Faiths in celebrating the Winter Solstice - Yule, the Return of the Sun!  This year we will be presenting a "Befana Yule" ritual. Date: Friday, December 11th Time: Doors open at 6 PM Orientation at 7 PM Place: Brigham Hill Community Farm Befana is the Italian "good witch" who brings gifts of the season to the children.  She represents the Goddess of the Hearth who gives renewal to the Sun.  She is also the old crone who connects us to our Ancestors and the cycle of life, growth, and renewal. As this a community Sabbat ritual and celebration, attendees are asked to bring a fully prepared dish to share for the feast afterwards.  More information can be found: http://www.elderfaiths.org/yule09.html. About Arsenic & Old Lace Founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1981 and now exclusively on the web, Arsenic & Old Lace is dedicated to providing quality products and advice to the Pagan and Wiccan communities. We have become one of the best known occult supply shops in New England and one of the most trusted places to get quality supplies and gifts.  We strive to provide the best possible service for our customers.    You can choose from over 6000 products and save 5% or more off retail prices. Arsenic & Old Lace Rev. Vincent Russo Proprietor Web: http://www.arsenic.com Tel: 617-381-4369 Blog: http://stregonemago.blogspot.com Become a Facebook Fan - click here!

Members Specials

In honor of Yule, Members receive 15% off all of our sun-themed products! Come by and browse our selection.

2009 November 01, November Newsletter

(http://www.arsenic.com/resourcepages/newsletters/nov2009.aspx) (Still not properly importing from the old blog site.  Please use the link if needed.)  Arsenic & Old Lace

Your One-Stop Occult Shop   November 2009 Newsletter

Arsenic & Old Lace Happy November! Happy November! Ah, November.  It's one of my favorite times of the year, and not just for Thanksgiving!  For me, this time of year marks the change to when I am more focused on the home, family, and friends.  November seems to be a bit scarce on holidays.  On a secular level in the USA, we celebrate Thanksgiving.  For modern Paganism, most of us have already celebrated 3 harvest festivals but one more never hurts!  Even so, you don't find many modern Pagan celebrations during this month. Most of the regular Sabbats or celebrations in modern Paganism are fairly solar focused in their emphasis.  Being without a formal holiday this month lets me focus on more personal aspects of my practice such as my devotional work with regards to the importance of friends and family. This often takes the form of meditations and ritual designed around, not the solar myths but instead around the lunar cycle.  As they occur this month, their order is Full, Waning, New, and Waxing.  I find it particularly empowering to prepare myself with a ritual bath prior to starting my devotions, whether I have a full ritual planned or just a simple meditation.  Ritual baths work by bringing the mind and body into alignment with your intention. To encourage you to try this wonderful and easy way to focus, we're giving our members special discounts on our entire selection of AG Ritual Baths.  Save 15%! Upcoming Events - A Befana Yule   Join Vinnie and the Society of Elder Faiths in celebrating the Winter Solstice - Yule, the Return of the Sun!  This year we will be presenting a "Befana Yule" ritual. Date: Friday, December 11th Time: Doors open at 6 PM Orientation at 7 PM Place: Brigham Hill Community Farm Befana is the Italian "good witch" who brings gifts of the season to the children.  She represents the Goddess of the Hearth who gives renewal to the Sun.  She is also the old crone who connects us to our Ancestors and the cycle of life, growth, and renewal. New & Noteworthy - Spell Casting Shop and improved Site Navigation We're going to be instituting several new "collections".  These collections will be groupings of products by a common theme.  We'll still have all of our old "departments" like books, music, and candles but we thought that since we do have over 6000 items, designing collections would make it even easier for you to find what you need.  Our newest collection is our Spell Casting Shop where we've assembled everything from full ritual kits to those hard to find ingredients like coffin nails. Site navigation has been improved!  Come by the site and see the marvelous job that Mike did with redesigning our UI for more intuitive menus.  We have added menus on the homepage, search, and product listing pages to make it easier to navigate to specific categories or subcategories. You can always find where you want no matter where it appears at the site. Come by and let us know what you think! About Arsenic & Old Lace Founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1981 and now exclusively on the web, Arsenic & Old Lace is dedicated to providing quality products and advice to the Pagan and Wiccan communities. We have become one of the best known occult supply shops in New England and one of the most trusted places to get quality supplies and gifts.  We strive to provide the best possible service for our customers.    You can choose from over 6000 products and save 5% or more off retail prices. Arsenic & Old Lace Rev. Vincent Russo, Proprietor Web: http://www.arsenic.com Tel: 617-381-4369 Blog: http://blog.myspace.com/nivho Become a Facebook Fan - click here!

Members Specials In honor of November devotionals, Members receive special discounts on our entire selection of AG Bath Salts!  Come by and browse our selection.

2009 August 06, August Newsletter

Thursday, August 06, 2009 

(Links disabled or in MySpace format) August Newsletter for Arsenic & Old Lace Current mood:  busy Arsenic & Old Lace Happy Summer! Happy Summer and Happy Lammas! As our good friend Jonathan said in a recent email to us: "Whether we call it La Cornucopia, Lammas, Lughnasadh, Festa di Demeter Malophoros, Green Corn & Dance, First Harvest, Time of the Scythe, Lunasa, Feast of St Peter's Chains, or that magical moment when the stars align into just 5' Leo...  Wishing you a wonderful celebration of First Fruits in this season of summer's bounty." Lammas is often called "The First Fruits" and is the first of the 3 harvest festivals in modern Paganism (Autumnal Equinox and Samhain are the other two) and is usually celebrated on August 1.  A nice entry at Wikipedia is located here. To help celebrate, we're giving our members special discounts on our selection of Altar Cloths and our Tote/Messenger Bags.  Save 15% here! Upcoming Events Where we will be and when... We have several events that we will be attending in the near future and would love to see you at them! Annual Society of Elder Faiths Lammas Faire! Join us for a great day of fun and fellowship. The beginning of the Harvest Season has long been marked by fairs, games, and gatherings. Our Faire is held in celebration of the ancient festival of Lammas, in the tradition of the summer gathering of the tribes. Sunday, August 9th, 2009 Metro West YMCA at Hopkinton Gather at the Camp Carol Pavilion at 1:00 PM Closing ritual at 4:00 PM Admission: $5 SEF Members, kids under 12 free, $10 all others Drum Circle! Belly Dance Workshop! Games for All Ages! Sun Shield Workshop for Kids and Their Families! Cookie Bake-off (be a judge!) {http://www.elderfaiths.org/LF09} Southern New Hampshire Pagan Pride Day - Save the date! NH Pagans of all traditions and paths are welcome at NH Pagan Pride Day 2009 10am - 6pm UU Church in Manchester, NH We will have a variety of workshops, performances, vendors and craftspeople, as well as opportunities for the kids! Come and celebrate the Harvest season with us and show your Pride in your traditions and beliefs! {http://snhpaganpride.org/} If you find yourself attending either of these wonderful events, look us up! New and Noteworthy - Specialty Collections ·        Fairy Collection - We've added a new "Specialty Category" where we've collected all of our Fairy related items in one convenient place. ·          ·        Our Dryad Design Collection and our Witches' Alchemy Potions are back! ·          As always, we're very interested in getting feedback from you!  Please send us your suggestions and comments so we can improve our service. About Arsenic & Old Lace Founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1981 and now exclusively on the web, Arsenic & Old Lace is dedicated to providing quality products and advice to the Pagan and Wiccan communities. We have become one of the best known occult supply shops in New England and one of the most trusted places to get quality supplies and gifts.  We strive to provide the best possible service for our customers.    You can choose from over 5000 products and save 5% or more off retail prices.  Save 10%  on all purchases of $50 or more. Arsenic & Old Lace Rev. Vincent Russo,Proprietor Web: http://www.arsenic.com Tel: 617-381-4369 Blog: http://www.myspace.com/nivho Become a Facebook Fan - click here! Members Specials In honor of Lammas, Members receive special discounts on a selection of incense and incense accessories! Come by and browse our selection. Whoops!  This month's special is actually on Altar Cloths and Tote/Messenger Bags.   Posted by Arsenic & Old Lace (Vinnie Russo) on Thursday, August 06, 2009 - 9:56 AM