Dear Phil, an athame is a ritual tool that is traditionally sharp on both sides. However, back in the day, Wiccans were pretty much “kitchen witches” in that they had to utilize whatever was available to them. After all, in the year 1530 there wasn’t a witch shop in the local village. At any rate, if the knife feels right to you for ritual/circle work, then by all means use it. Just be sure it is never used to cut anything as it is intended only for spiritual work.

Dear Concerned Parent,
From what you describe, the jewelry item in question can represent the half moon and the witches ball. Most meddling neighbors and parents have some type of an agenda to fulfill and making you worry seems to have been theirs.

You didn’t mention whether the half moon was facing left or right, nor did you provide any color to the ball. That being said, you might want to open the dialogue with your daughter and ask her what it means to her. Obviously you are open enough about Wicca to be reading this column so if your daughter is investigating an alternative religion, this could help with the relationship dynamic.

For what it is worth, jewelry in and of itself doesn’t have power. All energy emanates from our belief and faith system. For example, a crucifix would have little meaning to someone of the Jewish or Muslim faith, yet to a Christian it is a very important symbol of their faith.

Spirulina is an algae that is used as a form of human and animal food/supplementation.

Out of all the plants in the world, spirulina actually has the highest concentration of protein and is considered a complete protein, however this is also dependent upon where and who harvests it. Most plant products have to be combined, such as rice and beans, in order to provide the body with all the protein requirements needed. Spirulina is complete on its own.

Spirulina also contains fatty acids, vitamins A, D, K, B1, B2, and a questionable vitamin B12 that the body can synthesize. Additionally, it is mineral rich with high concentrations of ash, manganese, chromium, selenium, magnesium, calcium and phosphorous.

While the scientific community continues to battle out the benefits of spirulina in clinical trials, health food advocates claim that there are many benefits. Human tests haven’t been as conclusive as animal studies. Animal studies have shown that spirulina helps prevent heart damage caused by chemotherapy, reduces the severity of strokes and helps improves the recovery of movement after a stroke, reverses age related memory decline and helps to prevent hay fever.

Since spirulina does have measurable nutrient properties, it wouldn’t hurt to consume it while the world awaits for more conclusive data from the medical lab giants.

Lavender Wren, the latest information is that much of the henna sold today as “natural” has been tainted with other chemicals. These chemicals have cause a serious reaction in a number of people. You may want to read more about it at this website, Safety Issues Concerning Henna.

The webpage pretty much recommends what I would recommend. Purchase your own henna leaves and grind them for use. This way, you won’t have to worry about getting close to your roots because you are assured of the plant quality. Word to all consumers: just because a product is called “natural” doesn’t mean it is. The FDA currently does not regulate items that are labeled as “natural”.

Dear Aldava,
Before we became an industrialized civilization, we were part of the agrarian or crop growing era. There wasn’t any electricity for clocks nor wall switches for instant lights, so mankind had to rely on nature for sustenance and growth. The Sun helps to grow plant and animal product and the Moon, who is the mysterious “Mother” is seen longest during the winter months.

All of life has its season and cycles and this order of nature brought mankind to align his and her faith similarly. In the Wiccan world, the “spells” or prayers for increasing something are generally done from the New to Full Moon. When trying to rid one of something or decrease its effect, such as hair cutting for example, it would best be done during the waning moon, the period after the full moon. It is believed that doing so during that lunar period would help to slow the growth of the hair and reduce the need for additional cutting. Modern science has confirmed the effect of the lunar cycles on the tide water, so it shouldn’t be too alarming to think that the Moon can generate similar vibrational energy upon mankind.

The importance of being in tune with the lunar cycles can best be summed up this way. A person can sit down at a grand piano and only ever play Chopsticks on it. Another, who has studied and worked with that same piano could compose the most beautiful melodies because they are in tune with the instrument. The first person could simply state that the piano isn't any good because it is always the same melody while the second person is transported to musical etheric realms with each composition played.

So too with lunar cycles and all of nature for that matter. We have industrialized ourselves right out of our own sanity. We have more things commercially available to us in this era, yet more people are relying on tranquilizers and antidepressants at alarming rates. Many have forgotten to embrace nature, even if only for a tranquil walk in a quiet park or to sit by a babbling brook. If we don't learn to tune into the language of nature, we can never learn to tune into the language of the spirits when they attempt contact.

Thank you for supporting my column. Feel free to write to me at witchhazel@morbidoutlook.com. I can’t promise a personal reply to your questions due to the volume of mail I receive, but I will try my best to answer your questions in an upcoming column.