On August 3, 2025, over fifty Texas House Democrats left the state to block a vote on a mid-decade redistricting plan. By crossing state lines, they denied the two-thirds quorum needed to pass the new maps—turning their absence into a powerful act of resistance. In Wiccan terms, they momentarily stepped outside the circle to protect the larger sacred space of fair representation.

Drawing Down the Moon is a Wiccan rite in which the practitioner becomes a living vessel for the Goddess’s lunar essence. Under the light of the Full Moon, the celebrant intentionally enters a deeply receptive state, inviting divine guidance, healing, and inspiration to flow through mind, body, and spirit. This ritual bridges the mundane and the sacred by opening a…

> “Eight Words the Wiccan Rede Fulfill: An Ye Harm None, Do as Ye Will.” The Wiccan Rede—sometimes called the Witches’ Creed—is the guiding ethical principle of Wicca. At its core, it is simple …

Are you interested in formally becoming Wiccan or joining the Aspen Tradition? Would you like to become a legally recognized minister or a High Priest? Perhaps you even dream of starting your own T…

Next week, the Sturgeon Full Moon peaks on August 9th at 3:55 a.m. Eastern Time. It's a perfect moment to honor water’s bounty and stand in solidarity with Indigenous peoples who have long protected our waters. What Is the Sturgeon Full Moon? Long before our Lughnasadh celebrations of grain and harvest, Native American communities marked late summer by the abundance of freshwater sturgeon.

A Wiccan Circle is a sacred space where energy is raised, magic is woven, and divine forces are honored. While tradition offers many approaches, the most important principle is intent—do what reson…

On July 28, 2025, the Office of Personnel Management issued sweeping guidance clarifying federal employees’ rights to display religious items, hold prayer groups during breaks, and engage in voluntary religious conversations aimed at persuading co-workers of the correctness of their beliefs. ( Part of the broader “Project 2025,” this move claims to defend faith in government—but it’s really about stoking a narrative of Christian persecution that doesn’t hold water.

I. Morning Light and Silver Scythe Awake to the sun’s first gilded kiss, Fields ripple like laughter under sky— Wheat waves in gratitude, seeds dreaming of bread, Our hands entwined with earth’s promise. II. The Feast of First Harvest We gather at tables hewn from fallen oak, Bowls brimming with berries, fresh milk, and grain, Feet dusty with days of labor and love, …

Lughnasadh—Lúnasa in modern Gaelic—falls on August 1, marking the first grain harvest of the Wheel of the Year. Rooted in the myth of Lugh’s pact with his foster-mother Tailtiu, this festival blends ritual, communal feasting, and agrarian rites to honor the reciprocity between land and people. As the Sun courses through early Leo, the season invites us to step into communal adulthood by sharing abundance through mutual aid and charitable action.

Two legends passed this week. Ozzy Osbourne and Hulk Hogan. The so-called Prince of Darkness., and the so-called Real American. But reputations are often cloaks — and today we take a look under the veil. 🖤 Ozzy Osbourne: A Black Cloak, a Gentle Heart Ozzy was tragically misunderstood. People called him satanic, evil, dangerous — and he played into the aesthetic.

In the world of spiritual tools, few items are as misunderstood—or as quietly powerful—as charms, talismans, and amulets. These aren’t just trinkets. They’re ritual technologies: ways of shaping experience, anchoring intention, and inviting transformation. 🔍 What’s the Difference? Term Purpose Energy Type Typical Use Charm Personal luck or connection Sentimental, symbolic Carried or worn Amulet

🧭 Context Something strange is happening on America’s screens. Jon Stewart's Daily Show just hit its highest ratings in a decade, yet Paramount may cancel it. Stephen Colbert’s Late Show dominated late-night television—until it was dropped without warning. The official explanation? “Budgetary reasons.” But if the show is thriving, what kind of budgetary reasons could we be talking about? Behind the scenes:

As Venus journeys retrograde through the radiant halls of Leo, we are invited into deep contemplation on love, value, and the dynamics of power and truth. This cycle opens pathways for spiritual reflection on how charisma is wielded, how truth is protected, and how integrity is cultivated across public and private spheres. Mercury also resides in Leo, amplifying our call to courageous speech and sacred storytelling.

At The Aspen Tradition, we believe that magic speaks through more than just ritual — it hums through our headphones, dances through melodies, and whispers through the lyrics that linger in our minds. Music is memory. Music is myth. And music can be a spell. This post explores artists who infuse their songs with Wiccan, Pagan, and mystical themes — not through chant or traditional invocations, but through pop, folk, rock, and the wild in-between.

🔮 Opening Invocation When we enter the circle, we do so to align our energies, our intent, and our purpose. The circle has no beginning and no ending. Like the round table, no one sits at the head—we are all equal. So where do we turn for leadership? In Wicca, leadership must be cultivated, chosen, and voluntarily offered. It is not imposed, inherited, or demanded.

Since 2012, July 14th is International Nonbinary Day, and since 2020, July8-14th is Nonbinary Awareness Week. As an agender witch myself, I walk between — and beyond — the poles of gender. I am neither man nor woman, I am something else entirely. And in that liminal space, I have found my magic. Wicca — and The Aspen Tradition — teaches that we are all…

As floodwaters rise in Texas and FEMA’s response stirs both hope and frustration, the stars above shift in quiet revolution. Uranus, the cosmic disruptor, has entered Gemini—a transit that historically heralds upheaval in how we speak, connect, and organize. And soon, the New Moon in Leo will blaze a path for heart-led leadership and creative sovereignty. We stand at a crossroads: between chaos and clarity, grief and growth, silence and song.

As the Buck Moon waxes full in Capricorn, we find ourselves standing at a threshold—not just of the lunar cycle, but of a nation in flux. The Wheel of the Year turns toward Lammas, the first harvest, and yet the fruits of our collective labor feel bruised. In the United States, the signing of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” has gutted social programs, slashed Medicaid, and intensified deportations.

Rituals for Grief, Repair, and Spiritual Holding 🌘 Opening Invocation Before you read, take a moment. Settle your breath. If you wish, light a candle, close your eyes, or place a hand over your heart. “This space welcomes all that you are. Your truth, your tenderness, your courage. Spirit is here, ready to walk with you. Not to erase your pain—but to accompany you toward healing.”

David Brooks, writing for The Atlantic, asks a startling question: “Why do so many people think that Donald Trump is a good guy?” His reflection isn’t about politics alone—it’s about our collective ability to recognize goodness in an age where moral clarity seems elusive. From within the Aspen Tradition, we respond with curiosity. We seek ways to build bridges and bring people together again.

“Illusion is the first mask of revelation.” — Traditional Aphorism I. Introduction: The Spiral Pull of Seeing Differently On July 4, 2025, Neptune—the planet traditionally associated with mysticism, illusion, dreams, and spiritual longing—turned retrograde in the sign of Pisces, initiating a months-long transit that will last through December 7. In astrological terms, a retrograde occurs when a planet appears to reverse its motion across the sky from our vantage point on Earth.

On this Fourth of July, the Aspen Tradition honors not only the historical declaration of independence from monarchy—but the deeper, ongoing call to cultivate a truly democratic society. American democracy was born from a bold rejection of kingship—an affirmation that no one rules by divine right, and that liberty is best safeguarded when power is shared. Wicca, too, walks this path.

Not every tradition begins with a thunderclap. Sometimes it starts with a need. A noticing. A pattern of practices stitched together with intention and care. The Aspen Tradition wasn’t born in a stone circle or ancient grove. It emerged from lived experience—of marginality and magic, of longing and liberation. It is a tradition not because it has elders in long robes or dusty tomes (though robes are lovely if you want them)—but because it offers a way of seeing, making, and remembering together.