Gift Certificates - Don?t know what to give someone for a present? We are now offering Gift Certificates. These can be for any amount. Buy one and let your special someone then choose what they most want.

Carved Altar?and Accessories -? We have been lucky enough to find a local?craftsman who hand makes carved wood altars and accessories. We have examples of his work on sale in the shop. His works are one-of-a-kind, high quality pieces and each is signed by the artist. The items we currently have are all decorated with a carved pentacle symbol. The large floor altar has wheels, for easy moving. Hand-made items contain special energy from the loving care that went into their making. They will add an extra level to your use of them.

Robes?- At the request of one of our customers, we have added a new line of ritual wear: long-sleeved, hooded robes. To match the Florida weather, they are made of unbleached muslin, and are unlined.? We now have different sizes on the rack, so come in and see if these match your needs.

Singing Bowls? - We have extended our range of singing bowls. We have several with different pitches. We also have added brightly coloured pillows on which to rest them. See if you can make them hum.

Bandages - For fun, the pirate bandages we have long offered have proved very popular. With Hallowe?en coming up, the black cat bandages are looking for caring homes. We have added new styles to our range, including ?Crime Scene Do Not Enter? for our CSI fans.

Witches' Almanac - The new Witches' Almanacs?have come in.??In addition to?articles on occult and folk lore, it contains all the moon phase information you'll need starting Spring of 2008 through?Spring 2009!? This issue is specially dedicated to the arts of prophecy and divination, so we think it's arrived at just the right time!? We sold out?of?the 2007 issue, so do not delay or you may be too late.

Resin Incense - We have extended our range of bulk incense resin.? As well as the ever-popular Dragon?s Blood, now again also available in stick incense, we have added several other scents including Myrrh and Frankincense.

Incense Sticks and Cones - We have restocked our Wild Berry incense section with Dragon's Blood and Fresh Rain sticks, plus refilled our Lavender cone jar.? We've also added two of Wild Berry's newest scents--Copal and Pomegranate sticks.? Just imagine the scent of pomegranates during a Samhain or initiation ritual!

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For the ancient Celts, the?year began and ended with the start of winter,?which was Samhain (October 31 - November 1).??The hours of daylight became noticibly shorter and?great bonfires were lit against the darkness.? The last of the harvest crops?were brought in?and the livestock that could not be kept through the winter were slaughtered.? The word "bonfire" is itself an abbreviation of "bone fire", for bones and inedible parts of the butchered animals were thrown into the flames.? The grim necessity of taking?so many lives and the noises of the alarmed and frightened creatures?being led to their slaughter?seemed?a portent of?how many?people?would not make it?through the winter and underscored the feeling?of entering?a season of death.?? Family members who had died over the previous year or earlier were remembered during this somber period.??Yet, with such an?abundance of fresh-killed meat available, it was also a time of great feasting.? When Christianity came to the Britsh Isles, November?2 was chosen as the date for The Feast of All Souls.? However, the deeply pagan roots of this festival for the dead disturbed church officials, who saw?more?ancestor worship in it than rememberance, and it was removed from the calendar for a time. Today, many Wiccans and other pagans who follow the Celtic calendar celebrate Samhain as?their most important?religious holiday.? Belonging neither to the old year or the new one,?Samhain exists outside of the mundane world and the measurement of time.??We can reflect on the past and peer into the future by scrying, casting runes, or through reading the tarot.?? The veil between our world and the unseen one of spirits is at its thinest.?? Our ancestors, those who have gone before, may call to us and the dead whose spirits?cannot rest?demand to be heard.? The coexistence of?hope and despair, fear and joy, life and death?is highlighted at Samhain as?it is at no other time.? Celebrate this season of contrasts with?lively Hallowe'en costume parties?and?"dumb" (silent) suppers where a place at the table is set for?someone no longer living. Blessed Samhain!

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