The Source for Wiccan, Pagan, Metaphysical, and Occult Supplies Online Volume II, Issue 1 - August/September 2005  Informative articles, commentary, regular monthly features, and information on our webstore and products. Archive | Store |  eBay |  E-Mail Merry Meet! Welcome to August/September issue of our newsletter.  After a long hiatus, we're back on the presses with lots of new information for you! I'd also like to announce the start of my own weblog: Amalthea's Forest.  Click here to visit.  Your comments and suggestions are more than welcome, just keep in mind that it's still a baby blog. Contents: 1. New Arrivals, Updates, and Specials 2. Turning of the Wheel:  Mabon and the Importance of Gratitude 3. Tarot:  The Magician 4. In Our Next Issue 5. Information and Credits New Arrivals, Updates, and Specials  Last year, we closed our eBay store due to the major increase in subscription fees.  However, that doesn't mean you won't find Magickalystics on eBay.  Right now we have some great deals on new and popular items though auction listings.  Here's just a little taste of what we've got running: New Item:  Voodoo Charms! These charms have proved so popular that we've already had to re-order many of the designs.  Right now all 12 designs are in and up for auction on eBay and Magickalystics is the only one who's got 'em!   Pictured here is "Winning a Battle" and, like all our Voodoo charms, it comes with a leaflet with instructions for cleansing the charm and performing the Voodoo ritual to activate it's power.  Retail on our website is $15.95 (in our Amulets section), but bidding starts at just $12.99! New Crowns/Circlets! We have three new circlet designs in silver-plated brass, which we're debuting on eBay can't be found on our website yet and won't be available at these low prices for long, either! New Briar Mythology Cards! Our new greeting cards are another item where we've had to struggle to keep up with the demand!  Briar is one of the leading fantasy artists in the UK and these cards amply demonstrate why.  The card on the left is his interpretation of Artemis, the maiden huntress. Check out these and other great deals in our auctions on eBay! Over the past few months, we've also added many new products to our online store, so if you haven't visited in a while, please stop by and browse through our always varied selection!   Turning of the Wheel Mabon and the Importance of Gratitude by Amalthea  Mabon is one of those easy sabbats, isn't it?  We pagans celebrate this harvest festival by gathering together for pot luck dinners, where we feast on chicken, sweet potato casseroles, pasta salads, brownies--you name it.  It's sort of the official un-official start of the comfort food season.  A little pagan Thanksgiving. At least, it seems easy.  Wait, didn't I just say Thanksgiving.  Giving thanks.  Who do we give thanks to?  God and Goddess, of course.  See, easy.  Right? What about the others to whom we should give thanks?  Who are they?  Are we really ready and willing to give thanks--and that's an active verb, by the way, that "give"--to all those who deserve our gratitude for what we've received from or because of them? This Mabon, don't just make some obligatory, blanket-policy prayer of thanks before digging into the baked beans, Swedish meatballs, or mashed potatoes and gravy.  Sit down beforehand and meditate on the past year, remembering as many people and fellow creatures that somehow touched your life, whether it was pet sitting your cats while you went on vacation, stopping to let you pull your car into traffic so you could make it to a job interview on time, resting their shaggy head on your knee when you felt down, or bringing the precious gift of a child with your eyes and her nose into the world.  Write down as many as you can remember.  Send a card or a small token gift to those you have more than just a "passing" acquaintance with.  Let them know you appreciate them. Give them thanks.   Tarot The Magician by Amalthea  The Magician is the first figure the Fool encounters on his journey through the Tarot.  Standing at the center of the crossroads, the Magician gives no indication of which road we are to take.  A Chalice, Staff, Pentacle, and Sword are all laid out before him, each representing one of the four directions, the four elements, and the four suits of the Minor Arcana.    The Magician points to them with his wand while he points towards the sky.  The message is unmistakable.  "As above, so below." The Magician represents the masculine, active principle of creation.    Meeting him means encountering this aspect of ourselves, either through direct insight and exploration, or reflected in the form of another person in our lives.  The tools of the Magician have no power on their own.  Rather it is his conscious actions that channels the energy of the Universe into these concrete, tangible forms, allowing them to focus and direct power.  Whether we recognize it or not, we are all Magicians.  We all channel power through ourselves and out into the world.  Unfortunately, all to often we fail to realize that the things we've transferred power to--money, job, material possessions--only have that power because we gave it to them.  The Magician reminds us that it is our actions that determine how much power we weild, how much we give away, and how much we let slip through our fingers.   In Our Next Issue  Look for the October/November issue of Magickalystics News to appear in your inbox by the end of September, featuring our Fall Specials and an essay on Samhain.  Plus, as the Veil between the worlds grows ever thinner, our Tarot series continues with The High Priestess. Till then, Merry Part till we meet again and Bright Blessings to you and yours!   Information and Credits You have either finished reading, or have just scrolled past Magickalystics News , a monthly e-publication of Magickalystics Online Metaphysical Store.  The manifestation of Magickalystics and this newsletter are made possible by the mysterious and arcane Webweaving Arts as cast by Amalthea, Editor & Contributing Author.   Address your comments to feedback@magickalystics.com. Send your article ideas/submissions, reviews, and editorials to newsletter@magickalystics.com.  You will be notified in advance if your piece is approved for publication. Do you have a service or business that you would like to advertise in our newsletter?  View our statistics and don't hesitate to post your offer  now! Subscription information This ezine is being distributed via Zinester - a mailing lists service and ezine hosting provider. 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