Support Pagan Businesses
We are facing difficult economic times, so it is more important than ever for us to support each other. Not only that… gain the benefit of enjoying beneficial services, buying wonderful gifts for your loved ones, reading informative books, and owning unique Pagan merchandise.
Business owners -- please write an article about your business, product and service… and don't forget to send photos!
The Magickal Mall
At The Magickal Mall, one of the shops, Feyen’s World of Products is chock full of hundreds of items for gift-giving to every non-pagan on your list. And orders over $50 get free shipping!!!
A nice Vanilla Milk Bath Set on sale for $8.76 in the Bath and Spa section includes a bottle of bubble bath, shower gel and body lotion. Sure to please my girly girl niece! For my sister who collects angel figures, there’s the Ethereal Lighted Angel for $14.95. 
I’ve got a great-niece that is going to love these Webkinz™ for just $5.95. 
My niece was just talking at Thanksgiving about redoing her bedroom in animal print so this Savannah Bath Décor set for $44.95 is just the thing. I would 
really love that Cookware set for $99.95 for myself!
They have over 40 items highlighted in their Great Values pages for under $10. Great items for stocking stuffers
or teacher gifts, plus lots more throughout the pages. And oh my gosh, the dragons and fairies are outstanding!
Of course there are ritual items too!
Checkout Eaglestar's Magickal Tools and the awesome jewelry at Magickal Designs.
Bewitching Wares Sponsored Samhain Events
By Patricia Camarena Rose
Bewitching Wares sponsored a number of Samhain-related activities for this season. Carli Ray, owner of the store, started early in October in preparation of the witches’ favorite holiday.
Through her Through her Earth Path Eclectic Resources Spiritual Church Resource Center, Carli hosts many diverse activities and events throughout the month, and this October was mainly dedicated to Samhain. There were three ghost hunts organized with the final one held on October 29. There are two church services each month scheduled around the new and full moons. This October 12 the service included channeling with stones and the service on October 26 involved honoring the deceased in light of the upcoming Day of the Dead with a prayer circle remembering the deceased and candles to take home. Crafts are generally included in the festivities. On October 7, Samhain/Day of the Dead wreaths were made by those attending the event. A short impromptu discussion on the Mexican Dia de los Muertos was included.
The whole month was a flurry of activity with Carli and her team making special conjuring with the dead candles, decorating the store for the holiday, and buying craft supplies for her workshops. In addition, two of her readers were sent out to carry out the psychic reading business by being guest card readers at various Halloween events. Representatives from Bewitching Wares ventured out to the SW Michigan Paranormal event and Bewitching Wares was also present at the Detroit Witches Ball and other related events there as well.
Samhain festivities culminated with a Spirit Celebration held on Sunday October 30 and on 
Monday October 31. At the Spirit Celebration, some of the activities included bobbing for apples, pumpkin carving on pumpkins that you could choose from right in the store, costume contests, and sharing of plenty of snacks and goodies. On the more traditional side, Carli made available a variety of psychic readers: palm, channeling, Tarot, stones, and Runes. A free psychic circle was held at 5pm to close out the event.
On Monday, staff and friends dressed in costumes for the
Otsego business owners Trick or Treating event. The weather being so beautiful that day allowed many Trick or Treaters to visit the town’s shops for treats from 4-6 pm. Inside Carli’s store, she had an 
apple bobbing station for the kids that signed up for the best costume contest. And tons of treats. Among some of the best costumed were a LED -lighted Christmas tree with a gold star on his head and a tiny police officer fully decked out with badge, hat, and uniform.
Bewitching Wares is open from Tuesday through Sunday and is located in Otsego, on 128 East Allegan St. Website: www.Bewitchinpsychic.com . Phone: 269-254-9198.
They offer a number of classes and events weekly including Reiki, divination, and Wicca. All Classes are also posted on BW’s Facebook group site along with postings about meetings. To join, go to: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/groups/159057620834870. Classes are free through membership of the Church. All non-members donate $15 for materials for each class.
To learn more information about or get involved with the Earth Path Eclectic Resources (EPER) Spiritual Church Resource Center, visit the website: http://www.earthpathecclecticresources.com/.
SIDEBAR:
EEPR Church Philosophy:
We are an Earth based Eclectic Church Resource Center,
We believe in a high power that is both a female and male energy (a ying and yang) or Goddess and God forming one.
That all Religions have some basis of truth. We have a Buddhist Philosophy in our thinking patterns and live "green" using the earth’s resources to heal, grow and create peace.
We use herbal and candle rituals using meditation and group talks to grow as one.
We believe that our brains can remember gifts given to us in a Spiritual realm and work to develop those gifts of Psychic ability and ESP.
“We are spiritual beings having a Human experience."
The Organic Brew
Many celebrities have a “signature” fragrance: Elizabeth 
Taylor had “White Diamonds”, while Jennifer Lopez has “Glow” and young country singer Taylor Swift has "Wonderstruck”. Joining the list of celebrities with her own fragrance is Llewellyn author and Celtic priestess Edain McCoy. This scent is a traditional essential oil, produced by herbalist Katherine Cotoia of The Organic Brew.
When asked if she was really joining the list of celebrities with their own perfume, Ms. McCoy wrote, “It is true. I started working with The Organic Brew in Rhode Island. The synchronicity pulled us together at the perfect time. This one is a light general perfume.”
Writes Ms. Cotoia, proprietor of The Organic Brew, “I am proud and excited to annouce a new product that is the joint project of myself and the wonderful Edain McCoy! "Enchantments" Perfume by Edain McCoy and The Organic Brew. You will find this magickal blend in the "Organic Brews" section of the shop.”
The Organic Brew, physically located in Rhode Island, has an online shop which can be found at http://www.OrganicBrew.etsy.com .The Organic Brew produces and sells not only essential oils, but herbal sachets, bath products, magickal jewelry, incense ritual tools and organic products for the home.
In addition to producing scents and magickal implements, Ms. Cotoia is an organic gardener, diviner, and provides spiritual counseling.She also practices aromatherapy and herbal healing.
Writes Ms. McCoy, “Kat has an Avalon Priestess oil that is made of apple and oak moss that is fantastic. Her Fairy Sight Oil works well for me too. She has a gift!
Check out the Organic Brew's Blog and become a follower to be eligible for product giveaways and fun contests.
Magickal Media was fortunate to be able to interview Ms. Cotoia about her unique online business.
Magickal Media:Please tell us about some of The Organic Brew's Products.
Ms. Cotoia:The Organic Brew carries unique handmade items that capture the imagination and immerse you in the ways of olde. You will find an extensive array of organic and magickal alchemy potions, perfumes and ritual oils, magickal herbals, enticing incense blends, amulets, pendants and magickal home décor.
MM:What types of materials do you use in your oils?
Ms. Cotoia:My oil blends are created with top quality essential oils, organic herbs, botanicals and resins blended into a skin nourishing carrier oil. I also enhance certain blends with crystals.
MM:Explain what your Sacred Space is and how you use it to create your items.
Ms. Cotoia:My sacred space is a room in my home dedicated solely to creating and magickal workings. This space is cleansed magickally and physically on a daily basis. To do this I use sea salt around the perimeter of the room and smudge with incense and smudge sprays. This ensures a space that is free from any negativity.My entire home is smoke and pet free which reduces allergens and dander.
MM: What led you to work with Edain McCoy?
Ms. Cotoia:Edain McCoy is my favorite pagan author and her books on Irish and Celtic magick call to the Irish Witch in me. Recently I began a perfume line called “Iconic Women”. Each blend in this line is based on a favorite iconic women of mine. I wanted a blend based on a woman from the Pagan community so it was only natural for me to reach out to Edain.
That was the beginning of my friendship with Edain. We worked together to create an enchanting blend that Edain named Enchantments. Enchantments is a perfume that is fun, floral and uplifting.
MM:Tell us about the magickal significance of The Organic Brew's other products.
Ms. Cotoia:The Organic Brew carries a line of Organic Alchemy and Magickal Alchemy products. Blends such as Hecates Queen of the Night Brew, Aradia’s Empowerment and Cerridwen's Wisdom are just some of the magickal blends that will enchant the Witch in you. Ritual Potions and Perfume Oils that are rich, alluring and deeply magickal.
One of a kind herbal amulets and pendants are created to honor deity as well as attracting particular magickal intents. Aromatic hand crafted incenses with organic and wild crafted ingredients carry magickal and spiritual intents such as meditation, spiritual cleansing, prosperity, divination, astral travel and so much more.
The Organic Brew carries a line of health and wellness products aimed at natural healing.
I carry blends for everyday issues like insomnia, anxiety, depression, healing and more.
I also love custom orders and offer a special Create Your Own Signature Scent listing. I work together with the client to create their very own dream perfume.
MM:We thank you, Katherine Cotoia, for allowing us to interview you.
Ms. Cotoia:Thank you for giving me this opportunity to talk about The Organic Brew!
http://organicbrew.blogspot.
http://about.me/theorganicbrew
eyeDance Studio Photography
Allow me a moment to introduce myself. I am Nataraj Hauser, owner and photographer of eyeDance Photography, a studio that works with you to create portraits that capture the real you, from mild to wild. My work has become popular in the Pagan community through my long association with the annual Pagan Spirit Gathering, a week long summer solstice event at which I have offered my services for the past two years. This highly enjoyable work allows me to photograph my spiritual tribe while they are in the moment of an extended spiritual journey. They get delightful photos of themselves in their festival attire and bliss, and we all get to have fun.
eyeDance Photography Studio was the byproduct of a long, successful but ultimately soul-sucking career in Corporate America. Circumstances resulted in a perfect storm of downsizing, FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt), and a hobby that had risen to a new level. My job had become stale and threatened, and I was offered a significant severance package to voluntarily separate from the company. That newfound freedom offered me the chance to reassess what I wanted to do next.
My formal education is as a computer programmer, and that work led to a role as a well-respected business analyst working in logistics for a billion dollar retail company. For more than a decade I reveled in a role that let me sit in on all strategic planning sessions and play a key role in creating the systems - automated and human - that would efficiently move our product to and through our distribution centers and to our retail stores. It was work I was good at and enjoyed. Over time the company shifted it's idea of how best to grow and enhance business systems. Less and less time and effort was made to custom design systems and more reliance was placed on large, off-the-shelf software solutions. Therefore the need for a smart fellow with an incredible knowledge of how the company worked ceased to be of value to those at the top (though increasing my role might have helped the company). As the economic downturn embraced the country in 2008, my employer offered a generous severance package to anyone willing to go away. Having no idea just how bad things would get for the middle class, I discussed the opportunity with my wife and we decided to take it. At the time I thought I would simply take a month or two off and find another, similar job. It soon became apparent that the industry was hemorrhaging jobs and I was unlikely to find something soon. We decided that we were in a satisfactory financial position to risk a new venture, and six months after I left my corporate job, eyeDance Photography was born.
I wanted to hang out my shingle as a portrait photographer without starting with a mountain of debt. I spoke with another photographer and we created a plan to create a cooperative studio in which we could mutually benefit from our combined equipment in a space we shared. We sought and found a 700 square foot studio in a humdrum building that was suitable. The space had been vacant for years and the landlord was happy to rent it. Having no street frontage made it quite inexpensive and since we were not planning to do retail sales, not a limitation. We spent very little to paint and clean, and establish a changing and vanity area. Our furniture needs were minimal, so we took advantage of the local university's "surplus with a purpose" program and got our secondhand desk, chairs, table and storage cabinets for about $100. We were ready for customers!
Ah, customers. There's the rub. The country is still in a deep, extended recession, and the new state government in Wisconsin is threatening the job security of tens of thousands of middle class workers, marginalizing unions, creating an us-versus-them antagonism between public and private sector workers, slashing public school and social safety net funding, while cutting taxes or even providing tax dollars to the wealthiest few. My customers are those people who are most affected, and getting people who are scared of losing their job or their home to open their wallet to pay me for portrait photography is a genuine challenge. It's a challenge I thoroughly understand after two years in my new career, earning 90% less than I did before! My own spending has also been reduced. My business draw has to be to offer people something special. I have to give them something they would not get from another photographer. Mostly that involves using my love of people and my experience as a dancer and martial artist to know when to snap the picture to capture people at their relaxed best. My customers are not models. They do not know how to best present themselves and are often initially uncomfortable being in front of the camera. My real job is to get past that discomfort and let their Real Self shine out. That is my gift.
My customers are uniformly thrilled with the results of their photo shoots. The majority of my customers are women, and most want boudoir - or bedroom - photos of themselves to capture their beauty. Sometimes that beauty is the athletic tone of a dancer body and sometimes it is the Rubinesque curves of a bountiful Goddess, or the blazing promise of an almost-due pregnancy, but it is always their spark, their soul, shining through. In all cases the client has complete control over my use of their images. Some will allow me to show their photos to others, be it on my business web page or my photo blog, or included in my portfolio to show potential clients my work. There are many I would love to show the world but she does not want the world to see, and so her security is assured. I do very little work with Photoshop, so I do not churn out plasticized portraits that look like magazine-cover mannequins. As I said, I love people and think they should be celebrated, scars and all.
Success is measured in many ways. While I have not yet attained financial security through eyeDance Photography, I love what I do and the pleasure of thoroughly satisfying a client is worth much. The business continues to grow, slowly, and word of my work is spreading. I am exploring ideas about creating greeting cards, and also have some images available as prints. My life is happy, and my wife's income is sufficient to keep us chugging along with my smaller contribution. With a little favor from the Goddess and God, I will continue to do what I love, and offer my gift to patrons who delight in the results. I have enough, and am content. I call that success.
About the author: Nataraj Hauser is an eclectic Pagan living and working as a photographer in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. He is a member of Cycropia Aerial Dance, a performance troupe that entertains using aerial dance on a variety of apparatus, but most frequently trapeze, silks, and steel poles or ladders (think Cirque du Soleil but on a smaller scale). He is blissfully married for 24 years to a wonderful woman with whom he has danced, made music, traveled, and grown immeasurably.
