Dear Wiccan,
Our youngest child just went off to college, and empty-nest syndrome has
really begun to set in. My wife and I thought this would be a time for us to
rediscover our freedom, but instead the joy has left our household. Any
tips?
--Lonesome In Lodi 

Dear Lonesome, 
Blessed be! When forming your Coven, be mindful that it is very different
from performing your Workings as a solitary witch. Rituals involving a
Gathering of pagans, led by a wise High Priest or Priestess, are much more
powerful through the Coven. Drawing down the moon, consecrating a sacred
bolline-knife and casting the scrying magicks alongside your
widdershins-walking fellow-souls is not only a real and powerful celebration
of Nature, it is also a solemn and dignified Communion among our folk! The
Lord and Lady smile upon the hour of your Circle's meeting, and may the
Goddess grant that your path be true and your Craft blessed! 

Dear Wiccan, 
I'm a single man in his mid-30s who's never had much luck with women. I
become very uncomfortable and awkward around the ones I'm interested in.
I've talked to a lot of people about the problem, but no one ever seems to
have any good advice. Can you help?
--Shy In Cheyenne 

Dear Shy, 
Merry meet! All other dweomers being equal, the phases of Mother Moon are
the most powerful magickal influence upon any incantation you may devise.
The Goddess has charged our heavenly protectoress with the turning of tides
and seasons--astral as well as earthly--and as She waxes and wanes, so does
the potency of our charms! In some of Her phases, the amethyst crystal can
sharpen your sixth sense, and it may be twinned to your runestones, or even
steeped in a healthful nettle-and-foxglove tea to aid in your
scrying-spells. But beware! In other phases, the opposite is true, and using
any crystal but the blood-tourmaline will rend your power from you or twist
your magicks along the Dark Path! So that you may step carefully, consult
with your circle's Elders before attempting any of the rituals or
incantations of the Major Arcana. If your Elders are fasting, meditating or
Wind-walking, seek ye the 69 convergent Lunar phases in the grimoiries of
our hallowed Sage, Wolfling SilverRaven. At the very least, please consult
your Tarot! 

Dear Wiccan, 
My son is probably just a normal 15-year-old, but he seems to want
absolutely everything: CD players, video games, cellular phones--even a car!
I want to be good to him and treat him to nice things, but I don't want to
spoil him rotten. How much stuff is too much for today's teen? 
--Behind The Times In Trenton 

Dear Trenton, 
May Brigid bless your path! The Wiccan Rede entreats all of our fellowship
to do as we will, but remember: The most important law is to Harm None!
Injudicious use of passion spells, Fascination-charms or love potions to
bind an unwitting being to your soul, whether human lover or feline
familiar, is unworthy of even the Hornéd God! The person thus ensorcelled is
bereft of Freewill and becomes a mere golem without motivation of his or her
own. This is but a mockery of love, and if non-Wiccans find that we have
been practicing such strong and forbidden Magicks, their wrath would be
kindled and the Burning Times upon us again! Wicca is not about power or
control. Wicca is the sun on one's face, the breeze in one's hair, the
mysteries of the stars, sun, moon and everything else that science cannot
explain. Only by staying true to Goddess, Rede and Craft may we harmonize
with the ebb and flow of Nature's cycles. Stray from this, and we shall be
exiled to the Dark Lands in a dark time! Blessed Parting, my brethren and
sistren! 

Morganna Goldenwand is a syndicated advice columnist whose weekly column,
Ask A Wiccan, appears in over three newspapers nationwide. She is also the
author of Tread Lightly: A Guide To The Sacred Woodland Glades Of Upper
Illinois, and has just released a CD, Blessed Morning!, a collection of
Celtic chants accompanied by crystal Tibetan singing bowls