I've been watching "Walking with Dinosaurs" on BBC Earth.

There are lots of dinosaurs in Alberta. So, what about Ontario?

To give you a quick answer, our dinosaurs ended up being 'rock flour' ground up under advancing and retreating sheets of ice.

We do have the Devonian period with warm, shallow seas. Underwater millions of years ago.

Following is the information I could find about dinosaurs in Canada, especially Ontario. I've edited/ paraphrased but click the link to read the full article online.

GeoScienceInfo - Where are the dinosaurs?

...there is still a treasure trove of fossils just waiting to be uncovered here in Ontario. The fossils here are just much, much older than any dinosaur, because the time they lived in and thus the rocks that their remains eventually became fossilized within are much older. The rocks in southwestern Ontario range in age from the late Ordovician Period (about 455 million years) to the Late Devonian Period (about 360 million years). That is roughly 205-130 million years before the first dinosaur strutted on the scene.

The Mesozoic Era, sometimes colloquially called the Age of the Dinosaurs, lasted approximately 165 million years. Given that there would have been many billions of individual dinosaurs during that time, the remains of many little and big critters would have absolutely been buried in the sediments and later undergone fossilization across Ontario.

About 2.5 million years ago, global temperatures began to drop significantly, and ice sheets started to grow on the continents.

In North America, the Laurentide ice sheet covered most of Canada and some parts of the United States a number of times, as it advanced and retreated repeatedly in cycles of growth and shrinkage in response to climatic conditions. The ice sheet literally scraped many layers of rock away, turning whatever got in its way into a fine powder called “rock flour”. All those poor dinosaur fossils that waited so patiently to get their place of honour in a paleontology museum were instead ground up into dust.

Although glacial activity removed the fascinating rocks layers of the dinosaur-saturated Mesozoic Era here in Ontario, it ended up exposing the just-as-fascinating rock layers of the even older Paleozoic Era. The rocks that lie at or near the surface in southwestern Ontario range in age from the Upper (or late) Ordovician Period (about 455 million years old) around the Belleville to Peterborough area and get progressively younger as you drive southwest towards the Arkona area, where they are late Devonian in age (about 360 million years old). Although the fossils found in these rocks differ among species, there are many common types of fossils found in many of the limestone, dolostone, and shale outcrops throughout southwestern Ontario, from Ordovician to Devonian rock units.

Some of the most common types of fossils found in southwestern Ontario are corals. Although they look like plants, corals are actually marine animals that usually lived attached to the seafloor. The fossilized corals here in southwestern Ontario are either tabulate (colonial-type) or rugose (solitary and colonial type) corals. Other fossils are found in these rocks, such as brachiopods, gastropods, bivalves, crinoid parts, trilobites, bryozoans.

From Canadian National Geographic:

In 1991, a high school teacher discovered a giant T. rex skeleton while canvassing the badlands near Eastend, Saskatchewan. Nicknamed Scotty, this 13-metre-long, 8,800-kilogram beast is the largest T. rex ever discovered.

Morden, Manitoba holds the Guinness World Record for the largest publicly displayed mosasaur. Bruce, a 13-metre-long, 80-million-year-old marine reptile prowled the inland seas that covered what is now the Canadian prairies.

Canada’s oldest discovered dinosaurs are long-necked Triassic-era plateosaurs found in the Bay of Fundy.

The Age of Dinosaurs Gallery inside the Royal Ontario Museum, features Gordo, the largest real fossil skeleton in the country, and one of only three barosaurus on display in the world.

The Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum, Wembley, Alberta, sits adjacent to Pipestone Creek, one of the densest fossil beds anywhere in the world. It is final resting place for thousands of hadrosaur, tyrannosaur, nodosaur, plesiosaur, and pterosaur fossils.

Drumheller’s Royal Tyrrell Museum’s Dinosaur Hall has one of the largest mounted displays of dinosaurs anywhere in the world, including triceratops and T. rex. Also the gorgosaurus and the herd-roaming Edmontosaurus.

On Vancouver Island, in 1988, local fossil enthusiast Mike Trask was exploring a local river when he discovered an 80-million-year-old elasmosaurus, the first of its kind in Canada. Now in The Courtenay Dinosaur Museum.

From Canadian Encylopedia - Dinosaurs Found in Canada

Canada is home to some of the richest deposits of dinosaur fossils in the world. The vast majority of the dinosaurs discovered in Canada are from Alberta, where the rising Rocky Mountains at the end of the Cretaceous period and a network of ancient rivers provided the sediment necessary for burying and preserving their remains.

While fossil birds have been found in Canada, they are not well understood because their fossils are very rare, not well preserved, and generally incomplete.

While dinosaur remains have been discovered in Nova Scotia, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and Yukon, the fossils from these places are often not complete enough to identify to which species they belonged or have not yet been the subject of detailed scientific study. In the case of Nova Scotia, paleontologists have found fossils of a primitive armoured dinosaur, sometimes called Scutellosaurus, and of a long-necked, planting-eating dinosaur, informally called Fendusaurus eldoni.

Paleontologists can’t say exactly (and with certainty) what dinosaur species made footprints (called an ichnospecies) and eggs (called an oospecies). Many dinosaur footprints have been found in British Columbia and Nova Scotia.

GeoScienceInfo - Paleo-environment of Southwestern Ontario

The rocks and fossils in the Arkona-Kettle Point area of southwestern Ontario were deposited roughly 387 to 372 million years ago, in the Middle to Late Devonian Period.

During the Middle to Late Devonian Period, most of what is now North America was part of a large continent called Laurussia.

The Arkona area was situated just south of the equator during the mid- to late Devonian Period at a similar latitude to modern day Brazil. It had a tropical climate, with little variation in temperature.

Much of east-central North America, including the Arkona area, was a shallow inland sea during this time. There was little mixing of water between the inland sea and the open ocean, being largely surrounded by land, bounded by the main (Laurussian) land mass to the north, the Trans-Continental Arch to the northwest, and the Acadian Mountains to the southeast.

The warm, tropical shallow sea that once occupied southwestern Ontario teemed with tropical marine life. Offshore conditions in these seas were typically calm, promoting the establishment of underwater “meadows” of crinoids. Although these creatures, commonly called “sea lilies”, superficially looked like plants, they were indeed animals that lived attached to the seafloor, filtering small food particles out of the water. Various species of shelled animals called brachiopods also lived in large numbers on the seafloor filtering food out of the water.

Above the seafloor, the water column would have also been a busy place. Squid-like cephalopods with chambered buoyant shells (e.g., nautiloids), and fish would have swum near the bottom, preying on smaller organisms.

Corals were both abundant and diverse in the warm, shallow sea. In some cases, forming reef-like buildups (as seen in the Amherstberg Formation) or more sheet-like bodies called biostromes (as represented in the coral unit of the Hungry Hollow Member of the Widder Formation).

Originally written (by me) for The Crying Clown Zine (c. 1998)

Tis the season for ghosts to haunt, vampires to suck (blood that is), werewolves to howl,and witches to fly. Or is it? Most people have put Santa and the Easter Bunny away with the broken decorations and the egg you didn't find till the next year. Yet the idea of a witch in black from head to toe, with a black cat, casting her spells with the twitch of an eyebrow is still around. I don't cast spells, I don't like to wear black but I do admit to a fondness for cats.

Oh the wonder and the power of being a witch able to whip out a spell to make your life simpler, easier and so much better... Put that idea away with dear old Santa. Wiccans do not take the powers they study that lightly. To weave your magick you have to carefully consider the many strings attached before you even begin creating neat little rhymes to conjure with.

The Wiccan Rede: If it harms none, do what you will. The Rede is the heart of Wicca, it is the theme song, the top icon on your screen and the apple of many a witchy eye. However, there are as many definitions for 'harms none' as there are Wiccan Paths. Harm none includes yourself, your neighbor who yells when you cross his lawn, the guy/ girl you desparately wish would give you more than a second glance, your pet lizard, the ant you stepped on last week and the planet you step on every day. It includes everything you can touch, see, feel, hear, smell and think. Did I leave anything out? It includes that too.

Harm none is a huge responsibility. At some point magick will infringe on free will. It is up to you to decide if it is harmful. Some Wiccans will use love spells. I see this as manipulation and that rubs my version of harms none the wrong way. Manipulation does not respect the free will and rights of another person and is harm to that person. Of course, the easiest harm none definition would be black magick. White magick: works in harmony with the life forces of the universe and harms no one. Its goals are spiritual such as self knowledge, and for the good of all such as healing. Black magick is: causing change (in reality or in consciousness) for the purpose of causing either physical or non-physical harm to yourself or others, and is done consciously or unconsciously.

Every action causes a reaction, a pull on the strings attached. This is the basis of the 'threefold law'. Simply put, everything you do (negative or positive) will come back to you times three. This is all wrapped up in karma and other strings upon strings upon strings upon strings. Keep things simple with your own version of 'harms none'. Judge carefully what strings you are pulling and tangling in the magick you choose to weave.

Black is almost considered a witch uniform but no where in any 'rule book' does it say Witches, Wiccans or any Pagans must wear black or be forever black balled, black listed or have their names blackened. (I just couldn't resist). True black is a mystical colour but the wearer won't suddenly have magickal powers or secret knowledge. Power and knowledge can be gained through study and work. As for the cat thing... I'm training him to be my familiar, of course!

Happy Halloween/ Merry Samhain!

Originally written (by me) for The Crying Clown Zine (c. 1998)

Just picture yourself, in mid ritual, suddenly your Book of Shadows falls to the floor with an unpleasant sounding thud. Silly you, you forgot your altar!

The Wiccan/ Pagan altar is not just for eating your breakfast on anymore. Also, those looking forward to virgin sacrifices are in for a disappointment. But, look on the bright side, now you don't have to save yourself for that big moment on the stone slab, just go out and have fun!

So, what should you know about constructing your very own altar? Start with all natural ingredients and assemble them inside a circle. Those are the basics. Your altar can be outdoors for all the little bugs and squirrels to see or it can be inside and easily pushed under your bed for those with parents who like to make room inspections still. An altar can even be made on your desk at work. Just use some creativity and no one will suspect you have brought Pagan influences to concrete jungle.

The altar itself can have a circular base or square, depending on how natural you want to go with it. Outdoors, a fire can substitute for an altar. Make sure you are prepared to safely extinguish it before you leave. Face your altar in a direction of power, generally that's north, the direction associated with Earth. Some Wiccan use east and west, the direction the sun rises and sets. Lastly, everything on your altar is positioned in a pattern. The arrangement is very individual and can be kept track of in your Book of Shadows. (The Book of Shadows is a book or some other form of note keeping Wiccan use for their exploration and discoveries along their path of learning.)

Just raring to go and get Medieval, I mean creative? To dedicate your altar to the Goddess and God, something you can choose to do. Set up put the tools dedicated to the Goddess (pentacle, cup, bell, crystal, cauldron and others) on the left side of the altar. The tools dedicated to the God (athame, censer, white handled knife, etc) are placed on the right side. In the middle of the altar, you please yourself; at least that is how I see it.

If you don't follow the 'standard' altar plan with God and Goddess on either ends you can fill those areas of your altar with things to represent the elements: Earth, Air, Water and Fire. The idea is to stick to natural ingredients but you can do a lot with those. A natural altar contains assorted leaves, stones, drawings/ pictures, candles, seashells, feathers, flowers/ herbs, a glass of water, your pet guppy, tissues (handy if you have a cold) and a pirate's treasure map (assuming you can find one). Keep in mind the elements. The feather and leaves can represent Air. The candle and maybe some burnt offerings from breakfast can represent Fire. Water is easy with seashells or a glass of water. Earth can be represented by the stones or leaves (think compost, just don't put it on your altar unless you are ready for the smell).

The altar is the physical centre of a ritual. Its a place of power and magick. To think it is mostly a flat surface to work at is a mistake. Some of your energy and magick will remain in your altar after each ritual. You will be bringing a lot from yourself to the ritual and your altar. Because of this, your altar must have special meaning to you. Use your own sense of style, things that are important, have meaning to you, and design your altar to suit yourself and your needs.

Originally written (by me) for The Crying Clown Zine (c. 1998)

Folklore is not an old wives tale, mere superstition or fairy tale. It is more than that. Folklore is a way of doing things not based on scientific fact. People relied on folklore before the invention of science. Those who want to practice magick should begin with the study of folklore.

The word folklore literally means "the learning of the people". W. J. Thoms coined the term folklore in 1846 replacing the old term popular antiquities. My definition of folklore is a habit or tradition based on knowledge from a less than official source, such as modern science.

Folklore covers a wide area including traditional beliefs, customs, stories, songs and sayings. Beliefs concerning nature (animal, plant and mineral), human nature and inanimate objects, magick, charms, luck and disease and death. Customs and rites such as marriage, childhood and adult life, festivals, warfare, hunting, farming, and fishing. Old myths, legends, folktales, ballads, songs, proverbs, nursery rhymes and riddles keep folklore passed along in cultures all over the world.

Folklore comes from every culture on the planet, current and extinct. However, folklore must be taken with a grain of salt. Look it with a slightly suspicious mind and a practical, scientific nature. Explore each custom and belief. Dig deeper and find the mechanics of the idea, what made it work, if it really worked at all. Some customs may have worked once and then just been taken as truth.

Pagan and Wiccan magick are rooted in folklore. Read about herbs, divination, tree magick, astrology, animal guides, weather magick and you are reading folklore. Any magick you look at will be full of old ideas which science is only recently looking at. Do some research and find which old wives tales are having a second wind and are already available at a drug store near you. Not enough for you? Look at a modern wedding ceremony and list the customs that do not seem based on logical scientific thought. Start with throwing rice or catching the bride's bouquet. Does rice guarantee children? If it did over population would be a much bigger issue!

So, why throw rice? How and why did that custom start? Find out! To really understand and work your own magick you will need to know the thoughts and theories behind it, its roots. To step in and attempt to create magick without studying the how and why is like skipping the whole beginning of a book.

Divination is a good place to start looking at folklore. Divination is a belief/ custom based on folklore, early ideas of science. Every tradition from tarot, dowsing, crystal gazing, scrying to reading the bumps on a head can not be proven to work by science. Still, divination in all its varied forms is a very popular form of magick.

Of course, some folklore is truly a fable or superstition. It will be up to your own explorations and common sense to dig deeper and decide which are fable and which are facts. Don't be afraid to get a little dirty when you get your feet wet, most of all, have fun!

Originally written (by me) for The Crying Clown Zine (c. 1998)

The Book of Shadows could be called The Book of Life. Just the opposite of the Egyptian Book of the Dead (A series of spells to help the dead travel to and exist in the afterlife.) The Book of Shadows (BOS, for short) contains notes Wiccans have made along their journey of life and learning. Grimoire (A book of magickal spells and techniques) is more Medieval than Book of Shadows but they serve the same basic purpose.

Essentially, the Book of Shadows is a workbook containing ritual patterns, rules governing magick, instructions for circle casting and banishing, religious rituals, the consecration of tools, herbal lore, herbal recipes, dreams, divination results and personal thoughts and experiences. It is the Book of Shadows, which keeps the traditions of a solitary or coven alive. Without the Book, everything would be passed on from word of mouth with the chance of being forgotten, lost or misinterpreted.

A coven will keep a Book of Shadows so members can record and memorize the coven's rituals in their own Books of Shadows. Some contain lists of the pantheon, training exercises and initiation ceremonies. Books can be passed from one Wiccan to another, usually on initiation. Often each individual Wiccan creates their Book and keeps it to themselves.

Until recently, a Book of Shadows was always hand written. With all the advances in multi-media today a Book of Shadows can be a Disk of Shadows. Some Books (or parts of them) are published on the Internet. Typed and photocopied Books are also common. You may choose to have more than one copy or form of your Book. One can be hand written, the other can be preserved on a disk or photocopied for safe keeping.

To make your own Book of Shadows begin with any blank book. It does not have to be something antique or beautiful, a notebook from the dollar store will do. The Book of Shadows gains its value from the amount of energy and effort used to create it and the positive energy surrounding it each time the book is used for magick and rituals. A binder with loose sheets will let you move your pages around and add new ones in the middle if you need to.

Simply write in this book any rituals and magickal information you have worked on, learned about or just read somewhere and want to remember. Keep it organized into sections for rituals, divination, herbs, and etc. Add your own personal touch with some poetry, a few pressed leaves from your first ritual, a drawing which inspired you, or anything else bookable (able to fit into a book, one way or another). Also, because this is your Book you can write any thoughts you are having at the time. You don't have to write to impress anyone. Keep track of your feelings (both negative and positive), questions you want to find answers to, and any other personal information you would write into a journal or diary.

Keep your Book of Shadows in good repair. Some rituals may call for placing herbs in or on your Book of Shadows. Prepare for this by giving your book a fabric cover or tissue paper between its pages. Keep this in mind when or if you want to decorate your Book of Shadows. Watch for decorations that might damage your pages or make your ink run. Put some thought into your decorations of choice. Though macaroni art may have seemed "funky" at the time, it might not feel the same when the lumpy noodles won't let you keep your book open on your altar. Remember, your Book of Shadows serves a purpose. Make sure its usable when you are trying to read it half way into a ritual and you just can't remember the line you wanted to say as you sprinkle eye of newt into your cauldron.