WitchCrafting: Crafts for Witches
WitchCrafting: Crafts for Witches – Knitting with Intention Merry meet. Knitting, crocheting, weaving, sewing – and any other craft or action – can be made magickal with intention. Additions are nice, but optional. My soul sister, Debby Bailey, modified this $3 gnome pattern (This site has some neat crochet gnomes) to knit witches for friends on the path. She also makes them to sell and takes special orders. Each one is made with joy because of her desire to spread it. “I’ve always enjoyed using my hands and my mind/spirit in conjunction: classical piano, massage therapy, knitting. The energy just flows.” These four…
Oracle Deck Review – Secret Woods: Guides and Inspirational Messages by Kelly Patton
Oracle Deck Review Secret Woods Guides and Inspirational Messages by Kelly Patton Publisher: Schiffer Red Feather Pages: 28 Cards, 72 Page Guide Book Publication: June 29, 2021 Author and artist Kelly Patton honored experiences she’d had spanning more than a decade by expressing insights and life lessons through art. Twenty-eight cards in her oracle deck feature unique animals, nature spirits and unusual creatures as guides who share their secrets and offer loving advice. “Secret Woods” comes packaged in a sleeve with a die cut offering a peek at the cover of the box beneath. The wrap-around box has a magnet to hold down the flap. Inside is the…
WitchCrafting: Crafts for Witches
Crafts for Witches: Hag Stones Merry meet. This month’s column looks at hag stones, also known as fairy stones, holey stones, witch stones, Odin stones, and eye stones. They are rocks that have naturally occurring holes, worn by water over long periods of time. Because it’s commonly believed magic cannot work on moving water, hag stones are valued because they would be immune to the effects of magic, adverse energies, and enchantments, yet possess water’s powerful protection and healing energies. The oddity of the stones has made them a focus of folk magic. For centuries witches have used them in spells and rituals for everything from…
Book Review – A Spell in the Forest: Book One – Tongues in Trees by Roselle Angwin
Book Review A Spell in the Forest Book One Tongues in Trees by Roselle Angwin Publisher: Moon Books 288 Pages Publication Date: July 1, 2021 “A Spell in the Forest: Book 1 – Tongues in Trees” can serve as a year-long course, studying the tree for each of the Celtic months. This book is based on material from such a program. Trees connect heaven and earth. They produce oxygen during the day, producing four times what they need themselves. Trees sequester carbon dioxide, prevent soil erosion and flooding, offer shade, allow us to make paper, and supply food and medicines along with fibers for clothing. Author Roselle Angwin…
Book Review – Contemporary Witchcraft: Foundational Practices for a Magical Life by Frances Billinghurst
Book Review Contemporary Witchcraft Foundational Practices for a Magical Life by Frances Billinghurst Publisher: Moon Books 264 Page Publication Date: August 1, 2021 Part I of “Contemporary Witchcraft” is comprised of nine essays focusing on the foundational philosophies and background of witchcraft as it used to be taught. Part II has a collection of essays on practical aspects and exercises for practicing the Craft with contemporary traditions. There is a growing number of witches who are of the “anything goes” and “do what you feel” belief, Frances Billinghurst said, noting that “bears little resemblance” to the training she received for initiation into a lineage that can be traced back…
Witch Hunt
There are witches all around us. You can find them anywhere… The Witch on Wheels has been documenting her findings. Meet: Isaac Vars Isaac Vars is a Cancer, an herbalist, and a healer who began his magickal practice as a teenager. He and his husband Josh Simonds are owners of Deep Earth Arts in Littleton, New Hampshire – a metaphysical store and apothecary offering a quintessential retail experience for anyone with a love of the esoteric, as well as those interested in non-conventional spiritual practices. I love exploring their space – where my turkey claws and wing fans are for sale – for magickal items not available…
Book Review – The Last Ecstasy of Life: Celtic Mysteries of Death and Dying by Phyllida Anam-Aire
Book Review The Last Ecstasy of Life Celtic Mysteries of Death and Dying by Phyllida Anam-Aire Publisher: Findhorn Press Pages: 176 Publication: July 20, 2021 “Time and space are gifts of birth Timelessness and spacelessness are gifts of death We move and dance between the two Like children playing in fields of corn” These lines from a poem by Phyllida Anam-Áire preceding the table of contents opens the door to a deep dive into the mysteries of death and dying. Knowledge from her early near-death experience, Phyllida Anam-Áire, a former nun, becomes a spiritual midwife, using her Celtic heritage to explain the sacred stages of transitioning. In the…
Book Review – Daily Magic: Spells and Rituals for Making the Whole Year Magical by Judika Illes
Book Review Daily Magic Spells and Rituals for Making the Whole Year Magical by Judika Illes Publisher: HarperOne 592 Pages Publication Date: August 31, 2021 “Daily Magic: Spells and Rituals for Making the Whole Year Magical” is the quintessential collection of days that pagans of all varieties celebrate around the world. It is a perpetual calendar of dates having spiritual, magical, and esoteric significance, helping readers make the most of the energies and influences that are associated with special power times. Some significant historical events, such as September 11, are also referenced. April 30, for example, is perfect for spellcasting – especially for love, romance, fertility, and prosperity.…
Book Review – Animal Spirit Wisdom: A Pocket Reference to 45 Power Animals by Phillip Kansa and Elke Kirchner-Young
Book Review Animal Spirit Wisdom A Pocket Reference to 45 Power Animal by Phillip Kansa and Elke Kirchner-Young Publisher: Earthdancer Books 112 Pages Publication Date: May 4, 2021 Animals have always been important to humans for food, clothing, and tools. Their spirits have also been important, providing special energies and wisdom to shamans and others who learned to connect with them. They still are important. This pocket reference introduces forty-five spirit animals – from ant to wolf – and helps readers discover their gifts. These spiritual helpers bring healing, wisdom, strength, companionship, and special energies to those willing to accept assistance from animal energy from other dimensions. Each…
WitchCrafting: Crafts for Witches Book Review – Creating Smudge Sticks: 15 Projects to Recover Negative Energy and Promote Wellness by Peg Couch
Book Review Creating Smudge Sticks 15 Projects to Recover Negative Energy and Promote Wellness by Peg Couch Publisher: Red Feather 128 Pages Publication Date: September 28, 2020 Merry meet. This month, my column is about a book I was given to review called “Creating Smudge Sticks: 15 Projects to Recover Negative Energy and Promote Wellness.” While not pitched directly to pagans, using smoke is a common practice among us for purification and removing negative energy. In this book, Peg Couch presents projects for these as well as such intentions as love, anti-anxiety, stress relief, blessing a house, courage, and good vibrations. Each project calls for…