• This Month's Holiday

    Mabon/Autumn Equinox Correspondences

    (art: Mabon Blessings Print – Wall Art by Regan Ralston of WaterofWhimsy on Etsy.)   Autumn Equinox 2022 in Northern Hemisphere will be at 9:03 PM on Thursday, September 22   Michaelmas (September 25th, Christian), Second Harvest Festival, Witches’ Thanksgiving, Harvest Home (Anglo-Celtic), Feast of Avalon, Wine Harvest, Festival of Dionysus, Cornucopia, Equinozio di Autunno (Strega), Chung Chiu (China), Night of the Hunter, Alban Elfed “The Light of the Water”(Caledonii/ Druidic-celebrates Lord of the Mysteries), Winter Finding (Teutonic, from Equinox ’til Winter Night or Nordic New Year, Oct 15th.)   It is the equilibrium of day and night and this represents the light and darkness in our lives. The long…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Higher and Friendly Powers: Transforming Addiction and Suffering by Peg O’Connor

    Book Review Higher and Friendly Powers: Transforming Addiction and Suffering by Peg O’Connor Published by Wildhouse Publications June 1, 2022 288 pages     I am someone who has struggled with addiction issues for most of her adult life, rotating in and out of AA since 1990. Currently I do not attend any meetings at all, but I do desire to live a clean and sober life so I was excited to get an Advanced Reader Copy of Higher and Friendly Powers: Transforming Addiction and Suffering, by Peg O’Connor, and published by Wildhouse Publications. Very simply, I was dying to transform my addiction and suffering – anyway I could. If…

  • Reviews

    Deck Review – The Deck of Queens by Stephanie Guttenplan (Pookie)

    Deck Review The Deck of Queens By Stephanie Guttenplan (Pookie) Self-published 76 card deck and 98 page guidebook     The Deck of Queens is a divination deck created by Pookie, also known as Stephanie Guttenplan, and self-published via Kickstarter by Pookie Artistry LLC. The Deck of Queens comes in a very sturdy and extremely portable 3 inch by 4 inch by 2 inch thick cardboard box with a book-style lid. The box has a black matte finish with silver lettering on the front, and a hand-written message from the author along with her web address on the back. The first thing we see after opening the box is the…

  • Divination Articles

    Road to Runes

    Road to Runes: Ehwaz – A Journey in Trust   I finally got a new set of runes. In fact, it’s one I’ve had for a long time that I was going to sell, years ago, but for some reason have clung onto. Now I know why! It’s a set of carnelian tumble stones (rocks shaken in a tumbling machine until they are smooth) each inscribed with one of the Elder Futhark. I don’t go in for a whole lot of crystal magic as mining crystals has a lot of negative impacts on the Earth and the people involved. However, I also don’t waste what I have, and these are…

  • Reviews

    Deck Review – Pistis Sophia: The Goddess Tarot by Kim Huggens and Nic Phillips

    Deck Review Pistis Sophia: The Goddess Tarot By Kim Huggens and Nic Phillips Published by Red Feather Mind, Body, Spirit 22 card deck and 144 page guidebook     The Pistis Sophia is a very interesting majors-only Tarot kit that comes in a lovely 6 inch by 9 inch sturdy box with a magnetic closure easily opened in book-fashion with a handy ribbon tab. The box has a full color matte finish, with the deck name and a card image on the front of the box, and deck information and description and three card images on the back. The first thing we see after opening the box lid is the…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Flower Essences from the Witch’s Garden: Plant Spirits in Magickal Herbalism by Nicholas Pearson

    Book Review Flower Essences from the Witch’s Garden Plant Spirits in Magickal Herbalism by Nicholas Pearson Publisher: Destiny Books 512 Pages Publication Date: April 5, 2022     Flowers have always been magical. Long ago, magic and medicine were intertwined, and here they are again. I am a witch who uses and has made flower essences. I am excited to find Nicholas Pearson has done something I haven’t seen anyone else do — merge the medical and the magical sides of healing flower essences that work on a spiritual level. “Flower Essences from the Witch’s Garden” is a tome that has it all — a comprehensive reference for the beginner…

  • Monthly Columns

    Notes from the Apothecary

    Notes from the Apothecary: Blackberry The humble bramble or blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) is a common sight in British and Irish hedgerows and wild places. Blackberries are also found all over the United States, and may also be called caneberries. Blackberries grow on thick, fast-growing branches covered in thorns, making picking the fruit perilous – use gloves! Each berry is a collection of tiny balls called a drupe, and the taste ranges from sweet to mouth-shrivelling and sour if you pick the tiny, hard ones. In the woods near my house, once you venture away from the paths, the spiky branches trail riotously between tree trunks, making it impossible to create…

  • Crafting Articles

    WitchCrafting: Crafts for Witches

    Magickal Eye Pillow   Merry meet. I have used eye pillows filled with rice, sand, microbeads, beans, or flaxseeds for decades. Its gentle pressure signals the brain to relax, while also blocking out sleep-disturbing light. They have been found to ease stress and anxiety, promote better sleep, and provide relief from tension headaches and migraines. It wasn’t until recently I thought to make it magickal. When a corner of my favorite eye pillow opened, I took it as a sign I didn’t have to start from scratch and use the fabric I had cut out and put somewhere months earlier. Pouring out the contents, I washed the cover. Then I…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – The Witchy Homestead: Spells Rituals and Remedies for Creating Magic at Home by Nikki Van De Car

    Book Review The Witchy Homestead Spells Rituals and Remedies for Creating Magic at Home by Nikki Van De Car Publisher: Running Press Adult 144 Pages Publication Date: August 17, 2021   I’m always on the lookout for books focused on everyday magic that makes home and family life easier and, perhaps, that little bit more wonderful. This one is so eye-catching with its promise of spells, rituals, and remedies for creating magic at home. Yes please! The book is handily split into three sections: Enchanting Your Food, Enchanting Your Health, and Enchanting Your Home. I love the idea of enchantment as an everyday practice to weave into all aspects of…

  • Reviews

    Book Review – Nature Spirits and Elemental Beings: Working with Intelligence in Nature by Marko Pogacnik

    Book Review Nature Spirits and Elemental Beings: Working with Intelligence in Nature Marko Pogacnik Published by Findhorn Press 254 pages Publication date: February 1, 2010 (Second Edition)     For over thirty years, Marko Pogacnik has worked with Earth’s energies to heal and balance places where trauma or violence has occurred. He uses a process called lithopuncture – placing large stones at specific points in the landscape – similar to acupuncture. Nature Spirits and Elemental Beings: Working with the Intelligence in Nature is the result of his first encounters during lithopuncture work with the intelligent forces and beings who shape and protect Earth and her processes. Pogacnik wrote the first…