• Monthly Columns

    SpellCrafting

    Spells for the Craft: Peace Water Merry meet! Many of you are probably familiar with war water – typically made from iron nails or spikes left to rust in pond water along with another ingredient or two such as Spanish moss or wormwood. It’s used to drive away disruptive energy, and I have sprinkled it around the perimeter of my abode as a preemptive protective measure. Recently I learned of peace water. A hoodoo product, it brings peace, harmony, and gentleness to places, people or situations. It can create an energetic barrier, warding off negative entities and energies that would bring discord to your environment. It’s thought peace water draws…

  • Divination Articles

    Road to Runes

    Road to Runes: Making a Rune Set Runes have been used for divination for many years, and are often incorporated into Norse-inspired magic and spiritual practices. While there are many digital tools for drawing runes, it’s normal to want to have a physical set of your own if you want to use them regularly. That way, you can draw a rune wherever you are, even if you’re in the middle of the woods or high up a mountain—although perhaps don’t go as far as to try and use them while hanging from a tree!     One of the cheapest and most satisfying ways to get your own runes is…

  • Crafting Articles

    WitchCrafting: Crafts for Witches

    Herb Wreath   Merry meet! This issue’s WitchCrafting column offers an idea for a Lughnasadh project. By the first harvest festival, most herbs are abundant. Gathering them to make a wreath is one way to preserve them, letting them dry to decorate your kitchen and flavor your food. For this project, I bought a round wire form at the Dollar Tree, and used florist tape and green plant twist ties I already had. Sage, mint, chives, and oregano were harvested from my sister’s garden. Because it’s still May in New England, I purchased additional herbs from the grocery store: rosemary, thyme, and dill. Use the botanicals available to you, giving…

  • Monthly Columns,  Spells & Rituals

    Peeking in the Shadows: Crafting a Book of Shadows and Light

    A Journey Through the Witch’s Wheel of the Year 2022!   The Witch’s Wheel of the Year In the February Issue we began exploring the Sabbats of the Witch’s Wheel of the Year and beginning a journey of filling our BOS with information about how we celebrated and what we found to be true of our practice. For a review of what the Wheel of the Year is take a look at February’s posting here: Peeking in the Shadows: Crafting A Book of Shadows and Light-February2022   We Continue Our Journey Through the Witch’s Wheel and call to the Light of the Summer Solstice…. THE SUMMER SOLSTICE/LITHA   The King…

  • Monthly Columns

    Peeking in the Shadows: Crafting a Book of Shadows and Light

      A Journey Through the Witch’s Wheel of the Year 2022!   The Witch’s Wheel of the Year     In the February Issue we began exploring the Sabbats of the Witch’s Wheel of the Year and beginning a journey of filling our BOS with information about how we celebrated and what we found to be true of our practice. For a review of what the Wheel of the Year is take a look at February’s posting here: Peeking in the Shadows: Crafting A Book of Shadows and Light-February2022   An excellent resource for suggestions, visuals and ideas for making your Sabbat celebrations rich and visually beautiful, check out the…

  • Crafting Articles

    WitchCrafting: Crafts for Witches

    Protection Door Hanger Merry meet. I was inspired to make protection door hangers by first fashioning twigs and vines into small wreaths that would fit over a doorknob. Then I collected up as many small objects as I could find that had protective powers, including bells, pentacles, tiny jars of salt, hag stones, sweet gum tree seed pods, tarot card charms, goddesses, crystals (black tourmaline, black obsidian, clear quartz, amethyst), evil eyes, rune symbols, dried herbs, and spirals. I attached these to the bottom of each wreath with embroidery floss, ribbon, twine, or string.   Other objects that offer protection include angel wings, the Hand of Fatima, the triquetra, dreamcatchers,…

  • Crafting Articles,  Monthly Columns

    Healing Oil Recipe

    Healing Oil Recipe for Humans & Pets When it comes to my remedies my witch side comes to life. I have quite a few wise women in my lineage and I like to channel them when I offer any healing assistance or create remedies. My healing oil gets special attention in this area. It cleans wounds, speeds up tissue growth, and helps with bites and stings. I make it in bulk once a year, this way I can spend the year collecting the ingredients as I travel and charging them properly. A lot of work and energy goes into my healing oil. This infusion can be used on its own…

  • Monthly Columns

    Nurturing Your Wild Child

    Imbolc – Bringing Brigid into your Family   We find in Irish Pagan Traditions a Goddess who embodies fertility and healing as she brings the warmth with her Sacred Flame to make Spring anew in the lands. In fact, her Sacred Flame remains eternal and is lit each year at Imbolc in Kildare, Ireland to bring her back to the forefront, renewing the temperatures and asking the lands to be fertility of animal and plant life. Brigid takes on many roles in both the Celtic Pagan Goddess and the Catholicism ideas – yet for both she is a safe harbor for children, leading and guiding them as a Goddess/Saint of…

  • Crafting Articles

    WitchCrafting: Crafts for Witches

    Wreaths   Merry meet. Wreaths have been around at least since Ancient Greece where those made of laurel, representing the circle of eternal life, were displayed at funerals. As their popularity rose, they were used as symbols of power, honor, and victory (which led to warning against “resting on your laurels”). The Ancient Etruscans – who predated Romans on the Italian peninsula – made crown-wreaths of ivy, laurel, oak, myrtle, and olive leaves, sometimes incorporating vines and wheat. Evergreen wreaths were included in Christmas celebrations by Germans in the 16th century, but were used in pagan solstice rituals centuries before that across Europe. Holly and mistletoe were also sometimes used.…

  • Crafting Articles

    WitchCrafting: Crafts for Witches

    Walking With Magick     Merry meet. This month’s column features a job I commissioned by Kerry Bower of Kerry’s Creations. I knew what I wanted, but I didn’t have the materials, patience or artistic ability to turn shoes and boots into works of Pagan Art.     First she cleaned the shoes with Angelus brand leather cleaner.     Using Angelus brand paint, she freehanded her designs. There are other brands of acrylic-based paints created specifically for leather you can use. Do not mix brands, and never apply heat to help the paint dry.     “The key to bright colors is to paint multiple layers and let each…