• Crafting Articles

    WitchCrafting: Crafts for Witches

    Ostara Cards   Merry meet.   I don’t always manage to get Yule cards out on time, but it occurred to me: why send cards only for the winter holidays? Why not for spring? Here is a suggestion for an Ostara card that can be modified for any of the other sabbats. I bought packets of seeds that were magickal and, hopefully, easy to grow – organic and heirloom when possible. Then I wrote a verse for the inside of the card that can serve as a spell, which you are free to use:           “As the wheel turns and we move into the light, May…

  • Monthly Columns,  Spells & Rituals

    Celebrating the Old Ways in New Times

    Celebrating the Old Ways in New Times for March 2021 Bright Blessings! It’s below freezing outside, and we may get up to eight inches of snow in the next three days. I have been shoveling my backside off this month, because we’ve already gotten PLENTY of snow already, as The Cailleach reminds us it’s still her domain. Not for long!   (Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash)   In just over a month, it will be Spring Equinox, and, according to weather reports, it will have warmed up significantly by then. Already, the days are longer, and seeds are out in stores…YES we got some seeds. Those who have read…

  • Monthly Columns

    Of Medicine ‘n’ Magick II

    For the Love of Nona Gaia…     For many, February conjures images of hearts, expressions of sweetness, gestures of love, too often in the form of conventional consumption of holistically toxic industrial chocolate and flowers that starve and deplete the earth, Nona Gaia, and all life she supports. I conjure similar images and expressions, yet I do my best to do so in ways that acknowledge and honor Nona Gaia, ways in which we nourish and sustain her, and all life she supports. Past, present and future. I conjure images and expressions that reinforce the connections that bind all life. Past, present and future. In this framework, I invite…

  • Monthly Columns

    Notes from the Apothecary

    Notes from the Apothecary: Hyacinth   The hyacinth is a flowering plant which grows from a bulb. It has beautiful clusters of fragrant flowers and is very popular during the holiday season and spring. This easy to grow plant has a wealth of history and mythology, and could bring a touch of magic into your home as well as a blast of floral colour and fragrance.   The Kitchen Garden Hyacinths are poisonous so aren’t grown for culinary purposes. They contain oxalic acid, a compound that causes skin irritation externally. If taken internally it can cause: Damage to mucous membranes Damage to respiratory tract Wheezing Shortness of breath Laryngitis Inflammation…