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Notes from the Apothecary
Notes from the Apothecary: Columbine The columbine, or Aquilegia, is a striking flower, with hooked spurs that resemble either eagle’s talons or the heads of doves gathered together. It’s in the same family as buttercups (Ranunculaceae), which while isn’t obvious in the shape of the flowers, becomes more apparent when you look at the hairy stems and the lobed leaf shapes. There are up to 70 species of columbines that we know about, with colours ranging from bright blue to deep red. Also known as Granny’s Bonnet, these fantastic flowers carry a wealth of folklore and magical associations. The Kitchen Garden Columbine are one of those plants that…
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Stay in Your Magic, Keep in Your Power an Excerpt from “Happy Witch” by Mandi Em
Stay in Your Magic, Keep in Your Power (Excerpted from “Happy Witch” by Mandi Em) Magic can help you feel powerful, but there can be a big difference between the way you feel post-ritual and the way you feel as you’re going through your mundane life. The feeling of connectedness and otherworldly magic can get lost in the shuffle sometimes when the day-to-day chaos starts piling up, leaving you feeling zapped and depleted. No more! Cultivating a magical life can be the antidote to feeling pressed by the mundane and disconnected from your power. This is the big secret of the craft: It allows you to keep perspective of the…
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It’s All Rite
Spring is a time of hope, new beginnings, potential, and planting. Air, east, the new moon, the maiden archetype, inspiration, imagination, fresh flowers, nests, eggs, hawks, seeds, chimes, dragonflies, wonder, joy, playfulness, communication, spiders, purification, daffodils, childhood, and adventure are all associated with Ostara. For readers who want to keep it simple, below is a collection of easy yet meaningful activities to celebrate the Spring Equinox. Pick whatever interests you, and continue as long as you wish. Perhaps one of them will become a daily practice. * Put a bowl of candied eggs on a table or counter to bless new beginnings with sweetness and happiness. * Hang wind chimes…
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Book Review – Ossman & Steel’s Classic Household Guide to Appalachian Folk Healing by Jake Richards
Book Review Ossman & Steel’s Classic Household Guide to Appalachian Folk Healing: A Collection of Old-Time Remedies, Charms, and Spells By Jack Richards Foreword by Silver Ravenwolf Publisher: Weiser Books 122 pages Publication: August 1, 2022 From the publisher: “A long-treasured but forgotten classic of folk healing, with an introduction and commentary by the author of Backwoods Witchcraft and Doctoring the Devil. Ossman & Steel’s Guide to Health or Household Instructor (its original title) is a collection of spells, remedies, and charms. The book draws from the old Pennsylvania Dutch and German powwow healing practices that in turn helped shape…
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Book Review – The Magick of Birthdays by Hannah Hawthorn
Book Review The Magic of Birthdays: Rituals, Spells, and Recipes for Honoring Your Solar Return Through Rootwork and Conjure by Hannah Hawthorn Publisher: Penguin Random House 269 Pages Publication date: July 12, 2022 Bright Blessings! I am thrilled to share an amazing new book with you that discusses exactly what the title says it does — birthdays and all the magic that comes along with them. I don’t read all that much for myself, because my day job entails plenty of research. As somebody who has to share facts and history on a weekly basis, I have to say I…
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Book Review – Herbal Tea Magic for the Modern Witch: A Practical Guide to Healing Herbs, Tea Leaf Reading, and Botanical Spells by Elsie Wild
Book Review Herbal Tea Magic for the Modern Witch: A Practical Guide to Healing Herbs, Tea Leaf Reading, and Botanical Spells by Elsie Wild Published by Ulysses Press 224 pages Publication date: November 23, 2021 If you like tea and want to know more about its magical use, you’re certain to enjoy Herbal Tea Magic for the Modern Witch. This book is a modern introduction to basic herbs, mixing and brewing tea, tasseography, and basic herbal magic. The first chapter explores the history of herbalism and tasseography. This history is fairly short, but provides a good basis of context for what follows. Chapter two lists a number of…
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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…
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MagickalArts
What Are the Magickal Arts? When I began this column for PaganPagesOrg many years ago, I had a vision of filling it with writings focused on exploring the magickal weavings of artistic endeavor. I am after all a former professional ballerina. One of my children is a trained fine artist, another is a classically trained musician, and all five of my children are excellent writers and artists in their own rights including the sciences- a pediatrician, a biomedical engineer and a veterinarian. As the years continued forward I have come to using the term Magickal Arts as an expression of the artistic and refined nature the Craft requires. As magickal…
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Book Review – Wild Witchcraft: Folk Herbalism, Garden Magic, and Foraging for Spells, Rituals, and Remedies by Rebecca Beyer
Book Review Wild Witchcraft: Folk Herbalism, Garden Magic, and Foraging for Spells, Rituals, and Remedies by Rebecca Beyer Publisher: Simon & Schuster 240 Pages Publication Date: May 10, 2022 “The spirit of a place.” In “Wild Witchcraft: Folk Herbalism, Garden Magic, and Foraging for Spells, Rituals, and Remedies,” Rebecca Beyer gives readers ways to come to know the spirit of a place, forming deep, intimate relationships with its plants, animals, minerals and history. There will be a unique magic of that place, too. A witch and a forager, Beyer specializes in folkloric plant history, as well as magical, edible, and medicinal uses. The detailed information about botanicals, and…
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Celebrating the Old Ways in New Times
Celebrating the Old Ways in New Times for April/May 2022 Bright Blessings This is our first Spring in our apartment, and as I was deciding what to plant for this year, I pined for the ground and built-in planters I had at our old place. I used to buy so many seeds, and there were years I planted tons of cucumbers and tomatoes as well as pumpkins, roses, herbs, and a whole lot of annual flowers. This year, I am relegated to a limited number of pots, and the truth is, it may be this way for a while, if not permanently. We made it out of the condo successfully…
