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Time to Cut the Shit: The Rant About Magick, Paganism, the Occult and Witchcraft That No One Else Wants to Have
My first entry in a little while is going to be brutally honest, and I’m not apologizing about it, either. I’m going to cuss, talk a little shit (from a place of love), and hopefully get some gatekeeping assholes to get off their fuckin’ high horse! To be frank, I’m fed up with the toxicity I see in the online Pagan community, and the Pagan community at large. It’s absolutely fucking ridiculous; some of y’all are out here acting less mature than a toddler throwing a temper tantrum! This is a rant about, and to, the Pagan community, the witch community, the occultist community, and the magickal community. It’s time…
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Book Review — The Tarot Spreads Yearbook
Book Review — The Tarot Spreads Yearbook Publisher: David & Charles 144 Pages Release Date: 11th April 2023 This beautifully presented book is billed as “52 Tarot Spreads for Getting to Know Yourself.” In our modern, fast-paced life, isn’t that something we’re all trying to do a little more? It’s so easy to get bogged down in our routines, work, and trying to make ends meet that we can lose sight of our inner selves and what nourishes us. With that in mind, I opened this book with an optimistic frame of mind. At first glance, it’s clear that, like the year, this book is split into four seasons: Growth,…
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Art and Academia I Enjoyed in June 2025
This is a column I hope to post regularly. I was inspired by Karissa Love’s Art I consumed this Month, YouTube videos, and thought, I also consume a lot of art, but I’d like to combine that with the academia I read as well. I’m sure plenty of other people make this kind of content since ‘What I Consumed This Month’ is a huge trend, but I’ll give her credit since she’s the only one I’ve personally seen do it with art! (Though, truth be told, I don’t watch her videos much, only seen a handful. She has a cool, Western flower-child, love-witch vibe if you want to check her…
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Book Review-The Witch’s Workshop: A Guide to Crafting Your Own Magical Tools by Melissa Jayne Madara
Photo Credits: Stock Photo of The Witch’s Workshop, courtesy of Publisher The Witch’s Workshop: A Guide to Crafting Your Own Magical Tools by Melissa Jayne Madara is a 231 page book published by Watkins Publishing, a division of Watkins Media Group, of which I received an e-book copy. This book, to start off with, is beautiful, with full color pages, photos and vintage style plant illustrations gracing the pages. As far as the material within the book goes, the recipes are tried and true, having used the same or similar recipes myself in the past. Madara gives recipes for incense, oils, powders, candles, dyes, inks, how to craft ritual paper, ritual chalk, and making…
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Witches Through History Grimoire And Oracle Deck
The Book and the deck are gorgeously illustrated. I love how the author/artist evokes a sense of folktale whimsy through both the book and deck with the individualistic and expressive artwork. Now to the book. Though well written and interesting, it was rather vague in certain areas. The biographies of the historical witches were well researched and presented in an engaging fashion, however. I would have liked to see him expand from the Eurocentric/American subjects he chose to include histories from multicultural settings. So we might learn history and archetypes from around the world and have a broader understanding of such. The author also has a good grasp on the…
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Notes from the Apothecary
Notes from the Apothecary: Snowberry Snowberry, or Symphoricarpos, is the name for 15 or so shrubs that boast gorgeous white berries. The plant is part of the honeysuckle family, and is also known as waxberry or the beautifully evocative name, ghostberry. The inspiration to write about this plant came from my 13-year-old, who sent me this cute WhatsApp message on his way home (pictured). It’s lovely to be the “go-to” person for plant info, and nice to be able to give some fast advice on a potentially toxic plant! The interesting thing about snowberries is that, while they can be toxic, they’re also used medicinally in some…
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Book Review – Spell Jars for the Modern Witch by Minerva Siegel
Book Review Spell Jars for the Modern Witch: A Practical Guide to Crafting Spell Jars for Abundance, Luck, Protection, and More By Minerva Siegel Publisher: Ulysses Press 160 pages Publication Date: June 6, 2023 Minerva Siegel gives readers 50 recipes for spell jars, and the magickal fundamentals to know before you begin. While the title is “Spell Jars for the Modern Witch,” you don’t have to be a witch to protect, manifest, or heal. Also known as witch bottles, they contain the elements of a spell, and can easily be recharged and refreshed to offer long-lasting effects. The first part of the book describes six psychic…
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Notes from the Apothecary
Notes from the Apothecary: Anemones Whenever you hear the word “anemone” you’ll either imagine a gorgeous yet shy sea creature or a beautiful flower found both in the wild and in gardens all over the world. Of course, here in the Apothecary, we’re excited about the flowers! There are well over a hundred species of anemone, including Anemone blanda and Anemone nemorosa, both often referred to as wood anemones or the more evocative name, windflowers. Anemones are in the same family as buttercups (Ranunculaceae) and grow from bulbs or rhizomes, usually coming back year after year. In Europe, anemones are keepers of living history, in a way, as large…
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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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Witch Hunt
There are witches all around us. You can find them anywhere… The Witch on Wheels has been documenting her findings. Meet: Catherine LaForza Catherine is a 60-year-old Witch, a warm glass artist, caregiver, Grammy and Death Midwife who has been a practicing pagan since 1990. We connected this summer when I was in Connecticut. She’s a caregiver to her husband who has not only survived, but thrives as a 20-year heart transplant recipient. Their experiences dancing on the edge of Death has led her to train as a Death midwife. Birth and Death are spokes on the same wheel; both are initiations and transitions. Death midwifery sits…
