Thursday 28 March 2024

Rounding the Year: Too Soon For Silver Birch Catkins?

My silver birch tree has new leaves and catkins. I'd normally be delighted at this sign of spring, but actually it worries me a bit because it's a month earlier than it was a decade ago. We're still in March, but my post for April 25 in 2013 showed the same tree in this stage of budding.  You can find that post here.

What's in bloom in your area? Is it early or on time this year? 

Share your seasonal photos!

I recently started prompts to share seasonal pictures, art, crafts, words and other creativity. I'll continue this over the months ahead. I'd love to encourage readers to record what's happening in nature in various ways including photographs, journalling, drawing or painting and crafting.

Here are ways to share the things you're doing or what you see out and about as the wheel turns:

  • Leave a comment on this post about what you're up to
  • Find my prompts to share on my Facebook Page: Lucya Starza Pagan Portals Author
  • Share on Instagram or X (formerly Twitter) with the tag #RoundingtheYear

Where to find my book

My book offers more ways to acknowledge the Wheel of the Year and celebrate the seasons in ritual, magic, folklore and nature. You can find it at estoeric bookshops and via my publisher Moon Books: https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com/moon-books/our-books/pagan-portals-rounding-wheel-year

Previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2024/03/rounding-year-new-leaf-buds-at-spring.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2024/03/spring-spellcraft-growing-herbs.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2024/02/rounding-year-camelia-forsythia-blossom.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2024/02/spring-herb-lore-greater-periwinkle-or.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2024/02/rounding-year-flowers-birds-pancakes.html

Wednesday 27 March 2024

Magical Online & London Events in the Next Weeks

Here's a list of events for pagans, witches and those with similar interests. There are online things you can do anywhere plus in-person talks and workshops in or near London, and some conferences and festivals further afield.

Now - 2 June; Rediscovering Gems - Exhibition of gems depicting deities, mythology and more. Venue: British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Free entry. https://www.britishmuseum.org/exhibitions/rediscovering-gems

Now - 4 April;  Exhibition - Swedenborg’s Lusthus.  Venue: Swedenborg House, 20-21 Bloomsbury Way, London WC1A 2TH. Tickets free but reserve a place https://www.swedenborg.org.uk/

Now - 13 April; Lyric Hammersmith Theatre presents the play Faith Healer by Brian Friel. Directed by Rachel O'Riordan. Venue: Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, Lyric Square, King St, London W6 0QL. Time: Mon – Sat, 7.30pm. Tickets: £15, £25, £34, £44. https://lyric.co.uk/shows/faith-healer/?

Every Wednesday and Friday (except bank holidays): Pop-In Days at the College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 11am - 4pm. Free, just pop in. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk

Wednesday, 27 March (every Wednesday); Live Chat hosted by Rachel Patterson, author of the Gods and Goddesses of England and the Kitchen Witch series of books. Time: 9am. Free. https://www.facebook.com/RachelPattersonbooks/ 

Wednesday, 27 March (and other days next week); Admission to the The Viktor Wynd Museum of UnNatural History. Venue: 11 Mare Street, London, E8 4RP. Various times from 3pm. Tickets from £6.72 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/admission-mar24-viktor-wynd-museum-of-curiosities-unnatural-history-tickets-741978466567?

Wednesday, 27 March;  Full Moon Gong Bath - Sound Meditation in the Mansion. Venue: Beckenham Place Mansion (Old Dining Room), Place Park, The Mansion, Beckenham BR3 1SY. Time: 5pm. Tickets: £30. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/theresa-royle-18442369190

Wednesday, 27 March; Sacred Sound Healing. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £38.62. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Wednesday, 27 March; Children’s Spiritual Experiences: what can we learn from them?. Online talk by Prof Kate Adams hosted by the Scientific and Medical Network. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £11.99. https://scientificandmedical.net/events

Wednesday, 27 March (every Wednesday); Feeling Sound Bath. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £15.  https://sheslostcontrol.co.uk/collections/all-events

Wednesday, 27 March;  The Great God Pan. Talk by Robin Herne on Zoom through The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets · from £6.72. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Wednesday, 27 March (last Wednesday every month); Spring, Seeds and Sumbel. Talk about Paganism at Hertford Pagan Moot. Venue: The White Horse, 33 Castle Street, Hertford. Time: 8pm. https://www.facebook.com/groups/104788436218047

Thursday 28 March;  Theosophy - In-person study group. Venue: Rudolf Steiner House, 35 Park Rd, London · NW1 6XT. Time: 10.30am. Tickets £3 https://www.meetup.com/rudolf-steiner-spiritual-science/events/

Thursday 28 March; Midweek Meditation with the College of Psychic Studies. Online event. Time: 3pm. Tickets: free for members/£7.50 non members. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk

Thursday 28 March; Confessions of an Antichrist. Talk by Anthony Misquitta. Venue: Watkins Bookshop, London, 19-21 Cecil Ct, London WC2N 4EZ, UK. Time: 6.30pm. Free but reserve a place https://www.watkinsbooks.com/events

Thursday 28 March; London Dreamtime x The Royal Parks “Lost among the Trees”. Venue:  Secret London Location provided on booking. Time: 6.30pm. Tickets £12 (concessions available). https://www.londondreamtime.com/calendar/

Thursday 28 March; Energy Healing Breathwork. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £20.21. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Thursday 28 March (every Thursday); Talk on a paranormal subject for ASSAP members. Time: 7pm. Free event, with Zoom link details emailed out to members. To join ASSAP, for £5 per year, visit https://assap.ac.uk/

Thursday 28 March; Online Monthly Psychic Development Circle with Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £24.54. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Thursday, 28 March; Yoga and Sound Bath. Venue: Beckenham Place Mansion, Place Park, The Mansion Beckenham Beckenham BR3 1SY. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £12. https://www.beckenhamplace.org/whatson/

Friday 29 March (and other dates and times); 2-4-1 London Witches and History Walking Tour. Meet at Southwark View Point, Minerva Square, London SE1 9DF. Time: 4pm. Tickets: £14. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/2-4-1-london-witches-history-walking-tour-tickets-852453670877?

Friday 29 March (tbc); Mind, Body Restore Online Yoga. Time: 6.15pm. Free online event. https://www.meetup.com/freestuffandfreeevents/

Friday, 29 March; The Sound of Shamanism, Sound Ceremony, London. Venue:  The Sugar House, 4 Cooperage Yard, Sugar House Island, Stratford E15 2QR. Time: 6.25pm. Tickets: £24. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-shamans-art-78829328513

Friday 29 March (tbc); Online Meditation Session. Time: 7.30pm. Free online event, but donations welcome. https://www.meetup.com/freestuffandfreeevents

Saturday 30 March; Norse Mythology Workshop with Michael. Venue: ETNA Community Centre, 13 Rosslyn Road, East Twickenham TW1 2AR. Time: 11am. Tickets: £39.99. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/norse-mythology-workshop-tickets-870518332767?

Saturday, March 30; Tree Folklore and Mythology Walk at Dulwich Woods , South London. Time: 11am. Tickets: tbc, https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/london-wildlife-trust-7357843879
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Saturday 30 March; Vision Board Social. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £30.  https://sheslostcontrol.co.uk/collections/all-events

Saturday 30 March;  The Time of the Equinox. Hybrid event. In-person venue: Wicca Moon, 50 Well Hall Road, London, SE9 6SH. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £40. https://www.wiccamoonuk.com/product-category/events-and-workshops/

Saturday 30 March; Richmond Park - Hern's Tribe Spring Gathering, walk and picnic, with Mani vai Woodland Witches. Venue: Richmond Park. Meet at Richmond Gate. Time: 2pm. Tickets: Free. Details: https://www.meetup.com/londonwoodlandwitches/events/

Saturday 30 March; 9D Breathwork Inviting Abundance. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 2.30pm. Tickets: £57. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Sunday 31 March (and other times and dates); Soul Restore Sound Healing. Venue: The Mandrake, 20-21 Newman Street, London W1T 1PG. Time: 11am. Tickets: £35. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-mandrake-17825575648

Sunday 31 March; WhimsyGoth Market with cafe and bar. Venue: Cecil Sharp House, 2 Regents Park Road, London, NW1 7AY. Time: 11.30am - 4.30pm. Entry: £2. https://www.facebook.com/events/245425391587898

Sunday 31 March (every 2 months); Meeting of Kith of the Tree and the Well. Venue: The Horseshoe Inn, 26 Melior St, London SE1 3QP. Time: 2pm. Entry £2. https://www.meetup.com/the-kith-of-the-tree-and-the-well/events/

Sunday 31 March; Craft Your Own Runes. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 3pm. Tickets: £30. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Sunday 31 March;  21st Century Occulture. Lecture/Seminar with Dr Sasha Chaitow via Treadwells Online. Time: 6pm. Tickets: £40. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Sunday 31 March; Healing Laughter and The Trickster (Polyvagal Theory). Online event via Bennu's Table. Within Bennu’s Table, Katie Gerrard blends psychology with witchcraft and shamanism. Time: 6pm. Tickets by donation (suggested minimum £2). https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/bennus-table-48276445013

Sunday 31 March; 30 minutes Mindfullness. Venue: Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel, 3 Pilgrim's Place, London NW3 1NG. Time: 6pm. Free, but donations welcome. https://www.rosslynhillchapel.org.uk

Monday 1 April; Taking Nature's Hand: April. What has nature in mind for you this month? Online event with Jeremy Rye.  Time: 7pm. Tickets: £20. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/jeremy-rye-31055883021

Monday 1 April (tbc but usually every Monday); Crimson Circles. Livestream by Halo Quin, author of Crimson Craft. Time: 8pm. Tickets: various options including Patreon membership. https://www.facebook.com/groups/crimsoncoven/

Monday 1 April (every Monday); Tea With a Druid. Free online event by the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. Time 8pm. https://druidry.org/

Tuesday 2 April;  Ceremonial Yoga. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 12.15pm Tickets: £12. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Tuesday 2 April; Aries: SLC Astro Club. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £15/£20.  https://sheslostcontrol.co.uk/collections/all-events

Tuesday 2 April; Learn to Read Tarot - Course on Major Cards. Start of 4-session course with Adrien Mastrosimone via Treadwells Online. Time: 7pm start. Tickets: £120. https://www.treadwells-london.com/events

Tuesday 2 April (tbc but usually first Tuesday each month); Talk at Romford Pagan Moot. Venue: The Golden Lion, 2 High Street, Romford. Time: 7.30pm. Entry £4. https://www.facebook.com/Romford-Pagan-Moote-634178063700381.

Tuesday 2 April (tbc but usually first Tuesday each month); The Witches' Inn Moot. Venue: Halt and Pull pub, Horley. Time: 8pm. Free event. https://www.facebook.com/The-Witches-Inn-1568424150049437

Wednesday, 3 April; Introduction to Shamanic WindWork: Embracing Nature’s Cyclical Wisdom. Online workshop with Renee Baribeau via The College of Psychic Studies. Time: 6pm. Tickets: £75. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Wednesday, 3 April  (then10, 17); Three weekly talks introducing the Gnostic Mysteries. Venue: Mama Biashara African shop, W12 shopping centre, Shepherd's Bush, London W128PP (opposite Lidl). Time: 7pm. Free of Charge london@gnosticsociety.co.uk  or https://www.facebook.com/events/3783491941862144/3783494778528527

Wednesday, 3 April (first Wednesday of the month); Drumming and Meditation online with Taz Thornton. https://www.facebook.com/TazThorntonOfficial

Wednesday, 3 April; Sacred Sound Healing with Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £35. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Thursday 4 April;  An Introduction to Holistic Hand Reading. Online workshop with Robin Lown via The College of Psychic Studies. Time: 6pm. Tickets: £75. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Thursday 4 April; The Druid Order of Stonehenge public meetings (talk and meditation). Venue: Rudolf Steiner House, The Conference room, 35 Park Road, London NW1 6XT.  Time: 6.45pm-9pm. Cost £5 toward cost of room hire. Just turn up.

Thursday 4 April;  Mugwort and Sound Ceremony with Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £35. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Thursday 4 April; Wyrd Magic - Crafting Your Essential Practice. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £35.  https://sheslostcontrol.co.uk/collections/all-events

Thursday 4 April;  Cleansing the Chakras. Start of 8-session online workshop with Anna Parkinson via The College of Psychic Studies. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £220. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Thursday 4 April;  Decoding the Symbolism of the Knights Templar. Online talk by Helena B. Scott via The College of Psychic Studies. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £16. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Thursday 4 April; Geomancy 4: Geomantic Spellcraft. Talk by Prof A Cummins on Zoom through The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society. Time: 8pm. Tickets · from £6.72. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

Friday 5 April (1st and 3rd Friday each month); The Pagan Portal Podcast by Moon Books. Time: noon (or listen to recording later). Free event. https://open.spotify.com/show/11N4kNj65tTz9NFUcZTMa7?

Friday 5 to Sunday 7 April, The 2nd Annual Water Priestess Confluence. Online Virtual Conference, with delayed viewing available. Tickets Sale Price £99. https://www.waterpriestess.com/water-priestess-confluence-1

Friday 5 April (date tbc), Pagan meet up for In the Meantime. Venue: The Old Mill pub, London, SE18 1QG. Time: 7pm. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555658315696

Friday 5 April;  New Moon Tea Ceremony: A Trip To The Amazon With The Wayusa Plant. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £35.  https://sheslostcontrol.co.uk/collections/all-events

Friday 5 April; Wyrd Sisters Tarot Launch event. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49A Museum St, London WC1A 1LY. Time: 7pm. Tickets tbc. https://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Saturday 6 April; Cosmic Dance Energy Workout with Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary. Time: 11.30. Tickets: £22.22. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Saturday 6 April; The Magic of the Resins. Workshop with Paul Wood. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49A Museum St, London WC1A 1LY. Time: 11am. Tickets £60. https://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Saturday 6 April; Watercolour Vision Board and Manifesting Circle. Venue: TBC.  Time: 11,30am.  Tickets from: £25 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/desiree-sacred-wise-magick-41151406443

Saturday 6 April; Writing the Occult: The Fae. Online event exploring the origins of fae and fairy folklore. Starts noon. Tickets from £38.62. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/writing-the-occult-the-fae-tickets-853585686767

Saturday 6 April; Belostra 2024. Live music, drumming, market, readers, talks and workshops. Venue: Cryer Arts Centre, 39 High St, Carshalton SM5 3BB. Time: midday - 11pm. Tickets: £20 all day - £10 evening only (5pm - 11pm) https://www.paganfuturefests.org.uk/tickets

Saturday 6 April; Lisa Lochhead - Art of the Sacred Wheel signing. Venue: Watkins Bookshop, London, 19-21 Cecil Ct, London WC2N 4EZ, UK. Time: noon. Free but reserve a place https://www.watkinsbooks.com/events

Saturday 6 April; Candle Magic workshop based on my book Pagan Portals - Candle Magic. Venue: Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 1pm. Cost: £22 per person.  https://www.treadwells-london.com/ or reserve a place by visiting the shop.

Saturday 6 April;Spiritual Awakenings: Align with Your Soul Journey. Online workshop with Anne Bayford via The College of Psychic Studies. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £80. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Saturday 6 April; Signing and launch event for my Gothic novel Erosion. This will start about 3.15pm, directly after my candle magic workshop finishes. Venue: Treadwell's Bookshop, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury London, WC1E 7BS. Time: 3.15pm. Free, just pop in but you can reserve a place at https://www.treadwells-london.com/ if you want to.

Saturday 6 to Sunday 7 April, AvaCon 2024. Annual online conference hosted by the Sisterhood of Avalon. Starts 3.30pm. Tickets by donation. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/avacon-2024-registration-848888748097?

Saturday 6 April; Drum And Rhythm Circle Gathering with Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary. Time: 6pm. Tickets: £33.22. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Sunday 7 April; Nurture Your Intuition with Archangel Raphael and Spring's Nature Spirits. In-person workshop with Liesl Duffy and Kim Pilkington. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 11am. Tickets: £115. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Sunday 7 April; The Mediumistic Experience. In-person workshop with Daniel Pitt. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London, SW7 2EB. Time: 11am. Tickets: £115. https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Sunday 7 April (first Sunday of the month); Woodspirits. Venue: Chorleywood, Hertfordshire. Time: 2pm. Free in-person event for members of Woodspirits group. https://www.facebook.com/groups/4032235040150960

Sunday 7 April; Sacred Rage Ceremony and Sound Journey. Venue: Fire and Alchemy Spiritual Sanctuary, 52 Great Eastern Street, London EC2A 3EP. Time: 2pm. Tickets: £45. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/fire-alchemy-58665271283

Sunday 7 April; Blodeuedd’s Tale, by Steph Bradley on Zoom through The Viktor Wynd Museum of Curiosities and Last Tuesday Society. Time: 9pm. Tickets · from £6.72. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-viktor-wynd-museum-amp-the-last-tuesday-society-12203346619

For activities after these dates please visit my events page

Please note that I am not responsible for the content of any of these events. Contact organisers directly if you have questions or to check ticket availability. Where a practitioner is offering information about magical healing, this is *not* medical advice. If you're running an event you want included, please email me at badwitch1234@gmail.com I earn commission from advertisers for some links, this helps support my blog at no extra cost to readers.

Tuesday 26 March 2024

Book Extract: Runes for the Green Witch - Plants

Here's an extract on The Magick of Plants from the new book Runes for the Green Witch by Nicolette Miele:

The Magick of Plants

We harness the power of plants in a myriad of ways. We consume them, bathe in them, fill our homes and yards with them, burn them as incense, create medicines and magickal blends such as tinctures, potions, ritual oils, and other charms. When it comes to healing, plants can be used for just about anything, from anxiety to dandruff, from indigestion to heartbreak.

If you are brand new to working with herbs or magick in general, you might be wondering how an herb can be used to heal heartbreak. That is an excellent question. Like everything else in nature, plants comprise energies and vibrations that affect the body, mind, and spirit. For ailments of the heart, we can look to the hawthorn tree, which has an affinity for cardiac health. Clinical studies have shown that haw- thorn berries benefit the heart in more ways than one. They support muscle toning, improve circulation, reduce strain, and energize cells. These remarkable energies that focus on the physical strengthening of the heart lend themselves equally to the emotional matters of the heart such as love, joy, and grief. There’s no doubt that our thoughts affect our health. Think of the physiological symptoms of stress. The heaviness of extreme grief alone can cause a sudden enlargement of the heart muscles, resulting in heart failure. It’s a rare condition called takotsubo cardiomyopathy, or broken-heart syndrome, and it’s just one example of how the different levels that make up the self interact energetically. Engineer and inventor Nikola Tesla once said, “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibra- tion.”* And that is precisely how we come to understand the way plants heal, and they do so holistically.

*Goodreads (website), “Nikola Tesla > Quotes.”

While I prefer a holistic approach to herbalism, I’ve separated the magickal from the medicinal in the following pages to clearly present the various ways each plant has been worked with throughout antiquity. Once we are given the information, we can then merge the spiritual with the physical and the traditional with the contemporary; we can blur the lines between magick and medicine because truthfully, they’re not separate at all.

When learning about a specific plant, I recommend starting by spending one-on-one time with it. One way to do this is by drinking it as a simple infusion (first ensuring it may be safely consumed). A simple infusion is nothing more than a single herb steeped in hot water. Be mindful as you drink it. Focus on the taste, the temperature, and scent. Ask yourself how you feel while ingesting not only the constituents but the spirit of the plant. How do you feel about the herb after drinking it daily for one week? How about two weeks? Learn about its energetic composition, where it typically grows, and its planetary correspondences. Bathe in the herb or burn as incense (again, if these activities are safe with the particular herb). If you feel so inclined, journal about your various experiences with an herb. Did bathing in it feel different energetically than drinking it? These are a few ways to become closely acquainted with plants outside of simply studying them.

The subtle communication between human and plants relies on primal intuition—something many humans today have to work harder to access. In modern times there is a bothersome disconnect between humanity and nature, especially in the West. The more strides humans make in technology, the further we move away from our literal and metaphorical roots. Today, we must try much harder than our ancient ancestors to maintain this connection, as we are faced with endless distractions coming from all directions. When you do find that something that strengthens your connection to your roots, I implore you to hang on to it and prioritize it. It’s unsettling knowing how easily the spiritual sides of our lives can lose priority to the mundane daily grinds. It’s not intentional—we’re just overloaded. While the mundane world certainly has its place, it must be balanced with spiritual maintenance. To neglect the spirit is to neglect a large portion of who we are, the part that is eternal and not of this world. Earth is our home, and she’s a beautiful, magickal one at that, but she is a temporary home. Those who neglect their spiritual well-being will move through life feeling as though some- thing is missing, like there’s a void waiting to be filled. The need for something more flows through our very veins. 

About the Author

Nicolette Miele is a pagan, writer, rune worker, and herbalist. She has practiced witchcraft for more than 20 years with focuses on runes, folk herbalism, alchemy, and trance meditation. She is the owner and operator of Handfuls of Dust Apothecary LLC, offering rune readings and handmade ritual products. She lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. https://handfulsofdust.com/

Where to Find the Book

Runes for the Green Witch by Nicolette Miele© 2024 is published by Destiny Books. This extract is printed with permission from the publisher Inner Traditions International. www.InnerTraditions.com


Please note I earn commission from some links. This helps subsidise my blog at no extra cost to readers.

Monday 25 March 2024

Charmed Photos: Wellcome Collection's Amulet Day

I took these pictures of the Enchanted Forest display at Charmed - the Wellcome Collection's day of talks, workshops and exhbitions related to amulets and magic. Above, you can see books on herbs, folklore and natural magic. The one to the right shows an engraving of a curious amulet in the shape of a caterpillar, from a 19th century magazine. A letter described silver amulets like this being made by monks and hired out to farmers in Ireland to ward off these little beasts. The Conac or Murrain caterpillar was thought to cause illness in cattle. (You can find more details on Wellcome's website.)

People entering the Enchanted Forest room were invited to pick a quest by randomly taking a slip of paper from a box at the entrance. Mine charged me to find the most suprising thing in the display and explain why it interested me. I picked this, and you can see my quest slip between the description and the engraving in the photo. It suprised me because I hadn't heard of this particular charm before. Silver amulets would have been very expensive for peasant farmers even to hire. I wondered if they felt the expense was really worth it? 

Doing more research, I found an article from 1914 called "The Cattle Disease Called the "Connogh," and Its Traditional Cure by Amulets and Charms" by William F. De Vismes Kane. Apparently it was a widely held belief by Irish farmers that cattle and swine could be poisoned by swallowing caterpillars and that amulets and charms were a good defence. The amulet in the engraving does look rather like a cinnabar moth caterpillar, which feeds on ragwort. Both the plant and the moth are poisonous to livestock (see Sussex Wildlife Trust's website for example). Today farmers will scrupulously remove ragwort from fields where animals graze. 

The picture to the left shows a manuscript containing spells and occult information. It was penned by Antony Lightfoot and others around 1650. The description pointed out that although printing presses existed at the time, many grimoires were handwritten because that was considered more magical. The picture at the bottom shows a painting of flowering plants, also in the Enchanted Forest display.

Charmed - Wellcome Collection's Amulet Takoever Day was on Friday, 22 March. Other activities including talks on plague doctors and mourning jewellery, a chance to handle amulets and charms, lessons on making paper cranes and painting tarot cards, as well as my own crafting workshop to make a Brigid's cross and a corn dolly. 

Although this session of Charmed is over, you can still see the Wellcome Collection's regular display of amulets and other magical objects. The free library and museum is at 183 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE. https://wellcomecollection.org/ There are always exhibitions and talks taking place so visit the website to see what's coming up.


Friday 22 March 2024

Pagan Eye: A Garden for Children in Times of Conflict


I photographed this line of dolls by a lovely garden installation outside the Guildhall. It was created by the The Worshipful Company of Gardeners as this year's Veterans Garden, in conjuction with the Army Benevolent Fund. This has been an annual event since 2014. This year the theme is children of military families, but the painted dolls represent more than that: unity and love for children everywhere who are suffering in times of conflict. 

On each of my Pagan Eye posts, I show a photo that I find interesting, with a few words about it. If you want to send me a photo for a Pagan Eye post, please email it to badwitch1234@gmail.com Let me know what the photo shows and whether you want your name mentioned or not. For copyright reasons, the photo must be one you have taken yourself and you must confirm that you are submitting it for A Bad Witch's Blog.