Sorry, I'm Going to be Blogging a Bit Less Often

I've looked at my diary and the next few weeks are going to be extremely busy for me. So, I've made the difficult decision to blog less often. Instead of posting most days, I'll probably only be sharing things on A Bad Witch's Blog 2 or 3 times a week for the rest of this month.

One of the things I'm working on is an exciting writing project, and I hope to make an announcement about that soon.

Normal blogging service should return in early June.

In the meantime, if you want to help me post a bit more frequently, you can send a photo for me to put on a Pagan Eye post. If you'd like to do that, please email the picture to badwitch1234@gmail.com I'm sure regular readers know what Pagan Eye posts are, but below are links to a few earlier ones and more info:

• A Hollow in a Tree
• The Eye of Hamsa in a Palm
• Austin Osman Spare's Scrying Crystal
• Bee Inside a Pumpkin Flower

Pagan Eye posts show seasonal images, pagan sites, events, or even a picture of your witchy animal companion. The one at the top is one of my favourite photos of my own cat, Tuppence. Let me know what your photo shows and whether you want your name mentioned or not. For copyright reasons, the photo must be one you have taken yourself.

A Bad Witch's Blog is Top in the UK for a 3rd Time

A Bad Witch's Blog has now won a hat trick and been named the number 1 UK witchcraft blog by social feed distributor Feedspot three times. This comes just after being told that I'm also in the top 10 witchcraft and pagan blogs worldwide.

I've also got the top position in UK pagan blogs.

I'm absolutely bowled over to have been given these awards again. Thanks very much to everyone who supports my daily postings.

The top UK witchcraft blogs in order are:

1. A Bad Witch's Blog
2. Museum of Witchcraft and Magic News
3. Rachel Patterson Blog
4. Emily Underworld
5. Trulymagick
6. Digital Coven
7. Ride The White Horse
8. Witch Casket

You can find more details of the listed witchcraft blogs here: https://bloggers.feedspot.com/uk_witchcraft_blogs/

Feedspot's top 5 UK pagan blogs are:

1. A Bad Witch's Blog
2. SpookyMrsGreen
3. Rachel Patterson Blog
4. Damh the Bard
5. Pagan Hare's Witchcraft Blog

You can find more details of the listed UK pagan blogs here: https://bloggers.feedspot.com/uk_pagan_blogs/

Feedspot searches for what it considers the best blogs from those in its index using search and social metrics. Data is based on Google search ranking, popularity on social media sites, quality and consistency of posts and Feedspot’s editorial team review.

The award means I have the honour of displaying the badges you can see on this page. 

Other previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2017/11/im-top-witchcraft-blogger-with-two.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2018/05/a-bad-witchs-blog-is-top-in-uk.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2018/06/it-seems-ive-won-yet-another-blogging.html

A Bad Witch's Blog Named Among the Top Witch Sites

A Bad Witch's Blog has done it again and been listed among the top 70 Witchcraft Blogs on the web and the top 70 Pagan Blogs worldwide. 

Anuj Agarwal, the Founder of FeedSpot, emailed me to let me know, saying:

"I would like to personally congratulate you as your blog A Bad Witch's Blog has been selected by our panelist as one of the Top 70 Pagan Blogs on the web."

In fact, I come in at No 5 in the Witchcraft Blogs listing, and at No 9 in the 70 Best Pagan Blogs and Websites in 2025.

Back in 2017 I was at 10 in the Witchcraft Blogs category, and I'm really delighted at how far I've gone up in the chart. 

The awards means I can display winners' badgees on my site. You can see them at the top.

Previous related posts

http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2017/11/im-top-witchcraft-blogger-with-two.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2018/06/it-seems-ive-won-yet-another-blogging.html

My Biog and the Inaccuracies of Using AI for Text

My husband signed up for Google Bard, one of the AI text generating tools that's been made available for people to use. He tested it by asking it to write my biography. What it came up with was rather a poor effort. Here's what it said:

"Lucya Starza is an eclectic witch living in London. She is the author of Pagan Portals - Candle Magic, Pagan Portals - Poppets and Magical Dolls and Pagan Portals - Guided Visualisations. She also edited the community book Every Day Magic - A Pagan Book of Days.

"She was born in Poland in 1964 and grew up in a family where fortune telling and divination, as well as folk magic practices, were part of everyday life. She moved to the UK in 1981 to study at Kent University, where she gained a BA in Comparative Literary Studies and Drama. After graduating, she worked in publishing for all of her career, branching out into writing about witchcraft after decades of working on a local newspaper and as a freelance writer and editor.

"Her first book, Pagan Portals - Candle Magic, was published in 2012. It was followed by Pagan Portals - Poppets and Magical Dolls in 2014 and Pagan Portals - Guided Visualisations in 2016. Her fourth book, Pagan Portals - Scrying, is due to be published by Moon Books in February 2023.

"She is also the author of Every Day Magic - A Pagan Book of Days, which was published in 2017. The book is a collection of 366 daily rituals and exercises that can be used to connect with the natural world and the divine.

"She is a regular contributor to the Pagan blogosphere and has written for websites such as The Wild Hunt, The Witches' Almanac, and Pagan Dawn. She is also a member of the College of Psychic Studies and the Pagan Federation.

"She is a passionate advocate for the use of magic and witchcraft in everyday life and believes that it can be a powerful tool for self-empowerment and healing. She is also a strong believer in the importance of environmentalism and sustainability."

Well, for a start it's repetitive and inconsistent. It mentions my book titles twice, but can't make up it's mind if I edited or wrote one of them. Another issue I have is that a lot of it is cut and pasted from other sources I recognise. 

The biggest problem is that it gets facts and dates very wrong. For a start, I was not born in Poland. I was born in England and have lived here all my life. The dates it mentions are all incorrect. I was not born in 1964, I did not start studying at Kent Uni in 1981, my books were not published in any of those years mentioned. I don't think I've ever written for The Witches' Almanac and there are errors about my membership of organisations. 

Now, what it omitted. It should have said: "Lucya Starza is the pen name of Lucya Szachnowski." That's quite important really. It should probably also have mentioned the books I've written as Lucya Szachnowski, as I'm not secretive about them any more. It also doesn't mention my own blog, the one you're reading this on, which has been running a very long time. By the way, the reason I started using a pen name when I began writing my blog was because I wasn't out of the broom closet back then, Starza is easier to pronounce than Szachnowski, and it's a name from my ancestry. It also fails to mention that I have an MA in English Literature as well as a BA. 

I was seriously unimpressed and I am extremely unlikely to be using Bard to generate my blogs - or my biog - in future.

The photo at the top shows me standing on the Millennium Bridge near the real Bard's Globe Theatre.

Blog Posts: What Would You Like Me To Write About?

It's been absolutely years since I last asked the people who read my blog what they'd actually like to read about. So, I thought I'd use today's post to ask just that. 

Are there any questions you'd like answered? Is there any witchcraft subject you'd like me to write about?  

I'm also happy to consider posts written by other people: from reviews of pagan books, to descriptions and photos of sacred sites you've visited, to spells you've created, to photos of lmagical things you've made or bought. Oh and I'm always happy to share photos of people's pets, familiars and witchy hats. 

If you have a question or suggestion for a post, please leave a comment or email me at badwitch1234@gmail.com

My Blog's Follow By Email Widget Will Be Disappearing

This isn't news I'm happy about, but the ability for people to follow my blog by email will soon be going away. I've been told that the FollowByEmail widget (FeedBurner) email subscription service will be discontinued in July 2021. 

If you currently follow my blog by email, rather than visiting my Blogger website, then you probably won't be able to get daily posts that way much longer. 

I'm currently trying to find a way around the issue, but my own technical skills aren't up to the job. I was told in a message that it might be possible to download my subscriber contacts by analysing the feed, but I couldn't find the analyse button to do that. Yes, I'm rubbish at tech. If you think you might be able to help, please leave a comment. I'd be very grateful.

I will still be writing blog posts at www.badwitch.co.uk, and sharing them to Facebook and Twitter, so the discontinued email subscription service should only affect a small number of my readers. If you are one of them, I am very sorry.

A Bad Witch's Blog is Top in the UK for a 2nd Year

A Bad Witch's Blog has been named the number one UK witchcraft blog by social feed distributor Feedspot for the second year running! I'm absolutely bowled over to have been given this award. Thanks very much to everyone who supports my blog.

The top UK witchcraft blogs in order are:

1. A bad witch's blog
2. Museum of Witchcraft and Magic | News
3. Kitchen Witch Blog
4. Rachel Patterson | Kitchen Witch Pagan Blog
5. Emily Underworld | A Lifestyle and Witchcraft Blog by a London Student
6. Ride The White Horse
7. The Hallowed Grimoire | A-Musing Witch's Blog
8. Gemma Gary | West Country based author, artist and practitioner of traditional Craft and folk magic
9. trulymagick

Feedspot searches for what it considers the best blogs from those in its index using search and social metrics. Data is based on Google search ranking, popularity on social media sites, quality and consistency of posts and Feedspot’s editorial team review.

The award means I have the honour of displaying the above badge on my site. You can find more details, including how to view and subscribe to any of the listed blogs, here: https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_witchcraft_blogs/

Previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2017/11/im-top-witchcraft-blogger-with-two.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2018/05/a-bad-witchs-blog-is-top-in-uk.html

It Seems I've Won Yet Another Blogging Award

I'm rather flabbergasted.

As well as awarding me the number one UK witchcraft blog place, social feed distributor Feedspot has put A Bad Witch's Blog at number one in the top five UK pagan blog list.

The top five UK pagan blogs in order are:

1. A Bad Witch's Blog
2. SpookyMrsGreen
3. Rachel Patterson - Kitchen Witch Pagan Blog
4. Damh the Bard
5. Pagan Hare's Witchcraft Blog

Feedspot searches for what it considers the best blogs from those in its index using search and social metrics. Data is based on Google search ranking, popularity on social media sites, quality and consistency of posts and Feedspot’s editorial team review.

The award means I have the honour of displaying the above badge on my site. You can find more details, including how to view and subscribe to any of the listed blogs, here: https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_pagan_blogs/

A Bad Witch's Blog is Top in the UK!

A Bad Witch's Blog has been named as the number one UK witchcraft blog by social feed distributor Feedspot.

The top UK witchcraft blogs in order are:

1. A bad witch's blog
2. Museum of Witchcraft and Magic | News
3. Kitchen Witch Blog
4. Rachel Patterson | Kitchen Witch Pagan Blog
5. Emily Underworld | A Lifestyle & Witchcraft Blog by a London Student
6. Ride The White Horse
7. The Hallowed Grimoire | A-Musing Witch's Blog
8. Gemma Gary | West Country based author, artist and practitioner of traditional Craft and folk magic
9. trulymagick

Feedspot searches for what it considers the best blogs from those in its index using search and social metrics. Data is based on Google search ranking, popularity on social media sites, quality and consistency of posts and Feedspot’s editorial team review.

The award means I have the honour of displaying the above badge on my site. You can find more details, including how to view and subscribe to any of the listed blogs, here: https://blog.feedspot.com/uk_witchcraft_blogs/

I'm a Top Witchcraft Blogger With Two Awards!

I've won my second award for blogging in two weeks!

At the end of October I got the news that A Bad Witch's Blog had been named as one of the top 50 pagan blogs in the world. Today I learnt that I am also in the top 75 witchcraft blogs. I am at number 10, which is really not that shabby!

Top 75 Witchcraft Blogs and Websites for Witches defines witchcraft in this way:

Witchcraft or witchery broadly means the practice of and belief in magical skills and abilities exercised by solitary practitioners and groups known as covens. The focus of Witchcraft is on the casting of spells and the use of herbs towards a specific end or goal.

The panel picked the Best Witchcraft blogs from thousands of top Witchcraft blogs in its index using search and social metrics. The blogs are ranked based on following criteria:

• Google reputation and Google search ranking
• Influence and popularity on Facebook, twitter and other social media sites
• Quality and consistency of posts.
• Feedspot’s editorial team and expert review

The award means I can display yet another winner's badge on my site. You can find the complete list here: https://blog.feedspot.com/witchcraft_blogs/

Birthday: A Bad Witch's Blog is 10 Years Old Today!

I started writing my blog on 7 November 2007 - so A Bad Witch's Blog is 10 years old today!

The photo to the right is the very first picture I uploaded to my site. When I shared my first blog post, I’d just given up a full time job in order to spend more time caring for my mother, who was very elderly and needed looking after. I was looking for freelance writing and editorial work I could do from home. My blog was partly a way to get my writing into the public eye and partly to get more involved with paganism.

I’d recently tried to reconnect with the coven I had been in 10 years previously, only to find it was just about to close down. So, I wrote on my first blog post: “Time for a new beginning. A Bad Witch's Blog is my attempt to collect some links to pagan sites and to put together my musings on pagan-related events and life in general. I might even review a few books.”

I think I've achieved those things over the years. Here are links to just a few of the posts from the past that are meaningful for me:

A Gift from the Goddess?
One of the strangest things that has happened to me in a spiritual sense was finding a book called Celtic Mythology on a beach just after New Year, with absolutely no indication of how it got there. It was undamaged apart from a slightly creased corner of the cover, where it had been sticking out of the shingle.

This mysterious finding actually took place at the start of the year in which I began writing my blog, but I think it was one of the things that prompted me to return to pagan practises after many years of apathy. I actually blogged about the event a year after it happened, on January 2, 2008: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/01/reading-matter_02.html

I later reviewed the book too: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/01/celtic-mytholology.html

London's Stone Circle

South-east London has a stone circle. It is at Hilly Fields, in Brockley, and I am very lucky that it is within easy travelling distance for me. I was there when it was inaugurated for the Millennium, I was handfasted there and I have gone there to take part in druid rituals. Here is a blog post I wrote about it before the Summer Solstice in 2008: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/06/hilly-fields-stone-circle.html

Magical Herbs and Flowers
Over the years I have frequently used my blog to learn more about the magical uses of herbs and flowers. Here's a selection:
Rose Hips and Autumn Roses: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/11/rosehips-and-autumn-roses.html
Poppy Day and Poppy Folklore: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/11/poppy-day-and-poppy-folklore.html
Crocuses for Love, Insight and Magic: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/02/crocuses-for-love-insight-and-magic.html
Watching the Ferns for Midsummer Magic: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/06/watching-ferns-for-midsummer-magic.html

Autumn Leaves and Superstitions: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/09/autumn-leaves-and-superstitions.html
Forget-me-Nots and Crocks of Gold: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/05/forget-me-nots-and-crocks-of-gold.html
Evergreen Ivy - a Pagan Fertility Symbol: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/12/evergreen-ivy-pagan-fertility-symbol.html
Magical Plant in Oxford's Botanical Garden: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2017/05/pagan-eye-magical-plant-in-oxfords.html

Pyschogeography
In 2009, I first heard the word 'psychogeography', when I read the book Psychogeography by Merlin Coverley. It is about exploring urban landscapes on foot and at the same time opening yourself up to the atmosphere, energy and psychological effects of the city around you. It can be a technique used for sociological purposes, artistic inspiration or to gain occult insights into the hidden layers of the built environment. Here is my review of Merlin Coverley's book: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/02/psychogeography-by-merlin-coverley.html

Later, I went on psychogeography walks on my own and with friends and gave a talk on the subject at the Pagan Federation London conference. Here are a few links:
Walking into the Grey Soul of London: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/04/walking-into-grey-soul-of-london.html
Full Circle: Walk Around my Town: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2014/07/psychogeography-full-circle-walking.html
Preparing for the Pagan Federation London Conference: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2014/08/preparing-for-pagan-federation-london.html

Celebrating the Wheel of the Year
A few years after my old coven disbanded, some former members started a new one, which I am still a member of. However, it is a private group so I don't post details on my blog of what we get up to. Nevertheless, I do also attend open events to celebrate the festivals of the Pagan Wheel of the Year.

In December 2011 I spent the Winter Solstice at Avebury. I rented a tiny cottage just beside Avebury Stone Circle with a couple of friends. As well as celebrating the solstice ourselves, I attended an open ritual at the stones to welcome the sunrise on December 21. I didn't take photos during the ritual - I felt that would have been rude - but I did take a lot of photos in the area. Here is one of my posts about my stay there: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/12/photos-of-avebury-stone-circle.html

I celebrated the Autumn Equinox at the Rollright Stones in September 2014: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2014/09/the-rollright-stones-and-autumn-equinox.html

After years of saying I wasn't going to Stonehenge for the Summer Solstice, I gave in and went in June 2016. It was pretty amazing. Here's a blog post I wrote afterwards: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2016/06/full-moon-at-stonehenge-at-summer.html

I've also regularly attended the Lammas Festival in Eastbourne. Here is post about the ritual there in 2016: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2016/07/john-barleycorn-at-eastbourne-lammas.html

Grail Quests
I'd always wanted to go on a quest for the Grail and after reading The Book of English Magic, I was inspired to take the train to Sussex to go in search of the Ghosts and Grails of Lewes. Inspired by what happened, I wrote one of my favourite blog posts: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/08/ghosts-and-grails-of-lewes.html

A couple of years later I went in search of London's Camelot and the Grail: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2012/12/in-search-of-londons-camelot-and-grail.html


Tarot, Scrying and other Divination Techniques
As a witch, one of my strengths is divination of all kinds. I'm a big collector of tarot decks and also love to scry using a crystal ball or a cauldron full of water. I've also explored some more unusual forms of divination, including one using chocolate buttons: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/09/bad-witchs-chocolate-divination.html

Here are links to some of my other posts about tarot, scrying and divination:
Review: The Faeries' Oracle by Brian Froud: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/01/review-faeries-oracle.html
Midsummer, Divination and Mugwort Tea: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/06/midsummer-divination-and-mugwort-tea.html
Review: The Wildwood Tarot: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/08/review-wildwood-tarot.html
Are Some Tarot Decks More Genuine than Others? http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2014/09/are-some-tarot-decks-more-genuine-than.html
Cup of Destiny Tea-Leaf Reading: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2015/06/review-cup-of-destiny-tea-leaf-reading.html

Folklore
Folklore fascinates me and I've frequently blogged about various aspects of it. Here are a few of my favourite posts:
Scarecrows: Monsters or Friends: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/02/scarecrows-monstors-or-friends.html
The Chiding Stone - A Pagan Mystery: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/09/chiding-stone-pagan-mystery.html
Bees and History - A Taste of Honey: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/06/taste-of-honey.html
My Attempt at Making an Easy Corn Dolly: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2012/07/my-attempt-at-making-easy-corn-dolly.html

Pagan Eye - Inspiring Photography
In February 2010 I started running a series of posts called Pagan Eye. On each Pagan Eye post I show a photo that I find interesting, with a few words about it - can be a seasonal image, a pagan site, an event, or just a pretty picture. I also invite readers and friends to send in interesting photos for me to share. The first was a picture of the Sphinx Here are links to some of my favourites over the years:
Pagan Eye: The Druid Oak: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/08/pagan-eye-druid-oak.html
Pagan Eye: West Kennet and Silbury Hill: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2012/01/pagan-eye-west-kennet-and-silbury-hill.html
Pagan Eye: Wicker Man on Fire Under a Full Moon: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2012/09/pagan-eye-wicker-man-on-fire-under-full.html
Pagan Eye: Cat in a Halloween Witch's Hat: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2012/10/pagan-eye-cat-in-witchs-halloween-hat.html
Pagan Eye: Witchy Sunset over Australia: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2013/02/pagan-eye-witchy-sunset-over-australia.html
Pagan Eye: The Uffington White Horse in the Rain: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2015/08/pagan-eye-uffington-white-horse-in-rain.html
Pagan Eye: Hobby Horse at Pagan Wassail: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2017/01/pagan-eye-hobby-horse-at-pagan-wassail.html

The Witch's Niece and the Magical Key Tree
A story from my childhood, recollected on my blog in March 2010. It is still one of my favourite posts: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/03/witchs-niece-and-magical-key-tree.html

Journey to see the Northern Lights
In January 2012 I went on holiday to Norway and travelled up the coast by boat into the Arctic Circle, where I saw the Northern Lights. It fulfilled a dream I had long held: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2012/01/pictures-of-northern-lights.html

The Museum of Witchcraft and Magic
2012 was plainly a year of visiting magical places. In August I first visited the Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle, Cornwall. Here is what I wrote about it then: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2012/08/boscastle-and-museum-of-witchcraft_3235.html

Visits to Glastonbury
Glastonbury is one of my favourite places to visit - it is so magical. Probably one of the best things that has ever happened to me while writing my blog was Premier Inn offering me a free stay at its newly opened hotel in Glastonbury in January 2013. All I had to do was blog about it. I had a really fantastic time and was most happy to post on the subject: http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2013/01/glastonbury-tor-entrance-to-land-of.html

My Books: Pagan Portals Candle Magic and Every Day Magic

I think the biggest thing that has come out of my blog is that it led me to write my own books and also edit a community book. In January 2016 Treadwell's Bookshop hosted the launch party for my book Pagan Portals - Candle Magic, which is published by Moon Books. Then, just a few days ago, The Atlantis Bookshop hosted a party to launch Every Day Magic - A Pagan Book of Days, which I edited. I have also written a book about poppets and magical dolls, which is due to be published by Moon Books next year.

I'm a Top 50 Pagan Blogs Winner!

Yesterday I got some news that really made my day - A Bad Witch's Blog has been named as one of the top 50 pagan blogs in the world! In fact, my blog comes in at number 12.

The Pagan Blogs List searches for what it considers the best pagan blogs from thousands of pagan blogs in its index using search and social metrics. Data is refreshed once a week and blogs are ranked based on following criteria:

• Google reputation and Google search ranking
• Influence and popularity on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites
• Quality and consistency of posts
• Feedspot’s editorial team and expert review

The award means I have the honour of displaying the above badge on my site. You can find the complete list here: https://blog.feedspot.com/pagan_blogs/

Shopping: My New Bad Witch T-Shirt

A friend pointed out this Bad Witch T-shirt, and I had to buy it - and I was delighted to find that it waiting on the mat for me when I got back from a fantastic evening on magic at the Horniman Museum last night.

I'll will blog later about the great talks and performances I saw, but here is a photo of my T-shirt, taken as soon as it was reasonably light this morning. I'm looking forward to wearing it. Considering the name of my blog, a Bad Witch T-shirt isn't just for Halloween.

Blog Awards: Still Time to Vote for your Favourite Blog

Voting closes in just a couple of days for the Bloggers Bash Awards 2016. A Bad Witch's Blog has been nominated in the Hidden Gem category and I must say I'm thrilled.

Categories are Funniest Blogger, Best Book Review Blog, Best Dressed Blog, Best Newcomer, Most Inspirational Blog, Hidden Gem, Services to Bloggers, Most Informative Blog, Best Pal and Best Overall Blog.

To vote, all you need to do is to go to Sacha Black's page here: https://sachablack.co.uk/2016/05/19/vote-now-annual-bloggers-bash-awards-now-open/ then click on your choice in each category. If you choose to vote for me, my name is Lucya and, as I mentioned earlier, I am listed in the Hidden Gem category.

Voting closes on June 9th at 12pm. The winners will be announced on June 11th at the Bash, which is an event to celebrate blogging. It takes place at The Driver, 2-4 Wharfdale Rd, London, N1 9RY from 1pm on June 9. If you can’t make it, then a winners post will go live on Sacha's blog at 5:15pm on June 11th. You can find out more about the Bloggers Bash event here: https://sachablack.co.uk/annual-bloggers-bash/

I've Been Nominated for a Blogging Award

Voting has opened for the Bloggers Bash Awards 2016 - and A Bad Witch's Blog has been nominated in the Hidden Gem category.

This is the second year the awards have run. Organiser Sacha Black intends to make them an annual event in which people can vote for their favourite blogs. Categories are Funniest Blogger, Best Book Review Blog, Best Dressed Blog, Best Newcomer, Most Inspirational Blog, Hidden Gem, Services to Bloggers, Most Informative Blog, Best Pal and Best Overall Blog.

To vote, all you need to do is to go to Sacha Black's page here: https://sachablack.co.uk/2016/05/19/vote-now-annual-bloggers-bash-awards-now-open/ then click on your choice in each category. If you choose to vote for me, my name is Lucya and, as I mentioned earlier, I am listed in the Hidden Gem category.

Voting closes on June 9th at 12pm. The winners will be announced on June 11th at the Bash, which is an event to celebrate blogging. It takes place at The Driver, 2-4 Wharfdale Rd, London, N1 9RY from 1pm on June 9. If you can’t make it, then a winners post will go live on Sacha's blog at 5:15pm on June 11th. You can find out more about the Bloggers Bash event here: https://sachablack.co.uk/annual-bloggers-bash/

Philip Carr-Gomm's Blog on the Witchcraft Exhibition

Philip Carr-Gomm's has blogged about the Doreen Valiente and mentions meeting me there. He also says my blog is notorious - not quite sure what to make of that...

You can read his post here: http://www.philipcarr-gomm.com/met-bad-witch/

I've Been Interviewed on Pagan Pages

Pagan Pages has interviewed me about my blog, my book Pagan Portals - Candle Magic and what I'm most looking forward to in the year ahead.

You can read the interview here: http://paganpages.org/content/2016/04/interview-with-author-lucya-starza-the-bad-witch/

Soul and Spirit Awards: Nominate Your Favourite Blog

Soul and Spirit magazine has just launched the Soul and Spirit Awards 2015 and is looking for nominations. One of the categories is most inspiring spiritual blog, so I am rather hoping that anyone who reads and enjoys A Bad Witch's Blog might consider nominating me.

The awards aim to find the best experts and brands in the spirituality industry, trusted and loved by thousands of people within the spiritual community and across the UK. Celebrating all things spiritual and holistic, from life coaches and psychics to retreats, workshops, websites and blogs, readers and online visitors will be voting to award a Gold, Silver and Bronze Award in each of the following categories:

• Best-loved psychic
• Best-loved astrologer
• Best-loved angel expert
• Most inspiring life coach
• Favourite mind, body, spirit author
• Best spiritual book of the year
• Most entertaining haunted event
• Best spiritual course/workshop provider
• Most-loved natural/organic beauty brand
• Best mind, body, spirit experience
• Best retreat/healing centre
• Most inspiring spiritual blog
• Favourite spiritual website
• Favourite online shop

The Soul and Spirit editorial team will also be awarding individual Diamond Awards for:
• Columnist of the year
• Outstanding contribution to the spirituality industry

Online visitor nominations are live now and close on April 19. You can nominate your favourite brands, places, products, writers and spiritual experts by filling in a form in the magazine or via the Soul and Spirit website. All entries will be automatically entered into a prize draw to win Stella and Dot prizes worth more than £500.

The magazine will reveal which spiritual experts and brands have been shortlisted in the July issue (on sale June 19) and when the voting stage will then begin. The voting period closes on 20 September and results will be published in the November issue 2015, (on sale 16 October 2015).

My 10 New Year's Resolutions for 2015

Happy New Year everyone and I hope 2015 brings you everything you want from it.

As I've mentioned before on my blog, I normally make a list of at least 10 things I want to achieve or places I want to visit over the year, because I find that if I write a list of several things I have a good chance of succeeding in at least some of them. Here are my New Year's Resolutions for 2015:

1. Explore Tower Hamlets Cemetery as it is the only one of London's Magnificent Seven cemeteries that I haven't already visited.
2. Inspired by Mindful London and Untamed London: Where Nature Still Runs Wild in the Big City,visit three peaceful wildlife havens that can be found within London.
3. Learn to use the The Cup of Destinytea-leaf reading cup I was given for Yule.
4. Build a wicker man. This was one of my resolutions last year, but I didn't get round to doing it. Hopefully I will in 2015.
5. Take up yoga again - it has been quite a few years since I last did yoga.
6. Visit an ancient site in or near London that I haven't yet blogged about.
7. Visit at least one ancient pagan site that isn't in or near London.
8. Make my own candles. 
9. Have a go at learning the basics of blacksmithing in order to make my own athame (the traditional witch's knife)
10. After giving a talk on psychogeography at last year's PF London conference, I would like to give another talk, workshop or training session.

I will, of course, blog about what I get up to as well.

Looking Back: The Bad Witch's Highlights of 2013

The old year is nearly done and I must say I’ll be quite glad to see the back of it. It has been a tough 12 months, in which I achieved very few of the things I aimed to do when I wrote a list of 10 places or events I wanted to go to as my New Year Resolutions for 2013.

However, I have had some really enjoyable times between the hard work, mundane problems and some recent bouts of winter illness and toothache. Here are some highlights  of 2013 that I've blogged about over the year:

January: This time last year I was taking a holiday over the New Year break. I enjoyed five days at the coast without TV and pretty much without internet. I think it did me good. Later that month I went to the launch party for The Steampunk Tarot: Wisdom From the Gods of the Machine. The divination set has lovely artwork and great depth of meaning in its symbolism. Although I was initially doubtful that I would use the tarot set as much as my favourites - the Wildwood Tarot and the Robin Wood Tarot, I've found myself using it more and more as the year has gone on.

February: Early in the year I was eager to do all things I had planned on my list of New Year Resolutions and achieved two of them, visiting an exhibition called Signs, Symbols, Secrets: An Illustrated Guide to Alchemy at the Science Museum and also going to PF London’s Imbolc open ritual.

March: The launch event for Curio City C was a great night out with films and talks about the City of London. It was held in St Ethelberga’s church, a historic building nestling between skyscrapers.

April: Beachcombing in Sussex after a spring high tide led me to create art and a witch’s staff from flotsam and jetsam

May: A visit to the Mind Body Spirit Festival in London was a great day out. While there, I was delighted to be given a review copy of the lovely Isis Oracle deck.

June: For the Summer Solstice I took the train to Brighton for the unveiling of the Blue Plaque for Doreen Valiente. It was a truly memorable event.

July: During a welcome heatwave after weeks of rain, I went on a fabulous walk into Arthur Machen’s London, lead by Robert Kingham. I blogged about it as Images and Reflections of the Thin Veil of London.

August: I was busy working all through the month, but wishing I was on holiday. While daydreaming about childhood trips to the seaside, I was inspired to write a very short story: The Ammonite Dream.

September: This month I visited one of the places I had said I wanted to go in 2013, The Stone Circle of Stanton Drew. I was also one of the winners in a photography competition with a picture I took while I was at Stanton Drew. (You can see my prize photo - Walrus in the Mist - at the top of the page.)

October: Fulfilling another of my New Year Resolutions, I took a trip to one of London’s Magnificent Seven Cemeteries on a day of storms and ill omens: London Necropolis: Abney Park Cemetery and Arboretum

November: I went to a fascinating talk at the National Archives, in Kew, on Witches – A Tale of Sorcery, Scandal and Seduction and blogged about Author Tracy Borman Talking About Witchcraft.

December: This month saw the publication of a book, Essays in Contemporary Paganism, for which I had contributed a chapter. I had written it back at Imbolc and seeing it on the shelves before the end of the year gave me a good sense of completion. Also in December I went on a ghost walk in which I may have caught something strange on camera. See for yourself on my post Yule Ghost Tales: Most Haunted House in London

I haven't yet decided if I am going to make a list of New Year Resolutions for 2014. New Year's Day also brings a New Moon. I feel today and the night to come are a time to send the old year packing.

After that, I'll see what the dawn brings, and what hopes and dreams are born in the increasing light of the days to come.