Review: The Holy Wild Grimoire by Danielle Dulsky

We are living in a time of change, which for many is also a one of loss and grief. This can mean the death of loved ones, but also environmental loss and species extinction. The Holy Wild Grimoire: A Heathen Handbook of Magick, Spells, and Verses by Danielle Dulsky looks at the ways this sense of loss can be faced through witchcraft. 

The introduction is called Love Letters on a Death Bed, and offers the idea that love and anger are not opposites, despite many new-age type teachings that they are. We can be angry about what's happening in the world, while also loving the world deeply. Following sections enable us to create our own grimoire of spells, rituals, ceremonies and magical workings by looking within and facing our love, anger, fear and other emotional responses to events in our past and wider world. I would call this shadow work, which is an important part of personal development within witchcraft.

Dulsky's writing is poetic and beautiful, just as in her earlier books. The Holy Wild Grimoire was also created to help readers integrate ideas from The Holy Wild: A Heathen Bible for the Untamed Woman into their lived experience. I would suggest reading that, or some of her other earlier books, before this new one. Dulsky writes: 

“In this handbook, there are verses, prompts, stories, and spells for deepening your encounter with the Holy Wild, with your own fundamental essence as it has been formed and re-formed through your unique story and shaped by this transformational moment in the world story. The time to radically revision our place in the world is now. This is the moment in the human tale when hope meets sorrow, when innocence meets wisdom, a climactic union of polarities that is birthing — and will continue to birth — a new, more heathen reality.” 

The word 'heathen' is used in the general sense of someone who isn't strictly within an organised religion or is nature-based in their practice, rather than someone who specifically worships Germanic and Norse gods and goddess. The teachings would be useable by anyone following a nature-based or pagan spirituality.

The Holy Wild Grimoire works through the elements of earth, water, fire, air, and ether, with a section, or 'book', for each. These begin with a word-spell, a story and an invocation for readers to get their own sense of that element’s energy. There are also 13 journaling prompts for each element; you are recommended to get a good-size journal to make notes in. Dulsky writes: 

“Move through this grimoire at your own pace, in your own time. Choose a sizable journal to accompany you on this journey through memory and muse. This blank book will become your personal grimoire, the house of your heathen testaments, and your soul-written bible that defines this moment you are living.” 

While The Holy Wild Grimoire is grimmer than the earlier titles in this series, it is empowering. It's intended to help us recognise, reclaim, and recharge the personal and collective power we may feel we have lost in these turbulent times, and help us heal and liberate ourselves and others who are struggling. Dulsky writes: 

“Hold yourself tenderly now. You were born for these times. You are here because these patterns are yours to break. The poisons are yours to remedy. The new language is yours to speak, and the story is yours to tell.” 

 Danielle Dulsky is the also author of The Holy Wild, Sacred Hags Oracle, Seasons of Moon and Flame, and Woman Most Wild.  She is the founder of The Hag School. Visit her online at http://www.danielledulsky.com.  

You can view The Holy Wild Grimoire on Amazon. 

Review: Holy Wild: Heathen Bible for Untamed Women

Do you feel trapped? Are you angry about the state of the world? Do you want to stand with those who are oppressed as a force for change? Are you looking for a spirituality that is wild, free and inclusive?

If so, this new book by Danielle Dulsky is quite possibly for you. It is aimed at women - and men - who want to honour the Goddess within us all. It is angry, passionate, beautiful, poetic and empowering, but it is also practical.

Publisher New World Library says about Holy Wild:

This provocative book invites you to create your own spiritual path based on often-suppressed ancient principles and contemporary practices. Using the elements (earth, water, fire, air, ether) rather than traditional patriarchal hierarchies, this “holy book” is designed to connect each individual to their universal — but often denied — powers. Wild woman Danielle Dulsky takes you deep as she explores and embraces sacred feminine archetypes such as the Mother Goddess, the Crone, and the Maiden. Join her as she guides you to envision and explore a world that enriches and supports your spirit, body, and mind as well as our global community and the Earth.

Holy Wild is written from a perspective at least partly inspired by the reclaiming tradition and encourages re-connecting with deep, wild and instinctual feminine power. It offers stories, rituals and spells to bring wild magic into everyday life.

Back in 2017 I reviewed Woman Most Wild, which was Danielle Dulsky's earlier book. I loved it. This one is darker. It takes you on journeys away from safety, but into freedom. It encourages you to face your shadows and befriend your demons. It offers a mirror into which you can, if you choose, scry your own old age and even your death. Yet it also offers hope - and a lot of love.

The subtitle uses the words "heathen" in the sense of belonging to wild spaces. Danielle Dulsky says:

To be heathen means to belong to the wild, to take our lessons from the natural world, and to be nourished by what we fundamentally are rather than what we are told we must be. Let me distinguish here between Heathenry, a polytheistic neo-Pagan religion for which I have much reverence but to which I do not belong, and the eclectic pre-Christian landscape of our ancestors. To be heathen is to remember the rawest essence of our worth...

She uses the word "bible" to mean a holy book and says: “As women of the wild, we deserve our own holy books, our own teaching tales, and our own venerable verses of validation.”

Obviously there already are quite a few "bibles" already available to those following nature religions, including A Witches' Bible by Janet Farrar and Stewart Farrar, but Holy Wild sits well among them. It is part of a move away from hierarchical structures - even away from hierarchical pagan religions like Wicca - towards a spirituality in which all are equal.

You can view The Holy Wild on Amazon.

Links and previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2017/07/review-woman-most-wild-liberating-witch.html
http://newworldlibrary.com/
http://danielledulsky.com/
Twitter: twitter.com/NewWorldLibrary

An Excerpt from Bones & Honey by Danielle Dulsky

Here's an excerpt from a new book, Bones and Honey: A Heathen Prayer Book, by poet, storyteller and heathen author Danielle Dulsky. 

The Trickster’s Bone Broth

Every morning is a heathen morning. Upon waking, just before time’s crust thickens around our vision, we are all ageless wanderers haunting those wild brambles that border the dreamlands. Here, we wear a cloak hand-stitched from crow feathers and snakeskin, swaying to the sound of wolf song and listening deeply to otherworldly voices. Here, on this untamed ground, we are a nameless ancestor dancing at the overgrown crossroads between the dreaming self and the doing self, and just here, we are offered our daily libation by the trickster’s hand.

If we choose, we might all wake sipping a strange elixir these days, an apocalyptic bone broth of wonder, anticipation, and generative befuddlement, spiced with a peppery dash of righteous rage and sweetened with a honeyed spoonful of innocence. If we drink with care, if we savor the splendid brew offered us by the edge dweller, we find ourselves at home in a shape-shifting world where, suddenly and against all odds, nothing is impossible. To be heathen, after all, is to live on uncultivated ground, and to be alive today is to be an apprentice midwife in the birthing room for a wilder world.

Many who chose to be born here and now, during this volatile chapter in the world story, harbor the wily soul of the trickster; they prefer to live on the fringes, where that timely medicine called awe is at its most potent, where truth is better felt in the body than seen on a screen, and where prayers are sung by those poet-tongued heathens who remember why they came to visit this time and place. The trickster knows that the best plans are seeded in dreams and measured in generations, and if we let our inner edge dweller speak, their words just might sting us into an aliveness more exquisite than we have ever known.

Prayers of the Seer-Innocents
Uncertainty has the power to invite innocence or arrogance, and these are shadow-filled times indeed. If we choose innocence — if we allow the rough, frozen edges around what we believe to be true to thaw and soften just a bit — we might dare to name ourselves a seer. A seer walks with one foot in the Otherworld. A seer is half child and half hag, a soothsayer who holds the long-vision, who will not be stunned by crisis, who embodies both the splendid wisdom of elderhood and the tender curiosity of a babe.

The old seers’ prayers match the prayers of the innocents, intricately woven songs for all beings to be free, midnight petitions to unnamed gods for every earthly creature to sense they belong to something far greater than any one, individual story. These prayers are hummed and howled in moments of solitude, whispered into the bathroom mirror, sung at the threshold of a mausoleum, danced on a holy hilltop, and wept over the kitchen sink. These prayers of the seer-innocents are spontaneous verses of gratitude and grief, echoes of an older-than-ancient knowing that, below the concrete, something wild stirs awake.

About the Author
Danielle Dulsky is the author of The Holy Wild, Seasons of Moon and Flame, Woman Most Wild, The Holy Wild Grimoire, and most recently Bones and Honey. A heathen visionary, painter, poet, storyteller, and word-witch, she teaches internationally and has facilitated circles, embodiment trainings, communal spell work, and seasonal rituals since 2007. She is the founder of The Hag School and believes in the emerging power of wild collectives and sudden circles of curious dreamers, cunning witches, and rebellious artists in healing our ailing world. Visit her online at http://www.danielledulsky.com.

Excerpted from the book Bones and Honey: A Heathen Prayer Book ©2023 by Danielle Dulsky. Printed with permission from New World Library — www.newworldlibrary.com 

You can view Bones and Honey on Amazon. (Note: I earn commission from advertisers for some links. This helps support my blog at no extra cost to those who read my posts.)

Review: Seasons of Moon & Flame by Danielle Dulsky

So many witches are now remembering inspiration they received from their grandmothers, aunties, and other elderly relatives or teachers. Personally, both my grandma and my aunt were hugely influential to me through the wise words they offered as well as the folklore and knowledge they handed down.

Seasons of Moon and Flame: The Wild Dreamer’s Epic Journey of Becoming, a new book by Danielle Dulsky, is all about the wisdom offered by grandmothers, whether flesh-and-blood relatives or archetypal ancestors of our dreams and visions.

Danielle's publicist, Tristy Taylor, explained that, as a young woman, Danielle found refuge and wisdom when visiting her grandmother’s rustic home. Next to the fire of the winter hearth and sitting outside with the wildflowers of spring, she was loved and nurtured, and received the maternal support she did not have elsewhere. This helped her overcome anorexia as well teaching her to slow her thoughts and become aware of the joys of each day. Tristy said: "These visits with Grandmother Grace were the seeds that eventually grew into Danielle’s deepening exploration into the Sacred Hag archetype and the wisdom that these elder women have been sharing since the beginning of humanity."

Seasons of Moon and Flame is described by publisher New World Library as an ode to the “Hag” teachers so many of us have had in our lives. It is divided into four sections, each with three chapters, covering the seasons of the year and the phases of the moon. These are:

• House of the Garden Hag: Opening Spring’s Portal
• House of the Desert Hag: Opening Summer’s Portal
• House of the Sea Hag: Opening Autumn’s Portal 
• House of the Mountain Hag: Opening Winter’s Portal

Each chapter focuses on personal, collective, and environmental healing for modern witches. Readers are asked to let go of ideas of linear time, instead considering the spiral of nature, magick and creativity. This spiral journey is something I myself have been reminded of many times over the past months, including inspiration for the cover photograph for my own book on guided visualisations.

Spirals were a big feature of pagan thoughts back in the late 20th century, with Starhawk's book The Spiral Dance, and actual spiral dances being regular features of public Wiccan rituals. The changing seasons of each year are better represented by a spiral than a wheel, even though we talk of the Wheel of the Year. This is because each year is a little different, even if they follow a similar path. Each of us gets gradually older and wiser in our personal journey from youth to maturity to elderhood. Danielle's book reminds us of the importance of this spiral pattern.

“To be a Witch is not only to acknowledge these many seasons but to humbly and humorously live of them,” Danielle writes. “To cocreate a life worth living with time as partner-lover and transformation as teacher-friend. To be a witch is to have begun learning the greatest lesson the wilds have to teach their human children: Time is a spiral dance of eternal becoming, and to move in that age-old rhythm is to remember the wisdom of not only those crones who have come before us but those yet-to-be-born babes who will be inherited by the new world we leave behind.”

I have loved reading Seasons of Moon and Flame as much as I enjoyed Danielle Dulsky's earlier books, Holy Wild and Woman Most Wild. Her style is poetic and full of inspiring stories. She also offers beautiful rituals that you can do on your own, or with a group when the spiral turns again and we are no longer having to conduct social distancing.

Danielle Dulsky is a heathen and a visionary poet. She is the founder of The Hag School and believes in the emerging power of wild collectives, cunning witches, and rebellious artists in healing our ailing world.

You can view Seasons of Moon and Flame on Amazon.

Links and previous related posts
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2010/03/witchs-niece-and-magical-key-tree.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2018/01/witch-room-tales-what-occult-bums-sat.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2018/09/review-holy-wild-heathen-bible-for.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2017/07/review-woman-most-wild-liberating-witch.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2020/03/world-book-day-books-that-taught-me.html
https://danielledulsky.com/about/
https://newworldlibrary.com/#

Old Craft Lore: Power Animals Closer To Home

This article was written by traditional witch Melusine Draco

According to general belief, a power animal is a broadly animistic and shamanic concept that has entered the pagan lexicon, and where a particular creature acts as a protector or guide. These ‘spirit animals carry meaning, wisdom, and power and finding out what your spirit animal or totem means is like a going on a journey. Meanings will be revealed as you deepen your personal connection with it and there are various techniques to help you go beyond generic animal symbolism and connect with the true essence of your power animal. Power animals do not have to be mammals and can be reptiles, insects or even sea creatures, especially if you live within lose proximity to that particular element.

We all have our own personal totem-power animals but there are certain flora and fauna that have special meaning with Old Craft per se. These are particular animals and plants that transcend the personal and belong to the collective awareness of Old Crafters. Some may actually be an individual’s power-animal; others may appear as messengers from Otherworld even though they are not actively considered as a personal totem. The message, however, should not be ignored if any of these creatures cross our path. For example:

The most common and most obvious are the various members of the Corvus family: crows, rooks, ravens, magpies and jays. Noisy, raucous birds whose odd behaviour may contain a warning. For cowans (i.e. non witches) these birds are considered unlucky but as with a lot of superstitions, the meaning is often reversed from the Craft perspective. The old folk-rhyme “One for sorrow, two for joy ...” is equally applicable for both crows and magpies. Magpies, jays, crows, rooks and ravens were all particularly feared if they seemed to be focussing their attention on a particular person or household – but this attention would be seen by a witch as a different kind of message.

The shy, elusive brown hare has long been synonymous with witchcraft; the emblem of the three hares joined by the ears is also an ancient image and one chosen as a logo for Coven of the Scales’ Arcanum course. As far back as Julius Ceasar writing The Conquest of Gaul, he recorded that the native Britons would not eat hare meat and attributed this to mean that the creatures were sacred; in Christian times the hare was considered unlucky and often viewed as witches in disguise. She was sacred to the goddess Eostre, but in more recent times, this holy hare has been replaced by the Easter bunny.

The grass snake was considered unlucky and/or evil but its skin was nevertheless believed to have curative powers and used in a variety of domestic medicinal preparations. In traditional British Old Craft a witch would wear a snakeskin garter as a badge of rank and according to legend, this is the foundation for the origins of ancient Order of the Garter. As one historian observed: “Only at the instigation of a king as powerful as Edward III could such a famous order of chivalry have as its symbol an article of ladies’ underwear.” The story goes that the Countess of Salisbury dropped her garter and the king picked it up and placed it around his own leg – the gesture inferring that the garter was more than a simple frippery and that its significance suggests that the Countess was a witch and now under the king’s protection.

Weasels and stoats are often interchangeable but both are deemed to be unlucky and have a strong connection to Old Craft. They were probably avoided because of their ferocity but the skins were used to line cloaks and the ‘ermine’ became a badge of rank for the nobility. These ferret-like creatures often appear in old wood-cuts as witches’ familiars.

Needless to say, in traditional British Old Craft we also work with these sacred creatures in the wild, such as the brown hare, the grass snake, raptors of all shapes and sizes, and various members of the crow family – all of whom bring omens, messages and warnings on the wind to us all because they are ‘tribal’ creatures rather than personal power-animals. And yet, lurking in the undergrowth is my own favourite wild power-animal – the stoat – a tiny, ferocious creature capable of tackling prey many times its own weight. Or am I giving too much away!

In general terms, for an Old Craft witch the completion of an outdoor spell-casting or magical working should be followed by the bark of a dog/fox; the cry of an owl/hawk, or the croak of a frog/toad to indicate that the spell had ‘gone home’. Endorsement of this sentiment can also be found in Leyland’s notes to Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches. And if a particular type of flora (or fauna) is listed in compendiums of superstition as being unlucky, then it’s a safe bet that there was originally a connection to witchcraft or pre-Christian beliefs. Holly, ivy, blackthorn and whitethorn are all traditional Old Craft trees and deemed unlucky in many parts of the country. The oak, however, has been adopted as a multi-cultural symbol of strength and national pride. These traditional symbols of Old Craft are with us constantly, regardless of our own personal choices, and we should recognise – and honour – them as such.

Unwisely, however, domesticated animals are generally not considered power animals because they already in service to human beings. Traditional British Old Craft tends to have its roots in both shamanic practice and the animistic belief that everything possesses a spirit-energy connecting us to the Divine. In this context, a power (or totem) animal acts as an individual’s guide and/or guardian for both the spiritual and temporal worlds; in some cases it may also impart the animal attributes of its species to a person under its protection. We often tend to think of a power animal as an exotic creature of the wild and as a result, overlook those animals that live in close proximity to us and often share our lives – our pets who already provide us with physical and emotional benefits.

Cats are now the most popular of domestic pets and yet even the most placid and complacent family tabby is only a whisker away from the wild; a genetic study concluding that domestic cats are descended from African wildcats (Felis silvestris lybica) from around c.8000 BC. In Grimalkyn: The Witch’s Cat, Martha Gray has charted this progress in magical and mystical terms and reveals how we are able to draw upon this power and enhance our magical workings by harnessing this elusive feline energy. By understanding the evolution of the cat family, she shows how we can utilise the level of ‘cat power’ needed to cure a headache, or walk the death-path having been diagnosed with a terminal illness. The cat adopted as a power-animal represents independence, cunning, dexterity, agility, sensuality, inscrutability and ferocity – energies that can be extremely useful within the magic circle.

The domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is the 18-31,000 year old descendant of a now extinct European Wolf and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and pet animal in human history; in Aubry’s Dog, I examine the power-attributes of a creature that has been both guide and guardian since. Packed into this little book are some of the most potent magical workings, spells, curses and conjurations in British witchcraft including summoning the hounds of hell and the mighty Shugal. Dogs (and I have my own ‘pack’ of greyhounds at home) are a force to be reckoned with in the psychic realms, and the person who has a dog (in whatever form) as their power-animal is unlikely to come to any harm. To put dog-power in its true magical perspective, however, we need to recognise which breeds are the aristocrats in terms of our own ancestral associations – as well as theirs. And just as importantly, when working with wild dog energies we must refrain from attempting to give them the characteristics of the domestic dog. The dog adopted as a power-animal represents speed, agility, courage, protection, justice, nobility and loyalty and if you choose to walk this Path, it’s guaranteed you’ll never look at your dog in the same light ever again.

My other domestic power-animal is the horse, which has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today. In Black Horse, White Horse, I view them from a magical perspective, where the horse is a symbol of terrestrial or chthonic power being projected into the heavens and integrated with the sky gods in most of the ancient religions. In this book I’ve included the real horse whisperers, superstitions, magical lore and perspective together with equine rites, rituals and the Blacksmith’s Curse. The horse adopted as a power-animal represents power, speed, courage, nobility, freedom and chthonic forces; and those ‘harnessing’ this particular type of energy for magical working will find that it is enhanced considerably with half-a-ton of horse power behind it.

But when we look at our choice of power animal, do we ever stop to think of the negative aspects of these creatures? If they have chosen us, are they recognising the negative elements that lurk inside us all if we are honest with ourselves. Negative in this context does not, of course, mean bad or evil – it is the natural balancing side of the coin that regulates the Universe.

Many folk will look upon the wolf as an animal that stimulates all different kinds of emotions – they are awesome, scary, magnificent, pack oriented and free. On their ‘dark side’ , however, they will bully and drive out the pack’s punch bag; in their natural environment they will kill the family pet, and research has shown that the most dangerous wolf is the one that has been reared in close proximity to humans! Does your power-wolf see these traits in you?

Predators are high on the popularity list for totem and power animals and yet they are often chosen by those who refuse to accept that Nature is always red in tooth and claw – and that humankind is the greatest predator of them all. We might consider that our power animal is proud and strong but do we accept that it is also a highly efficient and conditioned killer who hunts to stay alive, because these are the elements we call upon when harnessing the magical power of the creature. When we conjure up the ‘Hounds of Hell’, for example, we are calling upon the combined instincts of the pack to hunt down and extract our revenge on our enemies.

Even small creatures such as the robin will kill a rival in defence of its territory and cute little garden frogs behave like a hoard of rampaging Vikings during the mating season! When calling upon the protection or guidance of our power animal we are using the wild natural energy that the creature manifests on a psychic level for our benefit but we cannot pick and choose which elements we wish to utilise. We cannot focus on the warm, cuddly aspects and ignore the over-amorous or rending of flesh with sharp teeth if we wish our magic to succeed.

In Nature animals are merely living according to the habits of their species, for unlike humans, animals are not calculatingly evil or deliberately cruel. So, stand back, and take an objective view of the power animal that shadows you on the astral and ask yourself – who chose who, and for what reasons?

By Melusine Draco:
View Shaman Pathways: Black Horse, White Horse on Amazon
View Shaman Pathways: Aubry’s Dog on Amazon

By Martha Gray
View Pagan Portals: Grimalkyn: The Witch’s Cat on Amazon

Lughnasad. Extract from Once Around the Sun

We are approaching the Wheel of the Year harvest festival of Lughnasad, or Lammas, celebrated at the start of August. Here's an excerpt about Lughnasad from the book Once Around the Sun by Ellen Evert Hopman:

The festival of Lúnasa

The festival of Lúnasa derives its name from the classic Irish Lúghnasadh. A nasad is an assembly, and thus Lúnasa is the “Assembly of Lugh.” Lugh, a Celtic God of light, the sun, and the harvest, was king of the mythical Tuatha Dé Danann, and this festival celebrates the beginning of the harvest season.

Lúnasa is celebrated on hilltops, on the tops of mountains, on riverbanks, and by ponds and lakes. Offerings such as fresh butter, flowers, and fruits are left on or beside holy wells, lakes, and waterways. Loaves of bread made with the new grain are shared. Great fairs are held, with athletic, music, dance, and poetry competitions. Debts are settled, weddings or hand-fastings (trial marriages of a year and a day) performed, contracts signed, and new laws declared. It can be a wild, joyful time to thank the Gods for the abundance of the crops and to ask for their blessing in gathering the harvest.

The start of a story:

The old shanachie was making his rounds again, and as usual he was on his way to the little thatched cottage where Fiona and her family lived. It was now mid-July, high summer, which was always a good time for a tale because the crops had been planted but the harvest had not yet begun.

The days were long at this time of year, and the sun still shone even after supper was finished and all the dishes were put away. In the evenings, Fiona liked to sit on the little wall in front of the thatched cottage and watch the horses and carts pass by. She always waved at them, whether she recognized the horses and riders or not. This evening, she was thrilled to see the shanachie making his way down the lane. Fiona noticed that he was carrying something new this time—a long, shiny stick.

“Hullo!” Fiona cried as she ran to give him a hug. At five years of age, she was so small that she could only reach his legs, but the shanachie bent down to bring himself closer.

“What’s that you’re carrying?” Fiona asked.

“This? Why, this is my Faery stick. It’s made from a blackthorn tree. It brings me luck and protection everywhere I travel!”

Fiona’s eyes grew wide and round as copper pennies. The shanachie was always full of surprises. “Have you come to tell us another story?”

“Why yes, I have!” said the shanachie. “It’s almost time for the reaping to begin, so I thought I would tell you a story about Lugh, the great God of the harvest.”

You see, the shanachie was one of a long line of storytellers, each the son of a storyteller, trained by his father and his grandfathers before him. Their lineage went all the way back to the ancient Druids. It was the responsibility of the Druids and bards to pass down the old tales because they had much wisdom hidden in them and were far too precious to be forgotten.

The shanachie entered the house with Fiona dancing at his feet. Mamaí took his cloak and walking stick as Daidi handed him a cool glass of apple cider. Fiona’s grandmother led him to his usual seat by the fire, and just as soon as he was settled the neighbors started coming in.

When everyone was comfortably seated, the shanachie cleared his throat, took one more sip of cider, and began to spin his tale.

“It was the end of summer, a long, long, long time ago, when the grain was yellow and already ripening in the fields but not yet ready to be cut.”

“You mean like now?” asked Fiona, who was seated on the floor gazing up at the shanachie with excitement in her eyes.

“Shhhhh!” said Mamaí, in a loud whisper.

The shanachie continued…

Once Around the Sun is a Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR) Gold Winner for 2023 in the category of children’s books.

A holiday is not just a sacred occasion, but a festive one, full of anticipation and celebrated with foods and customs unique to the season. In Once Around the Sun, Ellen Hopman offers holiday traditions to enhance the experience of the sacred year. 

Where to Find Ellen Evert Hopman's books
You can find Ellen's books at www.elleneverthopman.com 

Her most recent children’s book, Once Around the Sun – Stories, Crafts and Recipes to Celebrate the Sacred Earth Year, can be found here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Once-Around-the-Sun/Ellen-Evert-Hopman/9781644114148 

Her newest herbal, The Sacred Herbs of Yule and Christmas - Remedies, Recipes, Magic, and Brews for the Winter Season, can be purchased here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Sacred-Herbs-of-Yule-and-Christmas/Ellen-Evert-Hopman/9781644117804 

Just released: Celtic Druidry: Rituals, Techniques and Magical Practices. https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Celtic-Druidry/Ellen-Evert-Hopman/9781644118603

Book Excerpt: The (Inner-City) Path by Melusine Draco

Here is an excerpt from The (Inner-City) Path: A Gleaning of the Seasons by Melusine Draco. It is based on urban walks from a pagan perspective offering a glimpse into the pagan mind-set that can find mystery everywhere.

Summer - the Path of Flowers

Since prehistory, the Summer Solstice has been seen as a significant time of year in many cultures, and has been marked by diverse festivals and rituals. According to the astronomical definition of the seasons, the summer solstice also marks the beginning of summer, which lasts until the Autumnal Equinox (22nd or 23rd September in the Northern Hemisphere, or 20th or 21st March in the Southern Hemisphere). Traditionally, the Summer Solstice is seen as the middle of summer and referred to as ‘Midsummer’. Within the Arctic Circle (for the northern hemisphere) or Antarctic Circle (for the southern hemisphere), there is continuous daylight around the Summer Solstice.

The woods of The Path with its scattering of fading bluebells, horsetails and ferns, have a primeval feel about them as spring descends into summer; and when the trees are full of leaf, it is easy to image that we are tramping through Wildwood even though we are never more than a few hundred yards from our village or town. The urban woods along The Path are somewhat unkempt and before the wooded path opens out into the meadow there is a sturdy oak which is exposed to the full force of the westerly winds. The branches on the windward side break the gusts: the trunk and the dark, sturdier branches don’t give an inch, the smaller branches and twigs sway but a little. Then a branch breaks off … Next to the oak is a silver birch that sways and bends with the force of the summer storm …

Later, we recall the buffeting of the wind and feel so much empathy for the two trees that we can almost experience or perceive what forces were at play. We can feel the resistance and stiffness of the oak, and how futile this resistance is when a branch gets broken off. With the birch, we can feel how it surrenders itself to the wind and how supple and pliable the tree is. We can attribute resistance to an oak and pliability to a birch and if these concepts are correct, then we will be able to recognise them in all the different parts of these trees. We will see it in the leaves (the tough, unbending leaves of the oak and the light rustling leaves of the birch) and the seeds (the heavy acorn with the hard shell, the light birch seeds which carry on the wind) … [Psychology Today]

It is the Ash tree, however, that has a host of folklore surrounding it. The ash along with the oak is one of the last trees to come into leaf and according to country lore, the one that comes into leaf first, gives us an indication as to what the weather will be like for the summer: “Ash before the Oak, you can expect a soak, but Oak before the Ash, expect a little splash” The fascination of the ash tree traces its roots to the ancient times. The Druids believed that it had the ability to direct and blend the masculine and feminine energy, using a branch of the ash to make their staffs. The staff then acted as a connection between the realms of the earth and the sky. A staff of ash is hung over door frames for protection as it will ward off evil influences; while ash leaves can be scattered in the four directions to protect the house against negative and psychic attacks - but despite its traditional role in protecting against witches, the ash is also extensively used by them.

The ash is often found growing near sacred wells and it has been suggested that there is a connection between the tree and the healing waters of the well (possibly iron contained in the roots and leeching into the well). The tree itself can sometimes supply ‘holy’ water as the bole of the ash often has a hollow in it like a shallow bowl; the water that gathers in this is well known for its healing properties. This could be a good example of a ‘bile’ - a sacred tree. Sailors also believed that if they carved a piece of ash wood into the shape of a solar cross and carried it with them then they would be protected from drowning. A solar cross, consisting of an equilateral cross inside a circle ⊕ is frequently found in the symbolism of prehistoric cultures, particularly during the Neolithic to Bronze Age periods of European prehistory.

The oak, birch and ash are common tree along The Path and we should make an effort to recognize and understand the lifecycle of these three sacred trees that are tightly bound into our folk-, country- and Craft-lore. As we leave the woods and step onto The Path that borders the meadow our attention is caught by the plants that adorn the verge of hard-packed earth and stones: daisies, dandelions and filmy cow parsley. Cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris), grows in sunny to semi-shaded locations in meadows and at the edges of hedgerows and woodland. It is related to other diverse members of the Apiaceae family, such as parsley, carrot, hemlock and hogweed - and often confused with Daucus carota which is known as Queen Anne’s lace or wild carrot and mistaken for several similar-looking poisonous plants, among them poison hemlock and fool’s parsley.

From where The Path exits the woods it is only a few minutes before we come to the plank bridge over a brook fringed with forget-me-nots. The plank bridge is one of our favourite places to dawdle with the pond on one side and the brook making its way back into the woods on the other. On one side the water lies dark and deep in a languid pool where dragonflies and nymphs hover over the still surface (perfect for scrying); and from this bridge the slope of the water meadow basks in late summer sunlight and autumn mists since the surrounding ancient woodland was cut back for agricultural reasons. ‘It is widely acknowledged that a landscape of open fields, trees and brooks is what humans consider most beautiful,’ observes Chet Raymo.

In the water meadow we can find an olde English favourite: Meadowsweet from the Anglo- Saxon meodu-swete meaning ‘Mead sweetener’. The plant’s herbal uses had a base in scientific fact; in common with many other folk and herbal remedies, in the 19th century, chemists isolated salicylic acid from meadowsweet to use as a disinfectant that not only made rooms smell better but helped the fight against bacteria. It was one of the three herbs considered sacred by the Druids: the others being vervain and water mint.  Creamy, perennial of damp waysides, meadows, marshes and woods, this tall plant flowers from June to September, and with a heavy fragrance, the flower heads are frequently visited by bees attracted by the heavy scent which can be so evocative of summer days in the countryside. In spite of this fragrance, however, the flowers produce no nectar. Insects, however, don’t realise this but their visits serve to fertilise the plants which are heavy with pollen. A peculiarity of this flower is that the scent of the leaves is quite different from that of the flowers, the leaves having a heavy almond-like aroma whereas the flowers have a strong sweet smell.

Meadowsweet was historically known as Bridewort because it was strewn on the ground at hand-fastings for the bride to walk on (wort is an old word that means herb or root) and it was also used in wedding posies and bridal bouquets. Meadowsweet was also spread on the floor in medieval times to provide a nice smell and deter insects. This plant was given to Cúchulainn in liquid form and it was said to calm his fits of rage and outbreaks of fever and it may be for this reason that another name for meadowsweet in Ireland is Cuchulainn’s Belt or Crios Conchulainn. It is also associated with death as the scent of its flowers was said to induce a sleep that was deep and fatal. However, in County Galway it was believed that if a person was wasting away because of faerie influence then putting some meadowsweet under the bed ensured that they would be cured by the morning.

All along the water courses most Willow species grow and thrive and this theme is reflected in the legends and magic associated with these trees. The willow muse, called Heliconian (after Helike), was sacred to poets, and the Greek poet Orpheus carried willow branches on his adventures in the Underworld. He was also given a lyre by Apollo, and it is interesting to note that the sound-boxes of harps used to be carved from solid willow wood. The willow is also associated with the fey and the ‘Wind in the Willows’ is said to be the whisperings of a faerie in the ear of a poet.

Willow was often the tree most sought by village wise-women, since it has so many medicinal properties, and eventually its healing and religious qualities became one and the tree became called a ‘witch’s tree’. The willow is associated with enchantment, wishing, romantic love, healing, protection, fertility, death, femininity, divination friendship, joy, love, and peace. Placed in homes, willow branches protect against evil and malign sorcery. Carried, the wood bestows bravery, dexterity, and helps to overcome the fear of death. If we knock on a willow tree (‘knock on wood’) this will avert evil. A willow growing near a home will protect it from danger, while they are also good trees to plant around cemeteries and for lining graves because of its symbolism of death and protection.

Willow can also be used in rituals for intuition, knowledge, gentle nurturing, and will elucidate the feminine qualities of both men and women. When a person needs to get something off their chest or to share a secret, if they confess to a Willow, their secret will be trapped. Also, wishes are granted by a willow if they are asked for in the correct manner. Willow leaves, bark and wood add energy to healing magic, and burning a mix of willow bark and sandalwood during the waning moon can help to conjure spirits. Uses of willow in love talismans include using the leaves to attract love. The tree is linked to grief and in the 16th and 17th centuries jilted lover poems were written that included reference to the tree. In Irish folklore it couldn’t be more different as it was called sail ghlann grin or the ‘bright cheerful sallow’. There it was considered lucky to take a sally-rod with you on a journey and sally withies were placed around a milk churn to ensure good butter. It was believed that the charcoal left behind after burning willow could be crushed and spread on the back of an animal as a way of increasing fertility and even restoring hair.

Needless to say, country folk have long been familiar with the healing properties of willow. They made an infusion from the bitter bark as a remedy for colds and fevers, and to treat inflammatory conditions such as rheumatism. Young willow twigs were also chewed to relieve pain. In the early 19th century modern science isolated the active ingredient responsible, salicylic acid, which was also found in the meadowsweet plant.

As we follow the brook back through the wood along a different pathway, in the sunlit glades swathes of foxgloves stand tall above the bracken. A well-loved plant, the whole foxglove plant is extremely poisonous, but provides a source of digitalis used by doctors in heart medicine. The foxglove was believed to keep evil at bay if grown in the garden, but it was considered unlucky to bring the blooms inside the house. The name derives from the shape of the flowers resembling the fingers of a glove – ‘folk’s glove’ meaning belonging to the Faere Folk and folklore tells that a bad faerie gave the flowers to the fox to put on his feet to soften his steps whilst hunting. In Irish folklore it was said that if a child was wasting away then it was under the influence of the faerie (fairy stroke) and foxglove was given to counteract this as it was known to revive people.

One such remedy was the juice of twelve leaves taken daily. It could also work for adults, such a person would be given a drink made from the leaves, if they were not too far gone, they would drink it and get sick but then recover. However, if they were completely under the spell of the faerie then they would refuse to drink. An amulet of foxglove could also cure the urge to keep travelling that resulted when anyone stepped onto the faerie grass, the ‘stray sod’ or fód seachrán. In Ireland it is also believed that the foxglove will nod its head if one of the ‘gentry’ pass by.

And it’s not just in the woods and fields that Nature is lush and tropical and green, because as The Path takes us passed the allotments, we can find the lushness reflected in the vegetable plots and gardens. In the overgrown orchard some of the old trees are still capable of producing a good crop after the warm, damp start to the year. With our newly discovered vision we relish the sight of all this bounty that is the result of sore backs and chapped hands during the cold and wet of the seedtime. As harvest approaches, we can appreciate the fruit of their labours by proxy since friendly gardeners often have surplus stocks that they gladly share with their neighbours.

Exercise: A Sense of Contemplation

Don’t get carried away by a new-found enthusiasm but commit to contemplate today – and only today. It is not necessary to commit to contemplation tomorrow, or every day for a week, a month, a year because over-commitment is a sure-fire recipe for procrastination. If you have the opportunity for five minutes contemplation today – contemplate today. If you have the opportunity to contemplate tomorrow – contemplate tomorrow. Contemplation is the action of looking thoughtfully at something for a long time. It is not a relaxation exercise or meditation but while it may contribute to us becoming more relaxed, this is simply a side effect. Contemplation is profound thinking about something and here we select something from the natural world where we can sit and stare – for example – at bees on a clover patch, lavender plant or butterfly bush (buddleia).

Doctorates in Bioenergetic Medicine and teachers of the ancient Egyptian healing and spiritual tradition, Meredith McCord and Jill Schumacher tell us that in ancient Egypt the humming sound of the bee was said to stimulate the release of super hormones known as the ‘Elixirs of Metamorphosis’, as the sound also resonates the ventricular chambers in the centre of the brain, which are filled with cerebrospinal fluid that acts as a cushion for the brain’s cortex, providing basic mechanical and immunological protection to the brain inside the skull. The good doctors claim that the humming sounds of bees also resonate and stimulate various other structures of the brain, including the pineal gland, pituitary gland, the hypothalamus that link the nervous system to the endocrine system, and amygdala, which is responsible for emotions, survival instincts, and memory.

Five minutes contemplation in the company of these small creatures can open up worlds that we would otherwise not bother to think about – and it’s an added incentive to create areas in our garden that are bee-friendly for our own benefit, too. Invest is a couple of bee boxes to encourage queen bees to lay eggs and repopulate your own garden next spring.

You can view Pagan Portals: The (Inner-City) Path on Amazon. It is published by Moon Books, and you can see Melusine Draco's author page.  Another excerpt from this lovely book was posted here. Note: Any references to the healing properties of plants is for information purposes, not medical advice. I earn commission from some links. This helps subsidise my blog at no extra cost to readers.

What Not to Do at Sacred Wells and Springs

A visit to Chalice Well in Glastonbury (pictured) and a couple of discussions on a Facebook group made me decide to blog about what not to do if you visit a sacred spring or holy well.

Don't Drink the Water
Although the water at Chalice Well is drinkable, many other springs come with a health warning. While it might be tempting to take a cool drink from what looks like a source of pure water, even the most sacred of springs might not be safe to imbibe. Taking just a little sip is risking the consequences of nasties from parasites to pollution.

Boiling the water or using a filter bottlewill get rid of bugs and bacteria, but won't necessarily deal with nasty chemicals that could have contaminated it. Always check before drinking from springs, wells or streams. When in doubt, don't drink the water.

Don't Tie Anything to Trees
This is a subject that gets hotly debated on some forums. The issue stems from a tradition, particularly in parts of Ireland and Scotland, of tying clooties to trees at some holy wells. Clooties are strips of cloth that would be dipped in the well water and then tied to a nearby tree along with some sort of prayer or wish.  I must admit I personally quite like seeing decorated trees in places where it is allowed, but there are problems with the practice.

The main concern is that modern clooties are often made from non-biodegradable material, such as polyester ribbons or even plastic. These will stay on the tree pretty much forever rather than rotting away. They can restrict the growth of the tree and too many could eventually kill it. So, if you want to tie anything to a tree, make sure it is natural fibre that will quickly disintegrate in the wind and rain.

The other issue is that visitors are not only tying clooties at places where it is a genuine old tradition. Most sacred springs and wells do not have a historical connection with clooties, so those who honour the old folk customs in those places get upset when they see beauty spots clogged up with bits of rag. Some will spend a long time cleaning up the site, only to find it just as bad then next time they go there. When in doubt, don't do it.

Don't Light Fires - or Candles
Fires leave an unsightly mess behind, which spoil the site for those to come. They can cause damage to historic monuments if they are lit too close and can get out of control. Even the small flame of a candle could spark a forest fire. Always check if naked flames are allowed before lighting one. At some places they are, of course. For example, you can buy tealights at Chalice Well Gardens to light at the well head to meditate with or to leave as an offering. Volunteers tidy up the tealight holders at the end of the day. But again, when in doubt, don't.

Don't Leave Offerings (Unless Requested)
Apart from candles and clooties, visitors sometimes think it is a good idea to leave other offerings - from statues, crystals or home and garden ornaments to flowers or food. Although biodegradable items are better than non-biodegradable ones, anything left behind can just look like litter to those who come later. If there is a specific place where offerings are allowed to be left, that's fine, but there usually isn't. Take away with you everything you bring unless specifically requested to do otherwise by the site owners. It is traditional to throw coins into some wishing wells. Often these coins are collected for charity and, of course, there's nothing wrong with doing this if it is asked for. But do check.

Don't Take Photographs
Photography is banned at some sacred sites, including the White Spring in Glastonbury, which is just over the road from Chalice Well. Many pagan groups will also ban photography when ceremonies or meditations are taking place. The reason for this is the belief that photography infringes on the privacy of the people who are there and can also affect the sanctity of the sacred space itself. Please be respectful. Ask permission before taking pictures of people and if there is a sign forbidding photography, then don't take photographs at all.

Don't Take Souvenirs (Except the Water)
It is usually OK to take a small bottle of water away with you if you visit a sacred spring, but don't take things like pebbles or soil. If everyone took a pebble or pot of earth away it could undermine the site. And certainly don't go chipping bits off any monuments! Avoid picking wild flowers too, unless you have permission of the site's owners.

If you are visiting any sacred site, check what is and what isn't allowed. If the spring has an official website, that should have details. When in doubt, leave the site just as you found it.

Links and previous related posts
http://www.chalicewell.org.uk/
http://www.whitespring.org.uk/
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2011/10/chalice-well-goddess-and-grail.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clootie_well
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2015/02/sacred-springs-and-wells-frome-holy.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2009/08/sacred-spring-at-st-blaises-well.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2008/06/in-search-of-sacred-spring.html

This Week's Pagan Events In and Near London

Here are events in London plus a few in other parts of the UK over the next 10 days or so that could be of interest to pagans. If you know of an event that you want listed, please email the details to me at badwitch1234@gmail.com.

Wednesday 11 April Sale of secondhand folklore books and ‘Folklore’ issues hosted by The Folklore Society. Venue: The Warburg Institute, Woburn Square, London WC1H 0AB. Time: 5pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/814391265427332/

Wednesday 11 April; Time to Meditate - group meditation. Venue: Buddha on a Bicycle, Covent Garden, London. Arrive 6pm for 6.10pm start. Donations of £3 recommended. Details: http://www.meetup.com/meditation-trust-london/

Wednesday 11 April Gnostic Lecture: The Zodiacal Belt hosted by Gnosis London. Venue Rudolf Steiner House, 35 Park Rd, Marylebone, London NW1 6XT. Time: 7pm. https://www.facebook.com/events/436839656738332/

Wednesday 11 April; 42 ACRES  and Mama Xanadu: Spring Tonics Wild Alchemy Session. Venue: 42 ACRES Shoreditch, 66 Leonard Street, London, EC2A 4LW. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £29. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/42-acres-mama-xanadu-spring-tonics-wild-alchemy-session-tickets-42979432640

Thursday 12 April; Everyday Kundalini. Talk by Kathryn McCusker. Venue: Watkins Books, 19-21 Cecil Court, London WC2N 4EZ. Time: 6.30pm. Free event. For more details Tel 020 7836 2182 or visit the website http://www.watkinsbooks.com/

Thursday 12 April; The Highgate Vampire with London Dreamtime at South East London Folklore Society (SELFS). Venue: The Old King's Head, Kings Head Yard, 45-49 Borough High St, London SE1 1NA. Entry: £5/£1.50 concessions. Time: 8pm. (Meetings are normally the second Thursday of each month.) https://www.facebook.com/groups/2438110887/ To guarantee a seat, email nigelofbermondsey@gmail.com

Friday 13 – Saturday 28 April; Esoteric Harlequinade. Sean Jefferson Art Exhibition. Venue: The Atlantis Bookshop, 49a Museum Street, London, WC1A 1LY. Private preview on the evening of 13 April (ticketed event); exhibition normally open Monday-Saturday during shop hours, just pop in. Tel: 020 7405 2120. http://theatlantisbookshop.com/

Friday 13 April; Open Evening. Venue: The College of Psychic Studies, 16 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2EB. Time: 4.30pm-9pm. Cost: £25. Advance booking recommended. For details call: 020 7589 3292 or visit https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/

Friday 13 April; Friday 13 Goddess Circle with Lucy North. Venue: She's Lost Control, 42 Valentine Road, London E9 7AD. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £30. www.sheslostcontrol.co.uk

Friday 13 April; Holistic Sound Bath Meditation - Summoning The Sacred (weekly ceremonial gathering). Venue: Training Points Fitness and Therapy, 5-6 Coopers Yard, Crystal Palace, London SE19 1TN. Time: 7pm. Entry £15/£13. https://www.facebook.com/summoningthesacredsound/

Friday 13 April; Scared to Death in the Woods. Storytelling with London Dreamtime and George Hoyle. Venue: A secret location in woods in London. Time: 7.30pm. Price: £6 per person.  For details, email vanessa@londondreamtime.com or visit https://londondreamtime.com/calendar/

Saturday 14 April; Photography, Storytelling and Myth. One-day workshop. Venue: Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL. Time: 10am. Tickets: £65/£85. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/photography-storytelling-myth-tickets-42229972986?

Saturday 14 April; Foundations of Integral Sound Healing: Sound Bath. Venue: Aho Studio, 13 Prince Edward Rd, London, E9 5LX. Time: 7pm. Tickets: £20. www.aho.community

Sunday 15 April; Shamanic workshop. Venue: Woodford Church at 9 Grove Crescent, South Woodford, London E18 2JR. Time 11am-4pm. Cost: £10, bring your own lunch. http://woodfordchurch.com/

Sunday 15 April; Dawn of the Oak. Pagan moot (normally on the third Sunday of each month). Venue: The Sir John Oldcastle, Farringdon Road/Greville Street, London EC1M 3JF. Time: 3pm-6pm.

Sunday 15 April; Barefoot in the Woods: Magic of Deep Nourishment with Wild Women Gatherings London. Venue: Forest Hill, London SE23 (details sent to those attending - advance booking essential). Suggested donation £10. Time: 3pm. https://www.meetup.com/WILD-WOMEN-CIRCLES-LONDON/

Sunday 15 April Ēostre Blot and Picnic.  Celebrate the beginning of Summer with The Kith of Yggdrasil, Meet at The Fox On the Hill pub, 149-153 Denmark Hill, Camberwell, Southwark, SE5 8EH at 2.30pm to walk to the outdoor site for the rite. Bring a picnic. https://www.facebook.com/events/133630680811635/

Monday 16 April; The Five Secrets to Personal Transformation. Talk by Davidji. Organised by Alternatives. Venue: St James's Church, 197 Piccadilly, W1J 9LL, Doors open 6.30pm.. Talk starts: 7pm. Tickets £10/£15 online. http://www.alternatives.org.uk/

Monday 16 April; Young Urban Witch Workshop: Herbs in Magic. Evening mini-workshop with Rebecca Beattie. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 6.30pm start. Tickets £20. Tel: 0207 419 8507 or email: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Monday 16 April; Meditation and Mazes at Pagan Pathfinders. Meeting suitable for all pagans in Finchley, London N3. Time: 7pm. (Meeting is usually on the 3rd Monday each month.) Free, but bring food and drink to share. Contact Pagan Pathfinders for more details: https://www.facebook.com/PaganPathfinders/

Monday 16 April, Red Bead Woman. Mythologist Martin Shaw storytelling about epic transformations. Venue: Soho Theatre, 21 Dean St, Soho, London W1D 3NE. Time: 8pm. Tickets from £10. https://sohotheatre.com/shows/crick-crack-club-red-bead-woman/

Tuesday 17 April; Wicca New Moon Ritual Circle with London Woodland Witches Magicians and Outdoor Pagans. Venue: Meet in the heated patio area of the Woodman's Pub, Archway Road, Highgate, London N6 at 7.30pm to walk to Queen's Woods at 7.45pm promptly. Fee: £3/£2. You must reserve a place in advance. Wear outdoor clothes and bring something to sit on and food and drink . Details and bookings: https://www.meetup.com/London-Woodland-Witches-Outdoor-Pagans/

Tuesday 17 April; Relationships as a Path of Discovery. Talk by With Steve Briault. Venue: Rudolf Steiner House, 35, Park Road, London, NW1 6XT. Time: 7.30pm. Tickets: £7/£5 http://www.rsh.anth.org.uk/whats-on/

Tuesday 17 April; Witches Gathering. Venue: front bar of the Cittie of Yorke, 22 High Holborn, London WC1V 6BS. Starting for 7.30pm. onwards. Meets on the third Tuesday of each month. For any questions email coacentral@witchcraft.org or visit http://www.witchfest.net/

Wednesday, 18 April; Why Ancient Cypress is Important - gallery talk. Room 72, British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Time: 1.15pm. Free, just turn up. For more details visit: http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/events_calendar.aspx

Wednesday 18 April; Time to Meditate - group meditation. Venue: Buddha on a Bicycle, Covent Garden, London. Arrive 6pm for 6.10pm start. Donations of £3 recommended. Details: http://www.meetup.com/meditation-trust-london/

Wednesday, 18 April; Discussion forum: Animal, Vegetable, Mineral and Psi. Venue: Society for Psychical Research HQ, 1 Vernon Mews, London W14 0RL. Time: 6.30pm. Entry: Free for members. https://www.spr.ac.uk/

Wednesday, 18 April; More Mead Moot promoted by Pagan FutureFests. Venue: Hope Pub, 48 West Street, Carshalton SM5 2PR. Time: from 7.30pm. Meets on the third Wednesday of each month. https://www.facebook.com/Pagan-FutureFests-352385661439366/ http://www.meetup.com/Londonpagancommunity/

Thursday 19 April; SoulWorks: Living Your Soul Story. Talk by Jane Bailey Bain. Venue: Watkins Books, 19-21 Cecil Court, London WC2N 4EZ. Time: 6.30pm. Free event. For more details Tel 020 7836 2182 or visit the website http://www.watkinsbooks.com/

Thursday 19 April; History of the Chakras II: From India to England. Lecture by Phil Hine. Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 7.30pm start. Tickets £9. Tel: 0207 419 8507 or email: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Thursday 19 April; Holy lands and theme parks: religious visitor attractions worldwide. Venue: BP Lecture Theatre, British Museum, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG. Time: 4pm. Tickets free, booking essential. For more details visit: http://www.britishmuseum.org/whats_on/events_calendar.aspx

Friday 20 April; The Witches Banquet: Memorising the Tarot Cards and Spreads (Wiccan Moot) Venue: Souk Medina, 1a Short's Gardens, London WC2H 9AT. Time: 6.30pm. Free event but as the meeting is in a restaurant you will need to pay for your own food and drink. https://www.meetup.com/London-Wicca/events/ or https://www.meetup.com/Londonpagancommunity/

Saturday 21 April; Wiccan Path for Beginners. Training day with London Woodland Witches Magicians and Outdoor Pagans. Venue: Meet in the heated patio area of the Woodman's Pub, Archway Road, Highgate, London N6 at 10am to walk to Queen's Woods. Day ends at 5.30pm. Fee: £20. You must reserve a place in advance. Wear outdoor clothes and bring something to sit on and food and drink . Details and bookings: https://www.meetup.com/London-Woodland-Witches-Outdoor-Pagans/

Saturday, 21 April; Sigils, Talismans and Magical Signs. Full-day workshop with Julian Vayne  Venue: Treadwells, 33 Store Street, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 7BS. Time: 11am-5.30pm. Tickets £75, deposit £40. Tel: 0207 419 8507 or email: info@treadwells-london.com http://www.treadwells-london.com/

Saturday, 21 April; Pagan Future Fests - Belostra Festival 2018. Day of workshops, entertainment, a market, food and a bar. Venue: Stanley Halls, 12 South Norwood Hill, London SE25 6AB. Starts at noon. Tickets £15. Details: https://www.facebook.com/Pagan-FutureFests-352385661439366/ Tickets http://paganfuturefests.org.uk/id2.html

Saturday 21 April; Foragers feast and pharmacy with The Friends of Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park. Seasonal wild foods and herbal remedies with Kenneth Greenway, Cemetery Park manager and botanical pharmacist Fawz Farhan. Venue: Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park, The Soanes Centre, Southern Grove, London E3 4PX. Time: 1.30pm. Tickets: £42. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/foragers-feast-pharmacy-tickets-41490906418

Sunday 22 April; The Dark Arts Fayre. Venue: The Lounge Promotion, Nightclub Kolis, 1 Archway Rd, London N19 3TD. Time: noon-6pm. Entry: £3. https://www.facebook.com/events/150819355608906/

Note: I am not responsible for any of these events. Although I try to make sure the details on my listing are accurate, I do not always know about late changes or ticket availability etc. Please contact the organiser before attending any event. If you spot something that needs changing, please email the correct details to badwitch1234@gmail.com

Book Review: Pagan Portals - Feminist Witchcraft

Pagan Portals - Feminist Witchcraft is published this month, and it's very good. Susan Harper is both an academic cultural anthropologist and a longstanding practicing Feminist Witch. As the subtitle says, her book offers an introduction to this modern pagan tradition that puts all women at its core. 

The first chapters clearly explain what Feminist Witchcraft is, what it's not, and how it's different from other spiritual and magical paths, including eclectic witchcraft and initiatory Wicca. It won't come as a surprise to many to learn that's because practitioners focus on working with goddesses, largely ignoring the gods. Susan Harper succintly explains the reasons for this, which make a lot of sense. It's empowering for people to honour deities that look like they do. Feeling empowered is an important aspect of the tradition. 

But this path isn't just for women, it is for all who want to fight the patriarchy. The other vital strand of  Feminist Witchcraft is politics - not necessarily party politics, but a recognition that everything one does in society is a political act. Feminist Witches aim to use their power, both magical and social, as a force for change.

Later chapters move on to practical matters - what witches do. This includes outlines of rituals, magick, spellcraft, how to work with the Wheel of the Year, and the phases of the moon. This is more aimed at complete beginners in my opinion, although if you're just starting out you'll find it an excellent set of basic instructions for things like circle work. Those already familiar with modern pagan witchcraft rites in general, will probably skim through and enjoy having a look to see what's different between Feminist Witchcraft and other ways of practicing.

Publisher Moon Books offers this synopsis on its website:

"Are you seeking a spiritual path that blends your love of the Earth, your yearning for magick, and your commitment to justice? Are you curious to know how collective power can change not only ourselves but also our world? Do you want to heal the damage that patriarchy does and then step into your power? Feminist Witchcraft is waiting for you. Across history, witchcraft has been about power - and our world needs empowered people more than ever. This book is here to guide your journey towards a more embodied, politically informed, authentic life. Tapping into our personal and communal power is transformational - both in caring for ourselves and each other and in using our collective will to create a more just and equitable world for all."

I very much enjoyed reading Feminist Witchcraft and will be adopting some of the techniques in my own practice in the future. I thoroughly recommend the book if you want to learn more about the topic, or if you are a witch who wants to do more to change the world.

About the author, Susan Harper

Susan Harper, PhD is an educator, advocate, activist, writer, and ritual specialist in the American Midwest. She holds a PhD in Cultural Anthropology from Southern Methodist University and an MA in Multicultural Women's and Gender Studies from Texas Woman's University. She has been researching and writing about Feminist Witchcraft, Goddess Spirituality, Tarot, and ContemporaryPaganism for more than 30 years.

You can view Pagan Portals - Feminist Witchcraft on Amazon. Please note I earn commission from some links.

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