Llewellyn's 2023 Witches' Datebook

Llewellyn’s

Witches’ Datebook 2023 Featuring Art by Jennifer Hewitson Text by Elizabeth Barrette, Blake Octavian Blair, Autumn Damiana, Kate Freuler, Raechel Henderson, Kelden, Thorn Mooney, Diana Rajchel, Gwion Raven, and Astrea Taylor ISBN 978-0-7387-6404-7

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2023 S 1 8 15 22 29

JANUARY M T W T F 2 3 4 5 6 9 10 11 12 13 16 17 18 19 20 23 24 25 26 27 30 31

S 5 12 19 26

F 5 12 19 26

S 6 13 20 27

JUNE S M T W T 1 4 5 6 7 8 11 12 13 14 15 18 19 20 21 22 25 26 27 28 29

SEPTEMBER S M T W T F 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 19 20 21 22 24 25 26 27 28 29

S 2 9 16 23 30

S 1 8 15 22 29

S M 1 7 8 14 15 21 22 28 29

T 2 9 16 23 30

MAY W T 3 4 10 11 17 18 24 25 31

S 7 14 21 28

FEBRUARY M T W T F 1 2 3 6 7 8 9 10 13 14 15 16 17 20 21 22 23 24 27 28

M 2 9 16 23 30

S 4 11 18 25

F 2 9 16 23 30

S 3 10 17 24

OCTOBER T W T F 3 4 5 6 10 11 12 13 17 18 19 20 24 25 26 27 31

S 7 14 21 28

MARCH S M T W T 1 2 5 6 7 8 9 12 13 14 15 16 19 20 21 22 23 26 27 28 29 30

F 3 10 17 24 31

JULY S M T W T F 2 9 16 23 30

3 10 17 24 31

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

7 14 21 28

NOVEMBER S M T W T F 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 12 13 14 15 16 17 19 20 21 22 23 24 26 27 28 29 30

S 4 11 18 25

APRIL S M T W T F 6 13 20 27

7 14 21 28

S 1 8 15 22 29

AUGUST S M T W T 1 2 3 6 7 8 9 10 13 14 15 16 17 20 21 22 23 24 27 28 29 30 31

F 4 11 18 25

S 5 12 19 26

S 4 11 18 25

DECEMBER S M T W T F 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 19 20 21 22 24 25 26 27 28 29 31

S 2 9 16 23 30

S 2 9 16 23 30

S M 1 7 8 14 15 21 22 28 29

S 1 8 15 22 29

2 9 16 23 30

3 10 17 24

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

2024 S 7 14 21 28

JANUARY M T W T F 1 2 3 4 5 8 9 10 11 12 15 16 17 18 19 22 23 24 25 26 29 30 31

MAY S M T W T 1 2 5 6 7 8 9 12 13 14 15 16 19 20 21 22 23 26 27 28 29 30 S 1 8 15 22 29

S 6 13 20 27

F 3 10 17 24 31

S 4 11 18 25

SEPTEMBER M T W T F 2 3 4 5 6 9 10 11 12 13 16 17 18 19 20 23 24 25 26 27 30

S 7 14 21 28

S 4 11 18 25

FEBRUARY M T W T F 1 2 5 6 7 8 9 12 13 14 15 16 19 20 21 22 23 26 27 28 29

JUNE S M T W T F 2 9 16 23 30

3 10 17 24

4 11 18 25

5 12 19 26

6 13 20 27

7 14 21 28

OCTOBER S M T W T F 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 10 11 13 14 15 16 17 18 20 21 22 23 24 25 27 28 29 30 31

S 3 10 17 24

MARCH S M T W T F 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 19 20 21 22 24 25 26 27 28 29 31

S 1 8 15 22 29

S M 1 7 8 14 15 21 22 28 29

F 5 12 19 26

S 6 13 20 27

AUGUST S M T W T 1 4 5 6 7 8 11 12 13 14 15 18 19 20 21 22 25 26 27 28 29

S 5 12 19 26

NOVEMBER S M T W T F 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 19 20 21 22 24 25 26 27 28 29

S 2 9 16 23 30

S 1 8 15 22 29

JULY T W T 2 3 4 9 10 11 16 17 18 23 24 25 30 31

APRIL T W T 2 3 4 9 10 11 16 17 18 23 24 25 30

F 5 12 19 26

S 6 13 20 27

F 2 9 16 23 30

S 3 10 17 24 31

DECEMBER M T W T F 2 3 4 5 6 9 10 11 12 13 16 17 18 19 20 23 24 25 26 27 30 31

S 7 14 21 28

Llewellyn’s 2023 Witches’ Datebook © 2022 by Llewellyn Publications, 2143 Wooddale Dr., Dept. 978-0-7387-6404-7, Woodbury, MN 55125-2989. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the permission of the publisher, except for quotations used in critical reviews. Llewellyn Publications is a registered trademark of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd. Editing and layout by Lauryn Heineman Cover illustration and interior art © Jennifer Hewitson Art on chapter openings © Jennifer Hewitson Art direction by Lynne Menturweck and Stephanie Ingle Astrological calculations compiled and programmed by Rique Pottenger, based on the earlier work of Neil F. Michelsen.

Printed in China

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Table of Contents

How to Use Llewellyn’s Witches’ Datebook . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Beginner’s Flying Ointment by Kelden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Rooting in the Land by Blake Octavian Blair . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Magic for Springtime by Astrea Taylor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 The Skeptical Witch by Thorn Mooney. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Magical Snacks by Autumn Damiana . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 January. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 February . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 March . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 April. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 May . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 June . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 July . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 August. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 September. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 October . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126 November . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 December . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146 About the Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158 Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

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How to Use Llewellyn’s Witches’ Datebook

W

elcome to Llewellyn’s 2023 Witches’ Datebook! This datebook was designed especially for Witches, Pagans, and magical people. Use it to plan sabbat celebrations, magic, Full Moon rites, and even dentist and doctor appointments. At right is a symbol key to some of the features of this datebook.

Moon Quarters: The Moon’s cycle is divided into four quarters, which are noted in the weekly pages along with their exact times.

When the Moon changes quarter, both quarters are listed, as well as the time of the change. In addition, a symbol for the new quarter is placed where the numeral for the date usually appears.

Moon in the Signs: Approximately every two and a half days, the Moon moves from one zodiac sign to the next. The sign that the Moon is in at the beginning of the day (midnight Eastern Time) is noted next to the quarter listing. If the Moon changes signs that day, there will be a notation saying “@ enters” followed by the symbol for the sign it is entering.

Moon Void-of-Course: Just before the Moon enters a new sign, it will make one final aspect (angular relationship) to another planet.

Between that last aspect and the entrance of the Moon into the next sign it is said to be void-of-course. Activities begun when the Moon is void-of-course rarely come to fruition, or they turn out very differently than planned.

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Planetary Movement: When a planet or asteroid moves from one sign into another, this change (called an ingress) is noted on the calendar pages with the exact time. The Moon and Sun are considered planets in this case. The planets (except for the Sun and Moon) can also appear to move backward as seen from Earth. This is called a planetary retrograde, and is noted on the calendar pages with the symbol r.

When the planet begins to move forward, or direct, again, it is marked D, and the time is also noted.

Planting and Harvesting Days: The best days for planting and harvesting are noted on the calendar pages with a seedling icon (planting) and a basket icon (harvesting).

Time Zone Changes: The times and dates of all astrological phenomena in this datebook are based on Eastern Time. If you live outside the Eastern Time zone, you will need to make the following changes: Pacific Time subtract three hours; Mountain Time subtract two hours; Central Time subtract one hour; Alaska subtract four hours; and Hawaii subtract five hours. All data is adjusted for Daylight Saving Time.

Planets [ @ O T N M R

Sun Moon Mercury Venus Mars Jupiter Saturn

Signs S P q V

Uranus Neptune Pluto Chiron

1st Quarter/New Moon R 2nd Quarter F

F Tuesday

1st G 2nd quarter 4:01 am @ v/c 4:01 am @ enters h 9:30 am R r 10:14 am Color: Gray

a b c d e f g h

Aries Taurus Gemini Cancer Leo Virgo Libra Scorpio

i j k l

Sagittarius Capricorn Aquarius Pisces

Motion r Retrograde D Direct

3rd Quarter/Full Moon S 4th Quarter B Day and date Moon’s quarter and sign Moon quarter change Moon void-of-course

Planting day

Moon sign change/ingress Planetary retrograde

Harvesting day

Color of the day

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Beginner’s Flying Ointment

by Kelden

W

e Witches are timeless. We have existed in the folklore of just about every culture across the globe. While that lore is always flavored by diverse cultural specifics, there is one aspect of Witchery that remains steady throughout: flight. Even today, Witches still take flight through practices such as pathworking, astral projection, and hedge crossing. When we travel in spirit and in mind, when we soar beyond our physical bodies, we participate in the folkloric heritage of Witch’s flight. While there are many tools, both folklorically and in modern times, to help a Witch facilitate their aerial journeys, some practitioners lean even further into the mythos of our sorcerous ancestors by making use of flying ointment.

In essence, flying ointment is a balm, grease, or oil that is believed to provide the user with the power of flight when applied to the body or some implement (such as a pole or broomstick). It has been referred to by many different names throughout time, such as the evocative unguentum sabbati—literally meaning “sabbath ointment,” referring to the ointment’s use in helping convey Witches to their nocturnal meetings. That being said, when exactly flying ointment was first developed is hard to ascertain. Like the figure of the Witch, flight-inducing unguents seem to have always been around in some form or another.

It’s purported that one of the earliest mentions of flying ointment can be found in Apuleius’s The Golden Ass, which was written sometime in 6

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the late second century. In the story, the protagonist, Lucius, witnesses another character, Pamphile, use an oil to transform herself into an owl before flying away.

Historical Recipes One of the earliest and most cohesive recorded recipes for flying ointment comes from Johannes Hartlieb’s book Das Puch aller verpoten Kunst, Ungelaubens und der Zaubery (The Book on All Forbidden Arts, Superstitions, and Sorcery) which was written in 1475. Hartlieb’s ointment contained seven different plants, each associated with a particular day of the week and its ruling planet. The recipe included borage (Sunday/Sun), honesty (Monday/Moon), vervain (Tuesday/Mars), spurge (Wednesday/Mercury), Jupiter’s beard (Thursday/Jupiter), and maidenhair fern (Friday/Venus). The seventh herb, associated with Saturday and the planet Saturn, was purposefully omitted by Hartlieb in order to prevent his readers from trying to recreate the ointment.

Hartlieb’s recipe noticeably lacks the poisonous, noxious, and macabre ingredients that would become common elements of flying ointment. Although, it’s interesting to note that Hartlieb left out the plant belonging to Saturn, as many of those classically associated with the planet are poisonous in nature. Examples of toxic plants that found their way into recorded recipes include belladonna, henbane, datura, mandrake, aconite, and hemlock. In addition to containing lethal alkaloids, many of these plants also possess powerful psychoactive properties—which can include sensations of flight. In 1486, with the publication of Heinrich Kramer’s Malleus Maleficarum, flying ointment took on an even more grizzly form. In his text, Kramer writes that the base of the mixture was composed of fat from the bodies of unbaptized babies. Following Kramer’s example, other writers cited ointment additives such as bat’s blood, black soot, and scraps of funerary clothes.

Modern Use While flying ointments may seem like a thing of the past, the subject was still being written about even hundreds of years later. The use of flying ointment appeared in early texts on the modern practice of Witchcraft, such as Paul Huson’s cult classic Mastering Witchcraft (1970). In his text, Huson writes about “sabbat oil,” including three different recipes, the first of which contains wild parsley root, celery root, poplar leaves, cinquefoil, and saffron.

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If you are interested in pursuing the use of flying ointment in your Craft, you may have many questions of where to get started. First and foremost, it’s important to understand the nature of flying ointment. Using flying ointment will not cause you to trip out or have mad visionary experiences.

Instead, it will help bring you into the trance state necessary for journeying.

You will likely find yourself feeling calm and spacey. Additionally, it’s common to experience a sensation of both sinking and floating simultaneously—this is the spirit body lifting from the physical body. The second thing to consider is whether you will be purchasing a premade ointment or crafting your own. Each option should be considered thoroughly.

Making Your Own Ointment Many Witches are inclined to concoct their own ointment, which some find to be a much more personal and magical experience, although this is not always true. The biggest concern with creating your own ointment is the handling of potentially poisonous ingredients without having the proper knowledge or training to do so safely. The good news is that poisonous plants are not required for an ointment to be effective or powerful. Plants like belladonna and mandrake have a long history of use in Witchcraft folklore, but there are several other plants that have both entheogenic properties and magical virtues of flight while also being nontoxic. The three most commonly used of these plants are the following: Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris): Belonging to a genus of plants named after the Greek goddess of the Moon, mugwort is magically associated with dreams and divination.

Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium): Similar to mugwort, wormwood possesses magical virtues that assist with second sight and spirit work.

Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea): Often associated with the Moon and Mercury, clary sage is said to specifically aid in clairvoyance and dream recall.

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T

F

S

S

7

12

13

B

19

20

R

5

Notes

Cold Moon

Sun enters Aquarius

26

27

F

2

3

4

9

10

11

29

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December / January 26 Monday 1st k @ v/c 1:19 pm Color: Gray

Hanukkah ends Kwanzaa begins Boxing Day (Canada and UK)

27 Tuesday 1st k @ enters l 2:34 am Color: Scarlet

28 Wednesday 1st l Color: Yellow

Omecihuatl is the Aztec goddess of creation, partnered with the god of creation, Ometecuhtli.

F Thursday 1st l @ v/c 1:21 am O r 4:32 am @ enters a 5:36 am 2nd quarter 8:21 pm Color: Green

Mercury retrograde until January 18

30 Friday 2nd a Color: Purple

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Set in Eastern Standard Time (EST)

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Heartwarming Split Pea and Ham Soup 1 T. olive oil 1 yellow or white onion, diced 2 sticks of celery, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 bay leaves 1 tsp. dried oregano 1 tsp. dried basil ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes ¼ tsp. salt ¼ tsp. black pepper 1 tsp. worcestershire sauce 8 cups stock (chicken or vegetable) 16 oz. dried green split peas 2 ham hocks Salt and black pepper, to taste Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add olive oil. Wait 1 minute, then add onion and celery. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Toss in the next 10 ingredients. Give everything a good stir. Put a lid on the pot and let simmer for 60 minutes. Carefully remove the ham hocks to a cutting board. Pull the ham off in chunks. Throw away the bone and add the ham back into the soup. Cook for an additional 15 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls. Serve with crusty, rustic bread. Serves 6.

—Gwion Raven

31 Saturday

2nd a @ v/c 7:44 am @ enters b 12:08 pm Color: Black New Year’s Eve

1 Sunday 2nd b Color: Orange

New Year’s Day Kwanzaa ends Set in Eastern Standard Time (EST)

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January 2 Monday

2nd b @ v/c 5:16 pm T enters k 9:09 pm @ enters c 9:44 pm Color: White

3 Tuesday 2nd c Color: Gray

For glamour and other illusions, use gray as a neutral base.

4 Wednesday 2nd c @ v/c 7:08 pm Color: Topaz

A vase full of oleander flowers is good for working on deeply buried emotional problems.

5 Thursday 2nd c @ enters d 9:15 am Color: Crimson

S Friday

2nd d Full Moon 6:08 pm Color: Pink

Cold Moon

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Set in Eastern Standard Time (EST)

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January Moon: The Unspoken

T

he first Full Moon of 2023 greets us on a Friday, the day of Venus, during the Wolf Moon. This marks a time when deep emotions swirl together.

While the people of North America used to believe that they heard wolves howling in the winter nights because of hunger, we now know that they also howl to communicate and express themselves.

You may feel a need to howl yourself.

What have you left unspoken after the holidays? What deep emotions lie within you that need to be heard, witnessed, and expressed? You may struggle, in the cold and dark, to even release the words clogged in your throat. Use the datebook as a journal and write down or sketch whatever jumbles out. Use these notes as a guide to meditation over the course of the month. Write down what you consider unsayable—and then how to say it.

—Diana Rajchel

7 Saturday

3rd d @ v/c 5:23 pm @ enters e 9:40 pm Color: Indigo

8 Sunday 3rd e Color: Yellow

During a blizzard, connect with animal spirits who hibernate for inner work.

Set in Eastern Standard Time (EST)

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January 9 Monday 3rd e @ v/c 8:52 pm Color: Gray

Hang dried heather for a peaceful home.

10 Tuesday

3rd e @ enters f 10:15 am Color: Maroon

11 Wednesday 3rd f Color: Brown

Ruled by Venus and water, bananas support fertility and marital bliss.

12 Thursday 3rd f N D 3:56 pm @ v/c 6:06 pm @ enters g 9:56 pm Color: Turquoise

Mars direct

13 Friday 3rd g Color: Purple

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Set in Eastern Standard Time (EST)

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B Saturday 3rd g 4th quarter 9:10 pm Color: Blue

Zethus is a famous hunter in Greek myth.

15 Sunday

4th g @ v/c 3:40 am @ enters h 7:08 am Color: Amber

Set in Eastern Standard Time (EST)

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