Witch Bitch (The book project)

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Contents Back in time Trip to the earths heart chakra LGBTQ+ The green witch Types of magick

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Types of Magick

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Types of Magick

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Attune themselves to the spirits’

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According to our legends, Witchcraft began more than thirty five thousand years ago, when the temperature of Europe began to drop and the great sheets of ice crept slowly south in their last advance. Across the rich tundra, teeming with animal life, small groups of hunters followed the free-running reindeer and the thundering bison. They were armed with only the most primitive of weapons, but some among the clans were gifted, could “call” the herds to a cliffside pit, where a few beasts, in willing sacrifice, would let themselves be trapped. These gifted shamans could Attune themselves to the spirits of the herds, and in so doing they became aware of the pulsating rhythm that infuses all life, the dance of the double spiral, of whirling into being, and whirling out again. They did not phrase this insight intellectually, but in images: the mother goddess, the birth giver, who brings existence into life; and the Horned god, hunter and hunted, who eternally passes through the gates of death that new life may go on.

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Male shamans dressed in skins and horns in identification with the god and the herds; but female priestesses presided naked, embodying the fertility of the goddess. Life and death were a continuous stream; the dead were buried as if sleeping in a womb, surrounded by their tools and ornaments, so that they might awaken to a new life. The spiral dance was also seen in the sky: in the moon, who monthly dies and is reborn: in the sun, whose waxing light brings summer’s warmth and whose waning brings the chill of winter. Records of the moon’s passing were scratched on the bone, and the goddess was shown holding the bison horn, which is also a crescent moon. The ice retreated. Some clans followed the bison and the reindeer into the far north. Some passed over the Alaskan land bridge to the Americas. Those who remained in Europe turned to fishing and gathering wild plants and shellfish. Dogs guarded their campsites, and new tools were refined. Those who had the inner power learned that it increased when they worked together. As isolated settlements grew into villages, shamans and priestesses linked forces and shared knowledge.

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The first covens where formed. Deeply attuned to plant and animal life, they tamed where once they had hunted, and they bred sheep, goats, cows, and pigs from their wild cousins. Seeds were no longer only gathered; they were planted, to grow where they were set. The hunter became Lord of the Grain, sacrificed when it is cut in autumn, buried in the womb of the Barley Mother, and the cycles of the moon and sun marked the times for sowing and reaping and letting out to pasture. Villages grew into the first towns and cities. The goddess was painted on the plastered walls of shrines, giving birth to the divine child – her consort, son, and seed. Far-flung trade brought contact with the mysteries of Africa and West Asia. In the lands once covered in ice, a new power was discovered, a force that runs like springs of water through the earth herself. Barefoot priestesses trace out “ley” lines on the new grass. It was found that certain stones increase the flow of power. They were set at the proper points in great marching rows and circles that mark the cycles of time.

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The year became a great wheel divided into eight parts: the solstices and equinoxes and the cross-quarter days between, when great feasts were held and fires lit. With each ritual, with each ray of the sun and beam of the moon that struck the stones at the times of power, the force increased. They became great reservoirs of subtle energy, gateways between the worlds of the seen and the unseen. Mathematics, astronomy, poetry, music, medicine, and their understanding of the workings of the human mind developed side by side with the lore of the deeper mysteries. Wave after wave of Indo-European invasions swept over Europe from the Bronze age on. Warrior Gods drove the Goddess peoples out from the lowlands and fine temples, into the hills and the high mountains where they became known as the Sidhe, the Picts or Pixies, the Fair Folk or Faeries. The mythological cycle of Goddess and Consort, Mother and Divine Child, which had held sway for thirty thousand years, was changed to conform to the values of the conquering patriarchies.

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‘ he church could no longer calmly tolerate rivals’ In Greece, the goddess, in her many guises “married” the new gods – the result was the Olympian Pantheon. In the British isles, the victorious celts adopted many features of the Old Religion, incorporating them into the Druidic mysteries. Christianity, at first, brought little change.

Peasants saw in the story of Christ only a new version of their own ancient tales of the mother goddess. The covens which preserved the knowledge of the subtle forces, were called Wicca or Wicce, from the Anglo-Saxon root word meaning “to bend or shape”. They were those who could shape the unseen to their will. Healers, teachers, poets, and midwives, they were central figures in the community. The chrsitian world was swept by messianic movements and religious revolts, and the church could no longer calmly tolerate rivals. In 1984, the Papal Bull of Innocent VIII unleashed the power of the Inquisition against the Old religion.

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With the publication of the Malleus Maleficarum, “the hammer of the witches”, by Dominicans Kramer and Sprenger in 1486, the groundwork was laid for a reign of terror that was to hold all of Europe in its grip until well into the seventeenth century. The persecution was mostly directed at women: Of an estimated nine million Witches executed, eighty percent were women, including children and young girls, who were believed to inherit the “evil” from their mothers. Misogyny, the hatred of women, had become a strong element in medieval Christianity. Women, who menstruate and give birth, were identified with sexuality and therefor as evil. “all witchcraft stems from carnal lust, which is in women insatiable”, stated the Malleus Maleficarum.

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Devils “marks”

Suspected witches were considered guilty until proven innocent. Common practices where to strip the suspect naked, shave her completely in hopes of finding the Devils “marks”, which might be moles or freckles. Often the accused were pricked all over their bodies with long sharp needles; spots the Devil had touched were said to feel no pain. In England, “Legal torture” was not allowed, but suspects were deprived of sleep and subject to slow starvation, before hanging. On the Continent, every imaginable atrocity was practiced- the rack, the thumbscrew, “boots” that broke the bones in the legs, vicious beatings – the full roster or the Inquisitions horrors. The accused were tortured until they signed confessions prepared by the Inquisitors, until they admitted to consorting with the Satan, which was never part of true witchcraft. Most cruelly they were tortured until they named others, until a full coven quota of thirteen taken. Confession earned a merciful death: strangulation before the stake.

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‘ he victims where elderly, the senile, the mentally ill... Homosexuals and free thinkers were caught in the same net.’

Recalcitrant suspects, who maintained their innocence, were burned alive. Witch hunters and informers were paid for convictions, and many found it a profitable career. The rising male medical establishment welcomed the chance to stamp out midwives and village herbalists, their major economic competitors. Witches themselves say that few of those tried during the Burning times actually belonged to covens or were members of the craft. The victims where elderly, the senile, the mentally ill, women whose looks weren’t pleasing or who suffered from some handicap, village beauties who bruised the wrong egos by rejecting advances, or who had aroused lust in a celibate priest or married man. Homosexuals and free thinkers were caught in the same net.

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‘ he destruction of cultures and wholesale genocide of Native Americans.’

This period was also the time when the African salve trade reached its height and the conquest of the Americas took place. The same charges levelled against the witches – charges of savagery and devil worship – were used to justify the enslavement of the Africans (who were brough to the new world, supposedly to Christianise them) and the destruction of cultures and wholesale genocide of Native Americans. African religions took on a protective cloak of Catholic nomenclature, calling their orishas saints, and survived as the traditions of Macumba, Santeria, Lucumi, and Voudoun, religions that have been as unfairly maligned as the Craft.

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Feminism

Since the decline of the goddess religions, women have lacked religious models and spiritual systems that speak to female needs and experience. Male images of divinity characterize both Western and Eastern religions. Regardless of how abstract the underlying concept of God may be, the symbols, avatars, preachers, prophets, gurus, and Buddhas are overwhelmingly male. Women are not encouraged to explore their own strengths and realisations; they are taught to submit to male authority, to identify masculine perceptions as their spiritual ideals, to deny their bodies and sexuality, to fit their insights into a male mould. Mary Daly, author of beyond God the father, points out that the model of the universe in which a male God rules the cosmos from the outside serves to legitimise male control of social institutions. “The symbol of the Father God, spawned in the human imagination and sustained as plausible as patriarchy, has in turn rendered service to this type of society by making its mechanisms for the oppression of women appear right and fitting.

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For example, many people have rejected the “revealed truth” of Christianity without ever questioning the underlying concept that truth is a set of beliefs revealed through the agency of a “Great Man”, possessed powers or intelligence beyond the ordinary human scope. Christ, as the “Great Man” can be replaced by Buddha, Freud, Marx, Jung, Werner Erhard, or the Maharaj Ji in their theology, but the truth is always seen as coming from someone else, as only knowable second hand. The symbolism of the Goddess is not a parallel structure to the symbolism of God the Father. The Goddess does not rule the world; She is the world. Manifest in each of us, she can be known internally by every individual, in all her magnificent diversity. She does not legitimise the rule of either sex by the other. In Witchcraft, each of us must reveal our own truth. Deity is seen in our own forms, whether female or male, because the Goddess has her male aspect.

Sexuality is a sacrament.

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‘ ur bodies as sacred, the changing phases of our lives as holy.’

The image of the Goddess inspires women to see ourselves as divine, our bodies as sacred, the changing phases of our lives as holy, our aggression as healthy, our anger as purifying, and our power to nurture and create, but also to limit and destroy when necessary, as the very force that sustains life. Through the goddess, we can discover our strength, enlighten our minds, own our bodies and celebrate our emotions. The Goddess is also important for men. Men our encouraged to identify with a model no human being can successfully emulate. Herb Goldberg describes this in The hazards of being male; “oppressed by the cultural pressures that have denied him his feelings, by the mythology of the women and the distorted and self-destructive way he sees and relates to her, by the urgency for him to ‘act like a man’.

The symbol of the Goddess allows men to experience and integrate the feminine side to their nature, which is often felt to be the deepest and most sensitive aspect of self.

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‘ ll acts of love and pleasure are My rituals. Sexuality, as a direct expression of the life force, is seen as numinous and sacred. It can be expressed freely.’

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The medieval Catholic Church elevated sexism to a point of principle: The Malleus declares, “When a woman thinks alone, she thinks evil.” The misogyny of the Church, if not proved by the witch-craze itself, is demonstrated by its teaching that in intercourse the male deposits in the female a homunculus, or “little person,” complete with soul, which is simply housed in the womb for nine months, without acquiring any attributes of the mother. The homunculus is not really safe, however, until it reaches male hands again, when a priest baptises it, ensuring the salvation of its immortal soul. The Church associated women with sex, and all pleasure in sex was condemned, because it could only come from the devil.

Witches were supposed to have gotten pleasure from copulation with the devil and they in turn infected men. Lust in either man or wife, then, was blamed on the female. On the other hand, witches were accused of making men impotent and of causing their penises to disappear. As for female sexuality, witches were accused, in effect, of giving contraceptive aid and of performing abortions: In Witchcraft, “All acts of love and pleasure are My rituals. Sexuality, as a direct expression of the life force, is seen as numinous and sacred. It can be expressed freely.”

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‘ edicine is part of our heritage as women, our history, our birthright.’

Witch-healers were often the only general medical practitioners for a people who had no doctors and no hospitals and who were bitterly afflicted with poverty and disease. In particular, the association of the witch and the midwife was strong: “No one does more harm to the Catholic Church than midwives,” wrote witch-hunters Kramer and Sprenger. Many of the herbal remedies developed by witches still have their place in modern pharmacology. They had pain-killers, digestive aids and anti-inflammatory agents. They used ergot for the pain of labor at a time when the Church held that pain in labor was the Lord’s just punishment for Eve’s original sin. Ergot derivatives are the principal drugs used today to hasten labor and aid in the recovery from childbirth. Belladonna – still used today as an anti-spasmodic – was used by the witch-healers to inhibit uterine contractions when miscarriage threatened.

Digitalis, still an important drug in treating heart ailments, is said to have been discovered by an English witch.

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The distinction between “female” superstition and “male” medicine was made final by the very roles of the doctor and the witch at the trial. The trial in one stroke established the male physician on a moral and intellectual plane vastly above the female healer he was called to judge. It placed him on the side of God and Law, a professional on par with lawyers and theologians, while it placed her on the side of darkness, evil and magic. Witch hunts did not eliminate the lower class woman healer, but they branded her forever as superstitious and possibly malevolent. Women have always been healers.

They were the unlicensed doctors and anatomists of western history. They were abortionists, nurses and counsellors. They were pharmacists, cultivating healing herbs and exchanging the secrets of their uses. They were midwives, travelling from home to home and village to village. For centuries women were doctors without degrees, barred from books and lectures, learning from each other, and passing on experience from neighbor to neighbor and mother to daughter. They were called “wise women” by the people, witches or charlatans by the authorities. Medicine is part of our heritage as women, our history, our birthright.

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T he R ed Tent

Meetings at the start of every lunar cycle as a designated space for women to rest, share stories and care for one another. The name comes from author Anita Diamant’s bestselling novel “The Red Tent” and refers to the biblical Jacob’s tribe and its women, who must, according to ancient law, take refuge during menstruation and births. Starhawk - “Instead of bleeding time being something as never held by the culture at large, now you have girls that have been brought up in the Red Tent and have been initiated into what it means to be a woman, and to tell stories.” She adds that in our #MeToo moment the Red Tent serves, as it has for many years, as a refuge from sexual harassment or trauma.

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She is quick to point out that the events are not political and not meant to be therapy, but a space to feel at home whether the event’s red fabric is spread above a kitchen, basement, community space or at a conference. Each Red Tent gathering is different, whether it’s practicing guided meditations, experiencing reiki, singing, or borrowing women’s consciousness-raising tactics from ’60s and ’70s feminists.

Red Tents are not a new idea, and as part of her interest in women’s spaces, Leidenfrost studied the early traditions of women’s menstrual huts, some of which still exist, including in parts of India, Africa, Pakistan, Latin America and some Native American cultures.

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The commercialisation of

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itch

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‘ agic’s purpose — implying that it is something to be consumed rather than accessed from within.’

A clothing store may not spring to mind as the go-to place for spiritual supplies, but chains like Urban Outfitters now sell smudge sticks, tarot cards, and healing crystals — and they’ve been at it for years.Fashion retailers aren’t the only ones commodifying indigenous spirituality and the occult. Customers can also find alternative religious goods at stores as mundane as Dollar General and Walmart. And those who prefer not to shop around for such products can sign up for witch and magical subscription boxes. As more Americans abandon organized religion, efforts to capitalize on the occult will almost certainly persist. But outcry related to this trend has recently grown louder, with pagans and people of color objecting to the idea that corporations can pass down their traditions. When word spread in September that Sephora planned to sell a $42 “starter witch kit” from Pinrose with perfume, tarot cards, crystals, and sage, it faced a backlash so fierce that the company pulled the product.

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‘ ow they’re not having access to this plant that’s acred to them’ Both practitioners and scholars who study the occult argue that corporate takes on these beliefs are shoddy versions of the real thing.They accuse businesses of bastardizing traditions and twisting magic’s purpose — implying that it is something to be consumed rather than accessed from within. But the more Herstik reflected on the starter witch kits and discussed them with others, the more her concerns grew. She disliked that they included sage, a plant that Native American groups have used in religious ceremonies for generations. Increasingly, indigenous tribes have spoken out about sage being over-harvested for commercial purposes.

“Now they’re not having access to this plant that’s sacred to them,” Herstik says. She also took issue with the fact that the witch kit did not include a book about the craft. Instead, it packaged objects associated with New Age beliefs, divination, and indigenous practices together in one box. Witchcraft can be practiced without any item in the kit, and many indigenous people and other practitioners who use sage for spiritual purposes don’t identify as witches.

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‘ he idea that you need physical things outside of your connection to yourself, nature, or the cosmos to be a witch is wrong.’

According to Kate Horigan, assistant professor of folk studies at Western Kentucky University, when folk traditions are appropriated, discrete belief systems are often lumped together. “What happens particularly with supernatural beliefs is that they are fragmented and trivialized,” she says.

“That to me is the bigger problem and what people tend to resent, the trivialization aspect, making light of something that is sacred. In the witch kit, you have a crystal next to sage, which are completely unrelated traditions, taken out of context and jammed together.”This mishmash of faith traditions is an offshoot of what occurs in pop culture. In film franchises, such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Nordic gods, African spirits, and Greek monsters occupy the same space, Horigan says. When this happens in the form of merchandise, it’s worrisome because customers may believe they’re buying something authentic.

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For millennia, different cultural groups have taken unique approaches to the supernatural. So authenticity stems from family customs, oral tradition, religious texts, historical records, or how effective a practice is for any one person. “There’s no such thing as a starter witch kit,” Herstik points out. “The idea that you need physical things outside of your connection to yourself, nature, or the cosmos to be a witch is wrong.” How witches practice magic depends on their own spiritual gifts, beliefs, and interests, Herstik asserts. It is not a one-size-fits-all tradition, another reason why the idea of a mass-produced witch kit has rankled practitioners. Witch kits and the like not only send troublesome messages to consumers, they also signal that paganism is not taken seriously in the United States, according to Tok Thompson, an associate professor of anthropology and communication at the University of Southern California. It gets particularly thorny when cultural appropriation is at play too. In additio n to Native American beliefs, traditions from people of colorsuch as hoodoo and santería, which sprang from the Yoruba faith Beyoncé has shined a spotlight on, are creeping into the mainstream. But the spiritual services and goods linked to them are often sold by white entrepreneurs.

At the start of this decade, for example, articles from the Wall Street Journal and CNN on hoodoo, an African-American folk tradition, described how white-owned businesses selling products related to the practice were earning more than $1 million in revenues.

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‘ dentifying as a witch is not the same for e veryone’ This trend even took place in the early 1900s, when white pharmacists started selling hoodoo goods to black customers based on their interest in roots, oils, elixirs, and herbs. By the 1970s, these shops began to shutter as blacks, many of whom had migrated from the rural South to Northern cities, distanced themselves from the practice. But now that interest in folk magic and the occult is on the rise, people of color from a variety of backgrounds say it’s hurtful to see corporations profit from these traditions, since their ancestors may have fought to follow their religions, been arrested for doing so, or practiced them in secret to avoid discrimination.

Brown University professor Adrienne Keene, who is of Cherokee descent and runs the Native Appropriations blog, called the Sephora witch kits “spiritual theft.” And discussing how Urban Outfitters sells bundles of palo santo, a tree from Latin America that’s traditionally used in folk medicine, journalist Cindy Rodriguez felt conflicted. “I’m Peruvian,” she says during an October episode of the Morado Lens podcast. “My parents are brujos…

Like this part of their lives that they kept on the low for many reasons, for safety, for shame, now it’s being taken on by other people, and they’re almost like owning it. ...I’ve been denying that part of myself so much, and now someone is selling it at a store.”

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Mecca Woods, “I don’t think making money is a bad thing,” Woods says.

“If you have corporations doing collaborations with witches, tarot readers, and astrologers, people who are trained and have been doing this stuff for years, I don’t feel there’s anything wrong with that. Where it starts to get tricky is when corporations try to remove the source of legitimacy, when they try to take shortcuts to making a dollar. That’s when you have situations like witch kits getting sold that have nothing to do with witchcraft.” IDENTIFYING AS A WITCH NOT THE SAME FOR EVERYONE Herstik came out in high school and also regards her Mexican mother as a witch but says her parent would never identify as such. In Mexico, witchcraft, or “charlatanism,” is illegal, though folk magic is widely practiced there. “You can’t buy books with the word witchcraft in it,” Herstik says her mother used to tell her. “That’s because she grew up in Mexico, where the idea of witchcraft is different. There are still witch hunts; people are still being killed, especially in different countries. You don’t want to be accused of being a witch. You can be killed; you can be ostracized.”

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A trip to the earths

H eartChakra

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T he Tor

The Tor is shrouded in myth and legend. Glastonbury is often identified as the Isle of Avalon, which is an islwe of enchantment and magic in celtic lore. Avalon is where the dead meet and move on to the next plane of existence.

Glastonbury Tor is believed to be the home of the Lord of the Underworld, Gwyn ap Nudd, as well as a place where other faerie folk live. An Arthurian legend tells that Guinevere was kidnapped by King Melwas and he took her to his stronghold in Glastonbury, which is believed to be the Tor. It didn’t take long for King Arthur to besiege King Melwas. Luckily St. Gildas arrived and convinced King Melwas to release the captive Queen, which he did and the two Kings resolved their differences.

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Another Arthurian tale is linked to the Holy Grail, which King Arthur and his knights quested for. It is believed that Joseph of Arimathea brought the Holy Grail to WwBritain after Jesus was crucified. Joseph arrived at Glastonbury at the hill just below the Tor, here he thrust his staff in the ground and rested. When he awoke his staff had become a Glastonbury Thorn bush. So Joseph buried the Holy Grail below the Tor at the entrance to the underworld. One mystery is the seven levels of terraces that encircle the hill.

It is not known whether these are manmade or natural. In recent years, people have seen mysterious lights from St Michael’s Tower.

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C hallice Wells

The Tor and other sites in Glastonbury have also been significant in the modern-day Goddess movement, with the flow from the Chalice Well seen as representing menstrual flow and the Tor being seen as either a breast or the whole figure of the Goddess. This has been celebrated with an effigy of the Goddess leading an annual procession up the Tor. Between two hills, the Tor and Chalice Hill, in Glastonbury, Somerset, there is an ancient Spring that flows from the ground in the valley. This is the Chalice Well, sometimes called ‘The Blood Well’, whose waters constantly flow at 25,000 gallons per day (13650 litres) and at a constant temperature of 52 degrees Farenheit (11 degrees centigrade).

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Tennyson wrote, ‘The island valley of Avalon, where falls not hail, or rain, or any snow.’ Water diviners and specialists have reported that the Spring has a ‘primary’ origin coming from deep within the earth. The dowser Sig Lonegren has dowsed many sites around the world and says, ‘The water doesn’t come from above. It comes from below and so is not dependent on rainfall and begins its existence deep within the bowels of our Mother, the Earth.’ The Spring has never been known to fail and in the dry years of 1921-22 it was the sole means of saving the whole town from drought.

Water issues from the spring at a rate of 25,000 imperial gallons (110,000 litres) per day and has never failed.

Iron oxide deposits give water a reddish hue, as dissolved ferrous oxide becomes oxidized at the surface and is precipitated. Like the hot springs in the nearby city of Bath’s Roman built baths, the water is reputed to possess healing qualities.

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Ley Lines It is said that Glastonbury is a major intersection of Ley-lines. Ley lines are lines that crisscross around the globe, like latitudinal and longitudinal lines, that are dotted with monuments and natural landforms, and carry along with them rivers of supernatural energy. Along these lines, at the places they intersect, there are pockets of concentrated energy, that can be harnessed by certain individuals. As for their supernatural component, the ley lines mystery deepens when it’s revealed what they connect. Along the ley lines lie the Great Pyramids of Giza, Chichen Itza, and Stonehenge, all wonders of the world that continue to surprise archaeologists today. Perhaps their presence on the ley lines, near to the energy pockets could explain their inceptions, all of which defied the laws of architecture at the time.

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These electrical currents are also known as Mother Earth’s veins. We are connected to Mother Earth through the subtle electrical current that runs around the entire planet. Just like we have veins that flow in and out of the heart, Mother Earth has Ley Lines, which are lines of energy that coil around the earth in a similar fashion as a strand of DNA. In fact, where the Ley Lines intersect are believed to be high points of energy or high concentrations of electrical charge. These Ley Lines are also said to be able to take information or energy from these higher vibrational points and carry them around the world, spreading knowledge and wisdom to all inhabitants.

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Conversations

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In a crystal and witch craft shop, a customer to the shop keeper “I went up to Glastonbury tor on equinox, there weren’t many people around, only a few drummers. And we just sung in the tor, i never sing that loud, i hadn’t even had a drink or a spliff but i just felt to.”

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In a crystal and witch craft shop, talking to the shop keeper “Glastonbury is a very spiritual place, as its the heart chakra of the earth, as well as being on ley lines. So there’s all these spiritual energies. Alot of people come looking for something, wether it be spiritual or... they either find what thier looking for or thier screaming and shouting, needing to get out”.

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Talking to a divinator, living in glastonbury What drew you to Glastonbury?

I heard the legend of how Jesus was brought here by Joseph of Arrhythmia and that there was a huge zodiac visible from above laid out upon the land. That Glastonbury was the Heart Centre of the world. So I came in my teens, 7 full moons in a row and had a great time.

Do you feel that there is a different or more powerful energy in Glastonbury?

Yes I do its subtle but ‘the veils are thin’ here. Also the Tor is a leyline convergence point.

Avalon exists also in a parallel world and going back hundreds of years the world of Fearie has been felt here.

Why do you think people of a more spiritual thinking are drawn to Glastonbury?

The legends pull people here.

This a place of healing and transformation a portal to other worlds. The Heart Centre of the Earth here.

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Can you expand abit on what you mean by portals?

Let us say that there are parallel realities existing in different frequencies. The world of Faerie for example populated by faeries, elves etc. can more easily be experienced here (perhaps on mushrooms!) also the faerie or elf in a person may shine through more easily in Avalon.

Portals are also something that can be opened by witches who create a cone of power which generates an energy field that allows for creatures celestial or demonic to cross over into this plane of existence. Also Avalon itself in its highest level is a grand portal of Light a place where for some reason divine light fills the atmosphere on subtle levels. Portals are doorways, we each have one between our eyebrows. The tilaks worn by asians signify this fact but few know its real meaning.

Science tells us that if energy concentrates beyond a certain level space time curves and a black hole forms which is a Portal to another reality.

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They exist in galaxies, can be generated locally or within an individual. It is not for everyone to experience these extraordinary phenomena but in each generation it is the destiny of a few to keep the ancient knowledge alive. Psychedelics help with this. Entering a Portal more often than not involves travelling at speed down a tunnel and coming out in a different reality.

Do you have any connection to the chalice wells or the tor?

Yes I do I love the Tor and the veil is very thin around both places. The water from the Chalice is proven to have healing properties.

What drew you to start tarot card reading?

I discovered it in my teens and was amazed at how accurate it could be as I progressed I gave readings more but used the Tarot less.

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What has tarot card reading brought into your life?

A way to communicate subtle issues using the archetypes.I have been able to help people and also generate an income.

When it comes to divination a good reader can read from anything . The power to see meaning in the chaos comes from the reader and not the tools.

Do you practice any other kinds of divination?

I give LIfe Readings now which are an evolution from Tarot Readings I did in the past. These readings aim to bring about breakthroughs in long standing issues and to point out the true Self as distinct from who we think we are. Divination tools like Tarot etc. are tools and what is important is the degree of inner knowledge of the person using them and that varies a lot! I do these reading because I have realised something important about Life which when communicated helps people in a real and lasting way.

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Have you met anyone who identifies as a witch?

Yes What do you think it means to be a witch?

There are two kinds. White and black putting it simply.

Both use various kinds of magik to generate results. It is the motive which distinguishes the white from the black. A good witch can hold power, create power, honours love, serves the goddess and the people.

There are many so called witches in Glastonbury but the real ones have achieved some level of Self Knowledge without which magic is not possible.

Thankyou to Tim Williams

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Throughout time...

While a modern reclaiming of witch craft is about women taking back neo-pagan religions like Wicca from the men who made them. These late 20th-century feminist reclaimings often still grounded witchcraft in cisheteronormative gender binaries. While the ‘lady witch’ archetype is empowering to some, it erases the queerness in many of the disenfranchised practices New age witchcraft grounds itself in. Two spirit, for example is a pan-indian term coined in 1990 to describe the social title given to members in the community who fullfill a traditional “third gender” role.

In Yoruban-based spiritualities across the transatlantie slave trade diaspora, from Candomble in Brazil to voodoo in new Orleans, guardian spirits (or Iwa and Orishas like Eshu-Elegbra, Olokun, Abata, and Inle) are often depicted as gender-fluid, intersex, homosexual, or androgynous.

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Forced assimilation to Christianity then transformed them into more binary, heteronormative, cis deities. None of the aforementioned is synonymous with withcraft to be clear.

But for those who do identify with the term, it’s powerful to learn of the rich queer history in spiritualities around the world. The multiplicity of tradiitions offers seekers inclusiviity and fluidity and spirit-centered and magick-based rituals that can be adapted to the needs of each practitioner, while bringing together both ancient and future-forward spiritualities, accepting of all, without judgment or limitiation.

The folks turning to modern witchcraft were often made to feel othered, ostracized, or excluded from more mainstream faiths. Ultimately in witchcraft they find a more accepting, diverse, empowering collective - to call their own.

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‘ he term ‘faggot’ came from the bundles of sticks that witches... were burned on.’

Those accused of witchcraft were generally those that didn’t fit the norms of the gender binary, including LGBTIQ+ people and poor older women discarded by society. The gender statistic for these witches varied from country to country. For example, in England and Germany most of the victims were women, whereas places like Iceland almost all were men. Much of the derogatory terminology about homosexual men in the English language evolved from early modern witch hunts. The term ‘faggot’ came from the bundles of sticks that witches and other heretics were burned on; ‘fairy’ was initially another name for witch; ‘buggery’ stems from bulgarus, the Latin term for Bulgarian, due to their rejection of traditional Christianity.

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Margaret Murray was an archaeologist, folklorist and feminist activist who developed what is now known as the Murrayite witch-cult theory during the First World War. She posited that the early modern witch trials were in reaction to the continuation of pre-Christian pagan traditions that authorities wished to stamp out. She described a religion based around the worship of a horned god who had become associated with Satan, but also included elements from other pagan contexts. She focussed on figures such as Joan of Arc, suggesting that Joan was not a martyr for Christianity but for paganism. In The Witch-Cult of Western Europe, she suggests that Joan was a member of the Dianic cult and that Joan’s male attire was an outward sign of that faith. The modern iteration of Dianic Wicca (based on female-centred goddess worship) was developed in the 1970s and has a large membership of queer women.

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Arthur Evans

Witchcraft and the Gay Counterculture relays a truly nauseating genealogy of homophobia, describing how the evolution of Christianity actively denigrated bodies, resulting in draconian demonstrations of bigotry. At times Evans pursues this story through readings of judicial transcripts and papal edicts; for example, when examining the fates of Joan of Arc and Gilles de Rais. Although supposedly charged with heresy, Evans argues that their trials were based on accusations of cross-dressing and homosexuality. In this secret history, the persecution of gay people was not simply the result of social superstition, but the purposeful eradication of a form of sensuality that posed a threat to an emergent social order intent on regulating its subjects through guilt and the dissolution of class solidarity. For Evans, magic was the common currency of the people. It bound them to the land as it bound them to each other, and it offered a form of resistance to a state guided by religious doctrine.

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For Evans, magic was the common currency of the people.

It bound them to the land as it bound them to each other, and it offered a form of resistance to a state guided by religious doctrine. His writing is underscored by the prospect of an ‘old religion’, a loosely defined, but ultimately redemptive and polytheistic composite of goddess worship, ceremonial transvestism, nature cultures and Bacchanalian revelry. Evans suggests that magic is an

‘inherently collective activity, depending for its practice on group song, dance, sex and ecstasy’. His utopianism is unfaltering, as is his belief in the necessity of hidden collectives for providing the marginalized with pastoral support and the opportunity for self-care. As we move into a period that will once more be marred by the prying malevolence of the witch hunt, Evans’s treatise teaches the value of reflecting on painful histories whilst imaging ambitious inclusive futures, or, as he’d probably prefer to put it, ‘re-learning to talk to both the worms and the stars’.

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R adical Faeries

Radical Faeries were devoted to challenging the status quo, and to queer liberation. Though decentralized and lacking much structure at all, they are all universally dedicated to freedom: politically, artistically and sexually. You can trace the origins of the Radical Faeries as far back as the early free love movements that followed the Civil War. Starting in the 1960s, countercultural radicals began experimenting with more spiritual and sexual ways of life. Those lifestyles were adopted by free thinkers like Harry Hay, previously an organizer with the Communist Party and Mattachine Society.

And then there was Arthur Evans, an activist in San Francisco who created a mishmash of mythologies to lead prayer circles inspired by Greek and Pagan gods in his Haight Street apartment in the mid-’70s.

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Informed by a Marxist, feminist, anarchist political perspective, and a goddess oriented, earth energy , neo- pagan spiritual sensibility, radical faeries quite consciously rejected the growing gay assimilationism that developed in North American urban centers in the 1970s.

The faeries appealed to those gay men who most decidedly did not feel "just like anyone else except for what we do in bed" to "come home" to gatherings of the tribe in rural settings. There they could find sanctuary , commune with nature away from the distortions of the urban environment, share feelings and ideas about the nature of the sexual "other ," and wear dresses in the woods. The faeries celebrate the differences that separate gay people from heterosexuals. While some faeries, borrowing from the separatist feminist sensibility , wanted to live as far as possible from the mainstream culture in order to nurture the spirit, study magical arcana such as witchcraft, and be free to “view the world askance,” other faeries came from a tradition of fierce political activism and were determined to make the larger world safe for gender variance and sacred sexuality by challenging patriarchy and altering the consciousness, mores, and laws of the land.

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The HIV epidemic has not, as was feared by some, brought about the demise of the faerie phenomenon.

Indeed, the faerie movement continues to grow. While it is true that some of the “founding faerie fathers” held gender specific and essentialist views that now seem exclusive and discriminatory , the faerie movement has actually been more inclusive than many people realize. People of all genders and orientations now find and identify themselves as faeries.Finally , faerie culture is both evolving and evanescent. There are as many definitions of the faeries and their movement as there are faeries to ask. What is certain is that the faerie experience has enhanced and sometimes profoundly changed the lives of many LGBTQ+ people.

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“ F rustrated with the L imitations of P atriarchal religion.”

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There is a story about a group of lesbians in Wolf Creek, Oregon, who in 1974, created a magazine called Womanspirit, which was a witchy combination of spirituality and feminism. According to Kristen J Sollée – the academic who recounts this history and brilliantly self-describes as an “occulture slut” – the people who created the magazine were part of the women’s liberation movement and were “frustrated with the limitations of patriarchal religion.” They saw witchcraft was a way to build trust with one another in their lesbian separatist pseudo-cult. Sollée traces this tradition of witchery as political power through to 2017, when a group of witches called the Yerbamala Collective decided to hex Donald Trump. “Complacency is anti-magic,” they wrote in a poem, “witches of all genders ride now”.

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A ll kinds of love can be viewed as

p ure and holy!”

Amelia Abraham - a queer person myself, despite not being particularly spiritual at all, I have even somehow found my way into a coven. Named Sisters Of The Sanitary Cloth (a half-joke of a moniker), it’s basically a Whatsapp-cumsupport group for 13 women in London. It reached its supernatural apex for me when we met up under a full moon one night to cast some spells on a lesbian-identified member of the group who had been having trouble conceiving a baby via IVF. Just weeks after the hex, she finally became pregnant. A true act of sorcery, it converted me into a believer.

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“What really drew me into witchcraft was how it didn’t focus so much on making everyone live under the same rules,” says Antonina, who is 19-years-old, queer, and a self-labelled witch. She moved to the UK from Bulgaria, where she was raised around Christianity, and finds witchcraft to be a more welcoming form of spirituality, pointing out that you don’t have to be straight, cis, or be part of the gender binary to practise. “Sexuality isn’t treated as a taboo, there’s no shame around it as there is in other religions,” she says. “As long as you aren’t harming anyone or anything you can live how you want to and I think that’s so important for individuality and freedom of expression.

All kinds of love can be viewed as pure and holy!”

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“Because witchcraft describes a composite series of practices, rather than a single formalised religion in itself (there are various religions which incorporate witchcraft, such as Wicca and some forms of Paganism) there is space within witchcraft for more diversity of belief and practice,” says Alice Tarbuck, from Edinburgh, who co-teaches a course called ‘Toil and Trouble: Towards a Responsible Witchcraft’. According to her, the reason witchcraft has traditionally been so inclusive is that it has always been diverse, full of small and differing groups, meaning less emphasis on overall coherence.”

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Queerness is

“

magical, right?”

For London band Dream Nails – who all identify as queer and as witches – they joke about barely knowing where to start on the overlap between the two. “I mean, other than the dancing naked in the woods under the full moon with a bunch of other women?” laughs vocalist Janey, “Queerness is magical, right?” She says that, for her, witchcraft feels queer particularly because of its history. “The label ‘witch’ was branded on a person (usually a woman) who transgressed gender or sexual norms, or who challenged traditional power and knowledge structures,” she says. “It’s about prioritising self-knowledge and power rather than relying on structures of patriarchy and capitalism that are designed to crush you. Witches are the original punks.”

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“State persecution for hundreds of years is something that both queer people and witches have in common,” she says.

“There’s got to be another reason why so many witches never married, preferring the company of other ‘single’ women instead… Many witches rejected, and continue to reject, compulsory heterosexuality. For that they have historically been punished,” she says, pointing out that many people who reject heteronormative choices are still punished today. Punishment seems to be a recurring topic with all of the witches I speak to. Being different or opposing power structures – whether that was as a Salem woman who does not fit into the puritanical standards of the day or as an LGBTQ+ person living under a homophobic, racist, and transphobic president in 2019 – can ultimately result in marginalisation and oppression. Yet experts and practising witches alike believe that witchcraft can, despite the historical persecution of witches, provide queer people with a weapon to use against power structures, or a source of power in itself.

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Throughout Becoming Dangerous, many of the stories by queer people focus in on the self-care as warfare aspect of witchcraft that Ortiz touches upon, but also – as the title of the book suggests – highlight the notion of witchcraft as a way of becoming rather than being. They talk about the occult as non-essentialist, as fluid. Perhaps this is why a lot of trans people see intersections between their trans identity and witchcraft. A UK based witch called Avery Edison describes in Becoming Dangerous how, for her, at school, experimenting with Wiccan was a way to try on an identity as part of her journey to figuring out who she was (at the time, she hadn’t realised she was trans). Another writer, a Latinx witch called Mey Rude, talks about using spells as affirmations to boost her confidence and accept her trans, plus size body.

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“ itchcraft of any kind is yourself, tapping into your p Emilia Ortiz. “It can also be a power when it comes to you been oppressed throughout varying in the degree, while celebrated in some cultures regarded as highly spiritually a bi/pansexual woman, it has be a witch. To operate on a just sexually? To be able to converse with my guides for able to cast love spells on m with the parts of me that so against me? That has been s for me.”

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about empowering power, your gifts,” confirms about finding your personal ur oppressor. LGBTQ+ have the world for centuries, also being accepted and s (including being y connected). For me, being s been so empowering to spectrum energetically, not tap into my intuition and r safety purposes? To be myself so I could fall in love ociety tried to weaponise so powerful and healing

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“ itchcraft is about drawing from and r econnecting with the internal, the pre-existing strength that is absolutely within us all.”

She also points out that witchcraft has many rituals rooted in the practices of indigenous peoples of various colonised places – “cleansing with white sage is, for example, a practice that originates in indigenous cultures and has been appropriated by white Western witchcraft,” she explains.

However, with education, and with care as to what practices are incorporated, these negative aspects can be minimised, says Tarbuck. She believes that witchcraft must be intersectional and post-colonial to operate, that it should not be a space of judgement or further outcasting. Overall, however, a more inviting ethos does seem to make modern witchcraft feel welcoming for LGBTQ+ people, who are harnessing it as yet another way to question the status quo.

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It seems that, as more and more LGBTQ+ are discovering witchcraft through the internet, in trying political times, they are finding witchcraft to be a valuable form of political resistance – just like the lesbians in Wolf Creek, Oregon, and the Yerbamala Collective who decided to hex Trump. Being witches is a source of power,” says Dream Nails. Anya describes it as “a mystic energy we use to keep going despite all the forces working against us as queer women making music,” adding: “We don’t write songs, we write hexes!” Lucy, the drummer concludes that it’s about embracing the punk attitude, the outsider status, the individual: “Witchcraft is about drawing from and reconnecting with the internal, the pre-existing strength that is absolutely within us all.”

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‘[Being ueer and too is sacred’

Trans]

A 2015 survey found that one in five trans people who had ever participated in a faith community experienced rejection in that space. And, while we don’t know much about trans people’s religious faiths, a Pew survey of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people found they are twice as likely to be part of non-Christian religions as straight people. Raven Kaldera, a shaman and writer who I reached on his homestead in rural Massachusetts, says these days, trans and queer people are to the point of seeking more than tolerance or the absence of outright bigotry in spiritual spaces. “For trans folks, we need more than just, ‘well, [you’re’] not evil,” Kaldera says.

“We need, ‘[Being queer and trans] too is sacred, a sacred way of being in the world.’”

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Kaldera, who follows a Norse shamanic tradition and teaches workshops about paganism and sexuality, also initially came to paganism through a near-death experience. While he was in the hospital, he had a vision of goddesses that he says have been with him ever since. He is trans and intersex, and he came out about that after he began exploring pagan shamanism. “I kept seeing stuff about people who were in between genders, people who were in between male and female,” he says. “I saw myself in that, and saw that I am just another bigendered shaman in a very long tradition. “We are recreating a shamanic tradition that was killed off 1,000 years ago.” Because neo-pagan traditions like Wicca and Kaldera’s mode of shamanism have only been around in this form for the last few decades, they remain flexible. LGBTQ+ people can write ourselves into them, be a part of their creation.

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Austen Smith, who was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. Thier daily practice is grounded in rootwork, or hoodoo, an African-American southern magic tradition. While Wicca is often associated with European neo-pagan traditions like the ones Raven Kaldera associates with, witches and people who practice magic have a rich history in African diasporic cultures, one that is also often based on resisting Christian hegemony. They were raised in the Black southern Baptist church, and had relatives who spoke in tongues and feared all things pagan and witchy. But they were unable to connect with their own spirituality until after they’d come out as trans and nonbinary a couple years ago. “When I came out and started hormones and became more in tune with myself, that was the key that unlocked my ability to manifest things, to receive it and be grateful for it,” Austen says. “It was this circle: the deeper I go into myself, the better I am at connecting to the universe, and other humans, and the earth. That’s a lot easier now than it was before I knew that I was trans.”

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“I have ideas about spells to protect frontline activists, and spells that can heal people who are in direct contact with law enforcement, or people who are in racist environments, or people who are trans or gender nonconforming being in spaces that are not welcoming,” says Austen, adding that all of this came to them through dreams and automatic writing. “I think where that’s leading is developing a spellbook or some kind of text that can help people: POC, queer, trans, non-conforming, people with intersectional identities.” Magic or magick is often defined as beliefs, actions or efforts undertaken to bring about change in the world. And it strikes me that trans people, as Raven Kaldera says, are shapeshifters: we bring about change in our own bodies and identities, and in the worldviews of the people around us. On top of that, many of us have had to push for change just to survive the situations we were born into. So perhaps we are already expert practitioners at magic, because magic has been a part of our survival for a long time.

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G REEN

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The Green Witch

How are ancestors where connected to the earth

Our oldest ancestors lived in this world, sharing an intimate connection with the Earth and the elements. They received information directly from the natural world and its continually turning seasons. Through the bounty of the Earth and the forces of the rain, sun, air and fire, they participated in the natural cycles of life. They harvested the Earth’s wild abundance to make food and medicine, and they worked with the Earth intentionally to create growth through crops and live stock. In the millennia before what we’ve come to call the information age, they learned what they needed to know about the world and its wonders from what their surroundings taught them. To survive their primitive circumstances, they had to pay attention.

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Ruins of ancient monuments around the world demonstrate the sophisticated knowledge that our ancestors gained from studying the sky. For example, the mayans incorporated observations of the cycles of the moon and Venus into their calendar systems. The old religion as we call it, is closer in spirit to Native American traditions or to the shamanism of the Arctic. It is not based on dogma or a set of beliefs, nor on scriptures or a sacred book revealed by a great man.

Witchcraft takes its teachings from nature, and reads inspiration in the movements of the sun, moon, and stars, the flight of the birds, the slow growth of trees, and the cycles of the seasons.

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W itchcraft can be seen as a religion of ecology.

Our relationship to the earth and the other species that share it has also been conditioned by our religious models.

The image of God as outside of nature has given us a rationale for our own destruction of the natural order and justified our plunder of the earths resources. We have attempted to “conquer” nature as we have tried to conquer sin. Only as the result of pollution and ecological destruction become severe enough to threaten even urban humanity’s adaptability have we come to recognise the importance of ecological balance and the interdependence of all life. The model of the Goddess who is immanent in nature, fosters respect for the sacredness of all living things. Witchcraft can be seen as a religion of ecology. Its goal is harmony with nature, so that life may not just survive, but thrive.

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There is no split between spirit and nature.

In spite of diversity, there are ethics and values that are common to all traditions fo Witchcraft. They are based on the concept of the goddess as immanent in the world and in all forms of life, including human beings. Theologians familiar with Judeo-Christian concepts sometimes have trouble understanding how a religion such as Witchcraft can develop a system of ethics and concept of justice. If there is no split between spirit and nature, no concept of sin, no covenant or commandments against which one can sin. Love for life in all its forms is the basic ethic of Witchcraft. Witches are bound to honour and respect all living things, and to serve the life force. While the Craft recognises that life feeds on life and that we must kill in order to survive, life is never taken needlessly, never squandered or wasted.

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“ hat you send, returns times over”

t hree

Serving the life force means working to preserve the diversity of natural life, to prevent the poisoning of the environment and the destruction of species. The world is the manifestation of the goddess, but nothing in that concept need foster passivity. Many Eastern religions encourage quietism not because they believe the divine is truly immanent, but because they believe he/she is not. For them, the world is Maya, Illusion, masking the perfection of the Divine Reality. What happens in such a world is not important. The goddess is immanent, but she needs human help to realise her fullest beauty. The harmonious balance pf plant/animal/human/divine awareness is not automatic; it must constantly be renewed, and this is the true function of Craft rituals. Inner work, spiritual work, is most effective when it proceeds hand in hand with outer work.

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Meditation on the balance of nature might be considered a spiritual act in Witchcraft, but not as much as would cleaning up garbage left at a campsite or marching to protest an unsafe nuclear plant. For witches justice is an inner sense that each act brings about consequences that must be faced responsibly. The craft does not foster guilt, instead it demands responsibility. “What you send, returns three times over”. We are all linked in the same social fabric.

Witchcraft strongly imbues the view that all things are interdependent and interrelated and therefore mutually responsible. An act that harms anyone harms us all.

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W axing and waning, Birth and death.

To Witches, as to other people who live close to nature, all things - plants, animals, stones, and stars - are alive, are on some level conscious of beings. All things are divine, are manifestations of the Goddess. The death of the grain in the harvest, or the death of a deer in the hunt, was considered a divine sacrifice, freely made out of love. Ritualistic and mythical identification with the sacrificing God honours the life spark, even in death, and prepares us to give way gracefully to new life, when the time comes for each of us die. Waxing and waning, birth and death, take place within the human psyche and life cycle. Each is to be welcomed in its proper time and season, because life is a process of constant change.

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The world view of witch craft is, above all, one that values life. The cosmos is a polarised field of forces that are constantly in the process of swirling into form and dissolving back into pure energy. Polarity, which we call Goddess and God, creates the cycle that underlines the movements of the stars and the changing of the seasons, the harmony of the natural world and the evolution within our human lives. We perceive the interplay of forces in two basic modes, the holistic, intuitive “starlight” mode of the right hemisphere and the unconscious; and the linear, analytic, conscious mode of the left hemisphere. Communication between conscious and unconscious, between Talking Self and Younger Self, and through the latter to the Deep self, the spirit, depends on an openness to both modes of awareness.

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Verbal concepts must be translated into symbols and images; unconscious images must be brought to the light of consciousness. Through open communication, we can become attuned to the cycles of the nature, to primal, ecstatic union that is the force of creation. Attunement requires sacrifice, the willingness to change, to let go of any point on the wheel and move on. But sacrifice is not suffering, and life in all its aspects, light and dark, growing and decaying, is a great gift. We do not believe in the goddess, we connect with her, through the moon, the stars, the ocean, the earth, through trees, animals, through other human beings, through ourselves. She is here, she is within us all. She is the full circle: earth, air, fire, water, and essence - body, mind, spirit, emotions, change.

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Enchanted woods

There is nothing more undeniably magickal than the vibrations one senses when among a sacred grove of trees, a cluster of beautiful vegetation that mysteriously emits an observable power and energy. Witchcraft has always been able to thrive in secrecy within these hidden, deep woodland wombs. In literature and fairytales, witches are often depicted as living in deep thick forests, the iconography of witchcraft forever linked with stories of dark and silent woods. In many cultural mythologies, the forest serves as a gateway to the spirit world; trees often form a natural circle or parcel of earth energy that concentrates the beauty of the locality and the force of elemental nature. These wonderlands contain an inexplicable force field - a well-known phenomenon all over the world, from the earliest history to the present.

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Ancient Greeks believed them to be portals that connect the sacred realms of the gods with the mundane world of humans, filling one with such compelling power that animals were (and are) sacrificed as offerings to this higher source.

The trees are also considered divine entities of ancestors, able to hold this space and contain the charge of these landscapes. Possibly due to Ley-lines in the earth, those who are energy-sensitive can feel a centralised magnetism when entering these dynamic vortices. Ley lines are the earths underground veins of life force, similar to the acupuncture meridians in Chinese medicine, or the nadir in yogic philosophy. A network of channels flows through the body, housing chi or prana, life force energy.

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These lines of energy are said to lie beneath all folkloric forests and enchanted groves. Magickal creatures and mythical beings are also said to make these sacred spots their home. Elders of villages, witches, sorcerers, healers, and shamans perhaps discovered these places in the distant past, sensing the force, realising opportunity for mystical activity.

Hallowed ground was then established, allowing seekers to channel the divine power for various purposes. Some say spells enchant an area where magick is said to thrive.

(Further shows why spiritual/ magick people are drawn to Glastonbury with key lines running through it and it being the heart chakra of the earth).

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Let M other Natures Energies F low T hrough Y ou

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If you can right now, sit by a tree. Go and find one in the garden, in a park, in woodland and sit right under it with your back tight up against the bark.

Close your eyes and let the energy from the tree and earth surround and embrace you. Soak up the energy and power with each intake of breath and accept the wisdom of the tree’s.

This is best done in solitude and silence, but forming a circle around the base of the tree with fellow witches allows the Magick of nature to penetrate those open and willing to make connection.

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C lear away the negative energy Some feel thier greatest connection to nature when thier by the sea, allowing the energies from the ocean and shore to pass through you, revitalising. Feel the sand between your toes and get that much closer to the flow of energy that connects us as living beings with everything that surrounds us. When you connect with nature in this way, visualise drawing this life energy into your own energy field . You can then direct it with clear intentions to help you heal, re-centre and re-focus. There is nothing better than fresh air, sunshine and the sea to clear away the negative energy that has built up inside you - it can feel like an uncomfortable fullness. It needs to be released, and the best way to do it is to be outside, letting mother natures energies flow through you.

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M agickal plants Plant magick is one of the oldest and most primary expressions of witchcraft. Having a deep connection to nature and its botanical language served early humans well, especially those attuned to the spirit world. Wisdom about the profound properties contained in the plant kingdom has been catalogued and cultivated by people since ancient times, to ensure all aspects of vegetation were properly proliferated. In addition to being used for food and medicine, plants are utilised for building art, weaving, ritual, and protection. Common benefits are ample, but magickal properties and enigmatic energies are also attributed to the earth’s flora.

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Trees, flowers, and herbs are the domain of “green witches” botanical alchemists and healers who integrate the power of plant life into their Magickal practice. Their wildcrafting ways are a result of deep communication with the spirits of plants to glean esoteric information for concocting potent oils, elixirs, incense and charms. Rituals of incantation and compounding ingredients produce blends for any desire.

Medicinal properties of plants also inspired psychedelic Magick. Medieval folk healers often used psychoactive herbs, which contributed to the stereotypical claims of witchcraft poisoning. Witches’ ointments were infamous for provoking dreamlike, hallucinogenic reactions for the purpose of flying, conjuring spirits, and shape-shifting. Manuscripts from early civilisations abound with recipes that include entheogen such as peyote, salvia, changa, henbane, belladonna, psilocybin, agaric mushroom, mandrake, and the blue water lily. Wether utilised as a form of healing, aid in spell work, or to open the mind and gain entrance into alternative realms, the magickal plant world offers humans numerous benefits and profound connection.

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Sacred Rocks

Stones are a natural source of magickal potency. These earth formations, as abundant and varied as plant and animal life, contain structures that harness, configure, and emit energy. From mysterious, megalithic wonders to pocket charms, the potent contents in stones have been primary sources of ritual in witchcraft, mysticism, and other cultural customs. For millennia, crystalline forms have been employed in the healing of every kind of mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health concern, due to their fluid ability to resonate, move and remove information, and amplify frequencies. Beginning in the Neolithic period, standing stones have been erected, typically in circles or other grid patterns, for ceremony, initiation, burial grounds, and as portals that hold and magnify celestial energies. They lay scattered around the British Isles, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

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Modern megaliths have popped up everywhere In the world.

The ancient architecture of such massive boulder installations is often found at the crossing of Ley lines, to contain and intensify energy. A magickal matrix is generated. It thins the veil between the spirit world and our physical reality, providing a dynamic and sacred laboratory for magick. Smaller and concentrated versions of the colossal energy enhancers are crystals and minerals. Crystals provide a more focused and undiluted capacity. With their diverse frequencies and organised structures, they can be used as transmitters of any kind of intention. They can pull and trap negative debris, malaise, or malformed thought from a place or a person. In turn they can transmit that collected dross. When formed into a polished ball they become scrying devices; as wands, they serve as healing tools. Using earths gifts of rock to channel and direct energy has been crucial to witchcraft, and has recently been embraced in an unprecedented manner, by mainstream and fringe communities alike, as metaphysical practices continue to flourish and evolve.

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K itchen witchery

Hearth and homestyle witchcraft certainly delight the senses: Imagine the sights and scents of a kitchen heaped with herbs, plants, broths, and brews, all over a cozy fire. This style of sorcery appeals to those who prefer the sympathetic, medicinal, and nurturing types of magick. While some witches have a propensity for fire, water or air activity, some are more naturally connected to the earth and tis abundant cornucopia of plants and animals. Blending all of these elements together in ones own dwelling promotes feelings of accomplishment and purpose. The kitchen becomes an extension of the person who runs it, infusing every creation with their essence, intention, and vibrational signature. Kitchens are traditionally feminine territory.

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In Many cultures, knowledge of edibles and their combined efficacy, preparation of nutrients for nourishment, and culinary flair has been perceived as handed down among or natural women for millennia. Eventually this became expected as domesticity, with forced routines. Women being relegated to the kitchen diminished cooking to be a mere necessity or chore. As fun decor (or possibly as an antidote to this oppression), the European kitchen-witch poppet, or hand made doll, was created. As a popular good luck charm, it kept dishes from burning and evil spirits out, and unintentionally served to empower women to consider themselves as sorceresses instead of servants. Modern witches use herbs and spices as ingredients for spells or teas and fresh flowers for ritual and celebration. Certain foods can be used to heal or bewitch. As witchcraft regenerates into a modern source of curating the wellness and vibrancy of oneself and others, the kitchen has once again become a place o alchemy. Fresh herbs are hung, stoves become alters, tools of the trade are collected, and recipes transform into spell work.

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he

oon

The Green Witch

The moon is a feminine symbol, universally representing the rhythm of time as it embodies the cycle. The phases of the moon symbolize immortality and eternity, enlightenment or the dark side of Nature herself. It might reflect inner knowledge, or the phases of man’s condition on earth, since it controls the tides, the rains, the waters, and the seasons.

It is the middle ground between the light of the sun and the darkness of night, and thus often represents the realm between the conscious and the unconscious. In astrology, the moon is a symbol of the soul, and in the horoscope it determines the subject’s capacity for reflection and adaptation. It also provides analogy for the stages of human development: the new moon is infancy, the crescent is youth and adolescence, the full moon is maturity and pregnancy, and the waning moon represents the decline of life, sleep.

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The witch and the moon have been close companions and coconspirators for thousands of years. Both cast spells, unveil truths, and make folks uncomfortable. Witchcraft has even been referred to as a “lunar cult”. As our planet’s only (natural) satellite, the moon connects us to the sparkling web of the infinite that we exist within. The moon, with its correlation to the seasons, assures us that change is constant. Witches, like the moon, cannot be controlled - but as symbols, they exert power. The moon correlates to water and all the bodily fluids: rivers, blood, amniotic fluid, the ocean, tears. While many witches are not women - and many women do not menstruate - there has long been a correlation between menstrual cycles and the moon.

Witches and the moon push the boundaries of what dominant civilisation tells us certain bodies should do, especially as they become powerful as they age. Witches exist in service to all forms of magick, not to men.

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The priestess is often thought of as a time keepers and the moon, a reliable clock. Magick has been traditionally enacted in the cloak of night, under the gaze of the “Queen of the Night”. Over the centuries, both have been subject to much misalignment. The way the patriarchy views women and femmes affects the way these emblems of wildness are interpreted. The moon has been blamed for mental illness by scholars since classical antiquity. Englands 19th-century Lunacy Act continued verbiage linking abnormal behaviour with a full moon. Contemporary astrologers caution folks not to do anything around a full moon. The word witch has been frequently used as a slur.

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W hat threatens power stirs up

f ear

Attributes of the feminine are often discounted, discarded, or destroyed. Silvia Federici, in 1998 book Caliban and the witch. Posits that the witch embodied all “that capitalism had to destroy:the heretic, the healer, the disobedient wife, the woman who dared to live alone…”

What threatens power stirs up fear. As witches reconnect to our intuition, we continue to rise.

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The connection between the witch and the moon is tied to the wisdom of the earth. Along with the tides, the moon’s gravitational pull throughout its cycle influences the moisture in plants, soil, and the water table. Farmers throughout history have practiced lunar gardening. Centuries ago in Europe, women traditionally were the planters, harvesters, and herbalists who new the effects of the moon intimately. Some herbalists steep their brews for one entire lunation before disseminating. In this political climate, herbal abortion recipes still circulate. consciousness.

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It represents

Birth, L ife and Death

For ancient peoples, the moon was used as a calendar.

Because the moon transforms as it shifts through its eight key phases every 29-and-a-half days, it was used to mark the changing of the seasons, and even the best time to plant or harvest crops. The moon was seen as more than just a ball of rock in the sky reflecting the sun’s light back to Earth at night. The moon was mysterious and inspired the worship of countless moon deities. Following moon phases can give you a deep sense of connection to the cycles of nature, boost mindfulness, and keep you working toward your life goals. If you are more spiritual, or follow Wicca, Witchcraft or other Pagan religions, the lunar cycle will be a big part of your practice.

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The moon is seen as the goddess, with the sun being the god, and each of the three main phases attributed to a particular phase within the goddess’ life. This is called the ‘Triple Goddess’. The Triple Goddess represents the full moon, the waning moon and the waxing moon, or sometimes known as the maiden, the mother and the crone. It represents birth, life and death, reminding us that everything in our world has a cycle, everything has a beginning, middle and an end.

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Our inner

f eelings and desires

In addition to representing the divine feminine, in spirituality, the Moon is also associated with enlightenment and illumination and our conscious and subconscious. After all, the Moon does shine down on us all and illuminates the dark. However, unlike the Sun, the Moon’s method of illumination is more subtle, relying on reflected light. This is important in Moon symbolism because you will often see associations between gentle, intuitive, and passive knowledge. Indeed, the Moon is believed to represent the type of knowledge that comes to us and insight, rather than the kind we can actively search for in the world. this connection to inner insight matches well with the association of the Moon in spirituality with our inner world.

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The parts of our experience that are not immediately obvious to those around us or even ourselves. Indeed, the Moon symbolizes things such as our inner feelings and desires, our shadow self, and things that we are yet to discover about ourselves. Yet, with the gentle illumination that the Moon brings, we can come to learn these things about ourselves and integrate them without too much strife.

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The basics of lunar magick a is new, we rest, recharge, an the energy that we need to cycle. As the moon waxes, li accumulate. Our actions and which is what we focus on w precision. The full moon is th harvest. It is the space wher practice gratitude, and make magick. The time of the wan work, subconscious reprogra ends. At the dark moon, we rest, and envision the seeds lunation (or series of lunatio embody and reflect - the ligh source. inside and out.

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are simple. When the moon nd regenerate, We call in plant the seed of our next ight and energy d attention do as well with discernment and he site of alchemy and re we gather with others, e any and all kinds of ning moon supports clearing amming, and tying up loose surrender, find closure, s of new worlds. Once the ons) is complete, we ht and vitality of our

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T he New Moon

The New Moon is dark because the Moon is so close to the Sun that none of the lit side of the Moon is available for us to see. We bask in the magical shadow of dark moon time. It’s presence may be detected because it occults stars behind it. The New Moon is a time to plant seeds. This is a time of new beginnings—the start of the lunar cycle and a great starting point for intention setting! Create your rituals around that which you want to expand. “The New Moon—the fertile dark, from which life springs anew. Unseen seeds swell and crack in the moist soil of darkness, rooting toward deep growth... This is a great time to manifest a dream, a longing wish or plant the seeds for a new project. As the Moon grows in light, so will your intentions you set during this time.”

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The New Moon promotes new growth and gives you a fresh start to the lunar month ahead. Starting a garden during this time helps establish strong roots in your plants and in yourself. Dirt work is always cathartic and grounding during this Moon phase.

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T he F ull Moon

When the Sun and Moon are in Opposition, It may sound like a conflict is brewing when we say planets are in opposition, and indeed, that is not unheard of, but for the most part, planets in this position (the farthest apart from each other in their respective orbit) some synergetic collaboration can occur. Ever hear the phrase “opposites attract?” Sure! This dynamic tension between the heavenly bodies have the power to pull the tides. When the Moon and Sun are in opposition, the Sun is so far away from the moon that the full face of our nightly companion is lit up.

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The Full Moon embodies self-expression and action! It represents completion, illumination and celebration. This is the apex of Moon phases, the mountain peak. We have traveled far, and now is the time to rest, and look back on our accomplishments, or at what we have left behind, as the case may be. The opposing energy of the Sun (ego, or self) and the Moon (inner-self, subconscious) can cause tension or even explosions of emotions. Because of this tension, this is a great time to express yourself creatively, and your rituals can reflect this. Burning intentions in fire or letting go of emotions that no longer serve you are often seen as Full Moon rituals.As the light of the Moon grows, we foster the things we hold dear, we tend the fires of our hearth. As the Moon grows dark, we release and let go. Cleanse the space, the mind and the body.

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Moon Time

The word “menstruation” derives from the Latin and Greek word for moon, mene. In Ancient Greece, physicians believed that the moon and the monthly menstrual cycle were linked.

During a woman’s period of menstruation, she was thought to be spiritually and mentally powerful. In numerous indigenous cultures, there’s a history of menses being linked to the new moon. In the Ojibwe tradition, menstruation is known as “moon time.” Traditionally, women take refuge at home during this time to rest and reflect. “Women have great power during their moons,” Patty Smith of the Leech Lake Band of Minnesota Ojibwe told Rewire News Group. “As they bleed, they are sloughing off the accumulated experience and stress of being a woman. Some of those experiences are painful or may contain negative energy, so we want to be careful that we don’t interrupt that process.”

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Thomas Buckley spoke to a woman from the Yurok tribe who said that moon time is a time of strength. It’s “the time when [a woman] is at the height of her powers,” she told Buckley.

“Thus, the time should not be wasted in mundane tasks and social distractions, nor should one’s concentration be broken by concerns with the opposite sex.” The women of the Yurok tribe also isolated themselves from men and family members during their moon time. They sometimes visited a “sacred moon time pond” where spiritual bathing rituals were performed. Women of the tribe believe that they were all synced with the moon in ancient times. According to the Yurok woman from Buckley’s article, if a woman from the tribe ever fell out of synchronization, she would “get back in by sitting in the moonlight and talking to the moon, asking it to balance [her].”

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T YPES

of

M AGICK

Types of Magick

W hat is M agick ?

A magick spell is a conscious, focused attempt to obtain a goal. A magick spell is a determined effort to control life, rather than to simply allow fate to take its course, When a spell is cast, it is as if an arrow of magickal energy is released and directed toward a target, to avert It, ensure it, or alter it. Magick spells take many forms, from the most spontaneous and minimalistic to elaborate, multi-day rituals.

They involve candles, crystals, herbs, flowers, perfume, and spices, as well as words of power. Specialized tools are incorporated, such as wands and chalices, and household items, like pins and needles. Spells exist from all documented eras and from all over the globe. No single culture has a monopoly on spellcasting.

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While spells are the brainchildren of human beings, magickal energy exists naturally and independently. There are words for this energy in many different languages: haras in Moroccan Arabic, gl in Chinese, mana in Polynesian languages, and ashe in Yoruba. These words refer to an intangible energy coursing through everything - living beings, objects, colors, numbers, sounds, and anything else you can imagine. For things to go well, this energy must flow harmoniously and provide power. This energy can be depleted, generated, replenished, and transmitted. It is contagious. Surrounding yourself witch objects, animals, and people possessing powerful energy automatically increases your own and makes your magick more likely to succeed. Every spell has two things in common a goal - the spellcaster’s desired result - and the spellcaster’s own personal magickal energy. These two components are crucial.

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A potropaic M agick

The word apotropair derives from the Greek root apotrépein, and is generally translated as "to ward off" or "prevent." Apotropaic magick is protection magic, intended to provide safety and deflect danger. It also serves as magical maintenance - preserving what is valuable and preventing loss. Apotropaic magick often takes the form of amulets: objects and images that are expected to radiate protective power, though objects are not essential. A spontaneous apotropaic spell may be cast by visualising oneself within a bubble of protection, similar to Glinda’s pink bubble in The Wizard of Oz. This bubble deflects curses and malicious spells, and provides safety. The most common apotropaic objects include images of fierce deities and stylized human anatomical parts. Prehistoric eye images, such as the Eye of Ra or the Neolithic eye goddess, ward off evil; their modern descendants, evil eye beads, continue to provide personal protection from unseen forces.

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Amulets shaped liked genitalia, such as Roman penis amulets, are believed to ward off dangers emanating from the afterlife by virtue of their profound life force, while hand- shaped amulets serve as magickal stop signs, arresting whatever evil approaches. Favored hand-shaped amulets that depict magickal hand gestures include the hamsa, the mano figa (fig hand), and the mano cornuta (horned hand). One can form the gestures as needed. but because danger is omnipresent an amulet provides a constant force, allowing one’s hands to be otherwise occupied. In the ancient world, images of fierce deities were used to ward off danger. The gorgon Medusa famously transformed all who looked upon her face into stone, stopping them in their tracks; her image is expected to reproduce that effect upon spiritual and magical danger.

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The gongoncion that depicts Meduais face was posted on homes and temples in the Mediterranean world. Likewise, in New Kingdom Egypt, images of the Egyptian god Bes were tattooed onto warren’s thighs - not dissimilar to the modern practice of tattooing images of Santa Muerte (Saint Death), a Mexican folk saint, on the backs of devotees. Religious medals serve a similar purpose - images of protective saints ward off trouble and provide protection. The Egyptians carved images of Bes and Taweret, the hippopotamus godess, onto beds to avert the dangers of the night. Other apotropaic objects include witch balls and spirit traps - both believed to be able to lure and entrap negative energy, low-level demonic entities, and perhaps even the intrusive souls of malefic practitioners. Witch bottles, ceramic jugs or glass bottles filled with magically protective items such as iron nails, pins, and urine, then capped and buried beneath doorsteps or fireplaces to radiate constant vigilance - were expected to protect against malevolent witchcraft.

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Witches' marks are another form of apotropaic magick, consisting of ritualized geometric markings etched into wood or stone, so as to protect inhabitants of a building. Found within barns, homes, and even churches, they are typically placed near openings - doors, fireplaces, and windows - so that no danger may enter. A "daisy wheel." the folk name for the most popular type of mark, also known as a hexafoil, resembles a six-petal flower and appears innocuous, compared to the fierce visages of Medusa or Bes, but these symbols are trusted to exert apotropaic power just the same.

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A ttraction Magic

Attraction magick - spells are intended to produce a magnetic effect. Attraction magick is fueled by the desire for life’s joys: love, romance, offspring, health, prosperity, money, and success. Attraction magick is based on the metaphysical Law of Attraction, the concept that like attracts like. Such spells rely on things that share an essence to magnetically attract each other, similar to the concept of wealth attracting wealth.Magnets, iron filings, and lodestones are popular spell items when seeking to draw something toward you, as is sugar, which is believed to have magical attraction powers. One must only approach the open door of a bakery to feel - or rather, smell - its magnetic pull. A folk-magick tip for attracting good company, customers, and auspicious people is to sprinkle a sugary path from the street to your door.

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Talismanic objects also are important in attraction magick, as they are believed to magnetically attract whatever their owner seeks, although the right charm must be chosen.

Famous lucky charms include horseshoes, four-leaf clovers, wishbones, and dice. Depictions of lucky creatures all bring good fortune, such as white elephants, ladybugs, fish, and spiders, which supposedly capture good luck in their webs and prevent its departure.

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Repulsion Magick

Repulsion or repelling magick is the opposite of attraction magick. Sometimes things or people must go. They need to be removed from a person's life or at least their vicinity.

While apotropaic magick seeks to ward off trouble and prevent it from happening, repulsion magic counteracts and repels danger that is already present, and includes banishing and cleansing spells. Innumerable things might require banishing, including bad neighbors, toxic relations, or people who prey upon the spellcaster or their loved ones.

There's also poverty, danger, and even illness, whose cause is frequently associated with harmful beings, whether viral or spiritual. Many rituals designed to remove diseases are essentially banishing spells.

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Oppressive thoughts, phobias, ghosts, and demons, whether personal or literal, may also be candidates for banishment. Banishing spells take many forms: from the mild to the wrathful, from simple to elaborate. While serious huntings may require professional help, many negative entities are kept at bay via botanical repulsion methods.

Smoke cleansing via sage is most famous, but smoke generated by plants such as lavender, rosemary, frankincense, and myrrh is also effective. The mere presence of wormwood, whether a living plant or its dried root, may be sufficient to repel unwanted spirits. Cleansing spells fittingly remove and repel unhealthy attachments, eliminating the spiritual debris absorbed during daily life.

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This debris resembles household dust that continually accumulates on furniture and must be removed on a regular basis. A tiny bit of this debris may cause no harm, but significant quantities can prevent an individual from achieving success. Cleansing spells often serve as a preliminary to any kind of spellcasting, removing anything that may block the spellcaster's personal power. They encourage healing from trauma or humiliation, serving to repel lingering traces of defilement. The simplest cleansing spells involve bathing, Adding vinegar, lemon slices, crystals, rose petals, and especially salt to a bath will automatically cleanse the aura.

More intensive cleansing spells may require immersion in the ocean or another living body of water.

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Sex M agick

The witch lives with an awareness of the subtle and the unseen. The witch exists in the liminal, and one of their most ancient secrets is the use of erotic energy, of the flesh and the sensual. The witch has always been, and will always be, connected to the sexual. It was one of the occult’s most (in famous figures, Aleister Crowley, who brought Eastern tantra to the West through his system of sex magick. Tantra, a school of Eastern thought present in both Hinduism and Buddhism, works with the taboo and the subversive as means of enlightenment; it also works with the idea of nonduality, of true union, as a means of transformation.

Through tantra, energy is raised through the body, with the intention of union with your partner as a representation of the union of god and goddess.

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Sexual e nergy is life e nergy

Sex magick, in its simplest form, is coupling visualization and intention-setting with the raising of sexual energy. This can be done solo, through masturbation, or with a partner or partners, Sexual energy is life energy; it is the energy of all creation because all life comes through sex. Witches don't turn their heads away from this ancient ritual, but honor.

It as a rellection of the divine power of nature. The witch stands in the temple of the god/dess of love and sex, peeling back the veil and calling forth an ancient song of songs, beckoning the erotic to be made manifest through the flesh. The power and magick of the witch doesn't reside outside of them; it doesn't belong to anyone else, or to any tool It is because of this that sexual energy is so powerful; it is not reliant on any outside circumstances, but is something that the witch can conjure up, strengthen, and share.

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P ossessed by the m agical and

erotic current

Crowley coupled his own definition of magick - “the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with the Will” - with Eastern practices, sexual energy intentional use of mind-altering substances and altered states of consciousness, to share his current of sex magick with the world. One such mind-altering substance, so-called flying ointment, goes back to the I4th century, when it was said that groups of European witches would gather and indulge in ritual with the Devil. These witches would allegedly anoint themselves with herbal preparations to be possessed by the magical and erotic current, which would also allow them to fly.

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The herbs used in the hallucinogenic or flying ointment often were poisonous, such as hemlock, deadly nightshade, datura, and others. It is said that witches would apply the ointment to the mucous membrane of their vaginas by using the handle of a broomstick, which is part of the reason witches believed they could fly, and came to often be depicted as riding on broomsticks. Flying ointment is still used by witches today, though the method of application is usually external. Herbal preparations have always been staples in the magik of the witch, and the connection of witches to love potions also holds truth. The ancient Egyptians used the flowers of the blue lotus to reach altered states of consciousness and perhaps to perform sexual rites.

This aphrodisiac is still adopted by modern herbalists and witches who want to enhance their own erotic energy.

Aphrodisiacs like damiana, passion flower, ginger, rose, and jasmine are one ancient form of magick available to those who want to connect to their own sacred sexuality. The earth is reeling with fertility and fecundity, all her plants and flowers beckoning forth magick and abundance, and this is one way that the witch finds inspiration for their own carnal magick.

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Red lipstick to transform, to mimic the V ulva

Many sex workers, like the hierodules or temple priestesses of the ancient past, are aware of the power of sexual energy that can be raised by creating an altered state of self. The power of red lipstick to transform, to mimic the vulva and the red petals of the rose, is another ancient form of sensual magick, dating back to ancient Mesopotamia, where insects, gemstones, and pigments were crushed and applied to the lips. Lingerie and fetish wear, color magick, perfume, and makeup are all aspects of glamour magick that may be used to enhance a sex magick ritual, or the energy of the one veiling themselves.

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Another way that modern witches are working with sex magick is through the guise of talismans, which can be paired with glamour by being worn or kept on the body. A talisman is an object charged with an intention to attract something (as opposed to an amulet, which is charged to banish or repel something). To charge a talisman, you raise energy that you then infuse into the talisman. You can do so through sex or masturbation, two of the most potent ways to imbue talismans with power, Smearing the talisman with sexual fluid once you’ve finished with your rite further empowers this object.

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W ater

Water is related to the west, the direction of sunsets and twilight and saying "so long.” It washes away all that no longer serves us, allowing us to dissolve and shed the shells we have outgrown. A cleanser and purifier, water is a common ingredient of spellcraft. Physically it removes debris, swirling in corners and cracks to dissolve cobwebs, dirt, dust.

In doing so it also spiritually replenishes, allowing our spaces and selves to gleam anew. It is the prime component of a potion or witch's brew, and may be magically ingested or externally applied. As an anointing element, water transfers blessings from the divine, whether poured over one's head or immersing the entire body. When we arise from the water in a ritualised manner, we are reborn.

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Our bodies are mostly made of water, and it flows through and from us as blood, sweat, saliva, tears. Water is also associated with the emotions, so its magick is connected to what we feel, sense, and intuit. It is said that dreams and archetypal imagery come from the realm of water, which is why witches may use a bowl of it for scrying, or seeing divinatory visions. It speaks in liquid language, and after a time, one may become fuent in its fuidity.

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M agical Baths

Taking a bath is a relatively accessible form of magick, because one doesn’t need to leave their home to cast this submergence spell provided there is a tub, of course, Going on a pilgrimage to visit a sacred body of water can be powerful, indeed, but a witch need not look any further than her own bathroom or backyard to engage in aquatic rites, The bathtub is its own chalice - a sacred vessel that holds life-giving fluid that simultaneously purifies and nourishes. It is a watery womb, a place to seek refuge and replenishment.

It is a cauldron, brewing and bewitching one’s body. It is a distillation chamber, vaporizing the unnecessary and leaving behind only the most concentrated, consecrated self.

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Like any good potion, a magickal bath often involves adding specific ingredients, such as herbs, lowers, oils, salts, or crystals a bar of soap with certain botanical properties or carved sigils is incorported into the ritual as well. A witch may bathe in the dark or surrounded by candles, but the atmosphere should provide a sense of solace. As Herman Melville writes, “Yes as everyone knows, meditation and water are wedded forever.” Some plan their ceremonial baths to coincide with certain phases of the moon, while others may choose to simply take one on an as needed basis. A soaking spell can be used for healing, protection, or manifestation. Water carries the intention with which it is infused. But whatever its purpose, magickal bathing is a practice that is elegant and intimate. One enters this liquid cocoon naked, and emerges even more pure. There are some witches who insist on draining the tub fully before rising, and some even go as far as insisting that they must air-dry rather than using a towel, so that the magick is fully absorbed in the skin. Regardless, a bath may be either a cleansing preparation for more elaborate spellcraft to follow, or a self-contained act of soluble sorcery.

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S krying andV isions

Our dreams can take us to the watery psyche, the plane of consciousness in which we may access libraries of divine knowledge, where wisdom resides in the form of etheric and symbolic information. From the old and obsolete English word descry, or "to reveal." To scry is to enter mysterious realms with keen awareness and intention. Ancient Egyptians were the first known practitioners of this, which they treated as an act of ceremonial magick. Scrying was also considered a sacred art form of prophetic divination in ancient Greece and Mesopotamia. For those seeking to access these realms, deliberate intention and a method of achieving a deeply meditative state is required. To achieve access to a Visionary state or what might call consider a divine consciousness requires commitment and focus.

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Sometimes various tools are used to assist in the practice of scrying The famous Elizabethan magician and astrologer John Dee, for instance, was known to possess both a rock crystal ball and a "shew stone", a black obsidian mirror which he was said to have used to connect with spirit world. The mirror, which is today in the collection of the British Library, was originally made in Mexico, where volcanic glass mirrors of the same kind were used by Aztec priests for summoning visions. In many cultures around the world, those who were considered shamans, witches, and sorcerers were believed to be able to consciously enter visionary states where they could experience vivid revelations. Water, oil, mirror obsidian, crystal, and other instruments of a glassy or reflective surface are also means by which to acutely enter this state of altered consciousness.

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Chinese adepts used cracked open eggs, pre-Hispanic civilizations used grains of corn, and ocher cultures use chalice of wine or oiled fingernails. In Greek mych, the Graeac Witches shared one eye (symbolie of the third eve), which they passed between them to see the future Enchanted, Fate-revealing mirrors served at spellbound companions to several evil fairy tale witches. Crystal balls are perhaps the most well-known symbols of conscious gazing, used by oracle, witch, or fortune-teller.

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Resources BACK IN TIME Los Angeles Times

Witches Of Scotland

Sophia Kercher

Claire Mitchell qc and Zoe Venditozzi

In the blood: How ‘The Red Tent’ became a rallying cry for women The Guardian Libby Brooks Nicola Sturgeon issues apology for ‘historical injustice’ of witch hunts The Guardian Libby Brooks Calls for Scotland to pardon witch-hunt victims gather pace

International Women’s Day 2022 Witches, Midwifes and Nurses: A history of women healers Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English Independent Melissa Whitworth ‘It’s still taboo, it’s still dangerous’: How modern day witches are reclaiming a dark history for feminism

The Spiral Dance Starhawk

TRIP TO THE EARTH HEART CHAKRA Great British Life

Nat Packer

Laurence Mcjannet

Nat

Under a spell in Glastonbury

Make a Pilgramige To The Spiritual Glastonury Tor

The Wild Hunt Liz Williams Glastonbury – “Pagan Central”

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All that’s interesting Katie Serena These Supernatural Lines Supposedly Connect The Universe Through Monuments And Landforms

LGBTQ+ Frieze

Frieze

Jamie Sutcliffe

Jamie Sutcliffe

What We Do Is Secret - The relevance today of Arthur Evans’s Witchcraft and the Gay Counterculture

What We Do Is Secret - The relevance today of Arthur Evans’s Witchcraft and the Gay Counterculture

Them

Them

Lewis Wallace

Lewis Wallace

Trans and Intersex Witches Are Casting Out the Gender Binary

Trans and Intersex Witches Are Casting Out the Gender Binary

Pitt Rivers Museum

Vice

Mara Gold

Moira Donovan

Beyond the Binary: Gender, Sexuality, Power

How Witchcraft Is Empowering Queer and Trans Young People

Radical Faeries

Hornet

John Harry Bonck

Matt Baume

Dazed Beauty

Radical Faeries Have Been Pushing Queer Boundaries for More Than 40 Years

Amelia Abraham How Witchcraft Has Become a Safe Haven For The LGBTQ+ Community

Vogue Gabreila Herstik 3 Modern Witches From Different Cultures Explain What The Craft Means Today

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THE GREEN WITCH Witches and Pagans

Health Line

Starhawk

Emily Rekstis

Greening the Future with Starhawk

Healing Crystals 101: Everything You Need to Know

Forever And A Day Starhawk

The Spiral Dance Starhawk

TYPES OF MAGICK Witches and Pagans Starhawk Greening the Future with Starhawk

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Note from the author My intentions for this book are to change the stigmas and stereo-types around witches and witchcraft, to draw attention to the tragic witch trials and those who were particularly effected by the discrimination against witches.

My hope is to open more people to the thinking and beliefs behind witch craft practices, an open minded, empathetic understanding of those around us and the natural world we live in. I am thankful to anyone and everyone I have spoken to or learnt from along the way.

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B y S hakira W illiams