Who are the Holly King and Oak King?
The lore of the Holly/Oak King is a tale of power, progress and change as illustrated by the lyrics of Raven Simons of the Curious Birds in their 2004 album, The Wheel Turns (Shapeshifting Music) Bit by bit, the wheel turns around Snowflakes are dancing though they make no sound Dancing drifting, swirling in the […]
What to know before attending your first public ritual
Be prepared. Be open-minded. Participate! Be considerate. Learn. And always, be sure to give feedback to the ritual presenters on how it went for you. We’re learning, too!
What to do before joining a coven
Many new practitioners are caught up in the belief that they must be part of a coven to practice witchcraft. There are many people who jump on social media and say “We’re starting a coven. Who wants to join?” While covens can be amazing, there are also groups of people who use the coven cloak […]
What is the Wiccan Rede?
The most quoted part of the Wiccan Rede is “An ye harm none, do as thou wilt.” This ethical guideline is part of a longer poem attributed to Doreen Valiente, the author of another famous poem, “The Charge of the Goddess.” It’s worth looking up both works and reading them in their entirety. This eight-word […]
What you need to know about familiars
Witches and familiars is an often-argued topic in witchcraft circles. To help you understand, here is some information you may not have known. A familiar is a magical spirit that enters the body of another, usually an animal – often a cat. Why a cat? Because cats inherently walk a crooked path and have the […]
What is a Book of Shadows? What do I put in it?
A BoS (Book of Shadows) is a personal record of your magical journey. It’s a place where you store your musings, observations and ideas on your craft. It’s a place to write down things you find meaningful and, also, things you find confusing. If you want to keep a record, it’s helpful to add dates, […]
What is the difference between a tarot deck and oracle cards?
First, the name oracle covers all cards. The word oracle means “to divine” and this can be done with both tarot and oracle decks. The biggest difference between these two deck styles is how they are interpreted by the reader. Tarot decks are much more structured and the cards often have universal meanings. Angel and […]
What is the crooked path?
There is a poem that illustrates the life of witchcraft within the crooked path: There was a crooked man, who walked a crooked mile, He found a crooked sixpence across a crooked style He bought a crooked cat, who caught a crooked mouse And they all lived together in a little crooked house. In short, […]
How do I protect myself from negative magic?
Warding or protection spells are a good place to start. This type of Craft is helpful in creating a shield or barrier between you and anything unwanted. Protection spells are a type of magic used in witchcraft to safeguard yourself from harm. Spells can be used to remove negative energies, harmful intentions, and malicious entities and […]
What is sympathetic magic?
Sympathetic magic, sometimes called symbolic or imitative magic, is spell work that is done with something that looks like your desired outcome. This type of magic is based on the belief that you can create a “map” or example of what you want to happen and then push energy in the direction of your desire. […]