Some of my poems have appeared in Datura: An anthology of esoteric poesis by Scarlet Imprint, Lilith: Queen of the Desert by Knickerbocker Circus Press, and A Mantle of Stars: A Devotional for the Queen of Heaven by Bibliotheca Alexandrina (among others). This month, my poem “Astraea” appears online in Stirring: A Literary Collection. Read more
Other people don't have to react or feel or see the world exactly the way I do in order for me to have compassion for them. I don't even have to understand them...and if I try and fail, I stop to consider that it may be my own fault. Read more
Do you need initiation to be a Traditional Witch? I would say so, though it depends on what you mean. You don't have to join a group or a lineage; Traditional Witchcraft as I mentioned recognizes the "red thread" of initiation into a lineage and the "white thread" of initiation by spirit, terminology which is attributed to Andrew Chumbley. However, the spirits we are talking about are the animating soul of the natural, non-human world, the denizens of Faerie: wild, not always terribly friendly to humans, and with very, very different priorities. Read more
I was first initiated into a religious tradition when I was twelve years old. I underwent a symbolic death and rebirth, was ritually cleansed, and was recognized as a member of the spiritual family with a celebratory feast. That is to say, I joined the Baptist church. Read more
My coven has two English professor types in it, along with an assortment of other writery academics and creative ne'er-do-wells. It should shock no one that Imbolc for us has become mainly a celebration of poetry (Imbolc---> feast of Brighid----> goddess of poetry----> SHAKESPEARE! Obviously). Then, one of our members came up with the idea of having food as a ritual. Specifically, a Southern high tea. With the Queen. Of Faerie.... And since then we have taken to combining the two ideas and having tea with Brighid for Imbolc. Read more
Dunbar's number is the upper limit of any kind of group cohesion, including the kind between neighbors and tradition members. However, the level of intimacy required between coven members in order to function as a coven...in order to do good magic...is far greater. I would say, an order of magnitude greater. It just so happens that if you reduce Dunbar's number by one order of magnitude, you get 15...which is darn close to the traditional number of 13 witches in a coven. Read more
The place of the witch is beside the downtrodden. Power used to harm the innocent is falsely borne. Power used to punish out of reason betrays the law. Blood on the ground cries out for justice; when will it be heard? Read more
Here is my litany of Mighty Dead: brilliant, luminous, genius bisexual women, every last one of them. Read more
Aside from it being that time of year, my ancestors are generally my first line of defense when things go wrong or I feel the need to protect me and mine. I have a well-established relationship with them (I have a smaller ancestor altar year-round) and I know they have my back. Read more
Raven Grimassi describes this book as an attempt to codify or distill what he calls the “roots” of Old World witchcraft: “The magical tradition presented in this book is ever ancient and ever new.” That is to say, he is presenting a “cohesive system” of magic based on his own experiences in Witchcraft and some encounters with various plant spirits as teachers, and asserts that this kind of direct relationship with otherworldly beings and what he calls “the magic of... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In