“My Witchcraft Is…” -a poem by Laura Tempest Zakroff ©2016 My witchcraft is rooted in memories, myths, and stories. My witchcraft looks ever toward the folklore of the future. My witchcraft is messy, unable to be contained in pristine neat rows and tidy jars. My witchcraft has a precise pattern, an order woven unto itself. My witchcraft talks to gods in many forms. My witchcraft depends not on the gods to function. My witchcraft lives within the hum of the bones of a... Read more
I guess it was a little over 2 years ago now that I spied a biography on Doreen Valiente at the Seattle Esoteric Book Conference and promptly did a little dance on the spot as I bought it. I luckily had found Doreen very early in my journey, so to say I was thrilled to finally see a bio on her is an understatement. However, my joy changed to frustration as I dove in, finding the language clunky and editing leaving much... Read more
Immediately following my last post, people started talking about their favorite occult shops, which I think is a fantastic idea. People also asked me about what specific shops I like the best. So I figured I’d team the ideas up in a new post: a survey of favorite shops I have visited in the last year, and the opportunity for you to share your favs in the comments. A couple notes and ground rules before we get to that: ... Read more
I have a bit of a confession to make: I love visiting metaphysical stores and occult shops. Twenty years ago, when I was a very young enthusiastic Witch, armed with a more-rust-than-paintjob car and a miniscule budget, I managed to hit every shop I could find in a 1-2 hour radius from Providence, RI – usually in careful alignment with some other trip that would bring in some money (psychic fairs, art shows, dance things, etc). When I moved/began to travel more, usually... Read more
It doesn’t matter how many of the young and the hip are truly into witchcraft, or just momentarily fascinated with it as a hot trend. What does matter is that the witch is surfacing again in our collective consciousness, even stronger than before – and it’s inspiring a LOT of people. Read more
Just got home from being in Atlanta for DragonCon, where I exhibited artwork in the Art Show and presented my Art of Sigil Magick and Visual Alchemy workshops. When I bring my work and ideas to events that aren’t designated specifically as P-word, there’s always a glimmer of reality that I’m doing something that’s unusual and probably rather strange to most. I don’t create my work to purposefully be under that umbrella, it’s just natural to me. In the last... Read more
Back in the day, the primary exchange of information and ideas in the P-word Community was through magazines: hard-copy, printed paper publications that came out monthly, every other month, quarterly, or desperately maybe once a year if lucky. That meant it could take weeks or months for an article I wrote to get published, instead of being up a second after I click “publish” on this blog. Similarly, arguments discussions that happened in the letters sections would go back and... Read more
It’s been just over a week since my Grandmom passed away, and I’ve spent much of that time processing. But I expect it’s going to be quite a while before I write a piece for her like I did for my Grandfather. Instead, my mind has been working on weaving connections in my own life, brought on by her passing. She lived to 97, and was a profound presence throughout my entire life, and especially my childhood. The memories and nostalgia... Read more
I’m aware that I live a fairly charmed life. I make my living directly from my arts, while residing in a very socially progressive city. The combination of art + place means I look and dress how I please, in a daily style that is normal and comfortable for me. Which means when I travel to other parts of the country, I become suddenly aware of just how myself I am, and how much I “stick out.” Similarly, when the... Read more
I will openly admit that I have some baggage originating from my Catholic upbringing – despite having some pretty radical/forward/progressive concepts instilled upon me by my parents (and their mixed religion marriage) and certain Catholic school teachers over the years. It mainly involves my hackles getting raised when people insist on dictating about practice and what my relationship to the Gods should apparently be. As I have previously mentioned, at a very early age I did not respond well to the... Read more
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