Folks often talk about how they learned magick at the knee of their grandmother, but I’ve come to realize that while I have learned many things from my grandmother, the real metaphysical teacher in my life has been my grandfather. Though probably not in the way that most “witch history” stories tend to play out through personal myth. First, some back story: My maternal grandfather was a devout Italian Roman Catholic, a Marine in World War II, and had been... Read more
In just a few more days, Walpurgisnacht and Beltane will be upon us. I’m on tour with our band, so there won’t be any official rites, dancing around the maypole and bonfires, and other physical celebrations of…fertility. So what’s mulling around in the back of my head is the concept of the veils being “thin” or lifted between this world and the other worlds – however you see them. Most people tend to think of the thinning veils only around... Read more
“Back in when I was young, if I wanted to learn anything about witchcraft, I had to walk to the library – uphill both ways in the extreme heat and snow – nobody today wants to do the work.” Of course, that’s not an actual quote, but it sure does summarize quite a few things I have heard recently that have been the source of much eye-rolling in my belfry. The internet is both a blessing and curse. There’s a... Read more
It’s very easy nowadays to get caught up in the “Information Age.” In a daily feed where you can see people sharing photos of their daily meals, celebrities being open and vocal about mental illnesses/sexual preferences/gender identity, and hot debates about whether or not an issue is making the “media news” and why or why not, it’s hard to imagine that there is information not being shared.* We tend to fall into the frame of space that if it’s something... Read more
What I do is far more important than what I call myself or what others may call me, and the same goes for everyone else. People’s actions are more important than their labels. Read more
If you find yourself swept up into the next big “best/worst ever,” take a moment to step back and position yourself on the crossroads. Take a good long look in all directions, and breathe in deep. Read more
It was not religious ideas that separated us first, but simply survival. When a group of people thrived in a given area (despite of or in the face of weather, illness, and other propensities of nature), eventually there would come a point where the balance between people and resources would become in jeopardy, and part of the group would need to splinter off and go to a new area. Being nomadic – migrating with the seasons and animals, was one... Read more
The way of the Witch is not an easy one – nor despite the cyclical brushes of culture limelight, a truly popular one. To be a Witch is to be of the marginal, and for the marginal of society. This path is often iconoclastic, drawing a route against the grain of the majority. This truth is nothing new, it’s been this way for centuries, and I would hazard to suspect longer than that, given the patterns of human nature. The... Read more
I believe that there are no secrets, only revelations. Read more
Our Witches’ Almanac* lives in the bathroom. This location is pretty much the only guarantee that I will look at it regularly, instead of losing it in my studio. (Seriously, in a former life, I misplaced past issues for nearly a year, so the bathroom placement is a revelation.) I tend to check in with the monthly calendar, but I particularly revel in opening it to any page and see what comes up – and am nearly always finding new... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In