Everyday Enchantments

So it’s autumn again, my favourite season! Around Mabon I tend to get a bit spiritually invigorated; life slows down, routines seem to return and I find it easier to get back into magic practice. One of the shifts this year is away from my paper journals, just generally. In the last few years of trying to do paper journals etc nothing consistent has come of it. I am just too busy. What I need is something that is instantly available when I have 10 minutes without the kids or work or house chores. And doesn’t require me to go to a specific room of the house to find specific pens, tape, stickers etc. Sound like you?… Read on… Mind you this is a fake one I did just for this article; I don’t know about y’all but no one reads my Grimoire but me… Digital journaling was not possible for me until I was gifted an old iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil. And after that, the only consistent bullet journaling I’ve done, has been on Goodnotes. But even then, I needed my iPad and the pencil. What if I wan...

Welcome to the very glimmers of springtime!   Lore In traditional Wicca and a lot of Pagan traditions, this holiday is referred to as Imbolc. In my personal path, I have chosen to refer to it as Festival of Light, and I will explain why a bit further down. I suggest also checking into more traditional lore of the Sabbats in books on Wicca, this is the 'lore' from my personal path. In the UK, thing are still fairly cold, windy and wet around this time, but there are still signs that the Sun is returning and seeds are germinating! The flower of the sabbat is the humble snowdrop which might be poking through the frozen earth already at this time! Activities Good things to do on this day are spring cleaning and organising your home, I do it every year around this time. Also great are having a spa day (rejuvenate yourself), walking in the woods looking for the signs of spring, rooting around in your garden hanging protective amulets for the year ahead and giving your home a fac...

The New Year. Festivities are over, you are perhaps going back to work, you're all partied out... the list is endless of things we lament/regret in January. Therefore I thought that this month's spiritual survival kit would be one of self-care to get our groove back! I have been doing these monthly talismans for a while, but I've not actually featured them on Instagram or the blog before. But with the new decade upon us, I thought it was time. So here's how it works; you gather the supplies, throw a little ritual (don't forget to take a photo/mental note of the setup) with a meditation and stuff most of the ingredients in a small bag which you carry with you. You can then draw on your meditation and the photo of the setup if you need a boost! This month's tarot card is The Empress, you can read all about it on Biddy Tarot . I chose it because it shows you that you can create beauty in your life, and you are allowed to love and care for yourself like you w...

When I was teaching witchcraft back in the mists of time, #1 question was, hands down, "Can I see your Book of Shadows?". If you're Wiccan, you know this is how Wiccans refer to their grimoire, spell book or whatever you want to call it. I had a really shit system back in the day - literally it was a massive ring binder with print-outs from the internet, photocopies (who remembers those??) and clippings pasted onto paper. I'd show it to students and they'd all be like.. They clearly thought I had this huge, leather-bound tome of calligraphy and detailed mystical illustrations. No. Maybe I should take it out of the loft and do a video?! Today, that binder has been replaced by Evernote. Yes, Evernote. Cuz ain't nobody got time for paper in this day and age. And also, Evernote goes wherever you go, on your laptop, tablet and phone (not sponsored, haha). You don't need to have a physical journal, it can literally be Evernote or just a giant W...

My Harvest altar This is one of the 8 festivals (Sabbats) of the Wiccan Wheel of the Year, more commonly known as Lughnasadh or Lammas. In my personal path, I've chosen to call this the Festival of the Harvest instead as my path is not wholly Wiccan. It is a festival of the first harvest, not of fruit or vegetables but of grains; Mabon (or the Autumn Equinox) is considered the '2nd harvest', the harvest of fruit, vegetables and meat. As it is the festival of grain, bread is usually the main festival food offering! Lore I suggest also checking into more traditional lore of the Sabbats in books on Wicca, the below is the 'lore' from my personal path. Everything in Nature is now ripening from bud and blossom to fruit. Everywhere you look are fruits of the fertility sown earlier in the year. The golden fields of ripe grain are swaying in warm sunlight! Some soft fruits are also ripe, such as raspberries and blackberries. Make bread and sacrifice some of ...

I started off the week with a short (I work full time) moment at my garden altar this morning, burning some Purification incense and having a mindful moment. It only took 5 minutes, but I feel much more refreshed and ready for the new week after clearing out all those spiritual/energetic cobwebs! RECIPE: Purification Incense Chamomile Lavender Peppermint Bay leaf Benzoin Mix equal parts of herbs in a jar, crumble in one bay leaf, and then add some grains of benzoin resin. Benzoin resin smells very potent; don't get too heavy-handed or your blend will be too strong. This mix must be burned on charcoal discs!

Phew. No, honestly. Phew... I am soooo looking forward to the New Moon and the ending of the Mercury retrograde. Emma Mumford talks about how not to 'manifest' the negativity of the retrograde but it's so hard because the energy really affects me, and the people I work with. I find myself wearing black tourmaline and trying to bat away crazy sh*t all the time... Anyway today marks an easing of much of this cosmic crap, as the moon enters into its 3rd Quarter, and moves into Taurus. The 3rd Quarter moon is the moon for re-evaluating and releasing; I take this time to start working on what I want to put into my New Moon intentions. I also sometimes have a little mini-declutter of a small area of my home, or maybe my emails. Somehow it seems to just be a good time for me to do that! When the daily moon is in Taurus, it is a time to relax and practice some self care, plodding about the house, eating and just chillaxing. It's not a particularly good time to do ur...

Admit it, you think of the Wicked Witch of the West ... It's been a while again! I decided I wanted to get back into blogging about my witchy life again, after feeling a bit disconnected from it all being super-busy being a new mum in the last year. I'm also getting back into blogging about beauty and lifestyle over on my other blog ; I just want to get back into more creative and spiritual stuff (and not just changing cloth nappies and trying to stop my little witchling running around and hurting herself on stuff). I will be posting one post a week to start off with, but I toying with the idea to set up an Instagram account for daily witcheries... As much for me, as for you :) See ya all soon!

Love using your smart phone? I do, because it comes with some really good tools for the modern witch! I've been using various apps (decks) from Fool's Dog Software for about 2 years or more. I love how I can take my favourite deck anywhere I want on my smart phone and my tablet :) My current favourite is the below - Crystal Visions Tarot. COPYRIGHT by Fool's Dog Software I also have the 'Book of Shadows Tarot vol.1', 'Shadowscapes Tarot' and the 'Victorian Fairy Tarot'. I started using these on my Galaxy S3/S5, but discovered that these really come into their own on the tablet! The images are high resolution and the programming is very functional. I especially love the fact you can have a 'card of the day' widget - I use it daily to just get more into the cards by reading the description of each new card every day. The app has a great journal, various ways of doing a reading, and they also come with the full instructional book that t...

Mabon, or the Autumn Equinox, is the second harvest festival in the Wiccan Wheel of the Year after Lughnasadh. I usually set up seasonal altars and this is no different! I have added a scented votive sampler now and some very nice horse chestnuts which as now starting to fall :) I tend to use votive samplers as 'seasonal candles'. I found a nice autumnal one from Yankee Candle this year called "Amber Moon" for my Mabon altar. It's described on the website as "warm golden amber in the evening breeze with the added intrigue pf patchouli and sandalwood". It reminds me of a nice brisk walk in a wood filled with fallen, golden leaves on a sunny autumn day with a chill in the air! :) It is stronger than I normally like for a scented candle so I burn it sparingly. I used cards from Brian Froud's The Faerie's Oracle to symbolise the changing season. I grew Quaking Grass this year so I took it in to dry for Mabon. It's a beautiful annual grass ...

I just wanted to show you a very simple Fullmoon Altar I've set up tonight. The June full moon is sometimes called the Rose Moon, as the dog rose flowers at this time, but for me, it is definitely Jasmine Moon! I love Mock Orange, and around the June full moon and Midsummer, the Mock Orange flowers and the scent carries on the night breeze. When I was a young witch some 20 yrs ago, these were my most magical full moons as my mother grew a gigantic Mock Orange in the front yard meaning I could have these fragrant boughs in my vase on the balcony for my celebration! I have a scented candle on my altar this year to recreate this feeling - Yankee Candle Midnight Jasmine. I also like to pull out some moonstone, selenite and a crystal ball, and this year I wanted to use a card and spell from the enchanting 'Witchlings Book of Spells'!

Today is the first harvest festival, the Autumn Equinox being the second one. I prefer to just call it Festival of the Harvest, but it is commonly known in Wicca as Lammas or Lughnasadh. I have very little time just now but wanted to mark the occasion so I made a very simple altar this year with two Tarot cards I like to meditate on during the first harvest festival - The Sun and Six of Pentacles. I like to say a slow farewell to The Sun with my meditation, and Six of Pentacles is a card of giving and receiving and also reaping the fruits of your labour, whether that be actual fruits from your orchard or the finalising of a work project. Happy Harvest!

I decided to revive this blog as I feel I have a lot of things magical I want to share just now! I will be updating more regularly from now on and I will start with a link to a very good article on 'New Moon Super Power Tarot Spread' from Tarotize.com :) I will be trying this next New Moon to find out my Super Power!

Again, Pagan Dreams are hosting an online gathering, this time it's Yule, and by the looks of it, it's going to be the biggest one yet! Get more information and your celebration pack at Pagan Dreams today. This is a great opportunity for solo practitioners to connect to a wide network of other Wiccans to celebrate the holidays! You can also follow them on Facebook to get the latest deals and the latest info on the event.

As the nights darken and the chill sets over the landscape, I have settled back into cosy nights in in front of the fire. I have had so much going on in the last year and a half and I have drifted away from my beloved Craft. Today I sat down, dusted off my altar, set it for my Halloween celebrations (photos on Halloween!) and held a re-connection ritual. I feel so much better - the Magic once again effuses through my house! I am working on some pages for the blog, like an e-Grimoire. But now I have to pay some attention to the cat as he is feeling neglected after the big clear up :)

Ostara brought snow for us in the UK; now unknown to happen but it certainly dampened the feeling of new life and sunshine! As a holiday who rejoices in the return of the Sun on the Spring Equinox and return of life to the Earth after winter, symbols of Ostara include eggs, lambs, baby rabbits and spring flowers and budding branches. I like to hang colourful eggs and feathers in small budding branches and serve up lovely chocolate eggs. I also have a penchant for chenille chicks as you can see! I love organising an egg hunt (fun for adults as well as kids!) with plenty of chocolate and sweets, and drink cider or apple juice. Making crafts such as colouring eggs is lovely and totally ties in with the spiriti of the season. And if you live with a mainly secular or Christian circle of friends and family, you can sneakily do these things at Easter to tie in with the more mainstream celebrations and holidays!

Websites come and go, but Aeclectic Tarot seems to have been there from the Beginning. I started using this website over 10 years ago, and I still love it. I just love Tarot cards, and I always go here to be inspired when I feel down. If you have never visited this well-crafted site, click now! It is not only a celebration to the amazing artwork by the Tarot artists, but a celebration of the spiritt of Tarot!

I've been looking for a moon phase calendar like the LunarWave for years! Not only does it have all the moon phases and quarters marked out, it has the timing for all the solar and luncar eclipses, and Equinoxes/Solstices, it also features the traditional Pagan name attached to all the Full Moons. It is also produced with all wind power electricity on 100% recycled materials! This is one of the "must-haves" now for me - if you work a lot of moon magic, but don't want to put up a large moon phase chart, this is your No 1 ally as it folds neatly into its own postcard size envelope! You can buy the Calendar and other related items (such as a cool mug!) at the Bird&Bee Shoppe .

Valentine's Day is a day recognised in the Western calendar as the day when couples do romantic gestures for one another and spend time together. As a Witch, the most common request for spells I get is for love. However, I never have and I never will cast a love spell for someone else. Sorry. But I will share some of the ingredients you may wish to call on to get some love and romance into your life! CRYSTAL LOVE CHARM Number one for Love and Romance is ROSE QUARTZ. Preferably shaped as a heart, as seen above. Buy a large rose quartz puffed heart, stick it in a pink (for love and self-love) or red (for passion) velvet bag with some lavender and rosebuds. Charge this bag in the light of a beeswax or pink candle and dedicate this charm to bring more love into your life. RUBY - attracts hot passionate love AVENTURINE - activates, clears and protect the heart which paves the way for love to enter your life RED JASPER -brings passion and also enhances sexual pleasure MAGNETITE - used i...

When I started out, getting magickal items was a journey in itself. In terms of incense, I had the luxury of living close to nature so I either picked wild ingredients or grew them in the garden. Not so when I moved to "the big city", although a whole new world of opportunity opened up with the internet boom. Over the years, I have gathered a few sellers on the web who persistently deliver great service and great products. One of the best ever incenses I've tried I've bought from Goddess Enchantments . The owner of the shop is Claire, a practising hereditary witch. She used to work in new age/pagan shops but was shocked at the amount of factory made items sold. Goddess Enchantment was started and grew as the appreciation for hand-made, customised items was great in the pagan community. Goddess Enchantments shop now offers a whole range of handmade items such as grain incense, anointing oils, spell and starter kits. I love the look of the Witches Crystal & Candle...