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August 2020

August 23, 2020

The Pressure to be a Professional Witch

When a person writes books, travels to speak at festivals, blogs on a major platform,...

May 2020

May 23, 2020

When I Do Spells: Thoughts on Working Magic and the “Craft” of Witchcraft

If witchcraft is a craft (in addition to being a religion, as it is for...

January 2020

January 24, 2020

The Benefits of Outer Courts and Training Circles

A long outer court is a good thing. A precious thing, for both you and...

January 19, 2020

Creativity, Competition, and Community

We’re living in a time when creating and sharing our ideas and our art is...

January 02, 2020

Saying Hello to a New Year

When I start a new book of shadows, I also introduce myself and write a...

September 2019

September 07, 2019

Moving, Materialism, and Finding My Feet Again

The collection of tarot cards is not my ability to divine. The books are not...

June 2019

June 05, 2019

Working with Personal Cycles

I believe in True Will. I think I know what mine is. But is it...

June 03, 2018

Finding Community on YouTube

I got on YouTube because I was lonely. I wanted to connect with other Pagans...

May 2018

May 06, 2018

Going Within, Going Without: Exploring Multiple Traditions to Deepen Practice

There are people who jump from coven to coven, tradition to tradition, looking for someone...

March 2018

March 18, 2018

Building a Home Shrine

Setting up an altar or shine is often the first step in building a personal...

August 2017

August 10, 2017

Going Through the Motions: Bodies in Worship

In worship, there’s no such thing as an empty going through the motions. The motions...

August 07, 2017

Life in Books: Growing Up Pagan, Nostalgia, and Goth Craft

Books impact us in many ways, and we often associate them with particular periods in...

July 2017

July 26, 2017

Why Worship

The gods aren’t obligated to smooth my way through life, and my personal betterment isn't...

July 12, 2017

Boundaries

People ask me my name and I don’t know what to tell them. They ask...

December 2016

December 13, 2016

“Warrior”: Musings on Martial Arts, Paganism, and Victimhood

I’d rather be a “fencer” or a “swordswoman” or a “fighter.” In thinking about my...

November 2016

November 08, 2016

Post-Halloween Musings

Thoughts on seasonal lulls, work, and bowhunting on Halloween.

October 2016

October 05, 2016

All Witchcraft All the Time

I don’t, in fact, live in the witchcraft fantasyland that I sometimes appear to occupy...

June 2016

June 30, 2016

Lies My Parents Tell

"I once heard my mother tell a realtor that my interest in animal parts stems...

June 21, 2016

Doing the Work (Whatever THAT Means)

What does it mean when we say that this path involves "work"?

May 2016

May 22, 2016

Starting Over: Rebuilding a Solitary Practice

Sometimes, you just have to hit reset.

May 10, 2016

Hi Patheos! How’s life?

Part of what's cool about reading blogs is learning about the lives of individual people,...

April 2016

April 12, 2016

Doing Other Things: Magic, Mundanity, and a Marathon (Well, a Half)

In all the witchcraft talk, sometimes we forget how awesome we are in the rest...

March 2016

March 09, 2016

But is it witchcraft?: Me and My Daily Practice

Developing a "daily practice" seems to be everyone's goal, but what does that actually look...

January 2016

January 10, 2016

Sports and the Witch

Growing up, my relationship with athletics was mostly about trauma. Now, it's a key part...

January 03, 2016

Obligatory New Year’s Post

Planning ahead for the New Year, setting goals, and making resolutions I can actually keep.

December 2015

December 10, 2015

Are you there God? It’s me, WillowThorn.

Everyone has to start somewhere. Some of us more awkwardly than others.

November 2015

November 11, 2015

Hello, November

Fall is a rough season for me. Maybe I don't love it the way I...

September 2015

September 07, 2015

Why I Skip the First Chapter: A Poem

Gardnerians have long been praised for their beautiful poetry. Well, some Gardnerians.

August 2015

August 18, 2015

Wicca and Depression

There's a trend in Pagan and New Age communities to eschew conversation about mental illness,...

August 02, 2015

My Double Life: Secrets, Closets, and Public Witchcraft

It's not so simple as being "in" or "out" of a closet.