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March 2021

March 26, 2021

Secular vs. Religious: Making Distinctions as a Witch

Sometimes, when we say "witchcraft is a practice" or "I'm a secular witch," we're not...

November 2020

November 22, 2020

My Biggest Mistakes as a Witch

I've made a lot of mistakes in more than two decades of practicing witchcraft. Some...

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...

February 2020

February 15, 2020

My Five Favorite Recent Witch Books

We’re lucky today, because there are so many exciting new books coming out all the...

February 11, 2020

Fake Witch Books?

Books don’t make people authorities by themselves. They are often good indicators, but we are...

January 2020

January 04, 2020

If Everything Changes, What Good is Tradition?

We build traditions because we can't help it, I think, whether we identify as "traditional"...

May 2019

May 27, 2019

Conversion and Trauma

Religion can be profound and creative and enlightening and whatever else, but it also traumatizes....

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...

March 11, 2018

Tiny Revelations in Magical Practice

Sometimes the things that impact our magical practice the most over time aren’t earth-shaking.

February 2018

February 24, 2018

Lessons Learned Running a Coven

There have been times where I’ve felt like my group was going to implode, or...

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...

December 2016

December 07, 2016

Advice for the Absolute Beginner Wiccan

I’ve been writing about more complex issues in witchcraft and Paganism for the last couple...

November 2016

November 14, 2016

Five Signs You Shouldn’t Run a Pagan Group

There’s nothing wrong with having leadership aspirations. There’s nothing wrong with having fantasies, either. Those...

August 2016

August 31, 2016

I Am Not Your Teacher (Unless You’re On My Roster)

There's a difference between what I do in a classroom and what I do as...

August 12, 2016

Keeping Oaths, Keeping Community

How do we build community and negotiate shared spaces while respecting oathbound materials, personal privacy,...

August 02, 2016

Making the Sabbats Real

Over time, the Wheel has to become real to us, not an abstraction from an...

July 2016

July 13, 2016

Wielding the Sword

The athame and ritual sword aren't just metaphors. They're weapons.

June 2016

June 21, 2016

Doing the Work (Whatever THAT Means)

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

May 2016

May 17, 2016

Five Things I Wish I’d Known as a Beginner

The most significant lessons are often the ones we have to learn over and over.

May 16, 2016

Taking Ourselves Too Seriously

What does it means when we say to not take ourselves too seriously as witches?

May 03, 2016

The Witch Alone: We’re All Solitary

"Solitary practitioner" is not a discrete category, fundamentally separate from being in a coven. All...

April 2016

April 25, 2016

Wiccan Deal-Breakers: Signs to Look Elsewhere

What are some issues seekers often display that may indicate a poor fit for the...

March 2016

March 17, 2016

Screw Your Aesthetic

Recent trends on constructing an authentic witchcraft emphasize blood, bones, and darkness. But at what...

March 13, 2016

Building Fences: Vouching, Communities, and the Internet

Good fences make good neighbors. Or something.

January 2016

January 25, 2016

#witchcraft: Unrealistic Expectations in Your Personal Practice

There's plenty of great advice floating around on how to make your life more magical,...

January 21, 2016

All Wiccans are witches, but some of us are bad at it.

What does it mean when people insist that not all Wiccans and witches?