New Worlds of Body, Mind & Spirit Since 1901
Though rumors were whispered throughout the hallways of my high school, it wasn't until I began attending a junior college in the early 1990s that I met another self-proclaimed witch. Her background was very different from mine. She called herself a white witch and said that according to her tradition, she was unable to cast spells that would benefit her in anyway. We were on the newspaper staff together, and one night after a meeting, the staff members sat around discussing what types of spells she could perform. But everything suggested, she worked it around to how the results of each example given could be to her benefit, even if that benefit was just the satisfaction from helping ...
The routine of getting ready each morning is, well, just that: a routine. Dull, perfunctory, usually hurried, and decidedly devoid of anything one could describe as "magical." It often involves little thought and even less presence, and, dreariest of all, it's treated as something of a chore, to be done in front of a clinically white bathroom sink, as coffee is chugged and anxiety rises. Let me tell you something, mes chérs, the mere thought of this scenario, let alone the visual, makes my sensual soul wither. It makes my heart ache. And it makes me mad. Why, oh, why has the art of loving yourself become something to check off the to-do list? To take it deeper, why is beauty ...
Over the centuries, witches, folk magicians, and "cunning folk (as we refer to them in the British Isles) have beavered away behind the scenes to help their communities, often by stealth and in most cases without credit. At odds with the performative, virtue-signalling culture of the digital era, there were and remain magical workers and healers who rarely broadcast their works of positive magic, not least because, depending on individual or societal circumstances, such boasting could be misconstrued or lead to danger. Additionally, as my mother always told me, if you let ego get in the way of this kind of work, one's "gifts" may be taken away. There are many positive aspects to social ...
In my book, Baba Yaga's Book of Witchcraft, I take you on a journey to meet the Slavic witch of the woods and teach the old spiritual traditions that can bring you closer to her. Despite Baba Yaga's reputation as a tough taskmaster, I've encountered many people who feel called to connect with this ancient wise woman—to learn from her, to meld with her magic, or simply to honor this powerful crone spirit. If you're one of them, I welcome you to come closer to her little khata, her initiation hut standing on chicken legs. Be prepared. Baba Yaga is not an easy teacher. And she is definitely no pushover. She will challenge you, she will test you, and she will push you farther than you ...
