The weather really isn’t breaking that much here in Atlanta. The temps are still in the upper 60s, and I’m waiting for the sweater weather I was promised. The leaves are starting to change, though, and we’re sorely in need of blowing the lawn. The geese have settled in for the next few weeks, and…
Tag: autumn
Magickal Month- October 2020
October. This is the month that witchy folks crave all year long. Even those who don’t like the ending of Summer still get a little thrill when things start moving towards Samhain and the season of the witch. The nights are getting longer and cooler, and the last of the harvest is coming in. There’s…
Magickal Month- September 2020
Believe it or not, our cherry tomatoes are JUST NOW beginning to ripen. I knew we got them in the ground late, but this seems crazy late for a first harvest. At any rate, they’ll make a welcome addition to our Mabon table. I’ve been seeing hawks and crows everywhere, indications that I need to…
Magickal Month- November 2019
November was originally the 9th month of the year, but was changed to the 11th in the Julian calender. (Latin “Novem”= 9) If you follow the Wiccan calender, November 1st is New Year, as Samhain marks the transition between the old and the new. I like New Year in January, however, and so this month…
Creating a Samhain or Halloween altar
Creating a Samhain or Halloween Altar It’s no secret that witches really come alive around Samhain. This is kind of ‘our time’. While most other Pagan holidays were co-opted by Christianity and dulled down as the years passed, Samhain (and even Halloween) still retains so much Pagan lore and flavor. We have traditions that have…
Magickal Month- October 2019
Welcome to October, now affectionately known as WHY IS IT STILL SO HOT?? Also known as the month of Halloween. I’m drinking my Pumpkin Cream Nitro Cold Brew from Starbucks in leiu of a typical Pumpkin Spice Latte because it’s still in the mid 90s here in Georgia. Anyone who still thinks that global warming…
Creating a Mabon/Autumnal Equinox Altar
This is my favorite sabbat and my favorite time of year! Usually by now, it’s still hot during the day, but the nights have that tiny hint of coolness in the air. We can almost be convinced that the weather is breaking and there will be some relief from the incessant heat. And the Summer…
Magickal Month- September 2019
Is it possible that Autumn is right around the corner? It’s still sweltering hot here in Georgia, and it will stay sweltering hot for at least this month. But every time the weather breaks, even if by a few degrees, it’s a reminder that longer, cooler nights are ahead and it’s time to start wrapping…
Greek ‘smudging’ substitute
So I’ve been thinking a lot about cultural appropriation lately. I never used to really worry about using sage or palo santo, feeling like I was OK as long as I honored the First Nations tradition of smudging but without trying to claim it as my own. However, if I’ve learned anything in my practice,…
Magickal Month- October
October is the 10th month of the year, though it’s named after ‘octo’ meaning 8 in the old Roman calendar. Another one of those, right? It was moved into the 10th place with the establishment of January and February as the first and second months in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It was also known…
Magickal Month- September
September is such an exciting month for those of us who love Autumn. While the season doesn’t actually start until the Equinox on the 22nd (at 9:54pm here in the EDT zone), September still feels like that gateway month. We’ve suffered through the heat of June, July, and August, and we can feel the nights…
Magickal Month- November
So this is a thing I want to start doing from now on. For each month, I’m going to talk a little about the tides of the month, the lunar and astrological dates, stones and herbs I’m especially drawn to, and do a 3 card reading for the month. At the bottom, I’ll talk about…
Season of The Witch Movies- White Haired Witch review
White Haired Witch (on Netflix) The heroine is played by Fan Bingbing. That’s just one of many things you need to know to appreciate this movie. The second thing you need to know is that it’s stunningly beautiful. But I may be partial as I’ve always loved mythic, magical Asian cinema. This one is Chinese,…
Season of The Witch Movies- The Naked Witch review
The Naked Witch (on Amazon Prime) Wow. This one’s fun. Produced in 1961 by Claude Alexander, who also produced The Naked Dracula, The Naked Mummy, Hey look! I’m naked right now!, and What Are You Wearing? It begins with woogie organ music played behind a foreshadowing monologue about how ‘the student’ never thought something like…
Season of The Witch Movies- Burn, Witch, Burn! review
Burn, Witch, Burn! (on Amazon Prime) Ohhhhh, it starts out soooo good. There’s a protective incantation where the narrator calls upon Marduk, Hecate, Satan, Beelzebub, etc. for protection. The epitome of 50s/60s horror drama kitsch. I’m SO in! We start our story with a college professor and his wife. Are they British? Fancy 50s Americans? …
Season of The Witch Movies- Season of the Witch (2014) review
Season of the Witch (on Amazon Prime) If I wasn’t inspired by the 2 star rating, the opening scenes with the dying fish out of water would have gotten me. Ugh. The production value on this one is somewhat lacking (at several points the music gets so loud you can’t hear the dialogue), but I’m…
Now offering tarot subscriptions! 3 months, 3 card readings.
3 months of 3 card readings at a discount from my individual readings! I will send your reading on the first of every month, starting with the month you choose. I’ll also touch lightly on some of the major astrological happenings for the upcoming month. Blessed be! 🙂
Season of the Witch Movies- The Mini Witch review
The Mini Witch on Amazon Prime Ok, this one was goddamned adorable. It’s a Dutch movie with English dubbed in, but that just adds flavor. In this movie, we follow the adventures of Fuchsia, the mini witch, who hatches from a glowing egg, meets her father, goes to witch school (where they make things like…
Season of The Witch Movies- The Witching review
The Witching (on Amazon Prime) This movie starts with 4 paranormal podcasters camping in the middle of Woodland Valley Forest (home of the Woodland Valley Witch), where they’re uploading videos, tweeting, etc. So apparently, these super-haunted, deep, dark woods are next to a Walmart or something with WiFi. Scaaarrryyyy… They start telling stories by the…
My tarot decks for Autumn
I love seasonal things. I love watching the passing of time, and Autumn is such a beautiful time to celebrate the changing of the seasons and how that affects us. I’m also a little obsessed with having the right things to use for the right occasions. Hence, my project to have a different tarot deck…
Season of The Witch Movies- War on Witches review
War on Witches (on Amazon Prime) This is basically a documentary on the witch hunts in Europe, specifically Britain. King James 1 can suck it. I can’t help but see parallels between King James 1’s Britain and the paranoia and intolerance of Trump’s America. A crazy person with conviction can seem charismatic to a populace…
Season of the Witch Movies- Mark of the Witch review
Because I love a good project, I’ve decided to write short reviews of every movie I can find on Amazon, Hulu, or Netflix with the word WITCH in the title between now and Samhain. I guess it’s a way for me to make my relaxation time productive? Or just a good excuse to watch ALL…
Retreat
September is always a month of regrouping. DragonCon tends to be a pivot in my year, the weekend that divides the buildup from the come down. This year was no exception, especially with the added excitement and work of doing the Tarot 101 presentation. When you combine that stress with the stress of Irma (and…
Autumntide Priorities
The days are getting shorter, there’s a nice breeze in the night air, and DragonCon marks the beginning of the end of Summer. We have Mabon and Samhain to look forward to, which are my two favorite sabbats! While Autumn is usually seen as a time of going within, taking stock, and relaxing into Winter,…
Autumn Scents- Black Phoenix Alchemy Labs
So anyone who knows me knows that I’m obsessed with scents. From incenses to bath products, to candles, I just like it when stuff smells great. And the scents I like change with the seasons. Obviously, Autumn is a great time for anything pumpkin related, but I don’t want to smell that at all in…
Autumn Tide Tarot Reading
I try to give myself a reading at every solstice and equinox, but sometimes I forget. Now that I’m really immersing myself in tarot, it’s a little easier to remember. This reading is for the Autumn tide, or the time between Mabon and Yule. I did a reading in 3 parts, with 4 cards each….
Happy Mabon! (a quickie)
I really love all the sabbats for various reasons. Imbolc is kind of my ‘going within’ time, where I spend time huddled up next to a fire, reading or knitting or something similar. Samhain is fabulous, and you can’t be Pagan and dislike Samhain. It’s just not possible. Even Litha, though I don’t like Summer,…
Apple butter from the food goat’s test kitchen
So what screams Autumn more than apples? Nothing. Nothing whatsoever. Every year, the bear and I drive to Ellijay, GA and hit up a few of the apple orchards there. Usually we just come home with some cider to ferment, but this year, I had an idea. I wanted to make apple butter. And holy…