Llewellyn Publications's Blog, page 7

The fourth annual Witchcraft & Occult Media (“Witchies”) Award Winners have been announced! Congratulations to all of our Llewellyn authors who have been honored for their work, and congratulations to the winners!

Outstanding Social Media Contributor of the Year: Mhara Starling

Outstanding Oracle Deck of the Year: The Magickal Botanical Oracle, by Christopher Penczak and Maxine Miller

Outstanding Tarot Deck of the Year: Tarot of the Witch’s Garden, by Sasha Graham & Natasa Ilincic

Exceptional Blog Post of the Year: “Grief, Spiritual Bypassing, and How to Not to Stick Your Foot in Your Mouth,” Irene Glasse (Glasse Witch Cottage)

Outstanding NEW Author of the Year: Nathan Hall, Path of the Moonlight Hedge

Outstanding Author of the Year: Ivo Dominguez, Jr., Llewellyn’s Witch’s Sun Sign Series

View the full list of nominees and winners here. Congratulations to all the nominees and winners!

The Witchcraft and Occult Media Awards honor the talent of media creators in the occult world who have produced works throughout the previous year. These nominees excel at their artistry and execution. Their offerings provide insight into the current discussion of contemporary practices, and represent some of the best works of the 2022-2023 season.

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Jamie Waggoner, author of the new Hades.

Interested in connecting with the Greek god Hades, Ruler of the Dead, and Host of Many? Here are four easy ways to welcome his presence and energy into your life.

Organize your wallet. In addition to the Underworld itself, Hades’ domain also includes all the riches beneath the surface of the earth: rocks, gems, metals, minerals, and fertile soil. It is because of these precious resources, in addition to the abundance of shades that inhabit his realm, that Hades is often referred to as the Wealthy One among the Greek gods. Plouton is the epithet given to him in this role. Turn tidying your wallet into a devotional act by aligning paper currency to face the same direction and organizing it in ascending order, sorting and tossing out old receipts, counting your coins, etc.Anoint your skin. Your body can be a living altar if you work small devotional acts into your ritual of getting dressed each day. For example, I make a blend of earthy essential and carrier oils that I keep in a small glass roller bottle. Each morning after I step out of the shower, I use the roller bottle to draw the astrological sign of Pluto on my right forearm (Pluto is the Roman name for Hades). While drawing this sigil, I ask Hades to watch over and protect me throughout my day. You could use a purchased essential oil or perfume roller in the same way: cypress, vetiver, oakmoss, patchouli, clove, spearmint, and fig are all scents that align with Hades’ energy.Drink a cup of mint tea. Hades purportedly had a romantic relationship with a nymph named Minthe, who was later turned into the mint plant. In ancient Greece, mint and rosemary were often used in funerary and cremation rites, most likely to help cover the smells of death and decay. Conversely, in a nod to mythology, it was also used as an aphrodisiac. Good hosts would rub mint leaves on their banquet tables as a symbol of hospitality. Savor the sharp sweetness of mint as you share a quiet moment drinking tea with the Host of Many.Recognize the twilight hour. Twilight is the magic hour, occurring twice daily at sunrise and sunset, when the sky is neither completely dark nor fully lit. Natural light is much lower in contrast at twilight, lending a sense of liminality to the transition between day and night. In some accounts, the Underworld is described as being just past the setting sun, so it follows that sunset twilight would be a powerful time to make daily prayers or devotions to Hades.

For more tips on connecting with Hades and working Underworld magic, please check out my book, Hades: Myth, Magic and Modern Devotion. In addition to a treasure trove of Hades mythology and lore, this book also contains information about plants, animals, and areas of the landscape sacred to Hades, as well as invitations and exercises to deepen your practice.

Our thanks to Jamie for her guest post! For more from Jamie Waggoner, read her article, “Fig Spell to Embody Your Desire.”

February 16, 2024—2pmCST

Join us for our next Llewellyn Virtual Author Forum! This bi-monthly series of free online roundtable events feature your favorite Llewellyn authors discussing topics important to you and answering your questions.

Our next in the series, on Powerful Plant Magic, will feature A Year in the Enchanted Garden author Monica Crosson; Charity L. Bedell, author of Divine Dirt; Laurel Woodward, author of Backyard Garden Witchery; and Devin Hunter, author of Houseplant HortOCCULTure. Whether you are looking for ways to grow your garden or the perfect ways to care for your houseplant magical allies, join the conversation and chime in with questions!

We’ll be streaming live on Crowdcast—save your spot today!

We look forward to seeing you virtually!

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Brandon Weston, author of Ozark Folk Magic, Ozark Mountain Spell Book, and the new Granny Thornapple’s Book of Charms.

Verbal charms within Ozark traditional healing and folk magic make use of a variety of symbols and images pertaining to the specific rite to be performed. For example, images of rivers and waterways for cleansing, fire for releasing (burning away), lightning strikes for quickness, smoke or fog for concealing, etc. One popular image, especially amongst those Ozarkers still connected to the land and agriculture, is of “greening,” as it’s called. This symbol harnesses the power of all things that grow in nature—and some would say the very lifeforce of the natural world itself. “Greening” charms aim to bring life where previously there was only death and decay. These verbal charms seek to reinvigorate, replenish, renew, and ultimately make the target of the charm burst forth with energy and vitality.

“Greening” for Luck (Especially in Gambling)
This charm works best while holding a four-leaf clover in each fisted hand. Recite with both fists on either side of the head of the one you’re charming, or on either side of your own head.

As the green grass grows,
So your luck grows!
As the green clovers grow,
So your luck grows!
Greened like all greening greens
Of the green, green, world,
So your luck grows!
From brown to green!
From black to green again!

To “Green” Someone Who Is Sick
Pair this charm with an herbal tea of your choosing. Ozark charmers will often make a “green” tea from fresh herbs rather than dried while performing a “greening” charm like this one. The fresh herbs are symbolic of the vitality imparted by the charm.

I green you [FIRST and LAST NAME],
Not the first time,
Not the last time,
I green you [FIRST NAME]!
Where there was once only death,
Now there is green, green life!
Where there was once only black,
Now there is the golden green!
From Heaven to Earth,
From Earth to plant,
From plant to body,
Life from death,
Life from death,
And a greening sufficient for all health.

“Greening” to Honor the Land
Used often as a field or garden blessing on the first day of spring. This charm can also be used to honor the land spirits around your home or to appease angry elementals at sites of pollution, clear-cutting, construction, wildfire, etc. Take with you a jar or container of dried green peas. As you recite the charm, pivot slowly in a clockwise circle, tossing the green peas out onto the land. Repeat the charm three times.

I am greening the green,
For the love of all the good,
For the care of all the wild,
For the peace of all the troubled!

I am greening the green,
To grow the greening green,
To bless the greening green,
To heal the greening green!

I am greening the green,
From rot to right,
From black to green,
From death to life!

Our thanks to Brandon for his guest post! For more from Brandon Weston, read his article “Mountains in Ozark Folk Magic.”

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Chanda Parkinson, author of Meditations for Psychic Development and the new Meditation and Tarot.

Tarot is the poetry of the Universe. The cards so completely and beautifully capture the essence of what it is to be a human being living through the tremendously complex series of events that unfold over the course of a lifetime. My own personal daily tarot card readings offer a chance for me to remember and reflect upon the fragile beauty of the changes, cycles, and mysteries of this life.

As an introvert, I have sought out ways to connect with tarot that are personal. Over time, I discovered ways to build a foundation of trust with my decks (and yes there are many in my collection, and they are all cherished). Deepening my sense of intimacy with tarot over time, I can say unequivocally the cards are now my counselors, friends, and allies through the chaos of life. While I advocate for the use of free will in all of life’s decision making, there is a special “edge” that tarot can bring life situations that shift perception and offer avenues of thought not previously considered.

As a matter of fact, there aren’t many decisions I make without first drawing cards to ponder my options. As a Gemini Sun/Taurus Moon girl, I love the tangible visuals I can hold in my hands, while the characters seem to jump off the cards into my room offering sobering guidance and wisdom for me to think about. I discovered meditation with tarot to be an exciting if not engaging method for deepening relationships with them.

This meditation exercise offers you the chance to meet your cards and begin relating to them like old friends, building your own sense of trust and intimacy. Try it and let me know what you think!

This is called Joining the Story Meditation. With your chosen tarot deck next to you, settle into a chair and connect with your breath. About five easy, rhythmic breaths in your nose and out your mouth will do. At the same time, draw your energy into yourself in preparation for going on a journey into the tarot.

Next, shuffle your deck, and choose a card at random. Gaze upon the card image, and spend a few moments taking in the scene including all the details. Close your eyes, and imagine you are stepping into the card. Walk around and take in the scenery, as if it has now come to life, and you are able to interact with everything in it. If there are characters in the card, invite a conversation. Ask them how you can best work with them, and if there’s anything they would like you to know. Pay attention to anything you feel, hear, see, or sense.

Come back to your body, open your eyes, and write what you experienced. This is a great way to know the tarot one card at a time.

Our thanks to Chanda for her guest post! For more from Chanda Parkinson, read her article, “3 Tarot Meditations to Support Your Life.”

The fourth annual Witchcraft & Occult Media (“Witchies”) Award Nominations have been announced, and voting is now open (ends 01/26/24).  Several Llewellyn authors have been honored for their work:

Outstanding Social Media Contributor of the Year:

Mhara StarlingJen Sankey – Stardust Wanderer TarotMoss Mathey

Outstanding Oracle Deck of the Year:

The Magickal Botanical Oracle , by Christopher Penczak and Maxine Miller The Solitary Witch Oracle , by Lucy Cavendish & Lady Viktoria

Outstanding Tarot Deck of the Year:

The Tarot of Vampires , by Charles Harrington & Craig Maher Tarot of the Witch’s Garden , by Sasha Graham & Natasa Ilincic

Outstanding Blog of the Year:

Fivefold Law, Thumper ForgeGlasse Witch Cottage, Irene Glasse

Exceptional Blog Post of the Year:

“Grief, Spiritual Bypassing, and How to Not to Stick Your Foot in Your Mouth,” Irene Glasse (Glasse Witch Cottage)“Plagiarist Liaisons And The Wishful Literati Of WitchTok,” Thumper Forge (Fivefold Law)“Good Pagan Leadership,” Irene Glasse (Glasse Witch Cottage)“Remembering the Witch in Witchcraft,” Ian Chambers (Patheos)

Outstanding NEW Podcast of the Year:

4 Quick Q’s: Book Talk with Enfys, Enfys J. BookEssence Podcast, Ben Stimpson

Outstanding NEW Author of the Year:

Nathan Hall, Path of the Moonlight Hedge J.R. Mascaro, Seal, Sigil, & Call Mawiyah Kai El-Jamah Bomani, Conjuring the Calabash Martha Kirby Capo & Vincent Higginbotham, Thrift Witchery

Outstanding Author of the Year:

Ivo Dominguez, Jr., Llewellyn’s Witch’s Sun Sign Series Deborah Blake, The Everyday Witch’s Coven

Outstanding Book of the Year:

The Magic of the Otherworld: Modern Sorcery from the Wellspring of Celtic Traditions , by Morpheus Ravenna Seal, Sigil, & Call , by J.R. Mascaro

Outstanding NEW Voice of the Year:

J.R. MascaroNathan Hall

View the full list of nominees and vote away! Voting closes January 26, 2024.

Congratulations to all the nominees!

Winners will be announced on February 3, 2024.

The Witchcraft and Occult Media Awards honor the talent of media creators in the occult world who have produced works throughout the previous year. These nominees excel at their artistry and execution. Their offerings provide insight into the current discussion of contemporary practices, and represent some of the best works of the 2022-2023 season.

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Emma Kathryn, author of Witch Life and the new Season Songs.

When you think of spirit work, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? If I were a betting woman, I’d wager that the spirits of the dead top the list, or thereabouts. But as an animist, I believe that nature and the land itself is imbued with spirit, is alive with the stuff in fact, and just as we can connect with and work with the spirits of our beloved dead, so, too, can we connect with nature spirits and the genius loci to enhance our witchcraft practices.

This ritual is a great way to begin to form those all important relationships with the spirits of the land where you live. If you can do this ritual outside and it is safe, then I encourage you to do so; however, you can do it indoors if you need to. If doing it inside, you might need a day or two to prepare by going out and collecting items for your altar to represent the land spirits. Stones, twigs, any natural items you find, are all great finds to include. Aside from these items, you will need:

A Candle (white, brown, or green)Bowl of waterLighter or matches

Gather all the items you need and if inside, set up your foraged items in a way that suits you or that you just find pleasing to the eye. Let your own aesthetic tastes lead the way! Set up your ritual space. If you are doing this outside, then you might wish to create a sacred space by casting a circle. You can do this simply by walking clockwise around your working area and saying, “This is my sacred space. I fill it with love and with grace; let no harm come to those within.” If at home, it might just involve giving the area a quick tidy to clear the energy; after all, our homes are already our sacred spaces.

Light your candle and call to the spirits of the place by saying, “Spirits of this land and place, filled with love and with grace, I call to you as equal and friend to join me now, in this space.”

Now simply sit within your circle. You might wish to chant the words above, repeating them over and over to help enter a meditative state, or you might simply wish to lose yourself in the moment, of just being in nature with your intent. Observe your surroundings. Close your eyes and let your senses take over. What can you feel, hear, smell? Suspend judgement and expectations, of self and of spirit, and simply allow yourself to be, a part of the land and nature and not separate from it.

When you feel ready to end the session, simply stand and hold the bowl of water. Thank the spirits for joining you today and offer the water as libation, pouring onto the ground. If you are doing this inside, then you will need to pour the water outside somewhere, preferably from where you gathered your items. Walk the circle anticlockwise this time, and say aloud, “I release the energy and intent within this sacred space.”

You can repeat this ritual as part of your animistic practice or simply as a way to work with and honour the spirits of land and place.

Our thanks to Emma for her guest post! For more from Emma Kathryn, read her article, “3 Practical Principles of Animism.”.

I usually reflect on the past at the end of the year. Assessing how the previous 12 months went and how they lived up to my expectations is part of planning for the next year. In the course of thinking of the past, I found some old work that still pleases me. This spread is an old classic from 2009. Seems like a lifetime ago.

Well Begun is Half Done: A New Year’s Tarot Spread

As the practically perfect, ever practical, and wondrously magical Mary Poppins said, “Well begun is half done.” Wise words to keep in mind when facing a New Year. For me, memories of a clean book bag, empty notebooks, and new shoes planted the notion of autumn as the time for new beginnings firmly in my psyche. Although that impulse remains, January has its own special appeal. Right when I need it the most, the calendar hands me a gift—a fresh, shiny new year, with no mistakes in it (or “no mistakes in it yet,” as Anne Shirley always said).

As you snuggle in and let January work its alchemy keep your tarot cards handy. They’ll be useful as you identify your goals and map your journey. Once you know where you want to go and how you’re going to get there, the work is half done.

You may have several areas in your life where you desire change. The following spread can be used over as needed for each area. If you have several decks, select a deck for each area and leave the readings out so you can see them all together. This works out nicely because you can look for repeating themes or patterns that yield additional information.

1. Go through your deck and pick a card that you think represents the area of your life that you seek to improve and place it in position 1.

Now shuffle the deck and lay out the rest of the cards as you would for any reading.

3. Strength: this is what you already have and can use as you move forward.

4. Challenge: this is what you will face and by facing it create the change you seek.

5. Help: this is where you can find help; it can be a person, a technique, an area of study, an activity or action, etc.

6. Next Step: this is what to do next in facing the challenge.

2. Outcome: this is the goal or outcome; what this area of your life will look like at the end of this phase of the journey.

It is important to remember that this spread will take you through your journey to achieving your goal one step at a time. As your year progresses and you achieve this leg of the journey, do the spread over to plan for the next phase. Repeat as needed until you’ve reached the goal you sought.

In addition to achieving goals and creating change in your life, you may want to improve your knowledge of tarot, explore new decks, use new techniques, or increase your reading skills. There’s no time like January to devise and embark on a plan to take your tarot to the next level.

Whatever you want to do, remember: know where you’re going and make a plan to get there…and you’re already halfway there.

Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Rachel Patterson, author of Curative Magic, A Witch for Every Season, and the new Practical Candle Magic.

Spell candles (sometimes called chime candles) are useful for all kinds of intent. This spell focuses on new beginnings and can be used in many variations: for a new job, a new way of living, a new project or venture, and more.

You will need:

Green spell candleLighter or matchesOlive oilGeranium essential oilSesame seedsCandleholderKnife or needle for carvingGreen leafPenThe Fool tarot cardMalachite tumbled stone

Charge all your items with the intent of new beginnings and opportunities. Then, prepare your candle whilst visualizing the new pathway or new beginnings you are welcoming into your life.

Using a knife or needle, carve the symbol of an arrow into the side of the candle. I carve the arrow facing upwards for positive energy, but be guided by your intuition.

Mix a few drops of geranium essential oil into some olive oil. Dress the candle, bringing the oil toward you to invite new energy into your life.

Roll the dressed candle in sesame seeds and set it safely in a candleholder.

Take the green leaf and write “new beginnings” on it with a pen. Place the leaf under the candleholder if this can be done safely, or just set the leaf in front of it.

Place the Fool tarot card behind the candle, propped up if possible and facing you.

Place the malachite tumbled stone in front of the candle.

Light the wick and sit quietly, watching the candle flame. Keep visualizing your goal. After a few moments, say:
Color of green, fresh and bright
Open up new beginnings and make it right
Fertile seeds bring all things new
A fresh start now, and help me find my way through

Watch the flame and keep visualizing your goal. Listen for any intuitive messages and take note of any symbols.

Allow the candle to burn out completely. Then, bury the leaf petition in soil. The malachite tumbled stone can be carried with you to keep the energy of new beginnings flowing. The tarot card can be left on your altar for a while until the spell has worked, or you can place it back in the pack straight away—trust your intuition on this.

Our thanks to Rachel for her guest post! For more from Rachel Patterson, read her article “Candle Magic: Visualization and a Tea Light Spell for Peace.”

Our Llewellyn Virtual Author Forums are a bi-monthly series of free online roundtable events featuring your favorite Llewellyn authors discussing topics important to you and answering your questions.

Our latest in the series, on Celebrating Yule, featured Season Songs author Emma Kathryn; Raechel Henderson, author of The Natural Home Wheel of the Year; Rachel Patterson, author of A Witch for Every Season; and Jason Mankey, author of Llewellyn’s Little Book of Yule.

Did you miss the live presentation? Watch it on demand now!