By Katrina Rasbold
What we loosely call “herbs” when we talk about magical herbalism is an inclusive label that also includes flowers, roots, barks, and in this case, trees. Where most people think of small green things growing in pretty pots when they talk about herbs, Witches and other magical folks basically mean, “botany” and we are voracious about studying the energy of all parts of pretty much any plant. Continue reading Herbalism For Your Day: Slippery Elm
By Katrina Rasbold
The “third eye” is a concept embraced by many cultures. This uniquely empowered area of the physical body is associated with the brow chakra and with the color indigo. Friar Richard Rohr speculates that “First Eye” is what we perceive with the five physical senses. The “Second Eye” is our reasoning and reflection. The “Third Eye” goes further still and is, as Rohr puts it, “Having the mind of Christ.” It is a coming together of sacredness that puts one in a very holy and receptive state of mind. Many paths of yogic study use the third eye for inner focus. Continue reading Witch At The Crossroads: Third Eye Sight
By Katrina Rasbold
As magical people, we love our stones and crystals and there are a lot of terms that surround that fun and energetic topic. What is a gemstone? What makes one precious or semi-precious? Continue reading Stone Magic: Precious vs Semi-precious Stones
By Katrina Rasbold
Buckthorn was one of the first magical herbs I learned about back in the 1980s. I was in Scorpio Herbs (no longer in operation) in Texas and one of the folks working in the shop told me that buckthorn “brings the magic together.” She went on to explain that if you include herbs in your spell work, you should also throw in some buckthorn because it encourages the other herbs to work together more cohesively toward your goal.
By Katrina Rasbold
We know there are Tarot cards and we know there are Oracle cards, but what is the difference? Continue reading Ask a Witch: Tarot Cards vs Oracle Cards
By Katrina Rasbold
I met a man from Glaston Town
He said, “They call me Bill.
I really dasn’t likes it ‘cause
Me name is really Will.” Continue reading A Celtic Woman’s Beltane Lament
By Katrina Rasbold
Christian legend says that bloodstone (heliotrope) got its name because it formed as the blood of Christ dripped onto the green earth during the crucifixion. There is, however, documented use of bloodstone for magical purposes going back over seven thousand years to 5000 BC. Continue reading Stone Magic: Bloodstone
By Katrina Rasbold
Legend says Elecampane (Inula helenium) as named for Helen of Troy and grew in the places where her tears fell. Related to the sunflower, this plant is quite tall, up to sixty inches or so. It has a rigid stem with leaves that are green on the top and white on the bottom. It has vibrant yellow blooms that smell a bit like sweet camphor. Continue reading Herbalism For Your Day: Elecampane
By Katrina Rasbold
What is the difference between “baneful” and “coercive” magic? Continue reading Ask a Witch: Baneful vs Coercive Magic
By Katrina Rasbold
In our circle, we work a strong duality between male and female energies and although we love the traditional celebrations, we always like to put our own spin on things. Beltane is a delicious High Holiday, ribald with innuendo and fun, celebrating the union between the masculine and feminine archetypes. In this blessed time of coming together, we honor the fertilization of the land and revel in the pleasures brought to us by earthly existence. That being the case, we always thought it as a little one-sided to ritualize this sacred day with only a maypole, the representation of male virility, thrusting its mighty prominence up out of the ripened land. Continue reading Witch At The Crossroads: All Hail The Mayhole
By Katrina Rasbold
The beginning of self-mastery comes from identifying where your energy goes and the impact it has when it gets there, balanced out with the necessity of maintaining a baseline of personal energy for your own needs. When someone has a total disregard for the needs of others or any concern about their impact on the people around them, we identify that behavior as a mental health disorder. When the reverse is true and a person gives to others beyond what their energetic reserves can support, we do not (usually) attach this behavior to mental illness, and yet, the effects can be personally devastating. Continue reading Witch At The Crossroads: River Meditation
By Katrina Rasbold
Tourmaline is one of the stones, like peacock ore, that seems like it should not exist in nature. Its luminous beauty is one of Earth’s beautiful miracles and to make it even more amazing, its magical attributes are off the charts. Continue reading Stone Magic: Tourmaline
By Katrina Rasbold
Lovely, fragrant lavender is a favorite herb of Green Witches, appreciated for its peaceful, calming influence, this herb is frequently infused into oils and included in perfumes, soaps, and incenses.
By Katrina Rasbold
Do you use Tarot reversals? Some readers do, some do not… what are the benefits? Can you use Tarot cards for spellwork? Continue reading Ask a Witch: Tarot Reversals & Tarot Spellwork
By Katrina Rasbold
Pendulums are wonderful tools for divination, locating lost items, and other magical works. But how do you actually use a pendulum? Continue reading Ask a Witch: How Do I Use a Pendulum?
By Katrina Rasbold
In last week’s Witch At The Crossroads blog, we talked about symptoms of psychic attack and these may come from intentional malice or inadvertent ill will (like pouting and wallowing in anger). In this post, we discuss how to effectively manage psychic attack once it occurs or we suspect it has occurred. Continue reading Witch At The Crossroads: Managing Psychic Attack
By Katrina Rasbold
Mugwort is the workhorse of magical herbalism with a wide variety of energetic uses. It is tall, green, and has small yellow flowers. Continue reading Herbalism For Your Day: Mugwort
By Katrina Rasbold
Hag stones are stones with naturally occurring holes in or through them, usually composed of a sedimentary stone called chert. Shaped by the tides over hundreds of years, these unique stones have myriad magical uses. Continue reading Stone Magic: Hag Stones
By Katrina Rasbold
Comfrey is a plant with large leaves requiring plenty of moisture, so it does not thrive in heavy sunlight. It has lovely dark green leaves and beautiful purple flowers that overhang in a fountain effect. Continue reading Herbalism For Your Day: Comfrey
By Katrina Rasbold
In researching for this article, I looked back over a blog post I wrote on Patheos Pagan in 2015 and wow, have my views ever changed! One of the great benefits to blogging and journaling is the opportunity to review and reconisder our position from years before and notice how much we learned in the interim. Back then, I had a more naive perspective on psychic attack and since that time, I have performed literally thousands of cleansings on people suffering from the effects of untreated psychic attacks, plus wrote a book on the subject. Where at that time, I considered true psychic attack to be uncommon, I now know it happens all the time. People are so much more comfortable slinging baneful energy around than I ever imagined back then. Continue reading Witch At The Crossroads: Identifying Psychic Attack