Some years ago, I started the festival of Borrowed. It’s on February 28th or 29th, and is a reminder that the Earth is precious and ecosystems are fragile. It seems even more relevant in the face of the climate emergency.
Continue readingecology
Nature notes 4
Nature notes, 20 February 2023. 3°C. Sunny with a few clouds. Damp.
Went for a walk in Dumfries Conservation Area. Saw a few ferns, some birch trees, various conifers, a grey squirrel, and lots of chickadees at a feeder by the parking lot. Also this lovely moss. Now that the snow is almost all gone, the forest floor, and stumps and rocks with moss on them, are once again visible.
Continue readingNature notes 1
Nature notes: 16 February 2023. Hespeler, Ontario. Most of the snow has gone. Only a few patches left.
Continue readingMonarch butterflies
In Mexico, Monarch butterflies are associated with the Day of the Dead, because that’s when they arrive back there after their long migration from Canada. The Day of the Dead is on the same day as Samhain and Hallowe’en and comes from the same roots.
Continue readingBooks I read in April 2022
Dragon Rider #2: The Griffin’s Feather, Cornelia Funke
Another exciting tale of magical creatures, with lots of thoughts about conservation and wildlife.
India: one man’s personal journey round the continent, Sanjeev Bhaskar
The fact that Sanjeev Bhaskar is part of the Indian Diaspora and visited India as a child gives him a really good perspective on India, as both insider and outsider. He also writes in a very engaging way, so this book is easy to read. The TV series it was written to accompany was also very good, and both the book and the series explore the multifaceted nature of modern India. He also writes very movingly about Partition, the massacres that took place, and its effects, both on his family and on India and Pakistan.
If you enjoyed this post, you might like my books.
Green witch
Green witch • September Pagan Challenge # 18.
Whenever anyone asks “are you a black witch or a white witch?” (thankfully this is an increasingly rare question), I say “neither, I’m a green witch”.
I love walking in the woods and gardening, so I think that makes me a green witch. I also try to be green by doing recycling and using less resources.
Earth Day 2021
Notable and quotable 24: death and tea lights
I haven’t done a “notable and quotable” for a while. I’ve been a bit busy making YouTube videos and promoting the second editions of my books, Dark Mirror and The Night Journey. But I spotted some great posts and thought they were worth sharing in case you missed them.
Continue readingProgressive Witchcraft
What is Progressive Witchcraft? by Terminus
Continue reading“We do not see our ‘trainees’ as empty vessels, waiting to be filled up, but as individuals with a wealth of experience and ideas which they can contribute to the craft.”
(Ariadne Rainbird, 1993)
Our Garden
Since we haven’t been able to go anywhere at weekends during the lockdown, we’ve been very busy in the garden. We’ve also seen lots of birds (cardinals, robins, a woodpecker, chickadees, and mourning doves) and squirrels (both black and grey) in the garden.
Dowsing for Divinity 