Mur Windtalker, HP

Mur is a High Priest in the Temple of Witchcraft, a Reiki Master Teacher, Yoga Instructor, and Spiritual Life Coach. He has a background in Buddhism, Energy Medicine, Core Shamanism, and Traditional Chinese Medicine. As a Teacher & Healer, he leads talks, classes, and workshops both in his community and internationally.

Mur is a Ministerial Deputy for the Capricorn Ministry with a focus on the Men’s Mysteries. He also served as the Light Bearer for Capricorn in the past. He leads public Sabbat Rituals in Victoria, British Columbia, and volunteers as a mentor to students in the Temple Mystery School.

Mur can be reached at [email protected]

Vicky O’Halloran, HPS

Vicky is a High Priestess, Ordained Minister of the Temple of Witchcraft, Reiki Master/Teacher, Certified Sound Healing Practitioner, and intuitive reader. Vicky’s passions are rooted in ancestral healing, herb crafting, and vibrational sound healing.

Vicky is a Deputy for the Capricorn Ministry with a focus on Rites of Passage. She leads public Sabbat rituals and women’s circles in Nova Scotia, continues to volunteer as a mentor to students in the Mystery School, and more. Vicky has also served previously as a Light Bearer for the Temple of Witchcraft community.

Vicky can be reached at [email protected]

For Broom Closet Witches: Ostara: A Broom Closet Witch’s Celebration

by Claire du Nord

Baskets filled with colored eggs nestled in colored grass. Cute, little fluffy chicks and bunnies. All sorts of candies and other treats. Sound familiar? It’s Ostara time, and all the stores are filled with pastel-colored items that Witches, both in and out of the Broom Closet, can include in their celebration of it! Claire du Nord here, a High Priestess in the Temple of Witchcraft tradition, with the sixteenth article in our “For Broom Closet Witches” series.

Of course, you don’t have to buy things to celebrate Ostara. There are lots of possibilities for crafty “Do It Yourself” ways to make merry at Ostara time. In my opinion, neither option is better than the other, and mixing the two is perfectly fine. After all, it is your celebration!

While contemplating the season of Ostara, with its spring flowers, new life, new beginnings, etc. – the hallmarks of this Wheel of the Year Sabbat – a memory flooded my thoughts . . .

When my son was about 2 ½ to 3 years old, we were in a major department store, walking side-by-side, with me gently holding onto his little hand. His father was a little way up ahead, pushing the stroller. Suddenly, my son pulled his hand out from mine, and in a rush of panic, my immediate thought was that he was about to bolt, even though he had never done anything like that before. In that split second, as I prepared myself to chase after him, all my preconceived notions about what was happening came to a screeching halt as, to my surprise, my son reached his little hand up to a display of artificial flowers that we had approached only seconds earlier.

As I stood there watching him, my mind switching gears, he grasped a bouquet within his reach – red tulips. Then he extended them to me with the most precious look of love in his eyes and said in his little voice, “For Mama.” I almost broke down in tears right there in the middle of the store! However, as I didn’t want to startle, worry or confuse him, I controlled my emotions and thanked him profusely with hugs and adulations. I carried them until it was time to check out, and I discretely paid for them, still marveling at the profound happiness that I hadn’t anticipated experiencing that day. This is one of my most precious memories.

And here are the tulips, gracing my Ostara table – as beautiful as they were on that day, over thirty years ago…

For my Ostara table, I chose a rose-colored shawl as a tablecloth. I added white candles and an Eostre basket with colored eggs and baby chicks. I also blended up some Pimiento-Colby Jack cheese spread to go with my home-made Almond-Sunflower Seed crackers.

I also prepared some “Deviled Eggs”, although, being a Witch, I hesitated to include them, because of their name. But I told myself, “Before you pass judgement, do your research and see what the name is all about. Then you can decide whether to include them or not.” So, what I found out was that the term “deviled” goes back to ancient Rome and the word “diavolo”, which means “devil” in Italian. Eggs were typically served with spicy sauces, as a first course to elaborate meals (hot and spicy flavors being symbolically “devil-like”).

In the 18th century in other parts of the world, the term “deviled” was once again given to dishes to mean a highly seasoned or spicy food. Since “Deviled Eggs” are usually prepared with mustard and paprika, I can see how the term might fit, following the trail of meaning. Even so, I decided to include them in my Ostara celebrations after all, with plenty of mustard in the yolk mixture and a good dusting of paprika on top – not for any potential connections to “The Devil”, but rather for the nutritional components they naturally contain, namely the Phytochemicals in the Mustard the Capsaicin in the Paprika.

In the cuisines of other countries, there are many variations on the ingredients used to “stuff” the eggs, so they don’t necessarily have to be “hot and spicy”. And with the same inclination to avoid any reference to “The Devil”, there are many people who refer to them as “Stuffed Eggs” rather than “Deviled Eggs”, side-stepping altogether the historically unsavory connotations associated with the name.

I hope this article has been helpful, and until next time – Merry Meet, Merry Part, and Merry Meet again!

Ostara Blessings,
Claire du Nord

Cancer Lead Minister Position Available

Cancer

Lead Minister Application Process

Applications are due no later than May 31, 2024. Thank you for your interest in Temple leadership.

The Ministerial Church of the Temple of Witchcraft is divided into twelve major areas of service. Each is based upon one of the twelve zodiac signs and its archetype as taught in the Seminary school. Each of the twelve ministries is further subdivided into three areas. The first is a public area of service to the greater community. The second consists of work primarily for the Temple and its members. The third is the mystical service provided to the community, often unseen and unheard, but vitally important nonetheless.

Please review the job description for the ministry you are interested in, included below. You may also wish to review the current mission statement for the ministry of which you are applying to be lead minister. There are versions of these on the Temple website under the Structure tab and then linked for each ministry, on pages 10–12 and again on pages 38–42 of the Temple Handbook and in the book Foundations of the Temple by Christopher Penczak.

Please provide your application in writing and include information that covers the following areas and questions:

  • Details of your experience and skills as they fit the job description. Please include administrative and managerial skills as well as your spiritual experience.
  • Description of any prior experience with the particular ministry.
  • What motivates you to apply to leadership? What motivates you to apply to this particular ministry?
  • What are your plans and vision for how you wish to work with this ministry? What does the first 6 months look like if you are chosen for this position?
  • How do you see the three areas outlined above, and in the job description below, for this ministry?
  • Anything else you wish to tell us about yourself or your interest in this position.
  • Please also address the description of experience, qualifications and responsibilities described in the Lead Minister job description for which you are applying.

If you have questions about this process, please email [email protected]. Interested applicants, please email your application to [email protected] prior to the deadline. Thank you!

Cancer Lead Minister Job Description

The Ministry of Cancer, The Mother,  is the work of care-taking, providing nurturing and the support of the home. It shall include:

  • Organizing and administering social services such as food drives, housing and other social services.
  • Providing religious education and public rituals appropriate for the children of the community. Education in childbirth, including natural and traditional alternatives, as well as support for pregnant families is included in this work.
  • This ministry is responsible for maintaining a strong spiritual link between the Temple and the Goddess through public and private ritual. Included in this work will be rituals, rites and training in Women’s Mysteries.

Major Responsibilities

  • The Cancer Lead Minister can appoint and oversee up to three deputy ministers who can be  an integral part of the ministry.  There are currently two deputies involved with the ministry. One oversees the Children’s Ministry and the other oversees Social Services such as donations at Sabbats and logistics around food at the in person Sabbats in New Hampshire. 
  • The Cancer Lead Minister should have the capabilities to lead, facilitate or appoint deputies to lead the following: 
    • Organizing and administering social services such as food drives, housing and other social services.
    • Providing religious education and public rituals appropriate for the children of the community. Education in childbirth, including natural and traditional alternatives, as well as support for pregnant families is included in this work.
    •  This ministry is responsible for maintaining a strong spiritual link between the Temple and the Goddess through public and private ritual. Included in this work will be rituals, rites and training in Women’s Mysteries.
  • Exhibit commitment to connect with spiritual beings and maintain servitors and other spiritual practices on a regular basis.
  • As the Temple grows, transition to a position akin to a National Director, overseeing, guiding, and supporting Temple ministers authorized to work with administering social services, providing activities for children’s ministry, and work in the Women’s mysteries.
  • Connect with the greater community, with a cooperative, collaborative, and community approach.
  • Engage others in a supportive and collaborative manner. 
  • Prepare and submit a monthly ministerial report to the leadership council.
  • Prepare and present annual reports (year-end and next year projection) to the Board of Directors for the July Board of Directors meeting.
  • Engage the Temple community during the solar month of Cancer as a means to promote and teach about the ministry.  
  • Lead Ministers are expected to attend the Temple’s annual ministerial retreat, either in person, via video conferencing, or by having a deputy attend as their proxy.

Experience and Qualifications

  • All applicants should be Ministerial Members (Witchcraft V graduates) in good standing, and ideally ordained, though ordination is not a requirement. 
  • Experience in leading Temple of Witchcraft groups, classes, or events.
  • Familiarity with the foundations of the Temple of Witchcraft’s mythos.
  • Track record of collaborating and partnering with stakeholders within the Temple of Witchcraft. 
  • Fluency with the Google Workspace suite of productivity tools; Google Docs, Sheets, Groups, and e-mail.
  • Commitment to timely response to email and other communication with Temple leadership and membership.
  • History of continued education in Temple of Witchcraft classes in the esoteric and in business and soft skills.

Key Competencies 

  • Excellent interpersonal skills and experience working across Temple ministries and the greater Community.
  • Ability to provide monthly reporting of activities of the Cancer ministry to the leadership council.
  • Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both in person and in writing.
  • Proficiency in identifying and solving problems while thinking outside of the box.
  • Feeding of the Witch soul through continued reading of books and other Witchcraft sources.
  • Commitment to a regular Witchcraft practice in adherence to the Temple of Witchcraft standards.

While this is an unpaid volunteer position, Temple policy is to pay up to 70% of net fees for public rituals, classes, and events to the ritualist(s) or teacher(s) of the events and the Cancer Lead Minister is entitled to accept such payment for any rituals, classes or events that they lead.

Supporter Spotlight: The Robin’s Nest

With deep thanks and gratitude to our top supporter, the Robin’s Nest, we wish them well with the upcoming Spring “Nestival” Psychic Fair on March 16th and encourage everyone in the Bellingham, Massachusetts, area to visit and support their community and good works!

Magick in Mundane: On Being Too Much

by Erica Sittler

Perhaps, all of us magickal folk fall into the mundane realm of “too much”.
Too much curiosity.
Too many questions.
Too many crystals/rocks, plants, hats.
This past Saturday in under 24 hours, I was either told, shown, or written to that I was essentially “too much” and to get back down in my place.

First response to first incident:
– shake it off
Seriously, what does that person know and why should I let their comment bother me. It did bother me, but I was trying to pull a Swift and shake, shake, shake.

Second incident response:
– left the room in shame, became violently ill.
It was a personal, imperious public snubbing by someone I considered a friend and I was mortified. I didn’t understand it. Couldn’t process any rationale behind it except the desire of the other to stamp me out of their circle. It was crushing, humiliating, brain numbing. It turned into a panic attack (in private) which for me involves a lot of uncontrollable shaking, followed by a what would look like the stomach virus from hades itself.

Third incident response:
– It’s not hives, but have you ever wanted to scratch your skin off your body? Specifically scratch your chest open to free your poor heart that is now in full blown flight mode? Yeah, that was me. My poor chest looks  like I ran straight through a briar patch.

Pain, pain, pain.

All this yucky “get back where you belong, which is not here.” As in a national civic group, me personally as a human, and where I actually live.

One day, I will have the strength of will and depth of knowledge in my craft to be able to more effectively deal with these as they come up. To snuff them out. This was not that day.

It was only later in the quiet darkness a full 24 hours later that I am able to assess more clearly a few tidbits to help put what had happened into clear focus and action steps I can do so it won’t happen again.

1. Where were my shields? Obviously, they were not deliberately set and engaged. Not recharged before entering a room. Not set over my mailbox. Not cast over my home before I left it for that day’s adventures. Not doing that shows a lack or weakening in daily discipline on my part. Can a shield last for more than 24 hours? Certainly? Yet how many days can it hold without being fortified? I suspect not as long as I’d like to fancifully imagine. At least for me, putting up that shield needs to be more than a morning holy stretch.

2. What is the state of my devotions? My Lorica Prayer? My daily and weekly offerings? Have I given in to an excess of shortcuts? Of “I’ll catch up tomorrow” ideals that never come true? Do I believe the spirit realm grows lax in its care for us if we grow lax in our care, or heed, of them? Yes, actually, I do. It’s not spite or retribution or punishment. It simply is the natural order of most things…even stalactites require a steady drop of moisture to grow.  Why am I not putting the sincerity of my devotion within my craft first and foremost daily? Time.

3. Visiting my inner temple. When was the last time I did that, really? For it is here my heart is safest. Here where I can listen and acquire wisdom. Here I can rest, recharge and be healed. Here I can sort and process the realities of my life. Again, I’ve not made this intentional time a priority in my current life, because I haven’t “needed” it. And, you know, I have been really busy.

Yet, when the pile hit the proverbial fan this weekend, I came crashing down like a sandcastle against the incoming surf. Ridiculous, sad, and completely avoidable.

Because l, let’s face it: I am too much and the time has come to stand firmly in that muchness. For you also. To radiate and glow and rejoice in the fullness of it all. And that is a very good thing. The world craves and needs that muchness even while some despise it. Deep down, you know and I know that the people who despise us are not worth losing skin or sleep or breakfast over…much less sneaking out of a room in shame. But to be able to withstand being despised or humiliated for being “too much”, we must be fortified with our shields, our devotions, and our time spent in our inner temple. Only then, can our faces light like flint and our eyes glow with an inner fire that burns and deflects such nonsense away. Our thoughts and hearts have much better things to focus on. Too Much.

Erica Sittler is a Witch practicing her craft in Mississippi where she is a local, active member of the Temple of Witchcraft. Her magick is in the mundane and in bringing honor and attention to those small things that build a sustainable and adventurous life. She is a Temple Mystery School student under the instruction of High Priestess Sellena Dear.

Forgiveness, Forgetfulness, and the Ties that Bind

Photo by Meruyert Gonullu via Pexels
Photo by Meruyert Gonullu via Pexels

Photo by Meruyert Gonullu via Pexels

by Christopher Penczak, Edited by Tina Whittle

Not that long ago, I was quoted, correctly, saying that I’m Italian and I hold a grudge. And that is not untrue. Or perhaps it’s the combination of my Italian heritage and the natural inclinations of a Sun sign Taurus. Yet I had a few students who were shocked, because I’m one of the few Witchcraft teachers they know who also talks about forgiveness a lot, even asking our first-year students to work with a forgiveness mantra for self and others. How do I hold these two seemingly contradictory things at one time? These are the mysteries, and such paradox is inherent in all mystery teachings.

Some students get quite upset, thinking I am trying to sneak Christianity into their Witchcraft. Their Witchcraft is one of power, justice, and even vengeance. When I began my training, purposeful curses (other than those for defending yourself) were not often talked about. It was probably happening quite a bit, but it wasn’t discussed openly. In the current times where the talk is more overt, the practice has certainly multiplied, but is often exercised quite unskillfully. A number of students started studying with me because they cast curses, often a little too successfully or with the curse backfiring, and they needed help. A few thought (erroneously) that cursing was just a self-help pseudo-therapy type of thing seen mostly on social media, something to release anger and make you feel better, nothing that would have an effect they regretted.

While I’m certainly not Christian, as an occultist, I cannot ignore the strands of Christian mysticism in the Western Mystery Tradition of the last two thousand years. If you practice forms of Hermeticism, Qabalah, and alchemy, if you have any influence from tarot, the grimoire traditions, or the Golden Dawn branches, you have been touched by it. The Christianity of the early Celtic Church doesn’t leave me shuddering in the same way that parts of Roman and Orthodox Christianity do, though the high rituals of those branches certainly have their own magick to them. The principle of the redeemer, the concepts of the Age of Pisces, and the non-Christian forms of salvation that are found in the Greek term Soter/Soteira are things I readily embrace as part of the occult tradition. Today many Witches are seeking Christian folk magick to supplement or even replace their Neopagan occultism, but ignore the theological principles in the tradition. Embracing, rejecting, or actively ignoring Christianity plays a role in our Witchcraft.

When I ask someone to explore forgiveness, I often get the response that they can’t. A very good friend and now graduated student tells me that I just don’t understand the abuse she suffered, and she cannot forgive her abusers, and I do understand that, at least intellectually. The discussion went into the concept of the forgiveness of a debt, and how that metaphor plays into our modern concepts and understanding of karma, not necessarily with “good” and “bad” karma, but credit, something owed to you, and debt, something you owe. The ideal of liberation is to be free of credit and debt, and simply enact your true will in all things, incurring neither.

If one who does harm is not contrite and has not made efforts to resolve or restore the harm, you do not absolve them. But if you focus on their harm to the extent that it harms you, you must take steps to resolve it for yourself. Like not wanting to have someone on your accounting books, absolving the debt, expecting nothing, allows you to let them go and not carry with you the hurt and the expectation that what is owed will be restored. You will balance your own books, let go of that expectation and debt, and be free. Yet you wouldn’t engage them again, or in this metaphor, lend them money again. That would be foolish. Forgive the debt, but don’t forget the circumstance.

When I say I hold a grudge, I remember those who have done wrong, and who have not sought to rectify or offer apology only to continually repeat the same bad behavior, and I won’t do anything to further support them in their harm. If my actions could contribute to preventing further harm, then I would. While it’s not exactly malice, there is a satisfaction in seeing those who do harm not be happy or successful until they change their patterns of harm. I wish all my enemies great happiness when doing good, or at least being neutral, but if their happiness is rooted in causing harm to others, I certainly don’t wish them happiness and success. I wish them no success until they change. I do truly wish they would figure it out and cease harming. And I am open to the idea that they might serve a purpose I cannot see, understand or personally accept. I am open in my grudge to observe change and respond to it. I might even take the risk that change has occurred…once! But if my hope is betrayed again, until I see the change with others and verify that it’s true and lasting, I won’t engage. There is a chance for true forgiveness and resolution for all, but it takes willing partners on all sides.

A Witch can forgive. I encourage it when possible and right for you. But I don’t believe a Witch can forget. Even when it’s resolved on both sides, that which is remembered has led to that resolution, and it gives hopes for others doing harm that change, restitution, and forgiveness is possible. If we believe in an interdependent and interconnected world, we must be willing to hold the possibility of redemption and reunion for all our parts, those within us and those within the world.

The Second Annual Oracular Spectacular!

The Temple of Witchcraft is thrilled to offer an exciting opportunity to support our Community Center fundraiser through our second annual Oracular Spectacular!

Readers of all kinds have generously offered their services for this month-long event. Please consider booking a reading with one of our talented readers here:

Book Your Reading Now!

Once you book a reading you will receive a confirmation message and the reader will reach out to you shortly with a Zoom link or other remote access.

All readings will be remote, so access to a laptop or electronic device is all you will need.

Previous donations toward our community center have supported important parts of this project, such as securing an engineer and an architect to design the interior and site plan to submit to the Town of Salem.  We are deeply thankful for all your support. It’s a long-term project but we are confident in our community goals that will outlive us all and serve the community for time to come.

Vittorio Benetti, HP

Vittorio Benetti, also known as Evil Vick, is a High Priest and Ordained Minister with the Temple of Witchcraft. Currently, he’s a Teaching Assistant for students in the online Mystery School under the Sagittarius Ministry and volunteers for the Scorpio Ministry. He’s also a Light Bearer of the Temple.
Living in Italy with his wife, daughter, and two cats, he works as an IT tech. He is actively working to build an Italian community by organizing public rituals and offering Witchcraft, Reiki, and meditation classes while partnering with Local Spirits.

Vittorio Benetti anche conosciuto come Evil Vick è un Gran Sacerdote e un Ministro Ordinato presso il Temple of Witchcraft.
Attualmente è un Assistente Docente degli studenti della online Mystery School per il Ministero del Sagittario e un volontario per il Ministero dello Scorpione.
E’ anche un Portatore di Luce del Tempio (Light Bearer).
Vive in Italia con sua moglie,sua figlia e due gatti e lavora come tecnico IT.
Sta lavorando attivamente per costruire una comunità Italiana organizzando rituali pubblici e offrendo corsi di Stregoneria, Reiki e meditazione tutto questo in collaborazione con gli spiriti locali.

Magick in Mundane: A Twist of Thread

by Erica Sittler

We’ve come to the end of our course here in W1. If I was a good student, I would be studying for our test. You know, the one you have to pass in order to initiate? Pass with a 100%. It’s an open book test, so everyone should pass, right? Yet, I am the student who could easily not do that. I hope there are bonus questions. Or maybe we get extra credit for good behavior….

…instead of studying, I’ve been working with my red cord. Just a simply woven cord, made with intention by my teacher, so cherished by me and my fellow classmates. It will be our little “badge of honor” so to speak and recognizes the time, effort and devotion put toward our magickal practice. So, I’m very fond of this cord even though I haven’t quite earned it yet. W1 is all about the Inner Fire. Hence the color red. Earlier this week, as I was holding my cord, I realized what I needed to do, and I set to work with needle and thread and some little stones then I wove them into the threads of the cord itself. When starting, there was a thought of roughly how I was going to go about it. But that is not at all how it turned out.

Now, you see, handwork, or fine detailed sewing skills is not one of my strengths. Neither is math. Seriously. Do not ask me to do something complicated that involves math. You will really wish you hadn’t. But that was hardly a deterrent to my vision for this cord. So, I gathered and folded and counted and sorted and got busy with my needle and thread. Hours and hours and hours later, my cord looked nothing like I thought it would. It had sprouted a life of its own.

Where I thought a pattern of six was to go, the cord required nine sets, symbolically for the nine of us classmates who made it through the year. Where I thought a line of five was meant to go, a snake appeared, complete with tiny rattles and a pointy head. Where I envisioned a soft gleam of moonstone, a skull face with fiery red hair came forth. Days went by and I gave up on what I thought was happening and just let the cord instruct my fingers which by now had been pierced more times than I could count. Lava rock beads showed up and oils, but only certain oils. Other oils refused to open their caps and add a drop to the collective infusion of lava. After three attempts with three different bottles, it fully dawned on me that I could play along if I wished, but what my cord actually wanted was for me to simply be the conduit for it to become its full self.

Amulets and talismans appeared. Symbols of liminal spaces and reminders of allegiances and allies fused themselves to the cord, stitch after stitch. As it finished itself, I realized I had my math wrong and what I thought was the back was  now somewhere else completely. It did not matter. Obviously, it was exactly where it was supposed to be. I kept quiet while sewing, working hard to not overthink the process, but just let it happen and enjoy it. Coral hag stones gathered with my grown son on a liminal stretch of shoreline one sunset joined the collective. Tiny strings of tiny beads and seeds like feathers added adornment. And then quite firmly the intuition to “set the needle down”. Ummm, we are just going to stop? There are more beads and this stone only has this small bit added? Should there be more? Can I add this tiny bell? I’m mentally bargaining with the cord, knowing full well by now that if it doesn’t want it, there will be no keeping it there, no matter how many knots I tie. I add it. It stays.

Lo and behold, a magickal cord. Where did that come from? How did that happen? Why did that happen? What does it mean? What can it do?

Fairytales are full of ordinary things that hold extraordinary power and can do amazing things at certain times and in certain places with certain people. A doll, a key, a carpet, a bean… the simplest of things, transformed into more. How? Sometimes, it’s just fate or luck. Other times, it’s through little rituals, like feeding the dolly or bathing in the river seven times. What makes my little twist of thread so special? Absolutely nothing. It is made of commonplace materials and you can find much prettier ones…

But…

But, I have a very visceral, tactile relationship with this particular twist of thread and its bits and snips. Utterly unique and not replicable, for did you walk the rough shoreline at sunset with me and my son that day, so that every time you see and feel them you call to memory a day you walked a liminal space where earth water and sky conjoined with such crashing beauty it took your breath away and you wanted to melt into the  coral rocks and be a part of that beauty for eternity. And that tiny yellow shell with its pinprick of a hole? That? Why that was your gift from the merfolk. You had wandered another stretch of ocean. Ocean where salt hung heavy in the stiff breeze. A long, rough wooden pier where men were fishing for sharks and you, completely out of place, were making peace and an offer of friendship to creatures unseen, but felt and acknowledged. That tiny shell has as much value to me as any pirate’s golden trove. And those magnolia seeds. Why who knew when pierced they released a perfume as sweet as the flowers they originated from? And those stones? And that particular arrangement? Do you see me as a young child visiting an esoteric shop much to my father’s chagrin. Do you see me tenderly picking out a tiger’s eye stone like it was the most beloved of friends long out of site? Or there, again as a poor, scraggly, abused kid looking through the Sears catalog and finding rings made of my birthstone, garnets, and thinking they must be the most precious of all stones, to have earned the position of January’s stone. On and on and on in the working.

Herein is the magick. With every stitch there is a memory, an association, a smell, a symbol, a meaning: a something to make it matter. Dearly matter, if to no one else but myself. I have woven and rubbed and snipped and gathered all the best I learned in this W1 course. Certainly we learned fancier words to describe such things in class. Words like correspondences and sympathetic workings. Words I now can say with certainty I know what those words mean, for I have gathered and worked and bled here upon this long and beautiful scrap and now pulsating cord for days. Why? Because my life is far richer when it matters. When the things I surround myself with matter. When the nature of my work matters. That, Beloved, is at the heart of all good magick: it all matters.

Erica Sittler is a Witch practicing her craft in Mississippi where she is a local, active member of the Temple of Witchcraft. Her magick is in the mundane and in bringing honor and attention to those small things that build a sustainable and adventurous life. She is a Temple Mystery School student under the instruction of High Priestess Sellena Dear.
Temple of Witchcraft