The Temple’s Pisces Ministry is pleased to announce High Priestess Sellena (Amanda Dear) has accepted an invitation to become our third deputy minister, rounding out our ministry. Sellena is a wonderful addition to Pisces, bringing her creativity, wisdom, and magick to our monthly meetings. As a Pisces celebrant she offers community Wheel of the Year sabbats and other events to the community in the Jackson, Mississippi area, as well as teaching for the Mystery School there. Her main duties as a Pisces deputy are performing monthly divinations for the Temple during the full moons. Please join us in giving a warm welcome to Sellena! We are so grateful for your presence!

The Temple of Witchcraft is excited to announce our newest board members. Deborah Stellhorn and Dan Lupacchino will join the Board  of Directors for the 2022-2024 session as two of the three voting advisors to the board, serving alongside current board members Elsa Elliott (Voting Advisor), Steve Kenson (Secretary), Jocelyn Van Bokkelen (Treasurer), Christopher Penczak (Vice-President), and Adam Sartwell (President).

Debbie is an ordained high priestess in the Temple, fundraising coordinator, former Templefest housing coordinator, deputy in the Sagittarius Ministry of education, and an active teacher in the community, co-teaching The Work of the Mighty Dead and Psychology & Magick extended courses. Debbie brings twenty-three years of professional experience in working full time in the religious non-profit world, from fundraising to direct services. Her perspective is a valuable contribution to our next phase of growth as an organization.

Dan is an ordained high priest and official teacher in the Mystery School of the Temple, senior Teaching Assistant in the online school, sabbat ritual celebrant in our Connecticut community, and instrumental in our 2022 scholarship fundraising, as well as being a full time healing professional. Dan’s calm, kind energy as part of the next generation of leaders is deeply welcomed to the board.

The Temple of Witchcraft board of directors is pleased to announce that High Priestess Matooka Moonbear has been confirmed as the new lead minister of the Temple’s Pisces Ministry and High Priest Jason Gamache has been confirmed as the new lead minister of the Temple’s Taurus Ministry.

Matooka Moonbear has over thirty years experience as a priestess, diviner, and healer. A graduate of the Temple’s seminary program, she previously served as lead minister of the Temple’s Cancer Ministry. Matooka served as a deputy minister for Pisces for several years prior to taking on this new role.

Jason Gamache is a graduate of the Temple’s seminary program and a former Pilgrim of the Sun and Stars. Prior to accepting the lead minister role, Jason worked as a volunteer in Taurus Ministry, particularly on the Green Man Grotto sacred space on the Temple’s land in Salem, New Hampshire.

Both new lead ministers will be installed in their roles at the Temple’s public Beltane ritual on April 30th, 2022.

by Renee Bedard

Walking along the hiking trails of New England, you can find so many beautiful treasures. The winding paths through the woods will lead you into forgotten places and mysterious locations. You can often find cellar holes, old foundations, and defunct mill sites. Each enchanting place can stir something within you if you allow it. One of my favorite New England hidden gems are the old stone walls. Only a few feet tall, the mossy stone border lines weave their way through the woods and overgrown fields. Echoing back to a time when they marked important boundaries, these stoic sentinels stand steadfast to this day as they hold their ground, maintaining property lines from long ago. Allowing my mind to wander, I begin to reflect inward. Where are my boundary lines? How to I maintain a healthy foundation? Are my inner and outer landscapes reflecting my needs? Am I honoring myself by maintaining a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle?

There are so many connections and clues around us. Each are asking us to check in with ourselves. As we develop a healthy and sustainable self-care practice, we breathe deeply into our bodies, learning to listen to the quiet and steady voice within. It helps us to understand who we are and what we need to continue our path that we choose to design. Remembering the important role of the old stone walls, they did not quickly come together and form their lines for the farmers. No. The stones were dug out of those fields. The farmers cleared and cared for the land. With the rocky soil now cleared and ready to be fertilized, they painstakingly built the walls, piecing them together one by one. This action took time and a lot of effort. You can even say that the task was a labor of love in order to provide for themselves and loved ones. Like the farmers, we too, can remove and detangle what does not belong to us and cultivate healthy and necessary boundaries we need in our lives as well.

It is true that it can be difficult to create healthy boundaries, especially when we may find ourselves always putting others first. We can fall into a routine, get consumed by our schedules, and end up getting swept away until it is time for us to plop into bed, hoping tomorrow will be different. The thing is, nothing will change until we decide to create that change for ourselves. The key to healthy boundaries is to create beneficial patterns that promote and foster what you need. Another key? Begin to really dig in and get to know yourself. What makes you happy? What makes you sad or angry? The stresses that bubble up to the surface, why are they there and what are they trying to say?

As we begin to remove old patterns of behavior that no longer serve us, we will need to plant the seeds for new beneficial patterns. The task can seem daunting, I know. Yet, the most important and helpful habits take time to foster and grow. Patience, persistence, and a good sense of humor can all help as we learn to live in a new way. But where do we begin?

• Meditation and journaling are great places to start. The more we understand who we are, we can see our patterns and why we have created them. Once we see and understand the pattern, we can begin to undo the habit and replace it with something helpful.
• Start in small ways – little actions go a long way and will create the confidence needed to make the bigger changes later. We can hold a lot of anxiety with our cell phones that are on all the time. Texts, calls, emails, and social media are always going and are always at our fingertips. Healthy boundaries can begin when we shut off thew phone. If you are feeling stressed or anxious, do you really need to reply to the text or email right away? If not, leave it. You can continue doing what you are doing at the time or meditate, reflect, or just breathe. The point is, you are the one in charge of your life.
• Learn to ask for help when you need it. This can be very difficult for a lot of people. You are certainly not alone. Asking for help and telling others what you need is not a sign of weakness. It is an act of kindness that you can offer to yourself. You do not need to do everything all of the time. Ask for help. It is something you can do to help to elevate some of the weight you carry. Maybe you can even ask yourself if you are taking on too much responsibility for the time you have allotted to you. Again, you do not need to do all the things all of the time for everyone. If you spread yourself too thin, you will not have the energy for yourself or anyone else.
• Learn to say no. This is one of the hardest things to do for so many people. By saying no, we can begin to do the things that we need to do for ourselves. We have many choices in our lifetime. What does your life look like when you have the power and control over it? When we say no, we are advocating for ourselves. We are saying that we are valuable and all that is within our lives is valuable too. No is a word that can help us foster what is important to us because we are being the gate keepers of our life. Another thing to remember is that ‘No’, is a full sentence. It is healthy to say no.
• Leave your options open. Of course, by saying no right in the moment, depending what the issue is, it doesn’t mean that it is forever. Things can change. Our schedule may free up, granting us a little time where we can experience something that we want to do.
• Be honest in your words and deeds. When we are honest with ourselves and others, we build a healthy line of communication. This is a wonderful gift that you can give to yourself and to those around you. Speaking what is in your heart can sting sometimes, but if you are gentle in your communication, understanding can be had on both sides of the conversation. Is there an outcome that you can settle on?

As we begin to untangle the pieces within us, we can start to cultivate our field, our inner landscape. With what we discover inside ourselves, we can prepare for healthy and prosperous growth. By doing so, we are laying down the foundation for our necessary and healthy boundaries. Our new personal boundaries can feel strange or difficult at first. We can even lose our hold on those boundaries from time to time. That is normal. The important thing to remember is that you can always pick up where you left off. Please remember that you are beginning to change some patterns that you held for a very long time. It will be difficult and may take some time. There will be times when you fall back into the old routines. Please remember to offer yourself forgiveness, examine where the break in the boundary was, and simply try again. These new healthy patterns are there for you to continue to grow, develop, heal, and evolve. How do your important boundary lines expand through your landscape?

Renee Bedard is a psychic intuitive and a Reiki Master Teacher. She is currently a Witchcraft 3 student and a Virgo Ministry volunteer.

After my father died my mom and I had a rare conversation about religion that has stuck with me. She said that she wished she had the faith others had because she thought, in troubled times, you could take great solace in your spiritual connection. My thoughts turned to this conversation as I spoke with friends and my students this week. We were all reeling from the impact of grief, the after-effects of the pandemic, and some significant changes, and the one thing they said they had lost focus with was their spiritual practices. My immediate response was “That is all right, you are dealing with a lot, don’t worry, it will come back.” Then, as I drove home my mother’s words came back to me. It had me considering: Do I take solace and refuge in my spiritual practice when things are hard?

The simple answer is: yes, I do. As I examine and unpack it more I notice that my spiritual practice adapts to the holistic circumstances, both internal and external, of my life. I ask myself, “What do I need from my spiritual practice today, this month, this year?” Sometimes my answer is hard core practices when I need a spiritual kick in the tush, initiatory transformative experiences, or just a desire to dive deeper. As I unpack this, these extreme practices are not my go-to when I need solace or refuge. It all depends on whether diving deep into them brings the clarity and focus I need to get through what is going on. I find that strangely I get more “done” when I am in the flow of deeper practice. 

When the answer to my question of what I need is solace and refuge, I turn to the simple daily practices or practices that respond to my circumstances. My simplest practice is my altar devotion, which is just lighting my altar candle and saying an invocation of the infinite divine to protect and guide me in my thoughts, words, and deeds to my true will, deepest love, and greatest wisdom. It is the one constant practice for me and I take refuge in its simplicity. 

The practices that work with what I need shift with the circumstance. Need guidance, a divination; need peace or alignment, a short meditation; need healing, some reiki or charging water; need protection, anointing with protection potion; need a jolt of energy, make an elixir with my planetary spygerics; need to finish an assignment from a class, do that. In grief, I take a moment to talk out loud to the deceased and offer them some light or a glass of water. Sometimes the practice is just to get on with my day for that is what is needed. 

It is up to you to ask yourself these questions and find your own answers. If you need solace and refuge think about why that is? What will offer you the opportunity for that now? Be open to your answers and take action on them, even when the action is inaction.

Adam Sartwell works as a certified Consulting Hypnotist with the National guild of Hypnotists and ICBCH, and professional Tarot reader. He is a co-founder of the Temple of Witchcraft. Award-wining Author of Twenty-one days of Reiki and The Blessing Cord, he has been published in anthologies such as Green Lovers, Ancestors of the Craft, and Foundations of the Temple. For more information on his work as a hypnotist and online courses, go to hypnointuitive.com. To see more about his work as an author, psychic reader,  and teacher go to his website adamsartwell.com

The Temple will be offering an online Ritual of Remembrance for David Erwin on Sunday, July 25th from 2 to 5 pm Eastern Time. Elsa Elliott, Lead Minister of Scorpio, will lead a service including a ritual for honoring the dead and providing mediation to David as he journeys to his next phase. Members are encouraged to have a candle and simple altar set up in their homes, if they wish.

Please join us to honor this wonderful man and Temple member. May he rise in power and his memory be a blessing. Who is remembered lives!

You can register to attend this ritual online on Zoom at this link.

If you are looking for resources on grief, please contact the Scorpio ministry at [email protected] and see www.templeofwitchcraft.org/scorpio for more information, reference materials and a suggestion for an altar honoring the recently deceased.

At one of the reiki shares we were sharing what was going on a bit in our lives. One share stuck out to me the next day. It was of a parent who was putting two kids through college and how as parents they had to go over what their budget was so they could afford to send both progeny to college. One thing that had to be factored into their budget was witchcraft and what they spent on it. I started to mull over this idea of a “witchcraft budget.”

Budgets in themselves are not very exciting but they are necessary to achieve a long term goal. To make one you have to be introspective as to what your priorities are. It takes courage to see yourself in the eyes of a budget for it can bring up sadness as we let go of things of less priority to make room for our true priorities. This could be why people avoid doing them. As witches we need to be introspective and a budget is a great way to think about how we “spend” our lives.

This conversation had me thinking not only in the terms of money but also in the terms of how I spend my time and energy when it comes to witchcraft. What practices give me the most back in enjoyment, benefits to community, benefit to my own self growth? As witchcraft is a science, as well as an art and religion, one needs to have data to be able to judge how well something works for you. Turning back to my journal I looked over what seemed effective for me and where I had “over spent” on something that did not give a whole lot back. This type of introspection is helpful to make future plans.

Tracking our “spending” in our journal can be a valuable experience. Spending a little time learning how to track one’s progress and self in a journal can be valuable. Learning how to bullet journal can be helpful in learning what you have been doing and its effects.

A budget is just a plan and should change with the circumstances. Looking to my students through their progress through the craft, I have found that at different times students’ “budgets” had to change to accommodate a priority. One example was a student who lost a family member during their classes. Suddenly they found themselves behind because their budget had to now accommodate their grieving process. This sudden life change disrupted their life but was a sudden priority change that was completely necessary to their healing process. This is why the witchcraft budget is an adaptable plan to the circumstances we are going through at the time.

We have to include the circumstances we have to deal with in our budget. Every one’s circumstances are different. Some people have kids, some have medical conditions, some have elderly parents to care for, an addiction, a chronic issue, a job commitment, or a multitude of variables. These circumstances call for us to be creative and to realize what our priorities are. When it comes to dealing with our circumstances it can be helpful to budget out time, money and energy to see what we can afford. Some people put off their craft to make room for these circumstances and some will over spend on the craft to escape dealing with them. The goal of the budget is to find a way to make it balanced and remember the benefits of your craft.

As a hypnotist I think about what I say and how to frame things to make sure I am telling my subconscious things that are helpful. Saying that “this isn”t in my budget yet” is different then saying you don’t have the money, time, or energy for it.  When I say it isn’t in my budget I am saying I have different priorities right now and If I want to make something new a  priority I have to shift things. You have time, money, and energy but they are being spent on different priorities recognizes that you have abundance and does not put energy into creating lack. Following the sentence with the word “yet” makes it so you are not limiting the field of possibility for this to manifest in the future when priorities shift.

Adam Sartwell (New Hampshire) works as a certified Consulting Hypnotist with the National guild of Hypnotists and ICBCH, and professional Tarot reader. He is a co-founder of the Temple of Witchcraft, a religious nonprofit. Award wining Author of Twenty-one days of Reiki and The Blessing Cord. He has been published in anthologies such as Green lovers, Ancestors of the craft, and Foundations of the temple. For more information on his work as a hypnotist  and online courses go to https://hypnointuitive.com. To see more about his work as an author, psychic reader,  and teacher go to his website https://adamsartwell.com

I was visiting my mom one Fall and I asked to go through her recipe box and write down any of the ones I wanted. We sat and looked through the many recipes and I would ask her about if this or that one were any good. I was surprised to find recipes I had never tried before. I remember as I looked through it thinking: “I don’t think I have ever had apple bars.” I asked my mom about the recipe and she said it was her father’s favorite. He passed when I was too young to really understand death. My clearest memories were not about foods he liked. I remembered most fishing and being told I was scaring the fish with my incessant talking.

I thought about what a precious gift it is to learn something more about him, another way to honor my ancestry by making something he loved. So I went home and tried out this new to me recipe handed down from my ancestry. Peeling, coring, and shredding the apples, mixing the batter, all while thinking of my scant memories of my grandpa. The bars are light and cake-like. They taste a bit like what I would think the ambrosia of the gods would taste like.

This recipe is something I often think about as the autumnal equinox comes closer and apples are in season here in New England. It also helps me to prepare myself for the coming Samhain by reminding me of my ancestors. Enjoy!

Grandpa’s Favorite Apple Bars
In honor and memory of R.L.H.

3 medium sized eggs
1 cup of oil (I use canola)
1&1/2 cups sugar
2 cups of flour
6 medium sized apples: peeled, cored, and shredded or finely chopped (Granny Smiths are my favorite baking apple, but you can use others)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the eggs in a bowl and beat for 1 minute (I do this by hand but you can use a mixer if you want). Add the sugar and oil, stir until combined. Add in the dry ingredients. When the batter is ready, fold in the apples. Grease a 9 by 13 inch pan and pour in the batter. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Cool slightly and cut into bars.

by David J. Erwin

The Temple of Witchcraft’s Virgo Ministry works with the Spirit/Archetype of the Healer. In this piece we’ll explore astrological aromatherapy. You’ve probably heard that Aromatherapy is the art and science (every time I say that I think of Severus Snape talking about the “exact art and subtle science that is potion-making:) of using essential oils for health and wellness—be that physical, emotional, mental or spiritual. Essential oils are the essence and lifeblood of the plant and they impart not only aromatic and physical benefits but energetic, spiritual and magickal as well. Here we will explore how aromatherapy can help us strengthen and balance our energies—based on our natal charts.

Crafting magickal aromatherapy blends to harmonize and maximize our core/inner selves can be as simple as selecting an essential oil or two for your Sun Sign. But why stop at simple? A great blend you can craft is to select an oil for your Sun Sign, your Moon Sign, and your Ascendant.

Below is a starting list of essential oils for each of the Signs, many are common, a few are on the rarer side. Select one or two for each sign. Choose from what you have, what you know…or use a pendulum to select an oil from each Sign. Start by blending 1-2 drops each in about ½ ounce carrier oil (grapeseed and sweet almond are the most popular.) With magickal aromatherapy the attributions and intention of the blend is more important than the scent of the blend…but experiment a bit. If you can’t stand what you blend…it won’t do much good for you! Be sure to write down what you blend together. ‘Tinker’ with your blend to perfect it.

You can use this as an anointing oil, a personal magickal perfume, as an aid to raise your energetics before and kind of magickal working. Please use caution when using essential oils…read about each oil before you use it. If you are allergic to the flower, please do not use the essential oil! Do not take essential oils internally. Yes, I know I sound like Mom…but this is Virgo, remember? Suggested books include: The Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews (Scott Cunningham); Magickal Aromatherapy (Scott Cunningham) and Mixing Essential Oils for Magic (Sandra Kynes).

Above all—have some fun. This will help you explore another aspect of your highest and most magickal self.

Aries

Frankincense, Cedarwood, Clove, Cinnamon, Pine, Allspice

Taurus

Cardamom, Patchouli, Vanilla, Thyme, Oakmoss, Rose

Gemini

Lavender, Peppermint, Lemongrass, Dill, Eucalyptus, Anise

Cancer

Chamomile, Jasmine, Eucalyptus, Lemon, Sandalwood, Violet

Leo

Orange, Lime, Benzoin, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Rosemary

Virgo

Patchouli, Bergamot, Fennel, Lavender, Peppermint, Cypress

Libra

Rose, Rose Geranium, Mugwort, Ylang Ylang, Cardamom, Spearmint

Scorpio

Black Pepper, Ginger, Clove, Myrrh, Basil, Vanilla

Sagittarius

Cedarwood, Ginger, Sage, Orange, Nutmeg

Capricorn

Vetiver, Cypress, Patchouli, Magnolia, Myrrh, Oakmoss

Aquarius

Lavender, Petitgrain, Benzoin, Pine, Peppermint, Cypress

Pisces

Sandalwood, Ylang Ylang, Jasmine, Eucalyptus, Lemon, Sage