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Review: Mrs. B’s Guide to Household Witchery
This article originally appeared on my About.com site, but since book reviews tend to show an underwhelming long-term performance there, I’m going to be gradually migrating some of them over here instead. I thought I’d kick things off with one of my favorite reviews, of a book by one of my favorite people, Kris Bradley, also known as Mrs. B. If you were familiar with Kris’ blog, Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom, that she ran up until 2013, you know that she spent a lot of time encouraging readers to find the magical in the mundane, and to look for the spiritual in everyday things around the house. By bringing…
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Review: The Witches’ Almanac Coloring Book
I love to color, and as much as I hate to sound like that annoying hipster barista at your favorite coffee shop, I was actually coloring a lot before it became a trend. It’s therapeutic and keeps me from throwing rocks at people or eating my feelings. One of the best things about coloring becoming popular, though, is that now, instead of being stuck with Dora the Explorer and Ninja Turtles, there are a floppity-million coloring books out there for grownups. No matter what your interest – I have Outlander and Game of Thrones – there’s something for you to color in. Which is why, gentle reader, when the nice…
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In Which I Hang Out At Media Medusa
I don’t know if you guys are familiar with Media Medusa, and specifically, Nancy Basile, but if you’re not following the site, you should be. All kinds of cool pop culture things lurk over at MM, from TV to movies to books, so go check it out! I first met Nancy when we were co-conspirators at About.com, and we discovered pretty quickly that we had a lot in common – the same weird sense of humor, an unabashed love for Outlander‘s Jamie Fraser, and no lie, we both have the Imperial March from Star Wars as our ringtones. It’s like we’re Geek Twinsies. Anyway, I got to do a little…
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The Good Witch’s Daily Spellbook
OMG YOU GUYS. I have some super exciting news! I’ve partnered with Sterling Publishing to create The Good Witch’s Daily Spellbook! This collection of 366 spells – one for each day of the year – is designed in a way that’s useful for both beginners and advanced practitioners. No fancy hard-to-find tools, no hours-long rituals, just magic on the fly when you need it – as it should be! I’m super excited about this project, and my editor, Chris Barsanti, is going to be an absolute dream to work with. TGWDSB will be out in December 2016, marketed in Barnes & Noble stores (Sterling is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BN),…
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The Intro to Tarot Study Guide is Here!
A few weeks ago I announced that About.com had advised us that they would shortly be doing away with the e-courses. While it was disappointing to hear, there are certainly solid reasons for the decision on their part – however, a LOT of readers have given me feedback in the past about how much they loved the e-courses. Two in particular, the Intro to Paganism & Wicca and Intro to Tarot courses, were extremely popular. When I posted this initially, I was able to announce that I’d revamped the Intro to Paganism & Wicca e-class into a 13-step self study guide, which is getting really great responses. Today, I’m pleased…
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Intro to Paganism Study Guide
So last week About.com advised us that they would shortly be doing away with the e-courses. There were several reasons for this – all of which are valid and legitimate – but that doesn’t change the fact that a lot of readers really loved my site’s e-classes. In particular, the Intro to Tarot and the Wicca & Paganism 101 e-classes were huge hits with many readers, and I always got a ton of great feedback from people who had subscribed. With limited notice as to the end of the e-courses, I wasn’t entirely sure what to do about them – while I know there are a number of other programs…
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Whole30: I Lost Some Stuff
So yesterday was the final day of my #whole30 experiment, and I’m happy to report that I feel amazing. Sure, there are a few things that could use improvement – I’m still experiencing the weird fibro Charley horses in my legs, and the arthritis in my hips still makes me hate mornings – but overall, I feel great. I’m sleeping through the night – I’m talking about six hours, uninterrupted – which is something I haven’t done in a long time. My skin, which has always looked healthy, looks even more clear. I’m not tired throughout the day, and I feel well rested and have a ton of energy. Also,…
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Salem, Hartford, and Pendle Hill
I first became interested in the Salem witch trials long before I was interested in witchcraft itself. I remember reading about them as a child, and being fascinated by the tales of these girls my age who had been possessed, taken by spirits in the night in league with the Devil himself. Accusations flew about like gray specters in the dark nights of colonial Massachusetts, fingers pointing, and no one was safe. As I got older, and became more interested in history itself – not just of Salem and its trials, but of the entire country and in particular, the pre-Revolutionary world – I read more and learned more. Among…
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Whole30 Week 2: No One Is Dead Yet
So now I’m finished with week two of my #Whole30, and I’m pleased to say I haven’t killed anyone yet. I know this is where I am supposed to start feeling that whole Eat All the Things and Murderous Ragey stuff, but honestly, I’ve never felt better. This week’s meals included curried chicken, portobello mushrooms, chorizo sausage, and tuna salad made with Ahi and homemade mayo. I legitimately think I might be able to not just pull this off, but also continue eating this way on a long term basis. Things I’ve learned this week: Coconut milk in my coffee is actually really good. Just because I see a candy…
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Whole30 Week 1: I Survived
So I’ve just completed my first week of my #Whole30 challenge, and I’m not gonna lie, it was a hell of a lot easier than I expected. I truly believe that the advance prep work helped me through it. A few observations: 1. I was worried I’d be hungry all the time, but I’m not. I’m sort of re-learning how my body does respond to its own signals, and now I’m eating when I start to feel growly, instead of when I’m bored. 2. I’m eating good stuff. Lots of chicken and fish, a ton of fruits and veggies, and of course, eggs. It’s never boring, because I have a…
