CELEBRATE EL SUEÑO

now, i’m by no means a weather witch, but using all aspects of the earth is really important to me in my craft. i’ve always been fascinated by clouds on a scientific level, but the significance of them in my witchcraft is quite high, too. i’m even making my own divination system based off of clouds! so, these are my general, personal correspondences for any type of magic.

stratus - hazy, featureless, low-level drizzle clouds - hidden truths, unclear motives. secrets

altostratus - mid-altitude, uniform grey-bluish sheet - strength, stability, prosperity

cirrostratus - high-altitude, thin, wispy, fragmented - beginnings, renewal, wishes

nimbostratus - mid-level, thick, dark formless layer - power, abundance

cumulus - flat-based, puffy - childishness, joy

altocumulus - similar to cirrocumulus but bigger and darker - comfort, safety

cirrocumulus - small, high, patchy. often in rows - dreams, intuition, future thinking

stratocumulus - low-altitude, larger elements than altocumulus, darker - protection, courage, wisdom

cirrus - many altitudes, thin, wispy strands - freedom, travel, adventure

cumulonimbus - intense vertical clouds, rain and storm producing - turmoil, difficult times, change

personally, i use clouds in sigil making (using minimalist depictions or meteorological symbols), divination (more on this soon!), visualisation, and spells where i want my intent to manifest in a productive way. i hope you can use these correspondences, and i’d love to see how you do!

Kate Fichard

Scarecrows

I noticed some time ago that scarecrows no longer exist in the fields and vegetable gardens in France. This is largely because pesticides and protection nets have completely replaced them.

Sensitive to environmental concerns and ecology, I conceived a project to restore these forgotten field sculptures. With the help of Hugo Deniau, a visual artist, my idea was to offer the birds of our region both the nicest and most frightening way to meet scarecrows again.

The word “scarecrows” is derived from the verb “scare”—these figures are supposed to inspire fear in the animals that land on the fields and eat the seeds before the plants have grown. Indeed, the scarecrow is an attempt to symbolize a human presence even when no one is actually there.

From this eternal antagonism, Hugo and I realized that these creatures are not only frightening to birds: they also represent a greater nightmare. We were inspired by the notions of contemporary terror—global warming and environmental destruction to name a few—and thus used objects and colors tied to pollution. These modern scarecrows evidence the broader attacks being made by humanity against all of nature.

Trying to reunite man, nature and birds through a single art project is as ambitious as it is vital. My idea is to travel through more landscapes and create enough new images to publish a book or have an exhibition on the subject. I am always animated by thinking differently about our world in order to save it.