Spiral Nature

2019 Q4: Invoice me, I want to pay you

Have you published with Spiral Nature Magazine this quarter?

If so, thanks so much for your work!

If not, then you can skip this update, unless you’re interested in writing for us, in which case, please see our most recent calls for columnist or editorial positions and our submission guidelines.

Who needs to send an invoice?

Those of you who have had work published from 1 October…

Not my Burning Times: Witch trials, oppression, and magical identity making

A lot of knowledge has been lost because people who were identified as witches have been murdered or otherwise silenced throughout the ages by people who feared them. Witch hunts and witch trials are a real part of the historical record, but is invoking them in today’s, modern magical communities helpful? Or is it just one more subtle divider between white people and people of colour who practice the craft? The idea of using this history to build a pillar of the magical identity should be examined.

2019 Q3: Invoice me, I want to pay you

Have you published with Spiral Nature Magazine this quarter?

If so, thanks so much for your work!

If not, then you can skip this update, unless you’re interested in writing for us, in which case, please see our most recent calls for columnist or editorial positions and our submission guidelines.

Who needs to send an invoice?

Those of you who have had work published from 1 July through…

Mabon: A time of balance and care

Fall is coming upon us and even though it is still pretty warm outside, the days are notably shorter and if you are in certain parts of the world, you may even be seeing the leaves change colour a bit. The harvest season for most wild herbs and roots has passed or is ending and the last of our field harvests are drawing near. Mabon, or the autumn equinox is upon us. This year it falls on September 21-22.

Tattoo Tarot: Ink and Intuition, by Diana McMahon-Collins, illustrated by Megamunden

Laurence King Publishing, 9781786272058, 155 pp., 2018

The art of tarot and the art of tattoo have separate, storied histories shrouded in both mystery and misunderstanding, so it’s enchant­ing to see them brought together in this rich new deck from Laurence King Publishing, titled Tattoo Tarot: Ink and…

Witchcraft Activism, by David Salisbury

Witchcraft Activism: A Toolkit for Magical Resistance, by David Salisbury

Weiser Books, 9781578636570, 192 pp., 2019

I knew I needed a copy of Witchcraft Activism: A Toolkit for Magical Resistance as soon as I read its summary. I believe that witchcraft is a tool to manifest change and can aid those who are in need, and so the idea of a book about this was promising.

Although I try…

Barefoot Wisdom, by Sharon Whiteley and Ann Marie Chiasson

Barefoot Wisdom: Better Health Through Grounding, by Sharon Whiteley and Ann Marie Chiasson MD Red Feather Mind, Body, Spirit, 0764355449, 112 pp., 2018

When a great long, flat box appears in the hands of my post mistress, I am curious. “Is it a book?” I ask. “Pretty thin, and big,” she says. Opening the carefully constructed cardboard casing, I discover a copy of Barefoot Wisdom: Better Health…

Encounters with Nature Spirits, by R. Ogilvie Crombie

Encounters with Nature Spirits: Co-creating with the Elemental Kingdom, by R. Ogilvie Crombie Findhorn Press, 9781620558379, 232 pp., 2018

Encounters with Nature Spirits: Co-creating with the Elemental Kingdomby R. Ogilvie Crombie (1899-1975) is one of those rare books that immediately takes you out of your head and transports you into the woods or a park, sun shining down and warm, as you…

Keeping Her Keys, by Cyndi Brannen

Keeping Her Keys: An Introduction to Hekate’s Modern Witchcraft, by Cyndi Brannen Moon Books, 9781789040753, 255 pp., 2019

The goddess Hekate is a figure with many forms: goddess of witches, psychopomp, torch barrier, goddess of the crossroads, speaker of the dead, and triple goddess. Her history is just as diverse and hidden in the shadows as the realm she walks. Keeping Her Keys: An…

Opening the Akashic Records, by St. Germain

Opening the Akashic Records: Meeting Your Record Keepers and Discover Your Soul’s Purpose, by Maureen J. St. Germain Bear & Company, 9781591433385, 176 pp., 2019

Maureen J. St. Germain is a mystic and teacher with more than 25 years of experience with the mystical and sacred traditions. Through her personal connections, she channels angels, divine feminine energy, dragons, Hathor (an Egypti…

What is Modern Witchcraft?, edited by Trevor Greenfield

What is Modern Witchcraft?: Contemporary Developments in the Ancient Craft, edited by Trevor Greenfield Moon Books, 9781785358661, 97 pp., 2019

A book that claims to discuss modern witchcraft in 2019, that’s completely western Eurocentric and literally makes no mention of race or intersectionality? Is this a hoax? No, sadly it’s not. Welcome to What is Modern Witchcraft?: Contemporary…

Hidden Insights: Astrology for the week of 11 August 2019

Hidden Insights projects a week where the only thing to expect is the unexpected. Unexpected changes, for both good and bad, are promised as Uranus stations retrograde, and Jupiter stations direct. These transits are enhanced by a Full Moon, conjunction between the Sun and Venus, as well as a square from Mercury to Uranus.

As Uranus stations retrograde in Taurus, the world’s sense of security…

Energy Medicine for Animals, by Diane Budd

Energy Medicine for Animals: The Bioenergetics of Animal Healing, by Diane Budd

Findhorn Press, 9781620558409, 192 pp., 2019

I have lived with animals most of my life, and I learned many techniques to heal and help my animal companions. Because they are part of my close knit family, animal healing holds as much importance as human healing. Energy Medicine for Animals: The Bioenergetics…

The Fraternitas Saturni, by Stephen E. Flowers

The Fraternitas Saturni: History, Doctrine, and Rituals of the Magical Order of the Brotherhood of Saturn, By Stephen E. Flowers Inner Traditions, 9781620557211, 224 pp., 2018

From the primordial soup of Freemasonry and the Rosicrucians spawned the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, which in turn spawned orders such as the Bavarian Illuminati, Grand Pansophical Lodge, the Original Hermetic…

Hidden Insights: Astrology for the week of 4 August 2019

It is a rare moment when Hidden Insights can forecast nothing but harmony, happiness, and success. However, that is exactly what the world will receive this week! There are only two major transits, and both are lucky trines. Together they represent opportunity, which can help individuals reach for success with ease.

The first aspect of the week comes on Wednesday, 7 August, when the Sun makes…

Poppets and Magical Dolls, by Lucya Starza

Poppets and Magical Dolls: Dolls for Spellwork, Witchcraft and Seasonal Celebrations, by Lucya Starza

Moon Books, 9781785357213, 128 pp., 2018.

Despite Poppets and Magical Dolls: Dolls for Spellwork, Witchcraft and Seasonal Celebrations being an introductory book in one of the most famous elements of traditional witchcraft, it includes a good amount of detail as well as exercises and…

Light Magic for Dark Times, by Lisa Marie Basile

Light Magic for Dark Times: More than 100 Spells, Rituals, and Practices for Coping in a Crisis, by Lisa Marie Basile Fair Winds Press, 1592338534, 176 pp., 2018

There’s a trend in witch lit toward books that treat witchcraft as a form of self-care. Light Magic for Dark Times: More than 100 Spells, Rituals, and Practices for Coping in a Crisisby Lisa Marie Basile is my idea of the zenith of…