#hedgecraft

i've read quite a few books which describe their own techniques of soul-flight, and eventually ended up on my own. i'd recommend the same to you! if you're interested, i'll include a reading list at the end.

when i am entering a deep trance, that being one i can use for spirit-flight or hedge-crossing, i typically follow a specific simple routine. firstly, i light a mugwort incense.

here are some excerpts about mugwort from The Green Mysteries: Arcana Viridia, by Daniel A Schulke:

Mugwort’s planetary resonances are with Venus and the Moon. As used in magical operations it is associated with a multitude of powers including Clairvoyance, Banishing, Divination, Oneirogenesis, Summoning, Protection from Maleficia, Summoning, Protection for Livestock, Protection from Thieves, Envigoration, Beautification, Longevity, and use as a hunting charm...The Spirit-Retinue of Mugwort: Sagacity, Enthusiasm, Immediation, Glamor, Facilitation, Inspiration, Effusiveness, Virid Warmth, Fragrant Waysides, Mental Idyll, Spirited Redress, Sanguinous Efflux, and Menstrual Wrath...Powers: Revelation, Protection, Blessing...Embodied State: Trance/Dreaming.

after the incense, i take down my hair (typically it is braided), and i'll grab an herb or one of my amulets of grounding for usage afterwards.

here is an excerpt from Viridarium Umbria: Pleasure Garden of Shadow by Daniel A Schulke:

Worts of Earthing include Cohosh Root, smouldered over coals; Oil of Fennel, passed under the nose; Seed of Mustard, ground and placed in the mouth; Root or Pod of Burdock, or Seed of Aesculus, held in the hand; Thorn of Rose, placed on the flesh; Leaves of Rosemary and Eucalypt, bruised and deeply inhaled; Brandy distilled from Wine of Pear; Thistle and Nettle Leaves, rubbed on the skin; smoke of Tobacco, blown into the ears; and Bulb of Garlic, bruised and passed under the nose.

i get in a comfortable meditative spot, typically in Śavāsana (AKA Corpse Pose), and sometimes i'll put on nature sounds or sound bowl videos if i am dealing with an especially active mind.

i begin with simple meditation, moving further and further into a trance state. here is where my method splits off from typical. once i am far enough in a standard meditative state, i can visualize and experience the connection of my crown to my soul star (sometimes called the Merkāḇā), then i rise above my body, thus entering spirit-flight.

from here i may hedge-cross or travel the world tree to go to specific locations. i may expand upon these specific methods in the future!

in my recent spirit-flight, i utilized the astral space to perform spells which i haven't had the energy or tools to do. the example i will share was the hedge or 'witches lump' figure, from Gemma Gary's Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish Book of Ways:

To protect farm land, and all that lies within its boundaries, take small amounts of earth from the north, south, east and west of each piece of land that is to fall under the protection of the charm, remembering to collect also dirt or dust in the same way from each of the farm’s buildings. Mix these small samples together, and work them well into a lump of rough clay (even better if the clay used can be dug from the land to be protected), crafting this into a human but sexless form. As the body is worked, so the Pellar breathes life into it. The figure’s garments must then be set with small panels of broken glass. Once fired, set the figure somewhere within one of the farm’s hedges, so that it may keep a protective watch over the land and all that lies within.

i performed this spell in the astral, primarily because teaching the corners of my property is difficult and so is making a poppet in this way! after creating it i stored it in a chest, within my corridor (see Weaving Fate: Hypersigils, Changing the Past, & Telling True Lies By Aidan Wachter), and lit a candle on it and left it for later, when ill place it on a hedge.

after i finished everything i was doing in my flight, i return to my body and meld myself with it, visualizing my soul star again, then i slowly open my eyes. after this ill utilize my grounding tool, as well as active grounding techniques.

this was not an especially thought out post so if i've missed anything or you're curious about anything please feel free to send me an ask about it!

reading list:

Besom, Stang, and Sword by Christopher Orapello

Celtic Hedge Witchery by Joey Morris

Folk Witchcraft: A Guide to Lore, Land, & the Familiar Spirit for the Solitary Practitioner by Roger J. Horne

Six Ways: Approaches & Entries for Practical Magic by Aidan Wachter

The Crooked Path: An Introduction to Traditional Witchcraft by Kelden

Published 2025

"Leading you beyond The Path of the Hedge Witch, Joanna van der Hoeven deepens your skills in herbalism, spellcraft, hedge riding (trance work), and more so you can truly live your magic. Following Joanna's guidance, you will develop a daily practice that involves connection to nature, deity, the Fair Folk, and your familiar.

Explore a lunar ritual series for the entire year and create your own divination set based on your local surroundings. Cross the hedge to meet with the ancestors and celebrate seasonal changes with rituals for each sabbat. The Old Ways helps you expand your practice and find your place in this world and beyond."

-from the back of the book

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What I Liked

There is good history on cunningfolk and specific figures named in the witchcraft trials, including Agnes Sampson and Isobel Gowdie. Van der Hoeven doesn't make these figures out to be irrefutable witches of old, but what they are. Women, some of whom had specialized roles within their community as a cunningfolk and some who did not, accused of a crime which is impossible to prove and then tortured for a confession. Some didn't even go to trial after the accusation. Some are fairly recent, such as George Pickingill.

In chapter two, Van der Hoeven talks about hedge witches having a "love and respect for nature" and within this section she discusses looking for sustainable food sources. She gives several ideas of how to be more conscious about where your food is coming from which is great! Most books on witchcraft don't usually go into the details on this one. Not all of the resources will be applicable to everyone, especially those who live outside the UK. Though the author doesn't say it, I will; it's also ok if you don't have any other option. Especially during these times, if all you can do is make sure you have food, don't worry about the rest. There are others who have the ability to fight that battle.

I loved reading about how Van der Hoeven connects with her local folklore. She gives an example from her current home in Suffolk, England about the Black Shuck, and also an example from where she grew up in Quebec, Canada.

I do like that Van der Hoeven knows what shadow work actually is. I've seen too many witchcraft books try to paint it as some spiritual practice inherent to witchcraft practice, but it's Jungian psychology. And a metaphor. She even includes a quote about it from Jung himself.

Van der Hoeven also talks about different ways to raise energy for hedge riding and magical work in general. There's various ways of doing it from least physically intense to techniques such as treading the mill and raising a cone of power. This allows people to pick and choose which may best suit their lifestyle, abilities, and sensibilities.

While most of the information on trance states was not new to me, or any other practitioner who has read up on various forms of spirit flight, astral projection, and hedge riding, there was a small section in the chapter on the topic that caught my eye. Van der Hoeven cites a textbook on Quantitative EEG and Nerofeedback from 1997 that talks about the possibility of healing trauma and addiction through the induction of alpha-theta trance states. Now I don't know if this is something that has gone anywhere since or if it ended up being bunk, however it did make my brain pause and I will be looking into this later.

There's a great little section where Van der Hoeven talks about how a daily practice doesn't have to include spell work. Most of her argument is the act of noticing the things around you, being present, recognizing the magic there. Some of it is having a cleansing shower or a cup of tea.

Chapter 10, "Your Own Herbal Allies and Practice," is very good. I love that she advocates working with local plants, emphasizing the reciprocal relationship we already have with them. She also talks about safety when handling plants and knowing what you are picking. The foraging tips are absolutely wonderful, I especially liked the idea of gathering seeds from plants you uproot so you can scatter them around. Van der Hoeven also gives some instructions for basic herbal formulations, such as infusions, decoctions, infused oils, tinctures, etc. all which are accurate to what they're meant to be and clear on how to do it.

I did like seeing in chapter 13 "Integrating the Cycles of the Moon," Van der Hoeven came up with her own moon names that better reflect her environment in England. I just think that's a neat touch when people do that.

Finally, I'm a big fan of what she says on page 221, "Intention is nothing without the follow through." So many people will say "intention is everything." But in my experience it's not. Intention is simply what you're goal is, but if you never do anything to reach that goal... then there's nothing there but that you had intended to do it. What you do to reach your intended goal, your intended outcome, your intention, is just as important as the goal itself.

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What I Didn't Like

Van der Hoeven talks about a "hedge witch tradition" but it's not a tradition. There is no single tradition of a hedge witch. It is simply a form of practice that many magical practitioners partake in and are in different traditions. There are wiccan hedge walkers and trad craft hedge walkers, feri hedge walkers, etc.

She pushes shadow work onto the reader as the end all be all of getting to know yourself. If you want to do shadow work, that’s all well and good. But it’s not the only method or even the best method depending on the person. I feel like it’s concerning to push something you know is a medical modality onto someone you don’t know (aka the reader) especially when you yourself are not a professional in that field. That’s practicing medicine without a license.

She often uses the term “shamanic practices” when speaking more generally of different practices around the world that use drums or have a concept of soul loss. Shamans are specific to one culture, the Tungusic people of Siberia. While these practices are not ONLY used by this group, not every person who uses similar techniques is a shaman. Even if they are indigenous.

Within the techniques for energy work, most of them are given pretty good directions on how to perform the technique. This is not done for Treading the Mill. A general overview of the technique is given but not the actual how it’s done, as the other techniques have.

Karma is not “accepting responsibility for one’s actions… cause and effect” as the author says on page 75. That’s what comes around goes around. Karma is accumulated through your actions in this life, and affects the life you are born into in the next. It has nothing to do with current actions and the current effects of those actions.

Van der Hoeven is against cursing, claiming that we will become our anger when performing them. She also claims anger does not help us communicate with the spirits, ancestors, deities, etc. She claims anger separates us from everything else. This does not encompass all of cursing, especially because a curse vs a blessing can come down to perspective. You do not need to be angry to curse. There are very good reasons to curse, in my opinion. And anger CAN and HAS brought people together, helped us communicate with one another, as long as we are channeling that anger effectively and with a clear head. It’s such an out of touch way to think about anger, especially in the political climate so many countries are finding themselves in (especially my own).

The author claims that a fetch is the same as a familiar in traditional witchcraft. These are not seen as the same however. A familiar is a separate spirit from yourself that you have (usually but not always) a contract to do certain jobs with, while the fetch is a part of your tri-part soul that gets sent out in spirit flight. She also mixes up fylgia and the fetch for trad craft, which are also seen as different (see linked post). Another point on familiars in trad craft she misses is that they are real living animals. They are not. They are spirits. There are animal companions or animals that a witch may work with but they are not generally seen as familiars.

She also thinks that thoughtforms/servitors are from Traditional Witchcraft. They actually come from theosophy and much of the original theosophical ideas can be found in the book "Thought-Forms: A Record of Clairvoyant Investigation". A trad witch may use these in their practice but they do not derive from Traditional Witchcraft itself.

I'm always weary of people talking about empaths as a lot of the ways you can "tell" if you are one are also symptoms of ADHD, autism, or someone who had to grow up in a home where they had to be very vigilant. This book really skirts that line when talking about empaths. It asks all the questions where the answer could also be one of the things listed above, but it also... is very convincing I must say. Just be discerning when thinking about those sorts of things.

In the divination section, she never actually teaches you any divination techniques. She gives examples such as tarot, ogham, tea leaf reading, etc. but never tells you how to do any of them. Just that they're there. I don't understand the point of this chapter. It even just lists clairs without telling you how to achieve them or work on them (which is where the paragraph above comes in as well). It just feels like she thought she needed to add a chapter on divination but didn't actually want to talk about it.

The chapter on integrating the cycles of the seasons, is just the Wheel of the Year. In it the Van der Hoeven sys that Candlemas is the Christian version of Imbolc. They are on different days and celebrate different things. Candlemas is on February 2nd and is a celebration of Jesus being presented at the temple and is put there per the 40 days tradition. Imbolc is February 1st and celebrated the lambing season and prepping for Spring sowing, situated halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. The Christian feast of St. Brigid is on the day of Imbolc but not Candlemas.

Also within the Wheel of the Year section, Van der Hoeven says in her Litha ritual "if your faery familiar has not made itself known to you, now may be the ideal time to discover them." This feels fairly entitled to me. You are not entitled to a fairy as your familiar. I also feel like thinking that way would incur their wrath.

I was excited to see what she was doing with the full moons since she changed some of the names, but the ones that are around the same time as the holidays on the Wheel of the Year are very similar. To the point I don't understand why someone would do them both.

In the chapter on working with the otherworld, Van der Hoeven says "We won't be swayed by our own ego and wish fulfilment either." This is in reference to "knowing yourself" before hedge riding. While the idea is sound itself, that you should know the difference between an actual experience and the experience you want or are expecting while hedge riding, I also feel like if you don't think that your "ego" can influence your experience you may need to do some more work. Self examination before and after your journey should be done when you're still beginning. Discernment always.

On page 201, Van der Hoeven says in the last chapter on the page "Please ensure that you have read the introductory work of my previous book before attempting the following rituals, for without the foundation and basics of hedge riding and Hedge Witchcraft, you might unintentionally cause harm to yourself or others." I have not read her previous book (I didn't know this was part of a series), but I will say you don't need to 1) be a hedge witch and 2) have read her previous book to make a "Dark Moon Mirror" and do the "Dark Moon Mirror Scrying Ritual," nor would you need it to do basic hedge riding, creating a thoughtform or to do the "Hedge Witch Dedication." That just feels like she's trying to sell her other book (though she doesn't name it). If you have a basic knowledge of hedge riding or witchcraft, you would be fine.

In chapter 15, Van der Hoeven talks about the Witch's Pyramid (which originally comes from Hermeticism but I digress). Something that always gets my goat when talking about the "To Be Silent" part is when people talk about not lying but then to not say anything about your practice. So when I have to go do some working or I'm planning a celebration I'm not allowed to tell someone I can't hang out on that day because I have plans but if they ask (because they're being friendly)... I just have to be haughty about it? That's not suspicious at all.

Lastly on page 226, Van der Hoeven talks about Health and Exercising. This is just straight up diet rhetoric. "Good clean whole foods are essential to keeping your energy levels and your power in good stead. Eating junk food all day will not lend your body the energy that it needs to be healthy, productive, and powerful. Leave off the carbonated energy drinks: they are just chemical cocktails full of caffeine." Just fuck the poor I guess. Fuck those who don't have the time to cook "clean whole foods" because they work three jobs or long hours. It's so out of touch with how most people live. Not to mention she never defines "junk food." IF YOU HAVE EATEN TODAY, YOU DID GOOD. If you haven't eaten today, get what you can.

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Overall Thoughts

This book feels like it's meant to be for beginners, but she references needing to read her previous book first that I'm confused. While there are good aspects to this book, I do think there are books that do the same thing better. I also want to say that Van der Hoeven suggests seeing a "qualified herbalist" and while these people seem to exist in the UK, there is no qualification process for herbalists within the United States. There is the American Herbalists Guild which has an extensive process for becoming part of the guild, but it is not the same thing as getting a qualification from the state. I also think there's a lot of misinformation regarding Traditional Witchcraft that I don't feel comfortable recommending it, among many of the other issues I found with the book.

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Conclusion