Tag Archives: Magic

Occult Con Reflections: Egyptian Fetishes

18 Monday Nov 2024

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No, not that kind of fetish.

Part of a series of posts inspired by the South Wales Occult Conference in Cardiff on 2nd November 2024 – find the first post and index here.

Dr. Robert A. Plimer (of Black Lodge Publishing)  is an academic and a practitioner who I’ve heard speak on Egyptian magic several times now, and he’s always fascinating.

This was no exception.

Some of my notes, scrawled in black ink with red and yellow watercolour highlights.

Dr. Bob spoke on different types of Fetishes, magical objects, how they were made, what they were for, and their parallels with mummies.

How these were made of, or including, bone, seeds, milk… Things that are of the body… And smeared in blood, or red as a symbol of blood, to bring them to life.

And how they were the focal point for intention.

Between the matter and the mind and the life force in the blood… The Fetishes become living sites of spirit interaction, bridges between the practitioner and the Others.

What really struck me was the importance of the material aspect in this process – this is magic that is embodied, with no claim to be separate from this world. The Fetishes need all three aspects to work as magical objects.

I also really enjoyed hearing about the healing steles – carved stone images with script, as a charm for healing, activated by having wine poured over the carvings. The wine would flow in the shape of the healing charm and become imbued with that spell.

Magic you can eat, not just think about.

In my work I often remind students that to be the most effective practitioners possible we need to bring all of our parts to the magic in alignment: our physical self, our mental self, and our divine self.

This can appear many different ways, of course, but that principle is demonstrated here too.

The physical, mental, and spiritual/divine aspects all shaped with one purpose, and the magic is rooted in an understanding of how these are all inherently interconnected.

Dr Bob did also remind us that any work like this has to be within the context of the Practitioner’s culture, that an object to house spirits probably won’t work in a context that doesn’t allow for spirits to be housed… Which reminds me that it isn’t just our inner parts that need to work together to make magic, but that the world needs to have space for magic for it to happen.

Let’s continue to make that space.

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Come and deepen your practice with experiential classes, discussion prompts, oracle and healing swaps, and courses available to embody your magic.

Find out more here or click to join now:

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Occult Con Reflections – Jung & Astrology

06 Wednesday Nov 2024

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Part of a series of posts inspired by the South Wales Occult Conference in Cardiff on 2nd November 2024 – find the first post and index here.

Being somewhat of a night owl, and staying with 3 other night owls (the witching hour is a good time to be awake, in our book!) somewhat of a drive away, I sadly missed the first talk by the lovely Brett Hollyhead but we made it to the second talk: Frances Clynes on Jung and Astrology.

Astrology has long been of interest to me, though I’m far from an expert.

It combines several really cool things:

  • Exploring what makes people who they are
  • stories
  • patterns and connections
  • the magic of the planets
  • cool symbols
  • mystical maths
  • time

and lots of confusion from people who don’t believe a philosopher can also believe in astrology!

The talk was interesting, delving into some of the principles of Jung’s work in psychology – or those attempts to understand how people tick – his model of the triple soul, and the nature of archetypes as arising form the collective unconscious.

A snippet of notes…

Clynes then demonstrated how archetypes can appear as characters in astrological natal charts, through combinations of planets and their places in the signs and houses. Such as if the Sun is in a “strong” position – such as in Leo – then you might find a hero archetype. If that happens in the eighth house (sex, death, mystery), conjunct Chiron (the wounded healer) that archetype might become a dark, mysterious type with a painful past… think Batman as opposed to Superman. Both arguably heroes, but with different backgrounds and approaches. (Please take these with a grain of salt, I was too fascinated to write down the actual examples!)

Jung is so influential in modern magical understanding that this felt like it would fit really smoothly with magical practices I’m familiar with, and I found Clynes’ description of the relationship between the archetypes and the unconscious, related to the archetypes’ appearances in the charts, really reminiscent of the way deities are often said to be born as shining lights out of the darkness of the primordial night. Individual beings become out of the relationship between Powers, energies, and events.

The gods are manifestations of intersections, just like we are.

And, of course, Jung’s work was orientated towards integration of all our parts.

Bringing those archetypes in our selves together, and into consciousness, so we can become aware of their roles within us, aware of our whole selves, and working together rather than at odds.

And using the natal chart to discover those archetypes which we might not be aware of consciously within us, seems like a very practical tool for self discovery that would help with understanding some of the ways the nuances of interpreting planetary relationships manifest!

The South Wales Occult Conference 2024

04 Monday Nov 2024

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This weekend I had the pleasure of speaking at the South Wales Occult Conference again, organised by Sian Sibley and the Dragonoak Coven.

In 2022 I spoke on the Fair Folk, but this time I teamed up with Sef Salem to speak together on initiation in relation to our joint project – the practical training program and modern magical order: Star Club – and take the whole conference to the underworld. But I’ll tell you about that later.

Given my academic background it probably isn’t surprising that I like conferences, but you don’t have to be academic to be inspired by such a fascinating range of speakers and topics.

Poster with speaker line up: Life's Slow Fatal Dance - A Conference on Death, Dying and Working with the Underworld. The 2024 Welsh Occult conference is on the 2nd Of November 2024 in Cardiff. Speakers at the Conference Dr Al Cummins - Sorcerer and Necromancy practitioner. Sorita D'Este - Devotee of Hekate, Author, Publisher Dr Robert Plimer - Author and Dr of Classics Ben Stimpson- Author and expert in ancestor workings Brett HollyHead - Author and Witch Dr Frances Clynes - Lecturer Trinity St Davids Mark Norman - Folklorist - Specialising in Churchyard folklore and burial rituals. Sef Salem & Dr Halo Quin - Ritualist and Conference organisers. Sarah Janes - Author and expert on Dream Incubation for divination and development. ​ Dr Linda Severs -Expert on Otherworldism in the Anglo Saxon times. Online Recorded Videos ​ Ness Bosch - Working with the Bones of Our Ancestors Sian Sibley - Plant work with the Underworld.

As you can see from the line up, the theme was “Death, Dying, & The Underworld” and the talks themselves were full of inspiring ideas, interesting questions, and fascinating information.

One thing I love about these events is hearing about people’s research and practice and being inspired to look at things differently. A new perspective or chance quote can open beautiful doors to whole worlds of magical possibilities.

(I took notes on most of the talks and intend to share reflections inspired by each of them in the next couple of weeks!)

But the biggest reason to go… Is to connect with people who are as excited about magic as I am. Shared conversation, listening to people who aren’t in the public eye but have just as much wisdom to share, and remembering that we might be wyrd but we’re not alone.

Some of the attendees, loved having our Star Club crew there!

Thank you to Siany and everyone involved for such a lovely day, for the fantastic blend of paths, and for the community which is woven like a web, anchored in these events and the friendships made at them.

This weekend is Worldwide Witchcamp, which I’m part of the organising team for… More community! This time online, Reclaiming, and in many languages… Registration closes in 15 hours! http://www.worldwidewitchcamp.com

What are your favourite magical events and places to find inspiration and community?

Reflections on the Talks – index

Jung and Astrology – Frances Clynes

Plants of the Underworld – Sian Sibley

Creating Katabasis in the Star Club Initiation – Sef Salem & Halo Quin

Egyptian Fetishes – Dr Robert A Plimer

Immortality – Sorita D’Este

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Come and deepen your practice with experiential classes, discussion prompts, oracle and healing swaps, and courses available to embody your magic.

Find out more here or click to join now:

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Covens, Belonging, and The Crimson Coven

05 Thursday Sep 2024

Posted by in Crimson Craft, Following Delight, Magic, Sex Magic, witchcraft

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Growing up I always loved the idea of a coven, a space to learn and weave magic, to celebrate and heal, a space of community and immersion in enchantment.

I think the biggest thing that called me about it though was a desire for belonging.

A circle in which I could both explore magic with others, and be accepted, to come home to the sacred nature of life together.

Over time I realised I needed to feel at home in my body first, to find a sense of safety that would let me relax into the divine and tap into the witch-power within, and this fed into my crimson craft work.

But more, this is my dream for the Crimson Coven.

Offered as a training space, but, more that that, a magical circle in which you can experience the divine, your power, a space to belong in all of your parts.

(This is why I’m offering a free talk on kink and magic on 9th September in TEA – one part of ourselves that is often excluded is our desire and it’s role in any spiritual path, ​RSVP for Kinky Magic here​.)

This is a big part of why I want to invite you into the Crimson Coven as a member, rather than focussing on stand-alone courses.

Can you imagine the deep healing and magic possible when you find a sense of belonging?

Can you dream of what it would be like to gently uncover your heart’s desire, to find safety in your body, to feel loved by the gods?

Will you gather your courage to step into a Crimson Coven and be all that you are?

Come Home to the Crimson Coven.

Join the Crimson Coven

Doors Open for The Crimson Coven

The Crimson Coven Membership is now open! Within the academy schools of magic are slowly blossoming, and the first is the Crimson Coven (not to be confused with the Collective, which has now merged with the main space and remains free). You can sign up to the courses as stand-alone offerings, but I love making space for people to really explore the topics at hand.

In the Crimson Coven you’ll learn tools and concepts for your own embodied magic, and experience the energy of divine eros to help you tap into your power. You’ll work on creating deeper relationships with the deities of love and passion, and discover their support.

Included in your Crimson Coven Membership is:

  • a live, experiential, class every month (starting with the elements of eros series),
  • access to the pre-recorded course Deities of Love,
  • heart-centred meditations,
  • a growing library of pre-recorded crimson classes…

This is also where I’ll be sharing previews of my work-in-progress show Blood & Roses, and offering the Rope for Ritual and Magic classes in the New Year.

You can sign up for just £49 a month, or get discounts for a quarterly or annual membership.

Join the Coven Here

(PS: There are a number of scholarships available – get in touch if you need to apply for one.)

Join the Crimson Coven

Included in the Crimson Coven…

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My Gods are Kinky

29 Thursday Aug 2024

Posted by in Crimson Craft, Magic, Sex Magic, witchcraft

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All acts of Love and Pleasure are my rituals.

~Charge of the Goddess by Doreen Valiente

Divided for the sake of union, the beginning and end of all that was, is, and must be, God Herself dances the dance of love and desire.

Cernunnos has sat, cross legged, for thousands of years. His antlers pierce the sky like his blade cuts into the hearts of the animals who give their lives to feed us. That which is used to protect can bring pain, and that which brings pain can bring nourishment. He knows both, this horned god, as he is both predator and prey, hunter and hunted.

Lilith refused to lay underneath Adam the way he said she was supposed to. Instead, she chose freedom, and pleasure on her terms. Some people say she birthed all the monsters of the world, perhaps they were just jealous that she did what they never could… accepted herself.

~ quotes from Crimson Craft

I love being pagan, my deities are vibrant, alive, and sensual. They desire and choose and love. Not every pagan dances with deities, but many do, and there is something precious in the gift of knowing that our gods live, love, and lose just as we do. They are part of this world, part of Nature (yes, including the human nature) and their stories and presence reminds me that the divine really is immanent.

And the gods are kinky.

Kink means anything consensual that arouses which is outside of the “mainstream”, or at least what people call mainstream. And arousal is an altered state of consciousness.

You know, that thing we do in magic.

A close up of the spines of several books on sex magic tucked behind a candle and a jar of rose petals

The kink and magic communities have been learning from each other for a long time, not least because we’re both on the outskirts of the mainstream (however popular witchtok might get). Both deal in changing the mind through multiple techniques – such as endurance, repetition, performance, sensation – and both are exploring liminal realms.

Now, of course, not all kink is magic and not all magic is kink, but there are tools in the kink kit that magicians can use to support their magic.

And conversations – around consent, restitution, self-acceptance, ethics, community, safety, and navigating everyday life as an outsider – that the kinksters have been having for a long time and we can learn from.

We’re often taught that the spirit and body are separate, and bodily things such as pleasure, and desire are either seen as somehow lesser than the spiritual, dirty, and resigned to the hidden spaces, or given primacy, resigning the spiritual to the realm of fantasy. But this is an illusion, and we can find magic in the flesh, the sacred in the dungeon, and power in the hidden places. We are occultists, after all.

We talk about this connection between sex and magic in the Crimson Collective, and it is reflected in the mythology and deities that embody embodiment. From Inanna, to Aphrodite, to Freya, to Babalon, the goddesses of sex and love are also goddesses of magic and battle, seemingly paradoxically. Perhaps because they are present as their whole selves, and embodiment is key to powerful, transformative magic, and the changing of consciousness and raising of power that happens in magic is present in passion, desire, and arousal too.

Crimson Craft - sexual magic for the solo witch - healing magic working with the divine erotic in ritual and creative practices.

So why, as magical folk, should we shy away from even talking about the connections between kink and magic, and what can be learned in this expression of desire?

The power of embodiment in ritual, and the connections between passion and magic, can be clearly seen in the realm of BDSM and Kink where activities are often ritualised, power flows, and consciousness is changed through the body, whether or not intercourse occurs. Just as Magickal Will is said to be best enacted under the auspices of Love, kinky practices must be held within the boundaries of consent and safety, and when we explore this, one way in which embracing our own shadow can be held as sacred emerges. (I share some of my journey in magical kink in my book, Twisted)

In The Enchanted Academy (TEA), September 2024, I offered a free online talk on the connections between kink and magic, a reprise of “Kink, Magic, and Embodiment” from the Glastonbury Occult Conference, and shone a light on the magic that is present in the Dungeon, and the kinkiness in the Temple, addressed some misconceptions about BDSM, and highlighted some ways in which kinky activities can not only parallel magical activities, but also, in many ways, be magical in themselves. All in the context of embodiment as a divine state and under the watchful eyes of the deities of love, passion, and magic.

This talk was recorded and you can access the replay in The Enchanted Academy!

Join The Enchanted Academy here

Divine love, sacred sexuality, & embodied, sensual magic in the Crimson Coven.

You were made for pleasure, for play, for love.

Will you join us?

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Lammas Land Magic

01 Thursday Aug 2024

Posted by in Crimson Craft, Druidry, Magic, Witchcraft 101

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Happy Lammas, Lughnasadh, Calan Awst, and Imbolc for my Southern Hemisphere folk! Here it’s the start of the grain harvest, and Leo season is in full swing.

The rowan berries are out, turning the small dark trees brilliant red, and, as I write this, the sun has burned away the cooling clouds to bake the stone paths that wind through my town, and the tourists have arrived bringing the scent of sunscreen and the sound of holiday-makers.

Growing up in a large urban space I found it was easy to lean into the abstract idea of the festivals, the land being mediated by the buildings, the clockwork cycles of city life rather than the ebb and flow of sun and rain, but even there it made sense to reflect on the changing colours of the trees, the shifting light and dark of the sky, the warmth and cool that shaped the rhythm of life. I was lucky that the pagan festivals fit with the landscape I lived in, despite the concrete streets and fluorescent lighting I could watch the hawthorn blossom in the hedgerow at Beltane and the grain in the fields turn golden for Lammas.

Even so, it didn’t make sense to me to fix a festival of the magic of the land to a calendar date, as some years the hawthorn was earlier than May 1st, or later, so I began to listen to the magic visible in the rooted people of the land and the movement of the sky instead.

Soon I found myself connected across the growing internet to witches and pagans in other lands, and their struggles with the clash between the calendar dates and what their land was actually doing reinforced that intuition.

We can use the beautiful model of the wheel of the year to help us learn what patterns might be worth looking for, but the key in land based magic, in paganism, is rooting into the land that you are on.

I invite you to reflect on what your land is doing now. Is it harvest time where you are? Is the sun baking the land and drying the grain? Or is the light just breaking the frosts? Or are you heading into monsoon season? What is shifting in the land where you are? Does this have a name in the language of the land you belong to?

This is the same with the magic of the body. We can use maps – chakras, cauldrons, worlds – to explore what might be present for us, but the key that unlocks this magic is listening. Feeling into the body. Being present with what is.

I work a lot with the classical elements of the Western Magical tradition and these can be a really fun way of exploring intuitively. What feels earthy in your body? How are your watery emotions flowing? Where feels alive, pleasurable, good in these energies?

This week in The Enchanted Academy I shared an in-depth energy practice in a ritual working with the Elements of Eros, the magic of love and life as it flows through your body, and expands into pleasure, support, strength, and creativity. The replay is now up in the Crimson Collective community space at TEA, do go and give it a go, I’d love to hear about your experiences with the Elements of Eros!

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Check out the Elements of Eros here
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An Embodied Lammas Practice

If you’re practicing on your own you might want to mark the turning season with a ritual, here’s one for when it feels right for you. (​If you’re at the point of Imbolc, click here for a meditation for you!​)

If you’re feeling the beginning harvest energy then you can tune into that, you could reflect on the magic of Leo, where the Sun is in the zodiac at this time, or you can choose to tap into the web of magic of pagans across the globe celebrating the games of Lugh.

Find somewhere safe to light a fire – a campfire, hearthfire, bonfire, or candle flame. Or find a moment to let the sunlight fall on your skin.

Feel the warmth and breathe it into your heart. This is the home of Leo, which is the sign the Sun is strongest and happiest in.

Let that warmth spill out of your heart and flow through your body, warming and blessing every part of you.

Take a moment to feel gratitude for what is ready to harvest and gather in in your life. Perhaps that includes the food that you have access to, or any community that nourishes you.

When you have that sense of sunny gratitude breathe it out as a blessing on the world. Let the magic be shared.

Remember to put the fire out in an appropriate and respectful way, and if you’re in an area prone to wildfires right now, do stick to sunlight!

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The Enchanted Academy

A home for real magic, real community, open now!

Come and deepen your practice with experiential classes, discussion prompts, oracle and healing swaps, and courses available to embody your magic.

Find out more here or click to join now:

I choose Magic ~ Enter TEA here

NEW COURSE: Elements of Eros

30 Tuesday Jul 2024

Posted by in Crimson Craft, elemental magic, Magic

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Elements of Eros is a 5 month immersion in the magic of pleasure and embodied power in the Crimson Coven, through the magical powers of the elements – earth, air, fire, water, and spirit.

Our first class will be on Tuesday 17th September, and there will be a replay.

Red icon with text "Elements of Eros - a crimson craft course with witch & author Halo Quin" and a rose border

In this course you will…

  • Tune into your sensual nature, rediscover your sacred body, and unlock your magic. 
  • Reconnect with your body to reclaim your true power and come home to yourself. 
  • Open to Divine Love to experience total support.
  • And make space for your self as a whole human being to reignite your magic and creativity.

I discovered paganism about the time that puberty discovered me. At the same time that I was learning about the sacredness of nature, I was also learning that other people thought they had a say in how I lived in my body – rather than embodiment feeling divine it began to feel dangerous, the expectations of others restricting how I was allowed to be physically, the disapproval and unwanted attention both serving as reminders that my body was not my own.

I disappeared into my mind, into fiction and fantasy, and pushed down the connection to the divine that I saw in the natural world, but struggled to trust in my own body.

But it niggled me. My traditions are ones of immanence, of wholeness, of embodiment. My gods call me to ecstasy.

I knew I was missing something and I wanted it back.

So many of the places I looked for it were wrong for me though, it wasn’t about sex with others, but my connection to myself, to the divine within. Not finding the erotic with other people, (which is wonderful and brilliant but not what I was seeking), but the divine eros that is mine.

I’m a pagan, a witch, a ritualist… so I began working with the magic of the elements in the body specifically to heal this part of myself. I pulled out tools I’d learned, crafted ritual workings, and reached out to the deities of love and passion for help.

And I set about contacting that power of eros in myself, to reclaiming my sense of being safe in my own body, to connecting with divine embodiment, to unlocking that place of power that the world told me I wasn’t allowed to express.

And this is what Elements of Eros is all about. Giving you elemental tools to connect more deeply with the life and love that flows through you, to rediscover your sexual power in a safe container, to come home to your body, and to release fears that keep you from being whole.

Working with the earth of the body, the air of the breath, the water of your emotions, the fire of your desire, and the divine spirit of mystery and ritual that weaves through it all, you will connect with the magic of Eros, your divine nature, power, and pleasure.

This is for you if…

  • … you want to really Know that the divine is immanent in the world, rather than just believing it to develop a deep trust which results in the total support of the gods.
  • … you would love to feel safer in your body, to bring ease to your life and space to heal.
  • … you want more pleasure in your day to make every day more fun.
  • … you are curious about sacred sexuality but don’t fancy getting naked in a room with strangers.
  • … you are ready to unlock your own power as a whole, embodied, magical being to manifest your dream life.

This is not for you if…

  • … you are dealing with fresh or acute trauma.
  • … you object to mentions of sex in a sacred context.
  • … or you are just looking for an orgy.
  • … you are uncomfortable with paganism, queer inclusivity, or magic.

The course includes:

  • 5 live, interactive classes on Zoom, with replays
  • 5 Workbooks to help you deepen your work
  • Bonus access to my course “Foundations of Witchcraft” and my “Grounding” bundle
  • The opportunity to shape the supporting materials through Q&As
  • And support in the Crimson Coven forum!

Say yes to more magic, more pleasure, and more eros here!

Got questions? Here’s a taste of the magic possible:

In July I offered a ritual experience of the elements of eros in TEA, and you can dive into the replay here!

Dive into the Experience

Tune into your sensual nature, rediscover your sacred body, and unlock your magic in this immersive, enchanted, deep dive!

Yes, I choose Eros!

A Witches Skill: Shapeshifting

20 Saturday Jul 2024

Posted by in Magic, Witchcraft 101

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I’m settling back into life after an adventure weaving lunar magic in Italy and reflecting back on some of the powerful experiences and beautiful magic that was shared. One piece was on shapeshifting, a skill that has fascinated me since I first discovered, aged 11, that there were adults who also believed in magic and I wondered;

“If witches are real, are shapeshifters real too?”

I soon discovered that shapeshifting is one of the skills of the witch.

(Curious? Join The Enchanted Academy here for a free Masterclass on shapeshifting!)

Shapeshifting shows up throughout history, myth, legend, and even into modern practices today. The skill to shift ones shape, to take on a new perspective, new abilities, new understanding.

Today we think of it as an imaginative or energetic practice, and it is. But it is worth remembering that the world is more nuanced than we think, and the physical is not so far away from the spirit.

Historically shapeshifting was often described as being literal, and there are accounts of people flying to safety (1), or becoming bears, wolves, and hares.

Terry Pratchett (2) illustrates the traditional witchcraft practice of faring forth in animal form well, when Granny Weatherwax hangs a sign up saying “I ate’nt dead” and sends her spirit out to “borrow” an animal’s senses, but it was common in this practice that the spirit was sent out in animal form, as a physical presence itself . The witch-spirit-as-animal, running as a hare, could even be injured and that injury would appear on their body the next day. Scottish witch Isobel Gowdie describes a famous example of this. (3)

The line between physical and spiritual is more porous than we might believe.

I first experienced this practice in a group with the story of Ceridwen and Taliesin (4), where they shapeshift during a chase, travelling through the realms, but I’d spent years exploring it beforehand – in dreams, in meditations and journey, out walking, and even playing hide and seek!

Some of the ways you can work with shapeshifting include:

  • Shifting your energy body to be more inviting or to discourage advances
  • Changing colours to project different impressions or hide!
  • Borrowing the heightened sight of the red kite, or hearing of the hare
  • Exploring different perspectives and landscapes through journeys to learn, and to gain insight
  • Remembering your relationship to the other beings in the web of life
  • To be inspired
  • For fun!

So much in life shifts and changes that exploring deliberate shapeshifting is also a wonderful magical tool for reflecting on what stays the same. What is consistent in you when you become a hare? A cat? A bird? What is, deep down, the core of you?

And what is eternal when everything else changes too? If you feel unsettled and overwhelmed by the fast paced chaos of modern life, finding that thread can be a powerful way of anchoring yourself.

Shapeshifting is, then, perfect for exploring different perspectives and finding the deep truths, for knowing yourself as well as the other.

So I’m really excited to share that I’m offering a FREE “masterclass” on shapeshifting as a witches skill, on Monday 22nd July! You can come and find out more about Shapeshifting, and experience it for yourself, in The Enchanted Academy, which has itself shifted shape and has a new home!

Come deepen your magic and explore the witches skill of shapeshifting in The Enchanted Academy, and gain access to our free community of gorgeous magical folks.

Button with text: A FREE Masterclass at The Enchanted Academy, The Witches’ Power of Shapeshifting - Monday 22nd July, 8pm (UK) with Halo Quin - Experience the wisdom of animals, heighten your spirit senses, & learn to fly. Join TEA here : www.the-enchanted-academy.mn.co
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Masterclass FAQ

  • Will there be a replay?
    • Yes!
  • Does it cost anything?
    • The community is totally free, with monthly events including masterclasses, prompts, healing and oracle swaps. There are courses and such that you can choose to sign up to when you’re ready to dive in deeper!
  • Why should I listen to you?
    • I have almost three decades of experience in magic, and many years teaching. Magic is my life (I also have a PhD in philosophy so I have thought about this stuff thoroughly too). My goal is to give you the skills to enchant your life and the world, and I work hard at it. But you can come and see for yourself by joining The Enchanted Academy for free.
  • How do I access the class?
    • Sign up to TEA here and turn on your notifications, the details will be posted in the Common Room!

Notes for the curious:

  1. I heard a tale from Peter Stevenson about enslaved people in the Americas growing wings and flying across the sea to home, which he learned from their descendants. There are other examples of this but this was in the last 200 years, so really recent.
  2. This is in “Lords and Ladies” but the whole “Wyrd Sisters” arc in Terry Pratchett’s work has brilliant illustrations of witchcraft.
  3. Isobel Gowdie was a witch executed in Scotland in the 1600s who gave a huge amount of information in her testimony including a famous charm for becoming a hare. Emma Wilby has written extensively on this in her book “Visions of Isobel Gowdie”.
  4. You can read a version of this story in my book, “Gods and Goddesses of Wales”
Button with text: TEA - The Enchanted Academy - with Halo (on an orange, gold, & red patchwork background)

The Enchanted Academy

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Come and deepen your practice with experiential classes, discussion prompts, oracle and healing swaps, and courses available to embody your magic.

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Magical Classes and Events in June

10 Monday Jun 2024

Posted by in Magic

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Hey folks!

I wanted to let you know about the things I’ve got going on this month, so here’s a quick update!

Tonight I’m offering a monthly community call for my Patreons, with an oracle reading and magical discussion on whatever questions you choose to bring! Join TEA to get the invite (and other magic)!

Join The Enchanted Academy here

New Monthly Event – Storytime with the Faery Doctor!

Storytime with the Faery Doctor – join me on a livestream as the Faery Doctor, for a magical storytelling enchantment.

Each month we’ll choose a tale at random from my Doctor’s bags of yarns and explore the healing power of the story together. Come listen to a tale and experience the magic that arises.

Subscribe on Youtube to get notified when I go live!

Click Here for the Replays

Classes and Themes At The Enchanted Academy

Find this month’s schedule on The Enchanted Academy

Music, Talks, and Other Events

Summer 2024 with Halo Quin - From the Cryptozoologist’s Library - Songs at The Festival of the Living Rooms FREE Online Festival - 14th-16th June Deities of Love 4: The Bright Spirit - Meet the Beloved beyond the binaries. A Crimson Craft Class - Online - 18th June NEW: Storytime with the Faery Doctor - Stories bringing healing magic for you. FREE Online Livestream - 26th June Star Club Presents: Journeys to the Otherworld - 2 paths to spirit flight via folklore & Enochian with Sef Salem - at Pagan Tribal Gathering, 28th June "Thereby Hangs a Tale" - Shakespeare’s fairytale roots, on stage! Show at Longwood Visitor Centre - Lampeter - 14th July NEW COURSE: Elements of Eros - starting July 2024 PLUS: Monthly online Crimson Craft Workshops, and weekly events in the Crimson Coven Collective!

From the Cryptozoologist’s Library – Songs at The Festival of the Living Rooms – Online Festival – 14th-16th June

Deities of Love 4: The Bright Spirit – A Crimson Craft Class – Online at TEA – 18th June (Join TEA here)

NEW: Storytime with the Faery Doctor – FREE Online Livestream – 26th June

Star Club Presents: Journeys to the Otherworld with Sef Salem – at the Pagan Tribal Gathering, Warwickshire – 28th June

“Thereby Hangs a Tale” – Storytelling Show at Longwood Visitor Centre – Lampeter – 14th July (TBC) (Get your THaT ticket here!)

NEW COURSE: Elements of Eros – starting July 2024 (Join TEA here)

PLUS: FREE weekly events in the Crimson Collective!

Join my mailing list for updates & a free gift

The Faery Doctor – Magical Medicinal tales

31 Friday May 2024

Posted by in Following Delight, Magic, Storytelling

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Find my Upcoming Events & Classes here
An old-fashioned doctor's bag open on a table with jars of brightly coloured yarns inside, and a sign "The Faery Doctor is In - Tell me what ails and I'll tell you a tale" and a prescription pad waiting for medicinal tales to be shared.

The Faery Doctor first popped up a year ago in Portmeirion, at a Steampunk event. Perhaps that’s why they sport goggles on their top hat, or perhaps those are to peer into the otherworld with.

Tell me what ails and I’ll tell you a tale.

One by one the listeners are invited into the Doctor’s “office” and invited to feel into which medicine they need.

You’ll find no snake oil here but rather pure unadulterated healing tales

They choose a yarn, and the Doctor tells the tale, and the tale suggests the medicine.

It is said that the magical people, our cunning folk, often learned their magic from the Fair folk… and what’s more magical than a story?

And so the time goes, magic and healing and messages for the listeners divined from the tales that something in their hearts tell them that they need. And a prescription to take home, because the legend never truly finishes.

A storyteller in a top hat and waistcoat tells a tale to a crowd of listeners, doctor's bag open on the table and jars of yarn visible - in the cafe at the Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh.

I never know which stories are going to be told when the Faery Doctor steps out, but I do know that stories offer insights and healing to everyone who hears them, if they choose to take them on. For some, the medicine they need is simply an escape, for others there’s a seed in the tale that grows into a new way of seeing a tricky situation.

And this is magic.

Meet The Faery Doctor…

Storytime with the Faery Doctor – join me on a livestream as the Faery Doctor, for a magical storytelling enchantment.

Each month we’ll choose a tale at random from my Doctor’s bags of yarns and explore the healing power of the story together. Come listen to a tale and experience the magic that arises.

Subscribe on Youtube to get notified when I go live!

Click Here for the Replays

The Faery Doctor is also available to hire for your event, with flexible pop-up storytelling for small groups or large audiences possible. Click here for my storytelling shows & reviews.