Tag Archives: New book

On the Goddess Babalon

01 Sunday Jun 2025

Posted by in Babalon, Crimson Craft, Magic, occultism, Sex Magic

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I’m thrilled to share with you that I’ve just signed a new book contract… an introduction to the Goddess Babalon!

And yes, this is the Babalon my first two singles – “Red Goddess, Come“, and “Her Body, The Temple“ were written in honour and praise of!

Pagan Portals: Babalon

Goddess of life, love, lust, liberty, & death

Due out 2026 with Moon Books publishing.

If you haven’t heard of Babalon (the Goddess, not the city “Babylon”) then here’s the short version: Babalon is a modern goddess with ancient roots, and could be best summarised as an earthy goddess of life, death, love, lust, and everything in between.

She embodies total, unconditional, self-acceptance, and is a powerful ally in reclaiming your personal power, pleasure, and freedom. For many she is a symbol of feminine empowerment and liberation, but she goes beyond that, encompassing all genders as she encompasses all of life, and even being the moment of dissolution-creation that is the gateway between potential and manifestation.

Creatrix, seductrix, initiatrix.

Babalon found her birth (or rebirth) as we know her today within the occult religion/philosophy of Thelema, founded by Aleister Crowley in 1904 – in which learning your True (Divine) Will and striving to live it is key – and through ritualists and devotees inspired by her vibrant, challenging appearance within, but, as you can see, she has much to offer people outside of Thelema as well. (To my Thelemite friends, please excuse the simplification!)

Perhaps you’ve met her in her role as goddess of pleasure through my book, Crimson Craft, (or in my magical poetry in Twisted) perhaps you’ve caught glimpses of her in occult spaces as a femme fatale figure, or as a goddess that holds space for feminine rage in modern writings about her.

Perhaps you’ve been put off by the hypersexualised imagery that so often gets associated with her – she was, after all, presented as a stereotypical model of women’s sexual liberation, with titles such as Holy Harlot. Or perhaps you’ve heard her whispers of queer understanding and felt that there is something behind the sensationalism in the “Woman Girt with a Sword”.

Babalon is all of these things, and more.

The hypersexualised, free-loving, femme fatale, and the unconditional love. The Earth of the womb and the tomb. The queer space of the othered, the reclaimed rage, the sweet touch under the tough personae.

And this is why I’m writing about Babalon as a pagan and an occultist, as a queer woman and a sensual witch. I first met her over 15 years ago and about 10 years ago began to work with her in earnest. Most people I meet seem to feel like you must be promiscuous, masochistic, or hedonistic to connect with her, but that isn’t true.

You can be, of course.

Babalon calls you to be those things if they are true to you. And she calls you to not be if they are not.

Babalon asks one thing: that you live your life as your full self.

And I can’t wait to introduce you!

Meet Babalon

In celebration of the new book contract I’m offering a live class, free and online, on 16th June. “Introduction to Babalon” – will be a talk on the basics of Babalon as I understand her, with a magical mini-ritual to connect with her magic, plus a special offer on an upcoming adventure with Babalon…

Sign Up Here to Meet Babalon

As always, there will be a replay, but I always make time after the recording for those who do come live to ask questions and share… so pop it in your calendar now and make sure you’re signed up to get the Zoom and replay link here.

Do you know Babalon? Share in the comments what she means to you, I’d love to hear.

Is she new to you? What does the description above make you feel?

Come and dance with the Scarlet Goddess.

She’s never far away.

Sign up here for the Recording

Want to go deeper?

Red Button labelled: Babalon Book Club & Circle

Join the Babalon Circles (& Book Club) for:

  • A live circle on Zoom each month to explore ritual and practices to meet and build a relationship with the goddess Babalon and her lineage.
  • PLUS an asynchronous Book Club in the forum to read Pagan Portals: Babalon before release!
  • and a forum to get direct magical support from Halo and your peers in this work!
Step into the Circle

The Cauldron of Awen: A Creative Initiation

31 Friday Jan 2025

Posted by in Art Craft and Beauty, Druidry, Magic

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Happy Imbolc!

Tomorrow marks Imbolc, which is considered by many to be the festival of Brigid, Goddess and Saint of poetry, healing, and smith-craft (among other things).

(It’s also the start of the annual song-writing challenge, FAWM, which I’ve found so inspiring these past two years.)

Here in the Northern Hemisphere, in Wales, the land is starting to wake up after the long dark nights, and cold storms. There will likely still be hard frosts to come, but the snowdrops are emerging, and with it arises inspiration.

In Wales the Goddess of inspiration, the keeper of the Cauldron of Awen, is the Witch and Mother Ceridwen. Even in Christian bardic traditions it was often claimed that the divine inspiration, the Awen, flowed into the world through her cauldron, that’s how powerful her name is… they may not have called her a goddess then, but in modern paganism we certainly do.

She gathers the wisdom of the land and brews the potion to grant wisdom, creative insight, and magic.

And as the fire in the land begins to brighten, we remember the fire that flickered under the iron vessel, stirred by the child that would one day become a great bard…

This Imbolc I invite you to light a white candle, brew yourself a cup of tea – whether caffeinated or herbal is entirely up to you – and as you stir reflect on where you give yourself space to be inspired. How will you feed your creative springs in the days to come?

When I have felt stuck, or like my creative well has run dry, I turn to magic, the stories, and my gods.

On April Fool’s day we will step into a three month journey with Ceridwen and Taliesin, the Goddess of Initiation and Inspiration, and the Greatest Bard that ever lived, in The Cauldron of Awen.

Together we will explore Bardic Skills, the magic of the voice, the power of breath, and tools for devotion, discipline, and overcoming creative block and the fear of being seen that keeps us from sharing our stories. We will gather tales, explore their magic, and build our skills to share them as enchantments weaving wonder in the world. I offer a focus on words and the voice, but this is open to wonder-weaving in all mediums.

This is your invitation to begin your Bardic Initiation with Ceridwen and Taliesin.

Are you ready to leap into inspiration?

Enter the Cauldron of Awen
Halo smiling at the camera with three golden dots of clay on their forehead and tents in the background.

Magical Classes & Talks – with Halo

BABALON CIRCLE & BOOK CLUB

Monthly Live Babalon Circle – Our monthly magical working to connect with Babalon – Monday 2nd February, 8pm (UK) – online – replay included

January Book Club Topic: The Season of the Chalice

Join the Babalon Circles & Book Club here.

Elemental Allies Ritual at the Glastonbury Occult Conference – Glastonbury, 14th February

Monthly DIY TAROT CLUB – first session Monday 9th March – make your own tarot deck and learn to read the cards through play – no art skills required! – online – replay included

Join the Grove to access the DIY Tarot Club here.

Upcoming appearances include: Star Club Mini-Con (Bristol, 28th Feb), The Fool’s World at The Witches’ Cauldron con (Online, 13th March), Story Magic at the Phoenix Club (Isle of Wight, 2nd May)…

Enchantments – Live Classes Now on Patreon
Enter the Cauldron of Awen

Storytelling for Magic Online Book Launch Party

28 Tuesday Jan 2025

Posted by in Magic, My Books, Storytelling

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I’m so excited to share my newest book with you all!

I just wanted to share a quick note to invite you to the party tonight – starting in 3 hours! There will be a replay in The Enchanted Academy so join us there even if you can’t make it live.

The Book launch party is entirely free, and there will be magic, time for questions and celebrations, and a special announcement about what’s coming next from me…

NEWEST BOOK: “Storytelling for Magic” – Details Here!

Storytelling for Magic - free book launch party on 28th January 2025 - Bardic Skills & Ritual Craft for witches and pagans. Join us for storytelling, magic, a Q&A and an announcement!

Book Reading, storytelling, magic, Q&A, and a special offer on the replay… in The Enchanted Academy!

Find the Replay Here

The Book!

Cover: Storytelling For Magic by Halo Quin - Bardic Skills & Ritual Craft for Witches and Pagans - text over image of a cloaked figure in warm colours, moving through wintery trees with a bird flying overhead
Order Storytelling for Magic Here*

*Affiliate link for UK folk. Also available wherever you buy your books!

Storytelling for Magic

Learn the bardic art of storytelling to craft rituals, empower your magic, and enchant your life.

In this book are the keys to bringing the gifts of the ancient magic-weavers, the storytellers, into your life. The Bards of old wove magic with their words. Through myth and legend, history and inspiration, they shaped the world around them. Just like them, you can connect with the magic of storytelling to create powerful change.

Join professional performer, ritualist, bard, and witch Halo Quin, and discover how to use your voice in magic, how to unravel the secrets of stories, how to craft your own rituals to bring the power of myths and folk tales into your life, and how to find, learn, and tell stories to enchant the world inside and outside the circle.

Out 28th January 2025

Storytelling for Magic is from Moon Books, at Collective Ink Publishing – order direct here.

Coming Soon – Storytelling for Magic

02 Monday Dec 2024

Posted by in Druidry, Magic, Storytelling

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Have you ever wished you could tell a story and enchant your listeners?

Have you ever wanted to explore the magic of a myth?

Have you ever been curious about how to use your voice, and your words, effectively in ritual and spells?

Do you want to create and perform powerful rituals that change your life?

Then this book is for you.

MY NEW BOOK – STORYTELLING FOR MAGIC – IS OUT 28TH JANUARY 2025!

Cover: Storytelling For Magic by Halo Quin - Bardic Skills & Ritual Craft for Witches and Pagans - text over image of a cloaked figure in warm colours, moving through wintery trees with a bird flying overhead
Pre-Order Storytelling for Magic Today!

A few years ago I began dabbling with the title “Enchantress/Enchanter” alongside “witch” because one of my favourite ways to weave magic is through my voice, through words, and through storytelling.

In ancient times, and in many cultures, those who told stories and recited poetry were recognised as powerful magicians, capable of turning the tide of history, bringing good fortune or misery as they chose.

This power of storytelling connects us to our ancestors as in storytelling we use the language they passed us to shape a world, whether for a moment or a lifetime.

It connects us to those that come after us, for in the stories we keep alive we choose what to offer to them, what world and magic we are passing on.

We all tell stories to connect, to entertain, to teach, to inform, to persuade, and for many other reasons besides, even if we don’t think we are storytellers.

Yes, even you.

I love storytelling, and I often do it as a devotional act. I learn stories that connect to my gods and spirits, that remember the Fair Folk, or that carry wisdom from older times, and I share them to keep them alive. I craft new stories, such as the Goblin Circus, to bring that healing which comes from playfulness, so needed in today’s world.

One of my home traditions, Reclaiming Witchcraft, works deeply with stories in ritual and as teaching tools, and this has long inspired me. RJ Stewart’s work taught me how the folk and fairy tales can carry the keys to Faeryland. OBOD begins with the “Bardic Grade”, and encourages creativity as you work through learning the foundations of modern pagan magic. In these and many other modern traditions we have felt the importance of storytelling, and it is common to invite folk to tell tales… but very often there is no guidance on how to do so.

Often people say to me: “I wish I could do that, but I couldn’t remember a whole story!”

But storytelling is a natural human activity, so you already tell stories! And to tell a tale in a way that enchants is a set of skills which you can learn. To craft ritual and magic from stories is, too, another skill you can learn.

In a culture where we receive our stories from media it is easy to forget that storytelling is a natural expression of humanity. And if you have a longing to be part of that ancient lineage, then you can remember that, and recover those skills for storytelling as enchantment, whether you’re performing, bespelling your life, or sharing the tales with the trees.

I wrote this book to show you exactly how you can take each step. Some of the questions answered within are:

How can I connect with the magic of air, words, breath, voice?

How can I find a story? And make it my own?

How can I remember a whole story?

How can I tell a story in a way that is natural for me?

How can I use the magic of myth to empower my spells?

How can I create a ritual from a story, to bring me closer to the magic within?

And, while my focus is on the voice, there are many ways to tell a tale. I’ve included suggestions for how you can use the skills and exercises in this book without sound, and how you might adapt the magic within to your own practice, both solo and for groups.

Pre-Order Storytelling for Magic Today!
Cover: Storytelling For Magic by Halo Quin - Bardic Skills & Ritual Craft for Witches and Pagans - text over image of a cloaked figure in warm colours, moving through wintery trees with a bird flying overhead
Order Storytelling for Magic Here*

*Affiliate link for UK folk. Also available wherever you buy your books!

Storytelling for Magic

Learn the bardic art of storytelling to craft rituals, empower your magic, and enchant your life.

In this book are the keys to bringing the gifts of the ancient magic-weavers, the storytellers, into your life. The Bards of old wove magic with their words. Through myth and legend, history and inspiration, they shaped the world around them. Just like them, you can connect with the magic of storytelling to create powerful change.

Join professional performer, ritualist, bard, and witch Halo Quin, and discover how to use your voice in magic, how to unravel the secrets of stories, how to craft your own rituals to bring the power of myths and folk tales into your life, and how to find, learn, and tell stories to enchant the world inside and outside the circle.

Out 28th January 2025

Storytelling for Magic is from Moon Books, at Collective Ink Publishing – order direct here.

Two Book Reviews: “Reclaiming Witchcraft” & “Honouring the Wild”

08 Wednesday Feb 2023

Posted by in Magic, review, Witchcraft 101

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As a Reclaiming witch myself, when I saw Irisanya Moon had written a new book in the Pagan Portals series: “Reclaiming Witchcraft”, my first thought was “why didn’t I think of that?!” I’m glad I didn’t, though, as Irisanya has done such a wonderful job of sharing a sense of the workings that make Reclaiming what it is.

“Pagan Portals – Reclaiming Witchcraft” by Irisanya Moon (Moon Books, 2020) systematically shares about the parts of a tradition which grew out of a deep, activist, desire to bring magic to bear on the world for positive change. The origins and history of its roots in an activist collective, and its subsequent growth into a worldwide collective – anarchistic in that each witch is their own authority, and recognising that we always live within community.

Get your copy of “Reclaiming Witchcraft” here.

Through the Principles of Unity, Irisanya shares the guiding concepts of Reclaiming, and illustrates how we balance our independence and our collectivity. How do highly creative, anarchistic witches work in community? Through listening and developing structures through which each member can, when it works, be heard.

Irisanya touches on the ways in which we co-create Ecstatic, Improvisational, Ensemble, Inspired, and Organic rituals and magic. The Tools mentioned in the “Core Classes” give each witch both their own toolbox and shared points of magical development and ritual technology. And the concept of “Witchcamps” is discussed too, between the ritual style, the tools, and the Witchcamps, Reclaiming has an unusual and effective system of magic and community development. All of which feed back into creating change in the world.

As a tradition with 40+ years of history now, the question of how different generations are included is an important one, and one Irisanya handles gently and with compassion… Because a world of community must have space for all the family!

The final chapter on Magical Activism speaks to the desire that underpins Reclaiming Witchcraft… To make the world a better, fairer, place, and a home for us all.

This topic is one that Irisanya then went on to expand in “Earth Spirit – Honoring the Wild – Reclaiming Witchcraft and Environmental Activism” (Moon Books: 2023), which, as a book on collective action, includes a myriad of voices, some of whom are friends of mine!

My activism is a quiet one, I marched against the Iraq war in the early 2000s, handing out fliers, calling for peace (or at the very least, honesty) and found that wasn’t the path for me. But I see the state of the world too, so I often feel like I should be doing more. This book helped remind me that there are as many ways of helping to change the world, of being an activist, as there are witches. That doing my bit in my own life and working to lift spirits and share tools is valuable too.

Stories from disabled witches, from teachers, from people determined to help, and from the front lines of history.

A discussion of how magic, and a magical worldview, can help us motivate ourselves. Rituals and blessings. Tips for encouraging younger generations to engage.

All of these things offer hope.

Hope because we are not alone in caring.

Hope because those successes, those actions do help.

Hope because we can be activists, just as we are, when we offer our imperfect offerings. And perhaps we, too, can be inspired to help change the world for the better. A spell at a time.

Buy “Honoring the Wild” here.

Find more of Irisanya’s work here.

And learn more about Reclaiming here.

Banner for online independent bookstore, "Quin's Books"

PS: This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you buy books through them the website gives me a little commission, which helps support me at no extra cost to you. So… Thank you!

OUT NOW! Crimson Craft – sexual magic for the solo witch

27 Friday Jan 2023

Posted by in Crimson Craft, Magic, My Books, Witchcraft 101

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My new book of sexual magic is out!!! This is the longest book I’ve written to date, and I’m so proud of it. It is a work of healing, of magic, of embodied, sensual, loving, witchcraft. If you’re looking for an inclusive, gentle guide to uncovering your own inner sexual power, exploring ritual and creative ways of healing and becoming more embodied, and of opening the possibility of deep, devotional connection with the Divine… then Crimson Craft was written for you.

Crimson Craft felt both vulnerable and deeply healing to write, to share the ways in which I’ve healed myself, built relationship with the divine, and tapped deeper into my own inner power through pleasure and embracing the erotic. I deliberately wrote it for a solo practitioner because this is one key way we can reclaim our own personal authority, and take responsibility for something that is so often presented as dependent on others (with their own needs, challenges, wounds). But also to make it inclusive, to offer up these tools and processes to people of all and any gender and genitalia, because, honestly, sexual magic goes much further than what might be in our pants.

As living, embodied beings we are capable of great pleasure, and the magic that arises from being alive. In this, the power of eros is our ultimate guide.

(Crimson Craft can be found in all the normal places for buying books. The links in this post are affiliate links that support independent bookstores across the UK. Your local bookstore will also be able to order it in!)
Crimson Craft – Get your copy Here!

Crimson Craft is not your normal sex magic book, rather than focusing on the casting spells powered by orgasmic energy (though that definitely gets included!), this book takes us deeper into healing the perceived split between body and mind, opening up greater power and magic for use in all our witchcraft.

It also discusses working with deities of love and passion in building loving relationships with one’s self and one’s gods, the foundations of ecstatic mystical union, and the shadow work of facing cultural and personal taboos.

And it lays the foundation for self-love, which is a fundamental act of rebellious magic in a world that would rather keep us small.

Halo has created a safe space for anyone who wants to explore their own nature as a sexual being. This is an invitation to be open to healing, sacredness, wonder, spirituality and magic. It’s a deeply affirming and inclusive book full of things to explore and the affirmation that exploring is something you are entitled to do… Get it right, and sex can be magic, and mystery, wonder and sacredness. We have in ourselves, and between us, a capacity to make beauty and joy. That should be honoured and celebrated.

– from a review by Nimue Brown, read the whole thing here
Crimson Craft – Out Now!

Rediscover the sacred nature of sex, pleasure, and the divine erotic in Halo Quin’s Crimson Craft, a guide for sexual magic and a tool for personal healing, spell-casting, and devotional practices in witchcraft. By theorizing the ethics of embodiment and pleasure within these practices, Quin provides exploratory exercises (and tips for taking them further, and safely, with a partner) . Crimson Craft includes an introduction not only to archetypes, deities, and divine powers but also to the context and benefits of using kink in ritual and creative writing, inviting you – the witch and magic-worker – to deepen your understanding of sexual magic’s possibilities and sweetness.

~ from the official blurb
Words: Crimson Coven, arching over half a red rose blossom

Alongside the book, I have opened up a space for people to come together who want to explore and discuss, ritually, creatively, and respectfully, their journeys with the magic of embodiment and pleasure. In the Crimson Coven Collective there are discussion/journal prompts, creative inspiration, healing rituals, and mutual support.

On Monday 30th January we’ll be kicking off the live online events with a Book launch party and ritual, and then, on the full Moon, Sunday 5th February, we’ll gather for a healing Imbolc ritual. Come and join us to be a part of this magical collective!

Discover the Crimson Coven Collective

Thank you for joining me on this magical, healing, journey, in whatever way is right for you.

It is my honour, as always, to share my soul’s work with the people who choose to engage with an open heart.

May your journey be blessed, and your heart be healed.

In delight,

~Halo

PS: You can join my mailing list here for a free Crimson Craft gift, occasional updates and to get my posts in your inbox, just click here.

Find the Crimson Craft Book Here
Join the Crimson Coven Collective Here

Happy 2023! (and where I was in 2022)

24 Tuesday Jan 2023

Posted by in Following Delight, Magic, Reflections, Witchcraft 101

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(Scroll down for – A recap of 2022 – Some tips for navigating real-life plot-twists with the Witches Pyramid – and a glimpse of what’s coming in 2023)

“Oh gods, now this? Really?” ~ This pic is from about a decade ago when I played Miranda in the Tempest with the Longwood Players and, well, isn’t that play as full of surprises as life!

Ok, ok, so we’re 3 weeks into 2023, but we’ve just had the New Moon, kicking off the Lunar New Year (of the Rabbit!) and Imbolc is just around the corner with the new shoots of Spring.

2022… The year of the Hermit… again!

Last I posted I’d just finished my PhD and was focussed on getting the first Goblin Masquerade together…

Well, in case you’re not following me on social media, or have missed my emails on my mailing list, here’s the short version of the subsequent events of 2022:

  • Goblin Masquerade! Great success!
  • I had a couple of weeks off adventuring in Glastonbury with my coven, and then at an Aurora gig.
  • And then I ended up in hospital for a night in so much pain I couldn’t walk. Still not sure why.
  • Recovery. And more recovery. And very, very very slow walking. (I’m much better now, btw.)
  • I did mentoring for the NDSA (NeuroDivergent Self-Advocacy forum) and studied for my Life Coaching Certificate.
  • Aaand I learned songwriting and music production. I’ll be sharing more about that very, very soon…

As much as the world was opening up in 2022, I was back in hermit mode, adjusting, healing, rebuilding my foundations. As autumn went on and I got stronger I returned to teaching cycle 3 of Star Club (multi-disciplinary training for Magicians), opened a little space in the local market – The Rabbit Hole – and an online space, The Crimson Coven Collective. All with lots of rest-time factored in.

Adjusting Course with the Witches Compass

It’s not unusual to have to adjust course, for something unexpected to happen (plot twists abound!) and we can look for the story of “why”, or we can focus on the “next right thing” as the trolls advised in Frozen 2.* While this certainly felt like a stumbling block, I didn’t feel like I’d been thrown entirely off course, which is always a risk if you’ve got a dream.

Instead, I came back to my heart, my compass, my guiding star.

I definitely spent a bit of time wondering how the hell I was going to travel if I could barely walk, when one of my big dreams has always been adventuring and exploring the world, but I didn’t wallow in this too much. Instead I asked myself the questions that guide much of my life.

What do I dream of? How do I want to feel, today?

What can I choose, at this point in time, that feels like a step towards my dreams?

How can I take that next step?

Rather than relying on a set plan for the journey ahead, I follow my compass, my heart. Asking in each moment how I can make this now closer to what I most long to feel. Perhaps the next step isn’t the last one needed but allowing myself to be guided each day in what brings more joy now means I’m enjoying every part of my life as much as I can.

I invite you to try it. When life gives you a plot twist, look for how you can feel more like you choose to feel in this moment. Ask yourself what the next step towards your dreams is from here. Ask yourself what tiny change you have control over that will support you in your adventure-called-life and help you feel more joy today.

Not everything is fun and games – ouch, seriously – but when we carry our compass with us we can always point ourselves towards our True North, our dreams. Let your heart guide you.

The witches pyramid is a useful model to help with this, and is sometimes called the “witches compass” because it is a guide to the steps of our magic.

To Know, To Will, To Dare, To Keep Silent.

~ The Witches Pyramid

And that’s what we do when we find our path disrupted. We ask questions of ourselves so we KNOW what we dream of, and the feeling we desire that we think the dream will bring. What we long to feel. And then, we set our WILL toward it. We choose to orientate ourselves towards our chosen feelings and our dreams. And then we DARE to take that leap. The final step, of KEEPing SILENT, means we don’t reveal things before it is time. Often our dreams are tender things and there is a lot of pessimism that can encourage doubt before we take the steps we need, so they need the nurturing dark of the soil, the silence of the night’s sky, to hold them safely while we carry them into the world.

(*I finally watched this and I loved all the elemental stuff, the animistic environmentalism, the magic, there’s some fun music… it’s far from perfect but there is a lot I liked.)

What’s Next?

Well, firstly, you can join The Crimson Coven Collective where we’re exploring how to embody our magic more fully! There are journaling and creativity prompts, and online circles, and I’m active there every week.

From the group description:

“The Crimson Coven Collective is for magical, creative, and ritual exploration of embodied, sensual magic.

Do you want your life to be magical, filled with playful, pleasurable, practice?

Do you want to be curious, to get creative with your magic, to explore what feels good and learn how to feel what’s right for you?

We aspire to be…

* Open hearted explorers of wyrd, enchanted, possibilities.

* Creatives conjuring beauty and desire.

* Divine beings embodying sensual spirit.

* Witches delving into the darkness and light of magic.

Get your invitation here.“

I’m filling up my diary for 2023 slowly, but so far confirmed magical events include:

  • Talk: MoonCon23 – An online conference by Moon Books, I’m up at 2pm 11th March 2023 (topic TBC)
  • Ritual: Imbolc – Aberystwyth.

And events for the Crimson Coven Collective, including book launch parties for my next book “Crimson Craft – sexual magic for the solo witch”

And I’ll be performing at…

Book Review: Sekhmet

11 Tuesday Jan 2022

Posted by in Magic, review

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I’ve long known of Sekhmet, that lion-headed, powerful Goddess of healing and rage, but I have never really known much about her. Olivia Church’s book has definitely changed that.

A pile of books on top of a laptop, "Pagan Portals: Sekhmet" on top, with a small black cat statuette, and a red and gold background.
Yes, I know that’s Bast.

Heavy with the weight of history, Church’s slim book clearly arose from a deep academic understanding of the sources and research surrounding the vengeful Lady of Flame and Pestilence, but the depth of direct experience also shines through. This is not a dry, dusty, text. Although it is dense the language is graced with rich and poetic illumination, and a bright passion for both the Goddess and her culture.

I now know much more than I expected to find out about this ancient Egyptian power, and would certainly use this as a reference book, and for inspiration if I ever choose to work with this multifaceted deity.

Despite the concise nature of the Pagan Portals books, Church has succeeded in including a both breadth and depth of information, and has in no way diminished the Eye of Ra, Sekhmet herself.

The short version: beautifully written, research heavy, introduction to a multifaceted Goddess, crafted with obviously personal, passionate, devotion.

Pagan Portals – Sekhmet, by Olivia Church (Moon Books, 2022)

Quin's Books - Bookshop banner - gold writing on red background, trying to look fancy.
Find this and other magical books, including mine, at Quin’s Books. (affiliate link)

Writing and whirlwinds

20 Thursday May 2021

Posted by in Enchanted, Following Delight, Magic, Reflections, Witchcraft 101

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Spring arrived, and with it went my focus. It’s always an inspirational time of year for me, the rush of energy bringing so many new ideas, so much potential, that I find myself led astray by beautiful new possibilities… And some things get dropped in the whirlwind romance of life. Like consistency.

Once upon a time I’d have felt guilty for that.

Coming to honour my cycles is a really important step in not beating myself up, and I don’t think I’m alone there. Each of us has cycles and seasons, and for some of us the effects are more pronounced than for others… Have you noticed that? Have you noticed your energy and attention fluctuating with the moon, or the sun?

Even e when it gets dark there’s light. Like here; there’s a boat on the horizon, dramatically lighting its own way in the dusk.

I definitely go with the seasons, the kiss of the sun on the land… Each season feeding into the other, a circle that repeats every year.

And each year I know a little more, recognise it a little sooner, so the circles become spirals, the same shape but a little further ahead, building a little higher than last time.

At least, that’s my goal.

And so far it seems to be working. I’ve noticed myself wanting to chase all the gorgeous idea-bunnies and remembered to pull myself back to centre. Those inspirations are wonderful, and if I follow them all I’ll forget the garden one been tending.

Do you find this? Do you find you cycle through patterns each day, month, year? Do you tend to overdo it in the summer, like me? Or do you let it go and take a holiday when the sun shines?

This Spring I’ve been nurturing a few writing seedlings which are strengthening day by day. The Enchanted Academy (TEA) with my courses on magic is one, the Crimson Coven is another, and if you follow me on Instagram you’ll have seen today that I’ve just signed contracts for two new books!

I decided years ago that I wanted to write books and teach, and that’s the spiral staircase I’m climbing each year… Each revolution, a little further along the path of doing what I love, even when my energy waxes and wanes with the seasons.

Whatever the sun is doing, I keep my dream in mind. If you hold true to who you choose to be then, every season, every revolution, you’ll have spent a little longer doing what feeds your heart’s garden. Don’t let the down times make you forget that.

Oh and learning your cycles and patterns, recognising the flow of the world around you, and learning to work in tune with both, is part of the craft of the witch, too.

I have, however, accidentally let the purple sprouting broccoli in my actual garden blossom and go to seed (I think?) because I was writing. Oops. It’s still pretty though!

In an attempt to get better at this while “making a living writing” thing, may I just remind you that I have books for sale! You can find them in my new online bookshop, Quin’s Books, or at your local bookshop. Or, if you’d like, you can support me on Patreon and unlock bonus audio content and early access to magical writings…

NEW BOOK RELEASED!!! – Gods and Goddesses of Wales

28 Friday Jun 2019

Posted by in Creative Process, Following Delight, Magic, Stories, Storytelling

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It’s here!!! Midsummer 2019 has completed a piece of devotion for me…

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Pagan Portals: Gods and Goddesses of Wales is out!!!

I’m really excited to announce the manifestation of my newest book, a practical introduction of Welsh deities and their stories, through their stories. It’s designed as a primer to get started on your journey with beings such as Rhiannon, Blodeuwedd, Taliesin, Gwydion, and more. There’s even a pronounciation guide at the back (thanks Sarah!)

Here’s the official blurb:

An introduction to Welsh deities through traditional myths and practical exercises. Written by a practising witch, living in the heart of Wales and working with the deities woven into the land, this book contains the major stories and backgrounds for the Gods and Goddesses of the heartland of the Druids. Within its pages you will find information on the major deities and where their stories can be found, alongside suggestions on how to connect with them and weave relationships with them into a modern pagan practice.

You can order this through your favourite bookstore, they’ll find it under author “Halo Quin” (publisher: Moon Books) or through amazon.

Looks like I’m living the dream… a published author 😀 Thanks to everyone who supports me, who encourages, proofreads, inspires, shares, buys, reviews and generally cheers me on. Couldn’t do it without you (In fact, without you all, there’d be no point.) This last year has been a wild ride and in amongst it all the gods of this land have been woven…I’m glad to do my part in sharing their stories. What is remembered, lives.

Happy Thoughts,

Halo Quin x

Overlooking a sunny Ceredigion Bay in wild, West, Wales.

Book Cover YFM

My first “Moon Book” can be found here!