• Study Magic with Me
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Books
    • BOOK: Your Faery Magic
    • BOOK: Gods and Goddesses of Wales
    • BOOK: All That Glitters
    • BOOK: TWISTED
    • BOOK: Folktales, Faeries, and Spirits
    • BOOK: Crimson Craft – sexual magic for the solo witch
    • BOOK: Storytelling for Magic
    • Resources for My Readers
  • Storytelling
  • Music
  • Poetry
  • Press
  • Podcast

Halo Quin

~ Author, storyteller, singer-songwriter, witch

Tag Archives: Taliesin

To Re-enchant the (already Enchanted) World

11 Tuesday Feb 2025

Posted by Haloquin in Druidry, Enchanted, Magic, Philosophy, Reflections

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Bard, Bardic Magic, Bardic Skills, Become a Bard, Ceridwen, Cerridwen, Druidry, learn magic, Magic, musings, Pagan, Pagan Author, paganism, Strangeness of Life, Taliesin

Re-enchant the world.

If you’re already deep into magical space this might sound like a contradiction, as the world is already Enchanted.

Well, yes, your world is.

And my world is.

But for many, the world is disenchanted.

This is a phrase I use a lot, and for me it is very specifically about “world” as our Web of relationships, it isn’t about the universe, or the earth, or the realms of spirits and magicians, which are of course already and always Enchanted.

Communication always has an audience, right, so for those that feel their world is disenchanted, “reenchant the world” is for you, to encourage you to shift your relationship to the universe, the beings, your self.

It’s an invitation to re-enchant your experiences and understanding of that which is.

If “the world” is “where we live,” then many people do live in a disenchanted world, because they do not remember or accept or relate to the enchantment present beyond *their* current lived world.

“Worldview” is a way of describing it, but it also includes the “worlds” we live in culturally – my world is enchanted, but I move in worlds that are not, on occasion, because I’m interacting with other humans who do not grasp the enchanted nature of life any more, and I try to re-enchant pieces of those worlds for the others there, so they may remember their way home too.

And it’s a “re-enchantment” because Enchanted is our natural state, it is the human state, the state of all beings, and most cultures throughout history and space. The materialist culture I was raised in is the odd one, let’s be honest.

So yeah, I agree with those who critique this phrase because All is enchanted. Yes, it is indeed. And I also suggest that this is for communicating with those of you who feel you have lost that enchanted part of your world, those relationships and meanings and understandings that you live within… And this is also for those know the truth, but who see other people who have lost this knowledge that the All is Enchanted, and want to help re-enchant their world.

It’s good to re-enchant the worlds our worlds nest within.

You know, like the dominant materialist overculture that influences and shapes so much of our lives.

It’s why I use it as a catch phrase, and then, in classes and rituals and all my teaching, remind folk that the process is one of remembering, of realising that, in reality, the disenchantment is the illusion.

In the moment that is grasped, your world, like mine, is enchanted again.


Decorative banner - Cauldron of Awen, a course and bardic initiation at TEA with Halo Quin

NEW COURSE – STARTING 1ST APRIL 2025

The Cauldron of Awen is a three month adventure in storytelling, creativity, and inspiration with the witch-goddess of initiation: Ceridwen… and Taliesin, the legendary Bard of Wales.

Dive into the Cauldron’s brew and emerge inspired, with a toolkit of magical skills to enchant your audience and never fear the blank page again!

Discover More

The Cauldron of Awen: A Creative Initiation

31 Friday Jan 2025

Posted by Haloquin in Art Craft and Beauty, Druidry, Magic

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Bard, Bardic Magic, Ceridwen, how to be a bard, how to be a druid, How to Tell a Story, Imbolc, learn magic, learn storytelling, learn witchcraft, Magic, New book, New Course, online course, Storytelling, Storytelling For Magic, Taliesin, Welsh Mythology

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

Imbolc, Inspiration, and Bardic Magic

31 Wednesday Jan 2024

Posted by Haloquin in Druidry, Following Delight, Magic, Music, My Books, Storytelling, Witchcraft 101

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Bard, Brigid, Ceridwen, Druidry, FAWM, Imbolc, Magic, Moon Books, Pagan, Pagan Author, Songwriting, Storytelling, Taliesin, Wheel of the Year, witchcraft

I finally submitted the last of the edits for my next book…

Storytelling for Magic!

A practical book calling on the skills of the bard as a storyteller, performer, and magic-weaver to make better magic. It includes techniques for finding, learning, and telling stories, transforming them into rituals, and sharing their magic with confidence, in your own style.

Perfect timing as tomorrow is Imbolc. And the start of February Album Writing Month (FAWM), a challenge to write 14 songs in February. I signed up last year and discovered a hugely supportive community, filled with so much inspiration and encouragement, that I actually wrote 16 songs!

Several of these made it into my first solo-singing show in December. One became my third released single, Two Wolves, No Masters. I think it’s safe to say that FAWM had an impact.

And as the FAWM community gears up to start again tomorrow, I’m noticing that it’s Imbolc eve.

Imbolc – the festival of the light breaking through the cold

Imbolc – the celebration of the first signs of spring

Imbolc – the day of Brigid, Bridie, Ffraid. Saint, Goddess, and Divine Power.

Brigid is considered to be a Goddess of Inspiration, of poets. (As well as healing, and forging/creativity)

So it struck me that this is brilliant timing for the month of FAWM!

I don’t work with Brigid often, but I’ll be lighting a candle for the two deities who most guided my book writing, Taliesin the bard and the goddess Ceridwen, whose cauldron brews all Inspiration. And I think I’ll say a few words for Brigid, as it’s her day too, and it never hurts to have deities of inspiration and creativity on your side.

You can find a talk on Storytelling As Magic on my Patreon as part of January’s Enchanted Circle, for this month only I’ve released the recording to the public – Patrons get to join me live, ask questions, and choose topics – as well as meditations, courses, and classes at different tiers! Go, watch, and sign up for more…

Find Storytelling as Magic Here

Being Bardic at Druid Camp 2023

03 Thursday Aug 2023

Posted by Haloquin in Druidry, Events, Following Delight, Magic, Reflections, Storytelling

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Ceridwen, creativity, druid, Druid Camp, Living Life, Magic, OBOD, Storytelling, Storytelling in Wales, Strangeness of Life, Taliesin, Witch

(Before I tell you where I’ve been let me just bounce excitedly about my debut single, Red Goddess, Come – out this week. Listen here! )

A green lady made of branches, cloaked in red, in a red and yellow big top with the sun shining in through the open doorway behind her.

It’s been a few years, as one would expect, since we’ve gathered at Druid Camp, and this year it returned to the world in a Welsh venue not too far from me. Pembrokeshire was very wet, but that’s rather the price we pay for such a gorgeous green land.

Hazel Bird - storyteller with a big beard - stood and lit by firelight.

Druid Camp has become a place where I find myself at home. Despite the rain, or maybe because of the utterly un-ignorable nature of nature, including the rain, it is a space set aside from the world where community happens. There is often storytelling and music around the fire, and this year local storyteller Hazel Bird shared epic tales including Gawain and the Green Knight, and how Albion got its name.


Oh, and the Epic of Gilgamesh.


Which Jos and I cheekily did a version of in 5 minutes for the Eisteddfod. And yes, there is a video… link coming soon! I also got to see Milly Jackdaw‘s show, Mochyn Merddyn, and bands including Mad Magdelen and Seize the Day!

I offered two workshops, rooted in the story of Ceridwen and Taliesin, journeying into connection with our own Awen, and then skills for trusting our own storytelling and ritual ability. As humans we are storytelling beings, and we are spirit manifest. When you anchor the story in your body, trust yourself, and breathe in deep… the magic flows.

It was a delight to come back to this space and remember what it’s like to be in community with other like-minded folk, to learn and the share with each other. Between the Seed SistaAs herbal preparations and “Poison prescriptions” classes I found myself feeling empowered to really engage with the plant spirits of this land, not just sharing space but actively working with them. I’ve dabbled before, but their witchy reminders that we are not dependent on anyone else to be our own herbal healers (with caveats that we need to be sure on our identification skills!) reminded me that this is one of the areas I still give my power away out of uncertainty. Well, no more of that.

A heart shaped window framing sunny blue sky and the tops of trees

In the Ritual Crafting workshop with Penny and Jos we explored memories of ritual and shared inspirations for deepening our seasonal celebrations and magic. There was tarot in the café, and music every night, and the big ritual ended up being that initiatory journey through the Welsh realms into Awen – the birth of Taliesin, the emergence of the Bard who serves and is seen in return.

In community we offer our gifts, receive and give and support and guide in return. You might not always know how you’ve helped, but that’s part of the brew. Pour it in and share it out and let the love flow.

I feel deeply nourished, and not just by the amazing work of the café and site crew looking after the practicalities, cleaning the loos, and making food I could eat with ease and delight. So much gratitude.


I’ve been to several Druid Camps before, but this time around I’m in a much better place in myself, and it showed in people’s responses to my presence and offerings. Over the past few years I’ve found a sense of trust in myself that I didn’t have before, and a chance conversation right at the start of Camp solidified this into a shining light in my heart. Suddenly I felt seen.

And here’s the thing about trusting yourself… about finding that sense of presence and rooting into your personal power… like Taliesin who shone so brightly he was named “shining brow”, your light shines out into the world and people feel it.

Part of this comes from a feeling of being at home in your body, as a child of the earth.

Part of this comes from feeling deep into your core and the fire of love and desire that guides you.

And part of this comes from finding your voice, speaking your truth.

Coming home, rooting deep, and letting the Awen flow.

Given that I used to freeze with stage fright when speaking to just two people at once, and now I’m making a crowd of druids laugh with a story learned that afternoon, I’d say I’ve learned to stand in my presence, step into my power, and shine with my own radiant light, wouldn’t you?

I’m not just a witch, rooted in my own power, I’m a bard, a storyteller, and a Priestess, sharing that light with others to re-enchant the world, and holding space to empower people to step into their own light too. And that, that right there, delights my heart. Does that make me a Druid, too?


Does this magic call to you too? Join me for the Lammas retreat this Sunday:

Radiance, Power, and Presence.

Sunday 6th August ’23 – 6-9pm BST (UK time)

Re-light your self love through courting Divine Love and the magic of the land.

This Lammas tune into the Sun’s power and conjure your own radiance.

Join us and learn how to:

~ strengthen your radiance,

~ deepen your power,

~ and boost your sensual confidence.

You were made for pleasure, for play, for love. All you need do is say yes.

Come join me on the eve of my birthday (yes, I’m a Leo) and find your inner sunshine.

Find your Radiance – details here
Button for Crimson Craft Retreat - Radiance, Power, and Presence - 6th August 6-9pm BST - red background with golden field pictured in a circle.

Announcing the Summer of loveliness

13 Thursday Apr 2023

Posted by Haloquin in Crimson Craft, Events, Following Delight, Magic, Storytelling, Witchcraft 101

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Beltane, Blodeuwedd, Ceridwen, Cerridwen, Crimson Coven, Crimson Craft, Druid Camp, Events, Goddess, learn magic, learn witchcraft, Magic, Neo-Tantra, OBOD, Pagan, Storytelling, Storytelling in Wales, Taliesin

Yesterday, storms rocked the town. Today, the sun is warming the land. Spring is definitely here, which means summer is just around the corner and I can’t wait! I’ve got a bunch of workshops and events lined up for you, including a workshop this Sunday, weekly livestreams in the Crimson Coven collective FB group, storytelling, rituals, and even a retreat or two already lined up.

Your Body is Your Temple (workshop)

Workshop Button: Your Body is your Temple - Embodying the Divine You

Embody the Divinity You Are

Join Halo on the 16th April, at 7pm, for a Crimson Craft workshop, where you will explore your body as the Temple to the Divinity you are, your Divine nature, and the Desire that is divine love seeking expression in your life.

In this workshop you will:

~ experience your body as a temple, paving the way for a deeper sense of safety in yourself.

~ tune into your desire as the holy fire of divine love, stepping into acceptance that allows for your heart’s desire to manifest in your life

~ explore ways to feel divinely embodied, even when it feels like your body has let you down, leading towards a greater connection between your body and spirit and a deeper capacity for love and pleasure.

Register for 16th April here.

Beltane Retreat: Untame your Heart with Blodeuwedd

30th April – 6-9pm (UK time)

A Beltane intensive with Blodeuwedd, Goddess of the Flowers, remembering what it means to be untamed and in love with life.

In this retreat working with the rising magic of Beltane, as spring begins to blossom in the Northern hemisphere, we will call on (and be called on by) the goddess of the flowers, Blodeuwedd, to support us in stepping into our desire and manifesting our dream lives.

30th April 2023, 6-9pm (UK time)

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

Are you ready to say yes to something wonderful?

Find out more about the Beltane Retreat here.

Retreat: Untame your heart with Blodeuwedd this Beltane - 30th April 2023, 6-9pm BST

And more!

Cream Flyer with text: Summer 2023 with Halo Quin 1. Your Body is a Temple. A Crimson Craft Workshop - online - 13th April 2. Beltane Ritual. A ritual at Star Club - Bristol - 22nd April 3. "Wild, Wise, or Wicked? Meeting Welsh divinities". A talk for Totnes Moot - online - 26th April 4. Beltane: Untame Your Heart with Blodeuwedd. A Crimson Craft Retreat - online - 30th April 5. The Soul Doctor - a storytelling walkabout at Portmerion's Steampunk Coronation Weekend - 6th-7th May 6. Land, Sea, & Sky and Magic of the Bard. Workshops at Druid Camp - Pembrokeshire - 26-30th July. 7. "Thereby Hangs a Tale" a Show at Willow Globe - Powys - 16th September. 8. Land, Sea, & Sky and Tales After Dark. Workshop & storytelling at Wylde Spirit Camp - Stonehenge - 22-24th September. 9. And weekly events in the Crimson Coven Collective!
  • Crimson Craft Workshop: Your Body is a Temple – Embody the Divine – Online, Sunday 16th April ’23 (Register for “Your Body is a Temple” here!)
  • Ritual: Star Club Beltane Ritual – Bedminster, 22nd April ’23 (Details and booking here)
  • Talk: “Wild, Wise, or Wicked? Meeting Welsh Divinities” – an online talk hosted by Totnes Moot – 26th April ’23 (Totnes Moot event page here)
  • Crimson Craft Beltane Retreat: Untame your Heart with Blodeuwedd – online, Sunday 30th April ’23 (Register for the Beltane Retreat here!)
  • Workshop: Land Sea and Sky – the World of Ceridwen – at Druid Camp in Pembrokeshire – 26th – 30th July ’23 (book your Druid Camp tickets here.)
  • Workshop: The Magic of the Bard – in the Footsteps of Taliesin – at Druid Camp in Pembrokeshire – 26th – 30th July ’23 (book your Druid Camp tickets here.)
  • Performance: Thereby Hangs a Tale – at the Willow Globe Theatre in Powys with Milly jackdaw – exploring folktales and Shakespeare…
  • Workshop: Land Sea and Sky – the World of Ceridwen – at Wylde Spirit Camp near Stonehenge – 22nd – 24th September ’23 (Book for Wylde Spirit Camp here.)
  • Storytelling: Tales After Dark – at Wylde Spirit Camp near Stonehenge – 22nd – 24th September ’23 (Book for Wylde Spirit Camp here.)

Button - click to find out more about The Crimson Coven Collective.

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

28 Friday Jun 2019

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

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Arianrhod, Art, Bard, Bardic, Barn, Blodeuwedd, book, Branwen, Ceridwen, creativity, druid, Druidry, Goddess, gods, gratitude, Gwydion, life, Manawydan, Neopagan, New book, OBOD, Publication, Published, Religion, Rhiannon, Stories, Taliesin, Wales, Welsh pagan, witchcraft, writing

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

IMG_20190627_161811_879

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!

 

(c) Halo Quin ~ author, storyteller, witch

Re-enchanting the world, one story, one song, one spell, at a time.

The Enchanted Academy - learn real magic - click here

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Halo Quin
    • Join 133 other subscribers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Halo Quin
    • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...