I’ve just returned from a trip to Los Angeles, land of relentless sunshine. In the past, I’ve found the aggressive solar aspects of LA to be oppressive and uncomfortable, but I had a much different experience this time.  I was ready to open up to the sun as a symbol of optimism, vitality and enlightenment.
Fomenting Friendship With Fermentation
Cue ominous music In the heart of HackneyâŚ..a storm is brewingâŚâŚ..a storm with a heart of fireâŚ. Or rather, a DarkânâStormy is brewingâŚ.. OK, Iâll just come out with it – I am brewing my own ginger beer. As a long time ginger fan, I can hardly believe itâs taken me this long to get…
The Last FrozĂŠ of Summer
Open all three of your eyes. Face south between 8.30pm and 9pm on a clear night this weekend. Youâll see a celestial triangle of three bright stars â Lyra, Cygnus and Aquila â also known as The Summer Triangle. starry starry night  As the end of summer approaches, this trio culminate and reach their…
Fizzy Flip for Luonnotar the Water Mother
Today is the feast day of Luonnotar or Ilmatar the Finnish creator-goddess, who inspired the tone-poem by Sibelius.  According to Finnish legend, in the beginning, there was only the Goddess Luonnotar. Tone poem  There was no world then, only the chaos of the Dream Time. She was becoming bored of being alone in the void…
Blues vs. Lavender
âSorrow can be alleviated by good sleep, a bath and a glass of wineâ –Â Â Â Â Â Â Thomas Aquinas (Philosopher, theologian, Catholic saint & priest b.1225-d.1274) Â How true that is, Doctor Angelicus – but why not take this a step further and involve lavender at each stage? Â With the power to relax and uplift simultaneously, it can…
Searching For The Blue Flower
âThis intense longing for things transcendent⌠make me a votary of the Blue Flowerâ â C.S. Lewis  âI used to think I was a romantic, always looking for the Blue Flowerâ â John Le Carre âA Small Town In Germanyâ  âItâs one of Coleâs Blue Rose casesâ â David Lynch âFire Walk With Meâ  A…
Bread & Salt
Now that the festival of Lammas is here, we can plan a Bread & Salt rite which you can integrate into any picnic or summer social gathering to celebrate the harvest with your friends and family. This is the traditional time to make and eat Lammas Loaves which represent the body of the earth Goddess…
Bee-Witched! The Sweetest Sting
It’s summertime in New York City and I’ve been bee-witched.  In the park there are  bushes alive with busy bumblebees every morning.  I’ve fallen under the spell of their nectar-intoxicated dance; their ingredient-gathering ritual that results in the magical miracle of honey.
Passion Potion
Witches have been famous for supplying aids to seduction throughout the ages. A lot of these included revolting or hard-to-find ingredients like mandrake, powdered cats eyes, or that tired old “aphrodisiac” Spanish Fly. Spanish Fly is an irritant, that’s all, and can sometimes produce an uncomfortable stiffening effect on the male. It doesn’t affect women…
Cool as a Cucumber with Sage Advice
After the recent and ongoing panic and upheaval in Europe, now is a good time to cool down and cleanse, for which we can use mainly cucumbers and sage. Â Anybody behind you in the supermarket queue will be impressed by your basketful of vegetables, herbs and yoghurts as you gather some of Mother Natureâs Little…
The New City Witches Cocktail Coven 