Judy Ann Nock - The Modern Witchcraft Book of Natural Magick: Your Guide to Crafting Charms, Rituals, and Spells from the Natural World

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To my daughter, Jaime, as the beautiful maiden arises

I would like to acknowledge the many people whose support made this work possible, starting with my agent, June Clark, who worked tirelessly to make certain this project would happen. I would like to thank my editor, Rebecca Tarr Thomas, for her impeccable professionalism and ongoing support and responsiveness, and the team at Simon & Schuster, particularly Bethany Carland-Adams and Peter Archer. For radiant inspiration during the times I felt my well would run dry, I thank Leigh Ann Johnson and Dr. Ann Gaba. To the amazingly talented musicians of Psych-O-Positive, with whom I am honored to play and who constantly support and encourage my fascination with the intersection of rock n roll and the occult: Debby Schwartz, Karyn Kuhl, Andrew Gilchrist, and Louie Zhelesnik, where would I be without you? And to my beloved friends who were always there to listen and encourage me: Melissa Chavez, Barbara McGlamery, Sumru Aricanli, Donna Caron, Donna Distefano Thomas, and Tina, thank you. To Amanda Sullivan, thank you for our own private weekly authors guild, which helped fuel my focus. Two important institutions were essential to the realization of the project: The New York Public Library, with its unmatched research collections, and The New York Botanical Garden, where I was able to study with Karine Gordineer, master herbalist and the most warm and generous teacher. I would also like to thank my family for their support and for accepting me with all my eccentricities.

CONTENTS

The Realm of Seed Magick

The Woodland Realm

The Realm of Deep Earth

The Realm of Air

The Realm of Sun and Fire

The Realm of Water

The Realm of Gaia

The Realm of the Moon

The Realm of Cosmos

The Realm of Time

The Realm of Self

You have picked up this book because something about it appealed to you, something that speaks to your nature, the place where your body and spirit intersect with the environment. Like the excitement in all of nature when a storm gathers, I have that same feeling. Thank you for taking the journey to natural magick with me. We will rediscover our old friends: the grain and corn, the horned and hoofed creatures of the forest, the gentle rain that nourishes and cleanses, the winds that stir, the overwhelming oceans, the bounty of herbs, and the blessed earth mother whom we call Goddess, who will one day cradle our bones. This book is not intended to be another Wicca 101 book; rather, think of it more along the lines of Witchcraft 3.0. Here, you will not find instructions on how to call the directions when casting a circle or explanations of the difference between spells and charms, because I am assuming a level of experience. I write with the intermediate practitioner in mind. I write for the witch who is looking to deepen her connection to natural magick, the priestess who has led many seasonal rituals and is looking for new inspiration. This book is eclectic and inspired by many pantheons. Thank you for choosing this book and for walking the path with me. Do not think you can stay safely inside all the time and still glean from this book. Nature is wild. Run to her. She is waiting for you.

W hether we realize it or not, our society is still very much an agrarian one. We are connected to the cycle of the seasons and dependent upon a harvest that many of us share no part in sowing or reaping. Although we may not always intensely feel our connection to the natural world, in practicing magick it is this very connection that we seek to deepen and explore to its fullest. We acknowledge the changing of the seasons as magickal events. We align our intentions with actions in spellcraft that draw heavily on our connection to nature. In the use of herbs, we explore our connection to the Divine Mother: Demeter, Ceres, Gaia, and she who is known by many other names. Whether we seek to honor Abnoba of the Forests and Rivers, Blodeuedd of the Blossoms, or Persephone of the Underworld, the connection to nature is the cord that connects the witch to the Goddess. In many cases, this dedication, this desire to walk a spiritual path connected to the Goddess, begins with a dream. Just as potentiality lies dormant within the seed, so too is the power of magick within us, waiting to be called forth by spells, charms, and rituals. The river of dreamtime flows through our minds like water through the cell walls of a sacred plant. In the tender moments between the worlds, our dreams take form and we are able to name them. These are the seeds of magick, and this is where our journey begins.