Ellen Dugan - Natural Witchery: Intuitive, Personal & Practical Magick

About the Autho r

Ellen Dugan, also known as the Garden Witch, is a psychic-clairvoyant who lives in Missouri with her husband and three children. A practicing Witch for over twenty-four years, Ellen also has many years of nursery and garden center experience, including landscape and garden design. She received her Master Gardener status through the University of Missouri and her local county extension office. Look for other articles by Ellen in Llewellyns annual Magical Almanac , Wicca Almanac , and Herbal Almanac . Visit her website at: www.geocities.com/edugan_gardenwitch

Llewellyn Publications

Woodbury, Minnesota

Copyright Information

Natural Witchery: Intuitive, Personal & Practical Magick 2007 by Ellen Dugan.

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First e-book edition 2011

E-book ISBN: 9780738717586

Book design and editing by Rebecca Zins

Cover design by Lisa Novak

Cover images: PhotoDisc: Objects of Nature (acorn); Comstock: Patterns of Nature (leaf background)

Cover image photographer: Jack Hollingsworth/ Blend Images/Alamy

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Contents

: A Natural Witch

The Natural Witch and Intuition

The Psychic Cycles of the Moon

Personal Power

Personal Magickal Development

Starting a Circle

Practical Magick:
Living the Life of a Natural Witch

Witchery at Work

Spirituality and Personal Advancement

Acknowledgments

To my magickal family, the Members of Greenwood Circle. Thanks, girls, for the support and for all the fun and camaraderie. Each of you reminded me in your own way to take this book back to where I intended it to be all along.

To my husband, Ken, and our children, Kraig, Kyle, and Erin, who all managed to survive the writing process of yet another book. Thanks for being understanding when I was distracted and absent-minded while writing on the good, creative days and for making me laugh on those tough writing days.

With appreciation to my editor, Becky Zins, and to Nanette Peterson, for all their help and encouragement. Finally, a special thanks to Jen, who reminded me very eloquently that spirituality is the tool we use to rekindle the magick.

Introduction

We see our place in Nature, we see whence
we have come and where we are going,
and we see our relationship to the Cosmos,
and the whole of life opens up.

Dione Fortune

A Natural Witch

Where have you come from, and where are you going, my magickal friend? You are probably, like many of us, trying to sort out your place in the grand scheme of things. Important, personal questionslike what is my magickal style? What should I call myself? Am I eclectic or traditional? Do I want to stay solitary, or should I join a group? How can I make my craft practical and personal, as well as incorporate it into my daily life?are some of the common issues you face.

Perhaps, with all these questions floating around inside your head, you are feeling a little frustrated. The enchanting things that once thrilled you have become commonplace, and you are struggling to go further, to advance your magickal practice and to grow. I invite you to take another look at the quote at the top of this page. Go ahead, read it out loud. When I came across this quote, I felt a jolt go all the way to my shoes. It made things fall into place for me, and I thought it was important to share this wisdom with you.

A common scenario for those of us who have been in the Craft for a good amount of time is trying to figure out just where we belongrealizing what exactly our relationship is with the divine and, after coming so far in our studies, deciding where we go next. So, here you stand at the crossroads in your life, and now its up to you to choose which way you will travel onward.

Hmm have you considered traveling the path of a natural Witch? Its the one over there. It looks less traveled, and the low tree branches are blocking your view. Take a few steps closer, and check it out. Pull back the draping branches, and youll discover that this path has indeed been walked by many other Witches over the years. Certainly it looks quieter, but here, surrounded by the hushed sounds of nature, you have the opportunity to look within.

Practicing as a natural Witch is a very traditional role. Its my thought that the term natural Witch simply defines a type of person who quietly follows the ways of the early wise women and cunning men. In the old days, these wise folk were the magicians, mystics, and healers of their communities. This is where our folklore and traditions originated from, after all; the long-established ways of the wise ones are beautiful, elegant, and simple.

These original practitioners lived in harmony with the land. They worked their craft quietly, relying on their instincts and intuitions. Magick and spirituality was a part of their everyday life, for they were in tune with the tides and rhythms of nature and the movement of the animals. They hunted, grew their crops, raised their families, and practiced their craft naturally, with the four elements and simple, earthy, and practical supplies. They were the true natural practitioners.

Much to my surprise, the term natural Witch is a somewhat controversial one these days. Such a fuss over something that is, at its very heart, so simple. There are some folks who dont like the termthey think its too fluffy-bunnyand others who embrace it wholeheartedly.

Some nice women that I met at a festival a few years ago actually asked me if it was okay to refer to themselves as natural Witches. They were troubled because they had read online somewhere that it wasnt a politically correct title to call oneself.

So there we stood in the middle of a clearing, me in practical jean shorts and a T-shirt and they in flowing floral sarongs. I was surprised by the question, as we had all been chatting about herb gardening for a while, and I guess they felt that they had to work up to the question. At first, I almost giggled, thinking they were teasing meuntil I took a good look at their faces and saw that they were very concerned and upset that they might be committing some type of horrific magickal faux pas.