Witches Almanac #39 - New Articles

The theme of the latest issue of The Witches' Almanac is Stones: The Foundation of Earth. Graced by a beautiful cover by Kathryn Sky-Peck, Issue #39, Spring 2020-2021 contains three articles I wrote.

“Holey Stones” — The magickal power of stones with natural holes in the middle.

“Witch Windows” — Why are those tilted Vermont windows called Witch Windows?

“Lead Curse Tablets” — The Romans gave us more than straight roads…

"Lodestones" — The care and feeding of a lodestone.


The Almanac also includes its usual features — Sunrise and Sunset Times, Moon Gardening, the Moon Calendar, Moon Cycles, and Presage (where Tom Lang gives us the climate outlook and astrologer Dikki-Jo Mullen gives us the astrological outlook for the upcoming year).

Other articles in this issue: "Stephen Hawking: Looking through Millions of Tiny Black Holes at the Theory of Everything" (an examination of his natal chart by Dikki-Jo Mullen), "Witches, Bitches, Twitches: William Gray and Witches", "How to Work with the Spirits of the Land", "The Art of Embodying Godforms in Ritual", an in-depth interview with priestess Selena Fox, and much more.

You can purchase The Witches Almanac at your local bookstore, Amazon, and, of course, the Witches Almanac site.

The Kindle version is available from www.amazon.com. For back issues, visit either site.

Witches Almanac #38 - New Articles

I've had a sneak peek at the proof copy of the upcoming issue of The Witches' Almanac, whose theme is Animals: Friends and Familiars.

Three articles of mine appear in Issue #38, Spring 2019-2020:

"Horseshoes"  — The folklore and future of horseshoes.

"The Black Dog"  — Phantom black dogs and what might happen if you encounter one.

"Horse Creatures"  — Planning a trip to Great Britain or Scandinavia? Familiarize yourself with the local water horses.

The Almanac also includes its usual features — Moon Gardening, the Moon Calendar, Moon Cycles, and Presage (where Tom Lang gives us the climate outlook and astrologer Dikki-Jo Mullen gives us the astrological outlook for the upcoming year).

Other articles in this issue: "The Deities of Animals", "Purple and Pleasure: The Folklore and Magic of Amethyst", "William Gray meets his Inner Light", "Understanding Familiar Spirits For What They Aren’t", “Beer and Witches”, “Gargoyles”, “Transgender in the Craft”, and “Coefficient of Weirdness, Part 3”, and an in-depth interview with Dolores-Ashcroft-Nowicki.

You can purchase The Witches Almanac at your local bookstore, Amazon, and, of course, the Witches Almanac site. This issue is expected to hit the shelves in September 2018.

The Kindle version is available from www.amazon.com. For back issues, visit either site.

Witches Almanac #38 - New Articles Coming

The cover for Issue 38 of The Witches' Almanac sports a gorgeous black cat, appropriate for a theme of Animals: Friends and Familiars.

I will have at least one article, "Horseshoes" in this issue. Stay tuned for more information.

Witches' Almanac #37: New Articles

The Spring 2018-2019 edition (issue 37) of The Witches Almanac has just been released. This issue's theme is The Magic of Plants.


In addition to its usual features — Moon Gardening, the Moon Calendar, Moon Cycles, and Presage, where Tom Lang gives us the climate outlook and astrologer Dikki-Jo Mullen gives us the astrological outlook for the upcoming year — the Almanac contains numerous articles not related to plants.

Issue 37 includes the following that I contributed:

"Thumb Cats" -- Properly called polydactyls, "double-pawed" cats are a curiosity with a long history.
"Seer Stones" -- A divination technique you might not have heard about.
"La Santa Muerte" -- Who is that skeletal woman in the beautiful wedding dress?
"Coffin Rings" -- Another way of remembering.
"Nettles" -- The scoop on stinging nettles.


You can find The Witches Almanac at your local bookstore, chain bookstore, Amazon, and, of course, the Witches Almanac site. The Kindle version is available from www.amazon.com. For back issues, visit either site.

Thanks to Pat Camarena-Rose Barbary of Artes and Craft in Hartford, Michigan, for her help with the Santa Muerte article. Pat is a 1st-generation Mexican American who currently runs MoonFire Coven. MoonFire was originally in Boston, Massachusetts, but is now newly formed in Southwest Michigan.

Witches' Almanac #36: New Articles

The Spring 2017-2018 edition (issue 36) of The Witches Almanac would make a good Yule gift. This issue's theme is Water: Our Primal Source.

In addition to its usual features — Moon Gardening, the Moon Calendar, Moon Cycles, and Presage, where astrologer Dikki-Jo Mullen gives us the astrological outlook for the upcoming year — it also contains numerous articles not related to water, including the following that I contributed:

"Corpse Doors"
"Easter Witches"

From the Nordic countries we find two fascinating bits of folklore, one ancient (“Corpse Doors”), and one extending into the current time (“Easter Witches”).

The Witches Almanac is widely distributed. You can find it your local bookstore, chain bookstores, Amazon, and, of course, www.amazon.com, where you can also buy back issues.

Witches' Almanac #35: New Articles

The Spring 2016-2017 edition (issue 35) of The Witches Almanac has just been released. This issue's theme is Air: The Breath of Life, and features an article "Herbs of Air" (by Lilith Hearthstone), "The Nine Elements" (by well-known Druid Ian Corrigan), a compilation of quotes related to air, and "Breathe Easy" (by Tammi Wilson).

In addition to its usual features — Moon Gardening, the Moon Calendar, Moon Cycles, and Presage, where astrologer Dikki-Jo Mullen gives us the astrological outlook for the upcoming year — it also contains numerous articles not related to air, including the following that I contributed:

“The Magic of Kohl”
“Nyctophilia, or the Love of Night”
“The Cursed Amethyst and Other Cursed Gems”
“Breaking Glass”
“Sidonia von Bork, Sorceress”

Not just for beautification, kohl has magical properties. Read “The Magic of Kohl” to find out more.  “Nyctophilia, or the Love of Night” gives insight into why many of us love the night. “The Cursed Amethyst and Other Cursed Gems” explores some of the legends associate with cursed gems. We all know the superstitions associated with breaking mirrors, but what about those associated with breaking glass? "Breaking Glass" has some good news. Who was Sidonia von Bork? Read “Sidonia von Bork, Sorceress” and find out.

The Witches Almanac is widely distributed. You can find it your local bookstore, chain bookstores, Amazon, and, of course, www.thewitchesalmanac.com/, where you can also buy back issues.

Witches' Almanac #34 Announced

The Witches' Almanac has announced that the Spring 2015-Spring 2016 (Issue 34) edition will be released soon. The theme of this issue is Fire the Transformer.

The Almanac is famous not just for its astrological predictions by astrologer Dikki-Jo Mullen, but also on the articles about all subjects mysterious and interesting. I will have at least one article in this issue, maybe two, which I'll announce when I see the final table of contents.

Amazon.com is listing this edition for pre-order, with a publication date of September 1, 2014.

Witches' Almanac #33: New Articles

"Since 1971, The Witches’ Almanac has been the source of fun, wisdom, trivia, and magical lore for hundreds of thousands of readers throughout the world. Modeled after the Old Farmers’ Almanac, it includes information related to the annual Moon Calendar (weather forecasts and horoscopes), as well as legends, rituals, herbal secrets, interviews, mystic incantations, interviews, and many a curious tale of good and evil. Although it is an annual publication, only about 15 percent of the content is specific to the date range of each issue."

So reads the description of the Witches' Almanac, Spring 2014 to Spring 2015 Issue (#33). I've been contributing articles since the 2006-2007 edition and am happy to announce that I have two articles in this one:

"The Power of Hair" ‐ A discussion on the magical properties of hair.

"Graveyard Dust" - A description of the uses and legends regarding graveyard dust (also known as "goofer dust").

You can view the Table of Contents by clicking here and you can also order this year's edition from the same page.

(P.S. The Witches' Almanac web site features extra articles. Looking for a job? Read this article on how astrology can help, from WA astrologer Dikki Jo Mullen.)

Witches' Almanac #32: What the Moon Sees

Again I have the pleasure of seeing one of my non-fiction articles in The Witches' Almanac.

"What the Moon Sees: Moonshine and Moon-cursers" is an article from a different perspective. Countless poems, stories, articles, and treatises have been published about what we see when we look at the full moon, but what does the full moon see when looking down on us?

This article appears in the 2013-2014 issue, whose almanac pages start on the first day of Spring. Did you receive a gift certificate for a book store, but can't think of what to spend it on? Do you need to buy a gift for someone with a birthday coming soon? This handy little tome makes a great gift.

I'm not just saying that because I have something published in this issue. There's always something new and fascinating to read, whether it be in the featured articles or the regular columns.One of the more popular regular columns of The Witches' Almanac is the yearly astrological forecast for each sign by Dikki-Jo Mullen, who now has a blog at dikkijomullen.wordpress.com. Dikki-Jo has been their house astrologer for ages.

The Witches' Almanac has been publishing since 1971, and I look forward to it each year. This is the eighth time I've contributed an article there.

Witches' Almanac #31: The Little Warrior

The Witches' Almanac has posted their table of contents for the 2012-2013 issue. My article, "The Little Warrior: A Protective Talisman" is listed along with a number of fascinating selections.

I always marvel at the diversity of articles they manage to assemble. Here are some more examples:

Weather Lore in Rural Pennsylvania, Astrology of the Vampires, Gettysburg: America’s Ghost Hunting Paradise, Museum of Witchcraft Diamond Jubilee, and The Locavore Revolution. It also has an article on the Tarot Sun card by renowned author, Paul Huson, a tarot expert, screenwriter, and novelist.

One of the more popular regular features of The Witches' Almanac is the yearly astrological forecast for each sign by Dikki-Jo Mullen, who now has a blog at dikkijomullen.wordpress.com. Dikki-Jo has been their house astrologer for ages.

The Witches' Almanac has been publishing since 1971, and I look forward to it each year. This is the seventh time I've contributed an article to the issue.