Results...

And the winner is....

Teckla!

Congratulations! Email me at anathemum@gmail.com to claim your prize.

Thanks to all those who participated and all the kind words you said. Warmed this witch's heart...

Flow and the Giveaway.

As an artist first and a Witch second the ebbs and flows of my "muses" wane and sway with the calling of the deities and spirits. Lately I've been nothing but output; creating every spare moment I get. The cooling of the Earth and harvest does this to me and I don't think I'm alone in that sentiment. Sometimes I have a drought, usually in the summer. My spirits are quiet and nothing gets done and I wallow in my brains silence. I welcome the deluge of inspiration come the cooler months.

My altar space is currently full of experiments and successes. Chalks, brews, salts, tinctures, oils, amulets, teas. Medicinal and magical. Here are a few of the things you might have already seen, I have many more things headed your way.

Mystic Eye Bag

Hickory Snake Nut Amulet

Corvus Ritual Mask (sold)

Barn Owl Ritual Mask (sold)

Indigo Sigil Chalk

Hamsa Tarot Pouch

To celebrate my 100th sale in my shop and to say thanks for all the wonderful comments and kindness I've got another little giveaway for you.



The Acorn Amulet. To give honor to Dryads, Cernunnos, Pan, The Green Man, Artemis, or a Druidic Path. Holds aspects of fertility and protection. Strung with black leather cord in two widths. Measures about 12 inches long.

To enter, please leave a comment in this post. The winner will be picked on Tuesday September 21st at 5pm est. Reblogging or posting about this gets extra entries. Enjoy!

The Shenandoah

We spent the weekend in a small cabin with our great friends on the banks of the Shenandoah River. The weather was stunning and the river was warm. We dragged an old green canoe out from under the deck and paddled up and down the river looking at old mountains and farmland, giant cattails and forests of seaweed that lapped at the bottom of the boat. I felt my gods there. I felt at peace. The normal buzzing and humming of spirits was silent because they were no longer trying to reach me. I was there with them.

During the day I gathered up fallen branches and logs around the property and as evening fell I cleaned out the fire pit and we built a nice fire that we cooked our dinner and eventually dessert on. Fire roasted hot dogs and smores, nothing could be better. We sat around the fire listening to the crickets well into the night while just existing and enjoying the silence away from our jobs and lives. It was incredibly relaxing.

I didn't find much in the way of herbs but I gathered acorns as there were plenty to be had.

One new thing and one old thing in the shop today but both happen to be pouches. The Tambourine Evil Eye Bag and Web of Wyrd Rune Pouch, both embroidered and simply beautiful and at reduced prices. With the Yule season fast approaching, the decorations are already being put up in stores, we should begin to think about what we'd like to give a special witch we know. Give something handmade and unique to support their craft. I take commissions if you can't find something that's juuust right for them.

Tambourine Evil Eye Tarot Bag

Web of Wyrd Rune Pouch

The Gods Speak

Mockingbird skull and limb bone, Squirrel Jaw and limb bones

How do your deities call to you? For me it's a gnawing I get on the fringes of my brain. A buzzing of my mind. A need to travel deep within nature. A sudden idea for a creation, I always will sketch the idea to return to it later. They come to me in dreams, subtly or strongly. I will be drawn to their aspects and satisfy them with an offering or a gift. It isn't always a deity that speaks. It can be local spirits of nature, the thunder, the rain. Sometimes I receive an influx of gifts, mostly in the form of animals that have passed on, sometimes in a local wild crafting find.

I live near the Rappahannock River in Virginia. I enjoy watching her ebbs and flows, droughts and floods, and every year she claims more lives. At least 5 people die every summer while swimming in her cool waters. As an animist I believe everything contains a soul; rivers, trees, mountains, even the tiniest of seeds and the strongest of storms. Why is my river angry? Or is she? I wish I knew.

This weekend I will be spending time in a cabin right on the Shenandoah River. Maybe I will paint, maybe I wont, I'll let the river dictate my activities. The relaxation will be welcome and I'll come back with stories and some wild harvested goodies.

Before I go, a couple of new specialty candles and prints arrived in the shop this week. I'd love to do another deity painting. Any suggestions?

Cernunnos Spell Candle

Graveyard Dirt Spell Candle

Rainbow Eye Print

Hecate Print