Ex Penna

It has been nearly 20 years since I opened my first spellbook and in the intervening time, I've picked
up a few choice pieces of advice and I have compiled them here, in the simplest words, for your illumination.  Some of what I felt very strongly about in the early years have faded with time, others are only now growing bold.  Some of these lessons are a bit of wormwood, others are more honey.  

Naturally, I'm aware that there is nothing in the world so coveted as good advice, nor anything so quickly ignored.  So do with this what you will, only don't bother me with abstract philosophy or rules of a tradition.  All of these thoughts I have not only contemplated but have lived.


1.  Don't buy tools based on a good story.

2.  Don't speak ill of other practices purely because they're different.  We are, before anything else, a community.

3.  Other practitioners' identities are their own secret, even if they are open about it.  Don't give out information about others to outsiders.

4. Test all magical rules for yourself.

5.  Don't brag about work that hasn't manifested yet.

6.  Don't bring up in an argument the help you've given others.  It's tacky and makes you look weak.

7.  Keep the best records you can; you will forget the details.

8.  Make your Book of Shadows your own unique creation.  You'll want to look back on it in the years to come, so don't bore your future self.

9.  Spellcasters are allowed to cast whatever spells they wish.  No one has to consult you or your beliefs.

10. If things are going wrong for you--uncross.  Even if you don't have a bunch of enemies, even if you haven't wronged anyone lately, even if you don't think you're cursed, uncross.  Never wait!

11. Don't badmouth an initiation after it's over.  That is the way it happened and it was perfect in the initiate's mind.

12. Assume that at least some of the other practitioerns you meet might cast against you.  This is real.  Sometimes you desere it, sometimes not.  Protect yourself. 

13. Never dress up the truth for your BoS.

14. Have interesting topics ready to talk about before you meet other practitioners for the first time.  There's nothing worse than neding up with a bore (or being a bore) after the excitement of fresh potential.

15. Carry one form of divination on your person at all times.  It doesn't matter what it is; you will need it.

16. Keep group records.

17. Take photos of you and others doing magic.  Take coven photos.

18. You only need one really great or expensive tool.  Don't bother shelling out for more.

19. Remember your failures as well as your successes.

20. Relax about Karma.  Westerners have it wrong and magic-users have it really wrong.

21. When you sell, sell properly.  Offer high quality goods and spells at a fair price.  Don't be talked into giving magic away for free (or dirt cheap) against your will. 

22. Buy from reputible sellers.  Don't skimp if it's important or you need it to last.

23. Feed your covenmates.  Always bring food to a ritual or meeting, always provide food at your own.

24. Know who you're summoning.  Spirits, Gods, demons--they're not archetypes, their individuals.  Pronounce their names right, know their favorite things.

25. Don't wear trashy clothes to rituals and meetings.  That applies to pajama pants, comedy tee shirts, or branded caps.  Grow up, guys.

26. Always have a reason why for your work; take time to understand those of others.  Even those casting horrible curses are often honorable people with good reasons.

27. Be respectful to elders, authors, and anyone bearing a title (even if you doubt its merit).  It's likely they have been places you only dream of.

28. Use the name a person gives you upon introduction, even if you know their "street name" from some other association, even if they call themselves "Moonflower WhisperWind."

29.  Don't leave things behind when you're done with an outdoor ritual or spellcasting.  Pick up everything, even your wax drips.  You're no litterbug and, no, people won't see it and think something intriguing has been going on. 

30. Don't share coven business or coven problems with non-members.

31. Carry yourself with pride but be equally ready to laugh at yourself.

32. Don't waste your time in the company of other practitioners by badmouthing other religious views or "normal" people. 

33. Settle community disputes as quickly as possible.  There's already not a lot holding us together.

34. No one ever regrets putting too much info into their BoS, too much energy into a spell, or too much planning into an event.  Give it your all for everything, every time.

35. Magic needs more beautiful things.  Don't simplify--beautify.

36. Some of the stuff in magical shops is just rebranded junk; freebie spells are the same.  Choose whom you trust with care.

37. Always have a plan for what's next.  If you do this, you will continue to grow wiser, more indistrious, more successful, more experienced, and more fulfilled.






Image from:

"The Truth" by Jules Joseph Lefebvre 1870

I've been one busy lady lately, what with comic book illustrating, another possible new venture in art, manuscript writing and editing, my Etsy shop, and a long stretch at my regular job.  So in lieu of my own tips this week, I found for you a trove of tips from witches around the world!  What could be more fun than sitting back, flipping through colorful photos, and learning soemthing new?  Enjoy!


Witch Tips on Tumblr

13 Tips for Being the Best Witch You Can Be

Magical Tips on Pinterest

That's right, I had to read it twice too, but it's for real--the Free Herbalism Project is an organization dedicated to sharing and spreading knowledge of our wild plant heritage through free events, seminars, workshops, and more. 

If I sound like I'm gushing, it's because I am!  Not only have I had years of excellent experiences as a customer through the project's host Mountain Rose Herbs, but also (as you all knowby now) I'm a big advocate of wild flowers and herbs, so this speaks directly to my heart.  If you are in or around Eugene, OR this October, you can check out their events live but the rest of us can enjoy a rich podcast online yearound.


The Free Herbalism Project

I've been thinking long and hard lately about many topics that are well worth discussing in print, but have since come to no conclusion how I should go about it.  Too much to say for an article, too little for a full-size manuscript.  What to do?

A free e-book, of course!



I have plans for a series of such little books, each one crammed with information that you need and want, but which is rarely discussed in the magical community.  And because these books are designed to be brief, you can print them out and take them anywhere without spending a fortune on ink and paper!  I'll be giving out copies for subscriptions to this blog (plus shares, reblogs, links, likes, and all that stuff) so that we can stay in touch long after you're done reading it.

The first e-book will be called The Everyday Classical Charm Sampler: New Spells in an Ancient Tongue, a selection of original spoken-magic written in Classical Latin!  And for those of who who don't study language--fear not!--each charm has a clear, phonetic pronunciation key.  They're each brief and arranged in groups with bold titles so you can start using these spells immediately and reference them again quickly.

I have many more tricks up my sleeve, but that is all I'm sharing for now.  (cue the sad face!)  If you have a topic that you'd like to see me add to the collection, let me know! 
 

The following is an excerpt from my as-yet unpublished manuscript, The Master Witch's Cheatbook: Transform Your Spells into Natural, Affordable, Powerful Works of Art, a guide to the gritty, fantastic world of magic for the beyond-beginner spellcaster.  If you enjoy this little snippet, let me hear about it!  Share your thoughts here in the comments, on Facebook, Twitter, private message, email, or Etsy.

To be blunt, your magic is your own and no one has the right to tell you what you can and can't do with it.  Your teacher will instruct you according to your age and advancement based on their tradition; your coven leader will guide and your elders will advise.  But in the end--maybe now or maybe years from now when no one is there to give instruction--you will make the decision and you will do what you want.

• I've cast curses, love spells, and other sprawling manipulations
• I've done so for pay and often on people I've never met
• I've turned down "good cause" magic because the individual wasn't willing to meet my fees
• I've taught minors how to cast their own spells
• I've published secrets and shared my BoS publicly

And I'm still here.  There were no lightning bolts from the sky and no divine decree was read out to me to dispute what I felt were--and still fully support--completely logical reasons.  I am a professional spellcaster and that means that I won't always be doing the sweetie-pie spells to make two puppies be best friends and junk.  Sometimes I'll be asked to make an enemy lose their job or move to a different town.  Some clients want to have another man's wife or to humiliate a rival.  I have to be ready to say yes or no to these requests, and as a professional, the more times I say "yes," the more business I get.  So I've made my decision on what I will and won't do, and for how much.  That's how this game is played.

But, you know, it's also something I do for personal reasons, as well, and I've been just as determined to use my own judgment in private as I am to the public.  To this end, I've cast spells that were totally ruled by my own amusement.  I've made sure annoying people were made to look foolish in public; I've won contests and prize drawings just because I wanted free stuff; I've made people call me on the phone, apologize first, and compliment me when I'm feeling blue.  I've done silly little things like making people trip or blurt out a secret, just because I felt like it.  One a more pleasant note, I once met a woman who looked at my then 8 months pregnant belly with a bittersweet expression because of how much she longed for a child of her own.  So I touched her belly and used my skills to make it ready for a new occupant.  She didn't ask for a spell, I didn't have to cast it, and some would say I shouldn't have done it at all.  But I wanted to, and it brought a good dose of magic to her life as well as my own.  This isn't so deadly serious, folks; it's as much a work as it is play!

So this is me hereby giving you complete permission to use your own inner set of rules to use your magic as you see fit.  If you mess up, you'll learn.  As you learn, you change.   If you run afoul of a stronger spellcaster, you'll hurt.  If someone else tries to run afoul of you (which seems to be the real fear behind all these rules), you have no choice but to become the stronger spellcaster. 

Now that you know you are free, get out there and play!

Voynich Manuscript


This book has fascinated me since I first heard about it several years ago.  And who can argue that it's mystery only grows more captivating the further we investigate--an unknown author, an indecipherable language, charts we don't understand, and images of plants that don't exist in this world.

Now you can download this precious manuscript and pore over it's secrets for yourself.  There is no telling if this was intended to be a magical book, an herbal, a medical guide, or something else we couldn't guess but it has been an inspiration to my work in many ways.  Perhaps it will stimulate your own.