Witching hour

an interview with a local witch--and a recipe from Bea!

One of our favorite newsletters, EdgeWise, is also written by one of our favorite people, Isabel Walsh. She’s a local writer, a friend, as well as a witch who sometimes hangs out with us and our cats. We think a Tarot reading or spell would be a great treat for yourself or a special friend. Bea asked Isabel these questions:

Tell us about your witchcraft business. What do you make and specialize in?

The main things that I do are Tarot readings and personalized spells. A Tarot reading uses illustrated cards with particular meanings to give you guidance on your life or a particular question you have. Spells are personalized rituals to help shift things in your life that need shifting. If you book a spell with me, I’ll spend time talking with you about what you want: are you looking for a new job, a new home, to break up with someone gracefully? Then we talk about what kinds of elements would be useful for that spell: water, air, fire, and water all have different effects, and together we choose some materials to use for the elements we think are important for this situation. Then, after we’ve talked and I’m on my own again, I write a special ritual for you to perform to bring your intention about. It’s very important that the person do the spell themselves, as it’s more powerful that way, and it’s also very important that you never cast spells on other people unless they say it’s okay. Finally, I work a lot with herbs and plants: these make up a lot of the materials I use for spells, and I also know about of the medicinal uses of many herbs.

How did you learn to do Tarot? Can people give a Tarot reading for a present?

I learned to read Tarot one very snowy winter in Maine, from my aunts Wendy and Jerielle. I was about twenty. I learned on the Rider Waite/Coleman-Smith deck, and now I use that and a couple other decks based on that school of Tarot. And Tarot readings make great gifts! A reading is personal and helpful, and can also be very fun and magical experience. If you want to buy someone a reading (or a spell), you can do so on my website, Edgewisewitch.com.

When did you know you were a witch? 

I think I’ve always been a witch: I used to make potions in my mom’s herb garden and run/fly on a broom in our back yard. I’ve always been very drawn to witchcraft, so much so that now I even think I was a witch in previous lifetimes. It took a little while for me to find my way into daily witchcraft though, as I spent many years focused on learning the magic of storytelling and writing. I’d say I knew in my heart I was a witch when I was very little, and I knew in my mind when I was about twenty-five.

Is there anything hard about being a witch? What's the best thing about it?

One of the hardest things is trusting my intuition on a daily basis. My brain is such a powerful being, but it’s also one that makes it hard for me to listen to my gut. When I’m trusting my intuition and listening well, I feel things in my body: the right choices to make, what is and isn’t good for me. But sometimes it’s hard to listen well! Reason and logic are built into the fabric of our culture in many ways, and I’m always remembering and learning all over again how to tune into what is truest for me.

The best thing about being a witch is being fully myself without apologizing. This summer (while house-sitting for you, Belle, and sitting on your wonderful porch!) I listened fully to my intuition, and received the message that it was time for me to offer witchcraft solutions to other people. It felt scary to show myself so openly to the world, but I knew it was the right thing. Since then, I’ve been really open in my life about what I do and why I love it. I believe there’s a universal spirit, or energy, moving through all of us. It’s beautiful to connect with the elements, and remember that in every human body, there’s water, fire, air, and earth. The messages from that connective force are what I listen to in my work, and I often feel it clearly when I’m with my loved ones or doing a reading with a client: it feels good to me and whoever I’m with, and allows us to know each other as humans, even if we’ve just met. Living with that awareness brings beautiful color to my whole life.

Thank you, Isabel! You can read more about EdgeWise here or subscribe to Isabel’s newsletter here.

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Thank you, Isabel! This is not a spell, but directions for making something that I learned about in The Little Witch’s Book of Spells: moon water! We thought of this because Isabel writes about the moon too!

1. The first thing you need is a jar. If you want a lot of moon water, get a big jar. Fill it with as much water as you want. (You don’t need special water, just regular tap water is fine.)

2. Then what you do is put it outside at night. Put it somewhere where the moon will shine on it. The best time to do this is the full moon, but an almost-full moon works too. The next full moon is December 18—the cold moon.

3. In the morning, go get it. Put it somewhere people won’t confuse it with regular water.

3. You can do whatever you want with your moon water—save it, put it in a bath, anything you want. If you rub it on your face it gives you a healthy glow. It would make a nice gift for someone, especially if you put it in a pretty jar. But don’t give it to them without explaining what it is, because people might not be too happy to get a jar of plain water.

Have you ever done a Tarot reading, or had one done for you? Will you make moon water on the next full moon?

P.S. Isabel also teaches writing at Redbud Writing Project—another great, local woman-owned business… check them out!