THE GREEN HEDGE WITCH goes into detail about the symbolic hedge between the Worlds and how we may start to work with nature spirits, principally trees. The technique of exchanging blessings with the trees and other land spirits is described fully. The main focus of the book is the healing of damaged places and species and the renewal of harmony between human beings and other life forms. (In my opinion, this is the most important work we can do and is a present day version of the hedge witch’s traditional role.)

You are a master of keeping your home suited for spiritual practice. There might be altars in each room and all things that have a magical meaning to you.If so, then you build a spiritual time capsule inside your home. You have enchanted each corner of it, that so many people feel and want to be a part of. Hedge witchery is highly based on the old-fashioned ways of living and this highly resonates with you. You might even find yourself a bit out of place in this modern, fast-paced living society. Written in the form of letters from an experienced witch to her two apprentices, solitary witchcraft is offered, not as a substitute for coven worship, but as a fulfilling lifestyle in its own right. This book provides spells for all the key festivals of the witch's calendar - describing the therapeutic powers of trancework and herbalism and outlining the Pagan approach to finding a partner. Her lyrical letters, accompanied by pen-and-ink sketches, bring the reader to an understanding of the solitary witch's lifestyle and beliefs. Hawthorn is very much the plant of the hedge witch and priest/ess. It can help to bring a union with a familiar spirit and to make communications with many spirits a possibility. But hawthorn brings us challenges that must be met with courage……. I do like to learn I study everything. I am very cognitive aware. emotionally aware. I see myself as the master of my ship. I am fiercely interdependent.

This kind of thing is called a petitioning. It works effectively if you have made, through the plant, a connection with Nature that is respectful and of goodwill. (Some other plants that can help with prosperity magic are flax, oats, wheat, pine and oak. But each species has its own particular take on matters such as sufficiency or abundance. Your spells can be framed accordingly.) The Witch's Book of Self-Care: Magical Ways to Pamper, Soothe, and Care for Your Body and Spirit (Hardcover) Hedge Witch was the first book I read relating to the subject matter, in fact the first book I read that related specifically to witchcraft that captured my imagination, spurred my creativity and set off a spark of inspiration for me. It is also a book I find myself returning too when I find I am feeling a little flat and uninspired. Why is this I wonder? Personally, I find Rae Beth's writing quite accessible and also inspiring. Hedge Witch is no exception. The book potray's key festivals in the pagan and witch calender and the celebrations, rituals and spells that a solitary witch may wish to follow throughout the year. Rae Beth also manages to explain the key gods and goddess and how they fit into the spirituality of a Hedge Witch in a way that does not preach nor expects one to follow, merely to understand. I have been practicing hedge magic and hedgerow spirituality for almost forty five years. So I can tell you this. If followed with commitment, this Path can bring you to see the magical, shape-shifting nature of all reality and also to see a role for yourself within that as a healing spell-caster with spirit allies. At the Spring Equinox, the hours of darkness and those of daylight are equal. But from now on, the days will be longer than the nights – until next Autumn. So we are poised between the ascendancy of long winter nights and the time of increasing light. It is a perfect time to say goodbye to whatever harms us or limits us – or to any harm we might be causing. To clear the way for a more healed and healing and creative way of life.There is no dogma attached to hedge witchcraft. There are no tenets to follow. The path of a hedge witch is very much an individual one, and it is a solitary practice. In this way, this book is based on my own experiences as a hedge witch living in Ireland and following a Celtic path. For each hedge witch, the practice comes with time. But it is something that you feel called naturally. Samhain/Hallowe’en (October 31st) is the time when we can most easily commune with those among the dead whom we have loved and also honour the ancestors who lived too long ago for us to have known them. Plus, we can bless the unborn – the generations who are yet to come.

Set in a modern day magical world, The Hedge Witch follows Rowan on a summer visit to relatives in a small town, nestled in the Welsh countryside, before she starts sixth form. This places Rowan in her mid-teens and the themes of the novella match her age, with Rowan trying to fit in, make friends, assert her independence. Joanna van der Hoeven is a Druid, Witch and a best-selling author. She has been working in Pagan traditions for over 20 years. She is the Director of Druid College UK, helping to re-weave the connection to the land and teaching a modern interpretation of the ancient Celtic religion. www.joannavanderhoeven.comLight a candle to the Goddess as Queen of the Dead, She who brings peace and renewal of harmony. And light one also to the God as Lord of the Wild Hunt, He who brings the souls of the dead home to the Otherworld where they dwell between lives. SPELLCRAFT FOR HEDGE WITCHES teaches the magic that can help a wise hedge witch to survive in a harsh time or to come through a personal crisis. It contains spells to banish bad spirits, to counter an ill wish, to bring psychic protection, to transform destructive feelings, to heal a trauma, to bring justice and to consecrate your life to a creative purpose. (These are some of the many ways in which we can help to heal wounded lives.) I practice these but use little tools other than my mind, intention setting, and the occasional crystal and candle. Wild Witchcraft: Folk Herbalism, Garden Magic, and Foraging for Spells, Rituals, and Remedies (Hardcover) Today’s hedge magicians wisely begin by learning to ground themselves within the seasonal celebrations of the land’s yearly cycle and by coming into step with the Moon’s cycle as well. In this way, awareness of those on the far side of the hedge can open gradually and also be fully aligned with the natural world on our side of the hedge. A meeting with nature spirits or familiars then has a context, a setting which extends beyond our personal circumstances and facilitates an awareness of the bigger picture, allowing us to develop a sense of interconnectedness with all creatures - all beings of any kind.