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I'm not a fan of Top Ten lists. In fact, Top Ten lists frequently make it onto my Top Ten list of things I dislike. Having said that though, I feel inexorably compelled to write about 9 folks that have greatly influenced me this year. And as a Top 9 list is not the same as a Top 10 list I think I can live with myself. I considered a Top 11 list but thought that was too reminiscent of Spinal Tap and let's face it, 9 is a good witchy number.

Now some of these folks you might recognize from their books, or Pagan festival appearances or blogs and I imagine that several of them might appear on other people's year-end retrospectives too. My hope is that there will be at least one or two folks that you don't know and, much more importantly, I hope to convey just why these people have been so deeply influential to me this year.

Seasonal celebration themes are such a strong focus within the magical and pagans worldview that it can be difficult to see beyond them. I don’t mean to ignore the seasons instead what I am asking is, what is beyond the celebration seasonal cycle?  The Seasons are an excellent place to start when you first begin your magical study but having started there it is important to remember that they are not the bee all and end of magical practice.

Samhain is sometimes called the Witches New Year, as it's considered the beginning of the dark half of the year. Back in the day, it was a time for the final harvest (animals) and bracing for the cold months ahead. I'm a city girl, so many of the ancient traditions just don't work with me. Bonfire? Not without driving out to the sticks and either renting a cabin or freezing to death in a tent. Slaughtering animals? Yeahhh... no. Jewel does a pretty good job of that, but we do thank the animals when we eat. Battoning down the hatches? Oh, do you mean like when the landlord sent guys over to replace our windows a couple of weeks ago? Does that count? Storing up food? I've got coupons and pantry for that! And yes, there's a first aid kit and a blanket in the trunk with at least a half tank of gas at all times, plus I have my AAA card, credit cards and some cash in my wallet. That's how I prepare for winter!

On the secular calendar, it's tradition for many people to make a New Year's resolution, which oftentimes fail miserably. Besides the fact many of the resolutions are impossibly vague in the sense the issue to resolve has no specifics in attaining them (e.g., "I'm going to lose weight!", "I'm going to quit smoking!" or even "I'm going to restart my life!"), many resolutions are made while tipsy and/or because it's the popular thing to do. Therefore, I believe a resolution made on a religious holiday holds more weight, simply because you're not just telling yourself and your friends what you're doing, you're making a promise to deities - you are oath-bound!

Today's #13daysofmagic spell is an anti-confusion spell. You can find this spell in the next volume of Modern Witch Magazine, which will be out this winter. 

There were some really great posts on the first day, here are just a few that really stuck out! You can see more by  searching #13daysfmagic on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. 

The Modern Witch #13daysofmagic challenge is off to a great start and I have already seen some really amazing photos. This morning the timer on my phone reminded me that it was time to fulfill my daily challenge; doing magic for the sake of doing magic. I had thought I would have some great list of spells prepared to perform each day but I haven’t had the time to create such a list. As I stared at my phone I had no clue what I was going to do.

I decided this was a great time to go back to basics and meditate on it. Because I had no big plan I decided to ask myself a very selfish question. What do I need? Usually when I am doing magic it’s for a client or for a member of my community. I do little things here and there through out the day but I never really cast a spell for my own enjoyment. What did I need? I needed to manifest my personal goals like finishing a book and adding to my spiritual repertoire. Without hesitation I went to my book of shadows and found a manifestation spell I wrote a few years back. My first #13daysofmagic challenge photo is a manifestation spell for witches who are ready to get a little selfish.

This year I thought it might be fun to gather some of my close friends and celebrate magic! Beginning October 19th join Jacki Smith from Coventry Creations, Author David Salisbury, Adam Sartwell and The Temple of Witchcraft, Storm Faerywolf from Blue Rose Faery, Black Rose Witchcraft, myself and others for our #13daysofmagic challenge! 

Nestled in the heart of Ohio beneath a canopy of red and gold lies Camp Graham, the home of the Earth Warriors Festival. Seven years ago, under the direction of event organizer and shop owner, Heather Killen, members of the local pagan community gathered to create sacred space for growth and networking amongst those who walk the path of a warrior or guardian. Since then the festival has grown from being a small outdoor event to being one of the premier festivals in the nation.