On the 4th March, Cultivate - The Feminist Journal of the Centre For Women's Studies (University of York) and Curiositas - York St John's Postgraduate Journal for the School of Humanities held a wonderfully illuminating and collaborative event for York International Women’s Week. Thank you to all who turned up and shared their artistry, wisdom and time with us. Today, my feed is full of International Women’s Day posts from people and organisations who may claim to champion wo

A Hermit in January I’ve had a busy month and yet, I feel I have also been rather secluded and almost hermit-like. I think we forget that, as mammals, we are naturally predisposed to taking it slower during these cold, dark months. Anyway, Imbolc has been and gone and I’ve already seen lots of snowdrops and even an entire roundabout in York festooned with bright yellow daffodils! Up until a couple of weeks ago, the weeping willow residing opposite me still had last season’s l

If anyone is in York on the 4th March, we would love to see you for York International Women's Week. We have workshops taking place at York St John University, University of York and at SPARK on Piccadilly.

Blessed Yule and Winter Solstice to everyone in the northern hemisphere. This is the day of maximum darkness and tomorrow, the light will slowly start to seep back into our world. The Oak King has claimed back his crown from the Holly King and so, in honour, I would like to share some holly folklore with you. It is considered beneficial to bring Holly into the home before the onset of winter as the fae sheltering within would be benign and capable of living in harmony with th

I’m going to be sharing a lot of images from the book “A Tree, A Day” by Amy-Jane Beer. One of the most captivating books I’ve ever owned 🌿🪾 It will feature heavily in my ecospiritual life coaching sessions coming in the new year. I particularly love the combination of natural trees, human-made trees, fictional trees (Treebeard!) and trees in art.

This month, we were treated to the aurora peaking momentarily through the clouds, my silver birch showing her pale bones in the autumn sun and a gathering of witches at the highly successful and thought provoking Witch Symposium at York St John University.

The Liminal Yew What better plant to explore for this Samhain blog than the Yew, a highly toxic tree, spiritually associated with death, rebirth and the hidden wisdom of the Other realms. I live opposite a beautiful Yew that is currently adorned with ruby-esque berries or arils and although the fleshy part of the berry is apparently safe to eat, I have never plucked up the courage to do this. Yew trees are dioecious which means that trees are either male and produce pollen, o

The dusk growing before a Herbal Tea Mindfulness Workshop. When we finished, 90 minutes later, the stars were out ✨ In this workshop, we explored the lore of the oak tree and the four plants we were using for our teas. One of the plants was thyme and it is said that where you find this plant growing, you will also find the Fae. We also learned how to ‘gently’ hex someone using peppermint oil 🌚

The Autumn Acorn I was reminded recently of the utter perfection that is the oak acorn sitting in its little cup. The oak tree is...

Faced with a deluge of delicious apples over the past few weeks, I thought I would start September by discussing some of the folklore...

Blessed Lughnasadh everyone! This blog post gives a brief overview of this seasonal festival, its spiritual significance and what it...

In the early spring, I scattered various packets of wildflower seeds onto a strip of poor soil under my front windows. One plant grew...

This morning, I travelled to Bridlington, a seaside town in the East Riding of Yorkshire to watch the summer solstice sun rise. I was...

In my current research, I am looking at the concept of philosophical animism, first coined by an ecofeminist philosopher called Val...

I have recently written a paper about my encounters with the Willendorf Goddess, particularly in relation to her agency, vitality and...

Blessed Beltaine! May 1st in the northern hemisphere is Beltaine - a Celtic fire festival and an important pagan holiday that falls...

Upon sorting through my largely-forgotten silver rings, I came across my beautiful cognac amber ring and, upon wearing it again, was...

My store currently holds several hand-carved silver birch wands and so I thought this blog would explain the spiritual symbolism of the...

Today, in the UK we had a partial solar eclipse. Whilst my phone couldn’t capture the actual sun properly due to the brightness , I did...

Happy Ostara or Spring Equinox. The time of the year where daylight and the dark are in equal balance and after today, the hours of light...