My latest book, published by Llewellyn will be released end November in the USA, beginning of December in the UK - and is available to pre-order NOW!
Take a sneak peek inside...
"Get to know your area. Not just in the ordinary sense of going for walks and finding out where everything is but delve into the history. With so much information available at our fingertips it is easy to source the history and folklore of any one place. Find out what has happened in your area over the past few centuries. What history does it hold? What folk stories or myths are associated with it?
Connect with the energy of the land that is below your feet. Make that interaction with the ancestors that came before you. The Romans called it ‘genius loci’ which translates as ‘spirit of place’. Every location has it. The spirit or energy of the place whether it is a field, a forest, a shopping mall or a car park. Even modern buildings and spaces will have a spirit or an energy that you can connect with. It is a feeling, an energy or perhaps an aura. I am not talking ghosts or spirits of those long dead, but the energy of a place made up from memories of those that have been there before and the energy of the buildings or land itself. The energy is held within the buildings, the earth and the space.
Not only will it help you understand your local area it will also aid you in feeling comfortable, connected and at home with the land. When I visit a place or if I am just in my own garden or house, I make a connection with that energy. Open yourself up, use your senses and feel the energy, talk to it. Remember that you don’t need to visit a famous ‘sacred place’ to feel connected.
Every place is sacred and none more so than your own home and yard."
"St Clement’s Day
Another Christian martyr, seriously there are a lot of them! His misfortune was to end in the 4 th Century by being thrown into the sea, weighted down with an anchor. He is the patron saint of blacksmiths, and his feast day was celebrated on 23rd November. Local blacksmiths would parade around the village carrying an image of St Clement, they called it Old Clem. They would collect money from the locals and use it to pay for a big feast. A toast to the blacksmiths was made during the feast. Children would mimic this by carrying their own Old Clem around the village singing songs in return for cake or apples. Apple bobbing also made an appearance at this celebration.
Activity
Raise a glass to blacksmiths, it is such a mystical and magical craft that brings together all four elements to create something very special. You could even work with one of the many blacksmith gods such as Wayland. Blacksmith gods appear in many cultures, do some research and see if there are any in your country or local area. Once you have read about their stories and myths you could go on a meditative journey to meet one. They are particularly useful to call upon to lend their energy to creative endeavours."
Join Rachel Patterson on an exciting month-by-month journey of seasonal magic. Going beyond traditional sabbats, this book shows you how to honor the energies of each season. Rachel offers correspondences, spells, rituals, meditations, runes, moon magic, tea blends, and altar decorations that add magic and joy to each month.
This book provides a variety of festivities that occur throughout the year, including those with Pagan, Christian, national, and local roots. Build a large bonfire for Beltane, cast a shell into the ocean on Tynwald Day, carve a beet for Punkie Night, and make pancakes for Shrove Tuesday. Featuring celebrations for everything from St. David's Day to Leap Year, this book ensures that you'll have a magical journey around the sun.
Endorsements:
I have been a fan of Rachel's work for many years. Like the hearth fire itself, her writing is warm and welcoming, nourishing, and full of magic and wisdom! And A Witch for All Seasons is a delightful guide to help you create, connect, and celebrate with many sumptuous spells, rituals, and recipes! Rachel invites us to follow the year's rhythms with intuition and mindfulness rather than strict 'rules'. And to embrace each season with such delights as sigils for summer, altars for autumn, and magic for midwinter!
Sarah Robinson, author of Yoga for Witches, Yin Magic, and Kitchen Witch: Food, Folklore and Fairy Tale
♥♥♥
In this lovely book, Rachel Patterson guides us through the changing seasons in an insightful and entertaining way. Packed with delicious recipes, cunning work, and rituals for every month of the year, the author's passion for her native landscape is clear. Reflecting on the benefits of working with regional seasons, traditions, and land spirits, along with sourcing local produce and materials, Rachel Patterson highlights a topic that is perhaps more important now than ever.
Vikki Bramshaw, author of Craft of the Wise and New Forest Folklore, Traditions & Charms
♥♥♥
A Witch for Every Season is sweet, empowering, and humble. Filled with reverence for nature, traditional holidays and customs, and our own hearth magic, Rachel Patterson's latest book is invitational and personal, encouraging the reader to trust their own magic, finding and relating to it within their own location. It's spiked with Rachel's gentle humour as well as being deeply reverent.
Jane Meredith, author of Falling Through the Tree of Life, and Journey to the Dark Goddess.
