Emma Kathryn Wild Witchcraft

In proper UK style, autumn has arrived and yet summer is having a final blast! It’s been so warm these last few days, and yet the clues are there that the wheel continues to turn. The mornings are cool and misty, my favourite kind, and the apple and pear harvest is in full swing. There’s still time to claim whatever blackberries haven’t turned too jammy, the devil hasn’t pissed on them yet!

I always feel these early autumnal days are the perfect time to look back and take stock of the summer passed, to learn from what has already been before growing towards the future. The approaching equinox gives us the space and time to do this.

This summer, our travels took us to the English-Scottish border. I’ve been wanting to go to the borderlands for ages, and I wasn’t disappointed. The land there is filled with a sorrowful history of struggle, and standing at the ruined Hermitage castle chapel, with the brooding hills and cloud filled sky, overlooking the small cemetery, you get a sense that the land remembers. It holds those memories, and in doing so, it knows us. It remembers us. All land is sacred and is the keeper of history, and it doesn’t matter where in the world we are, there are mysteries to uncover and lost stories to be found.

I also visited St Cuthbert’s Well in the village of Bellingham. The water’s from this well are known for their healing properties, and it is said that Cuthbert, known to be a dowser, found the well where before there had only been brackish water. There is something miraculous and magical about fresh spring water, at least I’ve always thought so, all cool and clean and sparkling. This water does indeed have miracles attached to it, and these miracles centre around one family. First, it cured the daughter’s paralysed hand after she drank its water. The second miracle involved her father. The local bailiff confiscated the family cow to pay off home debt and took it to his home. That night, lightning struck and destroyed the house, but the cow survived unharmed and returned back to the family. The last miracle occurred when thieves stole the father’s axe. According to accounts, the axe began attacking the thieves and again, returned home! My kind of miracles!

The summer was spent as always, in my local places too. It’s all too easy to believe the places we live to be ordinary, boring even, but magic resides everywhere the land does and so I was a regular visitor to woods and river. My garden also proved to be a special place (but this I already knew) when belladonna sprung up out of nowhere. I’ve been trying to grow this for years without success so you can imagine my surprise and I’m looking forward to including it in my ointments later on. The berries make good ink for magical writings too! But of course, care is always needed due to the toxicity of the plant, it’s not called deadly for nothing!

Another highlight was a visit to the poison garden at Alnwick. This was one of the places I’ve always wanted to go to and it didn’t disappoint! If you go, I advise going early, it really is worth getting on that first tour. My love and I had it all to ourselves, though the next tour waiting after ours was at capacity! Our guide was wonderfully knowledgeable and funny too. While in Northumberland, we had to go to Bamburgh castle as we are self proclaimed Last Kingdom nerds. Destiny is all! Seriously though, the beach at Bamburgh is one of the best I have been to, a wild coastline that has managed to avoid the commercialisation of so many coastal destinations in the UK.

In this looking back, in the remembering of memories made, it’s easy to see the magic in those moments. Indeed, the depth of them can only be appreciated in hindsight. The doing is so exciting and you should immerse yourself fully in those moments, but it’s not until you look back that you truly appreciate just how special they were. And in this looking back, the future can’t help but creep in, what to plan next, where to go, what magics to make. This is how it should be, and the autumn equinox, the time of balance before we descend into the dark half of the year, is the perfect time to do this.

And there is so much to look forward to. Personally, Season Songs is the next ‘big’ thing on my horizon. I poured my heart and soul into this book and I can’t wait for you all to read it! Keep an eye out for news of free events and happenings in the run up to the release (it’s available for preorder, don’t you know, find details here: https://www.llewellyn.com/product.php?ean=9780738771175). I’ll keep you all posted here!

In the meantime, enjoy the equinox, no matter how you celebrate. Happy autumn witches!