Into the Glade

I have been a practicing witch for most of my life. When I was eight years old, I first felt the pull to all things mystical and extraordinary, and by the time I was a preteen, I had my first psychic experiences in the form of prophetic dreams. This led to me finding my way into the Craft and a lifetime of self-discovery and empowerment. However, living in a small New England town that was mostly Christian meant that I had very few outlets through which to express myself. It was around 2013 that I created my very first social media devoted to the Craft, mysticism, and connecting to others like me. Funnily enough, having this social media helped classmates and people I know understand topics like this a lot better, especially after being ridiculed over it after wearing a pentacle for the first time in eighth grade. Through my social media, mainly Instagram, I have made so many positive connections and lifelong friends who share my natural predilection. Even today, it amazes me how the witchcraft community seems so vast despite being a minority on a larger scale.

I felt this sense of belonging in real life for the first time when I went to university in Salem, Massachusetts. While immersed in my studies and my degree, I also took any opportunity to develop and grow in my Craft by becoming acquainted with local practitioners, participating in community rituals, reading, and, of course, practicing. One aspect of my practice that began in college was out in nature—in particular, a glade not far from campus.

I lived on campus for the first year I attended university, and I remember the first time I discovered the glade. It was on the far end of a trail where a bike path ended, off to the side and flanked by wilderness. There were tree stumps standing in the clearing adjacent to the water, with various trees towering overhead as though they were standing guard. I happened upon it while exploring the nature in the area and immediately felt a pull. Shortly after, I had this sense that it was an appropriate place to perform magic, so I made a point to go back and commune with the spirits and the Old Ones in the glade. I did just that and felt a deeper sense of belonging to not just Salem, but the spirits of the land. I felt welcomed, and every time I’d go back (even to reflect in the glade), I felt at peace and refreshed. After that first ritual of communion, I saw that the tree stump that served as a natural altar still had white and black candle wax stuck to its surface, despite heavy rain and a harsh winter. By the spring, they were still there: reminders of my first ritual in the glade.

I even communed with a matron goddess in the glade, who rules over wild, untamed places in addition to personal sovereignty. I have taken a few students and fellow witches into the glade and surrounding woods to share that sense of peace and belonging I felt when I first went.

It was also in my freshman year of university that I began the outline for a manuscript for my first book relating to witchcraft. After having read books written by many authors and voices, I decided to give it a go and contribute my own to the mix. This manuscript was put on the backburner for a number of years as I made it through university, got my degree, and worked in the field for a few years, in addition to focusing on my work as a spiritual advisor and reader. Then the pandemic hit, and it gave me an opportunity to rework what I had written to reflect more current viewpoints and newer experiences I had since drafting my work. My high school English teacher once told me “a draft is never final,” so I took that seriously when reworking my manuscript for Stones in the Glade: The Old Craft in a New World. Even when it was finished, I still felt like it was not quite ready for publication, but I knew I had to take the leap and find a publisher.

So here I am, having shared my work with the world. I still visit the glade every so often, and hike up the wooded hill, past an archway of vegetation which I affectionately call “the Faerie Door.” Publishing my work has given me that homey feeling again, now it is being shared with the world.