Frances Billinghurst's Blog, page 11

Turning of the Sacred Wheel

Within modern Paganism, Samhain (a Gaelic word that is pronounced "SAH-win") is a time when the veils between the land of the living and the realm of the dead are at its thinnest. As such, it is a time for remembering our ancestors and our departed loved ones.  It is often considered to be a rather solemn time that is set side for contemplating the mysteries of birth, life, death and even rebirth as is found within the sacred teachings of many spiritual and religious practices.  This cycle is also seen all around us in nature. 

Within the seasonal mythos contained within contemporary witchcraft, the God (the divine masculine) transforms from the Lord of the Wine to the Dreaded Lord of the Shadows, represented in the third and final harvest (that of blood and animals) encouraging us to make final preparations for the coming colder months.

Samhain is a time of introspection, of emptying the false from the mind, heart and soul.  It is a time to heal the source of our deepest wounds, and those we have inflicted upon other people around us, before time fails us.  This inward reflection and contemplation teaches us how to see things more clearly.

Within my tradition of contemporary witchcraft Samhain is supposed to mark the gateway to the colder, winter months.  Last weekend, however, as I hosted an observance on this sabbat, it was a rather summery 26C.  This did not deter us as we honoured those who have passed through the veil in the hope that they will continue to guide us in this life.

Interview of Jo from Avalon by Nature

It is May already and it is hard to believe that it has been almost a month since I sat down with Jo from  Avalon by Nature  for Jo Avalon's Cuppa Chat where we discussed my recently released book,  Encountering the Dark Goddess: A Journey  into the Underworld , together with the next book that I have coming up by Moon Books, that being  Contemporary Witchcraft: Foundational Practices for a Magical Life . 

This book is aimed at providing a solid foundation into the art magical especially for those people who are interested in witchcraft, but also magick, with the slant being on the Southern Hemisphere (readers north of the equator are also very well catered for).  As I mentioned to Jo in this interview, a lot of the techniques and insights that I discuss in the book actually stem from the teachings I initially received back in the 1990s, many of which I still utilise within my own practices today.  

Jo sells copies of both these books as well as some of my earlier titles through her Avalon by Nature online store as well as from her market stalls.

Over 500 Sales Already and Other News

It is April already and I am scratching my head wondering where the time has gone, especially as my last posting here was about the huge WitchCon event - and with over 90 presenters online for three (or four depending on time zones) whole days around the world, yes it was huge.  I still haven't managed to watch more than a handful of presentations myself (one of the joys of the whole weekend being recorded) but I hope so.

From what I have been told, about 40 people tuned in to listen to my presentation live - which I thought wasn't bad considering in my timeslot I was up against the Witch of Salem herself, Laurie Cabot, as well as Taren S talking about crossroads magick, Amy Blackthorn sharing some hexy cocktails, Witchdoctor Utu giving a drumming tutorial and Michel Furie talking about a witch's potion.  So that was a wonderful experience to be a part of.

More importantly, Encountering the Dark Goddess: A Journey into the Shadow Realms was officially released on 26 March 2021.  This means that everyone who has pre-ordered through Amazon as well as their local bookstores, should be receiving their copies very soon, if you haven't not already received them.  This also means that if your local bookstore does not have any copies, that they can hassle their distributors to get some in.

Reviews on Goodreads and Amazon as well as other sites are always much appreciated because in this review driven world, it is things like reviews that set Amazon's logarithms for their "suggested books".

On my publisher's website, there are a list of alternative booksellers for both the paperback edition as well as ebooks.  If physical books are your thing and you are in Adelaide, then try contacting Carpe Diem with Remi at Port Adelaide or The Magical Crystal Forest in Christies Beach and Morphett Vale as they also stock my other books.

And when I got home tonight and logged on to check my emails, there was an email from John Hunt Publishing congratulating me that over 550 copies had been sold already!!  That means that aside from the copies that I had purchased myself, that over 350 copies had been pre-ordered.  Now, to me, that is a lot!!

Much gratitude to everyone who has supported this project, especially Soror Basilisk who did the artwork, Nan Berrett from Word Solutions for the proofreading and of course Trevor and the Moon Books team.

And talking about Moon Books, on the weekend of Saturday, 5 and Sunday, 6 June 2021, Moon Books will be hosting a free Moon Con 21 live event on Facebook that will include talks, panels and live Q&A sessions involving numerous Moon Book authors.  I will be involved on a panel on the Saturday (Sunday in the UK) alongside fellow Australian authors, Julie Brett and Jane Meredith.   I hope to see you there.

Other things that I have been up to is over Easter I sat down with Jo from Avalon by Nature for a chat about the next book that I have coming up by Moon Books, that being Contemporary Witchcraft: Foundational Practices for a Magical Life.  This book is aimed at providing a solid foundation to the art magical especially for those people who are interested in witchcraft, but also magick as a lot of what I discuss in the book stem from the teachings I initially received back in the 1990s, many of which I still utilise today.  Jo has copies of both these books as well as some of my earlier titles.

If you are in Melbourne, then copies of both Encountering the Dark Goddess and Contemporary Witchcraft can be found at Muses of Mystery in The Nicholas Building, 37 Swanston Street in the heart of the city.

Now that Encountering the Dark Goddess has been released, I have started working on an online course that I hope to be able to offer in the near future. I also have a couple more talks lined up and there is the manuscript for my next book that I am getting close to finalising before sending it off to the proofreader.  I always seem to have something on the go :)

Blessings, Frances

Are You Going to Witchcon This Weekend?

This weekend will see the largest online magical conference taking place. From 5 March until 7March (or 8 March here in Australia) over a witches and conjurers from all around the globe will be coming together to share their magical insights, wisdom and spiritual practices that are personally designed to assist beginners, novices and the more experienced alike.

All classes, rituals and performances will not only be livestreamed on Crowdcast, a web-based platform with no need to download an app.  Afterwards they will also be placed in an on-demand library where they will remain for an indefinite period of time (at the moment) so that you can watch or re-watch all that is on offer.
I will be presenting on Exploring the Shadowy Realms of the Dark Goddess in The Saturn Library on Monday, 8 March at 11.15am (Adelaide time).  I will also be in the Virtual Vendorium showcasing selective LunaNoire Creations items earlier on the Monday at 9.15am. 
Other presenters include Laurie Cabot (Salem's most famous witch), druid Ellen Evert Hopman, Australia's Fiona Horne, Georgi Mishev (who will be presenting on Bulgarian folk magick), Oberon Zell (founder of the Church of All Worlds), Sorita d'Este (owner of Avalonia publishing company), Rev. Paul Beyerl (renown herbalist), and even Silver Ravenwolf.  
A full list of presenters can be found here .  Tickets are capped at 1,000 attendees which includes access to all class presentations, rituals, the Virtual Vendorium.  You can get your tickets here .

Dark Goddess official release draws near

According to the website of John Hunt Publishing, of which my publisher, Moon Books, is an imprint, there are only some 23 days before Encountering the Dark Goddess: A Journey into the Shadow Realms is officially released.

Although I have been able to obtain pre-release author copies since May last year, I am rather delighted that soon my book will be available all around the world.

Since it's pre-release, Encountering the Dark Goddess: A Journey into the Shadow Realms has been reviewed by a number of people, many I have sought to capture on this blog. One review that my book received last year while COVID-19 forced a number of people to undertake their own journey into the shadow realms is this one from fellow author, Nimue Brown, that starts:

"Encountering the Dark Goddess, by Frances Billinghurst isn’t out until March 2021, but I saw it and I had feelings so I’m doing an early review. It was the book I needed to read, as I felt my own life plunging out of control (again).

Dark journeys happen. Dark nights of the soul happen. Sometimes we have no choice but to crawl on bloody hands and knees through some kind of personal Hellscape for a while. Working with Dark Goddesses, or The Dark Goddess as an aspect of the Goddess, is about having the tools for those journeys. Find yourself in the thick of one and you may reach for a book like this for guidance and wisdom. Being prepared won’t save you, but it will help you make sense of things. ...."

You can read the rest of Nimue's review on her Druid's Life blog.

The Pagan God in the Modern Age

In recent time there has been an increasing amount of material that is focused on the divine feminine, the Goddess. And while this is wonderful and much needed, it does appear to come at the cost of the divine masculine.
Even within more earth centric spiritual belief systems such as paganism, the focus has largely been on the Goddess as opposed to the God. In some traditions, the divine masculine is merely treated as a second class citizen (behind his beloved consort), in other traditions he has been banished altogether.
In 2015 I compiled an anthology based around the various interpretations of the God within modern paganism as an attempt to bring back the necessary presence of the divine masculine.   Call of the God: An Anthology Exploring the Divine Masculine within Modern Paganism  was the end result.
Consisting of nearly 300 pages, this Call of the God showcases an array of various essays, personal interactions, invocations, poems and artwork of the divine masculine, the God, and how he is depicted amongst various pagans, witches and other magical practitioners around the world. 
Some of the contributors include Michael Howard (editor of The Cauldron magazine who passed through the veil shortly after release of the anthology), Pete Jennings (past Pagan Federation president and author of many books), Anna Franklin (author of 30 books and tarot decks including The Hearth Witch's Kitchen Herbal: Culinary Herbs for Magic , Beauty and Health, The Pagan Way Tarot and The Sacred Circle Tarot), Tony and Candia McKormack from British Pagan band Inkubus Sukkubus, Polly Lind (New Zealand based tapestry artist), and Patrick Larabee (author of Whisperings from the Void).
Call of the God: An Anthology Exploring the Divine Masculine within Modern Paganism  is now available for purchase through LunaNoire Creations, as well as other online outlets and wherever good books are sold.

Chewing the Fat with Michael and Marta of Widdershins Radio

This morning I joined Michael and Marta of Widdershins Radio where we chatted about my upcoming books, Encountering the Dark Goddess: A Journey into the Shadow Realms and Contemporary Witchcraft: Foundational Practices for the Magical Life (both to be published through Moon Books ), magick and the Craft "back in the day", doing things "down under".

Michael also checked out my LunaNoire Creations Etsy store.

We also talked about the upcoming WitchCon event that will be held from 5 to 7 March 2021 that myself and Michael will be only two of nearly 100 presenters.

If you missed the live radio show, a recording can be found here.  While you are there, check out some of their other guests, including Fiona Horne, Fatima Mbodj, and Jim Sayers, with more leading up with the commencement of WitchCon.

Appearing on Widdershins Radio (Friday/Saturday) This Week

With Encountering the Dark Goddess: A Journey into the Shadows Realms due to be officially released next month, I have been ramping up the guest appearances in order to get word out not only about my book, but also the message that I believe is contained within the pages - that is addressing our "shadow", confronting what we term as "light" and "dark", and finally getting rid of the restrictive shroud of how we see things (including our relationship to our planet and its fellow inhabitants) that has been strangling us for over 2,000 years!!!

Well, maybe I didn't quite go into that line of thinking in the book but the more I delve into writing notes and gathering my thoughts on what I wrote in the book, the whole concept of working with the shadow, and even becoming more exposed to other people's interpretations of the sacred myths.

This coming Friday (if you are in America or Europe) or Saturday (if you are in Australia and New Zealand) I will be making a guest appearance on Widdershins Radio, an American witchy show, run by long time witches and spiritualist Marta and Michael.

At this stage I have no idea of what we will be talking about - hopefully my upcoming book on the Dark Goddess, however we may be delving into other topics.  The show is free and can be listen to through this link.

Supporting My Work through Ko Fi

This is not a topic that I am all that comfortable dwelling on however it does warrant an acknowledgement and as such, I do keep it short.

The demand these days for artists and presenters, including authors like myself, to be more active on social media and engage in YouTube and Facebook videos, online chats and conferences, not to mention the expectant posting of images relating to what are actually personal aspects of one's life, is extremely time consuming, if not exhausting.  Such "public outing" of various aspects of my life is not something that I am all that comfortable with, nor do I necessarily have the appropriate equipment to produce high quality visuals.  More often than not, it is me and my iPhone (which I have only actually upgraded).  I would much rather have my head in a book or attending on lecture that it of some way benefit to my next project, that is when I am not engaged in full time work to ensure that my bills are paid.
Yes - that is right.  To date all the researching and writing the now soon to be seven books that I have written has occurred around full time work.  This does not include the personal investment that is also undertaking when I present a lecture, or run a workshop or course.  In fact it is very rare that I present something twice in its original format - more often than not part, and at times, even all, has been rewritten, re-researched, reconstructed in some way, shape or form.
That said, I love exploring the realms and differing interpretations of mythologies, metaphysics, spirituality and most importantly magick.  I also enjoy writing about it, sharing my discoveries and thoughts with others.  Up until now, all the books and courses I have undertaken I have done off my own back.  The majority of proof reading and pre-release expenses that are incurred in the production of books, I have largely covered myself.  While I do have a couple of books being released through a publisher, there were still costs I have to cover.  Further, as I reside in the Southern Hemisphere, I am particularly interested in expanding on the information available for this part of the world which often is not picked up by larger publishing houses.

As a way of maybe helping with my increased expenses, I have created a page on a site called Ko-Fi which essentially allows you to ‘buy me a coffee’ if you enjoy my work and would like to help out financially in a small way. You will find a link at the end of each new post and on the top left side bar on this site.  All content on my web pages, as well as my YouTube and Facebook channels, will remain free to everyone. At this stage, I have no plans to start posting ‘subscriber only’ material.

Any contributions received will be accepted with much gratitude and heartfelt thanks. And I would also like to point out that 'support' does not have to only be financial.  You can show your support through leaving reviews of my books (and other products), sharing my posts and notifications of my events amongst your networks, clicking on hearts and 'thumbs up' on postings, etc.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

The Wheel Turns to Lughnasadh (or Lammas)

As the Wheel of the Year turns, those of us residing south of the equator find ourselves at the gateway to the autumn months and the darker months of the year.  Ironically, however, this gateway tends to herald in the hottest weather as if the sun is determined to cleanse and purify the southern lands through the element of fire before its departure is well and truly noticed. 

Traditionally, the sabbat celebrated is that of the first harvest, Lughnasadh (from the Irish Gaelic Lúnasa) or Lammas (from the Anglo-Saxon hlaf-mas, “loaf-mass”) and when “the feast of the first fruits” was observed.  In the agricultural year, Lughnasadh or Lammas also marked the end of the hay making season that had commenced as early as mid summer.

I write more about this sabbat here Lughnasadh: The Wake of the Lord of the Grain – Temple of the Dark Moon (templedarkmoon.com) and last night I also shared a reading from my first book, Dancing the Sacred Wheel, a recording of which can be found here:

Some writers believe that Lughnasadh is a rather understated sabbat - and this I have to agree.  It is also one of the more difficult ones to relate to here in South Australia.  The gathering of the grain and the harvest of the first fruits often has happened months ago.  In fact the grain growers on the Yorke Peninsular usually harvest around mid December, the summer solstice.  I have also been make preserves since early January, albeit to beat the birds who had been devouring my plums and peaches.

As a sign of the somewhat unseasonal cooler weather we have been having this year (not that I am complaining), the corn in my garden is nowhere near ready and even the arrival of the Egyptian Goddess Sekhmet with her fiery rays do not appear to have lived up to previous years.
Lughnasadh to me is a time to give thanks for what we have received as well as acknowledging the the sacrifice that has allowed us to be where we are today. It is a time of reflection and contemplation.  Often in our modern lives we are far too busy, stressed out or even distracted to allow ourselves the precious time for reflection.  Or, as we strive for the "bigger, better best", we fail to notice the smaller things, especially on a more spiritual level, that are truly important.
So tonight I light my candles and thank the Gods and my ancestors for all the blessings and lessons that I have received, for all the trials and tribulations that I have endured that have brought me to this place of being.  For all these things, I am grateful.