Frances Billinghurst's Blog, page 16

Weathering the Storm - A Free Guide for People Feeling Isolated and Vulnerable

As COVID-19 saw the majority of the world self-isolating, a group of Moon Book authors (including myself) consolidated their talents.  The result is Weathering the Storm , a book offering support for spiritually orientated people who is feeling isolated and vulnerable during these extremely stress and rather unprecedented times.

Covering areas from loneliness and anxiety, self-care and gardening, to cooking and crystals, Weathering the Storm is divided into three parts.  The first part offers a selection of psychological assistance.  This is within this section that my essay, "Bobbing in the Sea of Uncertainty", can be found.  Recounting a life changing experience that I underwent during a week's "spiritual retreat" in Bali, the lessons gifted to me I share for others to draw upon should they feel that they are losing control on life - sometimes we just need to surrender that control.

The second section of Weathering the Storm focuses on articles that offer spiritual assistance through the use of working with your ancestors, crystals, and much more.  The final section offers practical advice in the form of recipes, crafts and much more.

Described as "A treasure-trove of advice and inspiration for all of us living through difficult times", Weathering the Storm is available as a free ebook through Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble, and for £0.99 on Amazon UK.

Contemporary Witchcraft is inching closer to the finish line

After years of having students complain that there was not a suitable beginner's book for the Southern Hemisphere and that books available today tend to either ignore us living south of the equator, or adding mention like some hurried byline, I have finally finalised the manuscript for my own version of a beginner's book.
Reflecting my own teaching emphasis, Contemporary Witchcraft: Foundational Practices for a Magical Life is designed to be just that, a manual that will provide the neophyte (seeker) with what I hope will be a solid foundation upon which they can shape their own practice.
So what is contemporary witchcraft?





The purpose of contemporary witchcraft is similar to other spiritual paths regardless of whether they are earth-centric or not.  I say “spiritual” because at the end of the day the reason by specific tools and techniques are used, the rituals and ceremonies performed, and even the nature of crafting spells utilise a similar underpinning – that being me strengthen connection with the energies that ebb and flow through the universe, these energies are what I term of “god” and “goddess” the divine, deity.  And even if I am casting a spell to obtain employment, undertaking meditation to restore peace and groundedness in my life, or performing a ritual to heal an acquaintance, all of these actions impact upon me as a spiritual being.
There are four main aspects that form the basis of my particular practice of contemporary witchcraft.  They are:Belief in the polarity of the divine – the divine masculine and divine feminine, that there are gods and goddesses that do connect with us on a rather personal and extremely real level – they are not just figments of the imagination, or some deluded outdated beliefs of our somewhat ignorant ancestor.  The gods of our ancestors are very much alive today – it is us who are the ignorant ones as we have allowed ourselves to forget how to get in touch with them.  But they are still there – waiting.Aligning ourselves with the energies of the earth and the cosmos above us.  After all we are earthbound beings.  We do this through following the seasonal festivals, the sabbats, the Wheel of the Year, ebbing and flowing with the solar energy as we also do with the lunar energy that we align with through the esbats (the full moons).Realising and understanding that we are in effect energy and as such we are interconnecting with all that is around us – other humans, animals, insects, plants, and beyond – the cosmos.The world around is magick.  We are magick.  Magick is in effect energy which flows arounds us and through us.  In understanding energy we then are able to manipulate it our will (spellcrafting) to assist us in the day to day.  However the more we understand our place in the greater scheme of things, the less we feel the need to focus on the mundane


In contemporary witchcraft there is a foundation that first needs to be established. This can be likened to the concrete slab that is poured before a house is built.  We need to have the right quantities of sand, gravel or crushed stones, water and cement.  We need to mix this combination for the right amount of time to ensure all is completely blended.  We need to have the right conditions when we pour the concrete, and we need to leave the concrete to set for the right amount of time.  Once our foundation has been made and laid out with all this due care, we can then build our house in whatever style we want and then decorate it how it may please us.


The foundational practices within contemporary are such that when mastered, they will enable you have necessary tools to assist you in whatever direction you then chose to follow – whether you continue with contemporary witchcraft or venture into some other direction.  These practices are no great secret and in fact can be found within other spiritual, and magical, traditions.
Faith in what you are doing: The most important mindset to have when practising magick is faith – an unwavering belief in what you are doing, in your ability, and that your magick will work.Focus:  This is where practices such as learning how meditate come into play.  Calm and focus the mind.Passion:  Having the burning desire that this is what you believe, this is what rings true to you. Magick: You must believe in magick otherwise what are you doing?
 If the above resonates with you, you can learn more about contemporary witchcraft on the Temple of the Dark Moon's web page, with Contemporary Witchcraft: Foundational Practices for a Magical Life due for release in 2021.

Encountering the Dark Goddess - pre-order dates coming soon

Last week I received the email from my publisher that all authors hang out to receive, the one that contained details as to when their book will actually be published and available. The date scheduled for the release of Encountering the Dark Goddess: A Journey into the Shadow Realms is 26 March 2021. While this date seems to be half a lifetime away (some 11 months) apparently that is normal within the publishing world as it gives a lot of the behind the scenes things to be put into process, ie having the book listed in various trade magazines, in order to maximize long-term success of the book.
From the end of June, Encountering the Dark Goddess should appear on the John Hunt Publishing webpage as well as appearing for pre-order through Amazon US, Amazon UK, Indiebound, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones and the like, with ebook pre-orders appearing a month or so before publication (ie, early in the new year).
“The author presents the reader with a dark gift – a treasure in a sense – but one not to be accepted lightly. My sense is that once opened, it will never go back into the box.”(Jimahl diFiosa, author of A Voice in the Forest, All the King’s Children and A Coin for the Ferryman)
The Dark Goddess is often associated with the Underworld where she leads the uninitiated through a transformative journey of self-discovery, change and soul renewal.  She is connected with the unwanted, the forgotten, the ignored or even ashamed parts of our psyche.  However there is more to her than that. 
Encountering the Dark Goddess: A Journey into the Shadow Realms guides you through what this challenging facet of the Divine Feminine, the Dark Goddess, is truly about, and encourages you to step through the veils into her hidden realm to explore 13 aspects of herself.
Whether you seek healing from past trauma, release from fears or acceptance of the “unacceptable” aspects of your self, Encountering the Dark Goddess: A Journey into the Shadow Realms offers ways for you to transform and heal your life through the power of meditation, ritual and inner journeying with the Dark Goddess into her shadowy realms.  Use the 13 goddess myths as a guide to discover how to remove the stagnant and unwanted and embrace the ever changing aspects of life that can drag us into the pits of despair.
When we connect the Dark Goddess, we are able to find the light within the darkness and our lives are enriched through the integration of all aspects of our soul as a perfect whole.

Encountering the Dark Goddess online sadhana

In these changing times of much uncertainly, many of us are finding our ability to adapt being tested.  For me, it is finally embracing what other teachers and sacred space holders have been doing for years - that is bringing some of my teachings online.  I don't really know why I have been resisting doing this as, logically, it would enable a greater amount of people being exposed to my teachings, however the current climate has forced my hand.

The online version of Encountering the Dark Goddess is a month long online sadhana, or spiritual exploration, into your deep shadow self through the connection with various “darker” aspects of the Divine Feminine in order to commence positive change at the deepest level.




During the month online journey you will receive:
:: Detailed information about the Dark Goddesses we will be exploring and working with over the month,
:: Instructions regarding how to set up altars and undertake daily devotional work,
:: Prayers, mantras, and offerings that relate to specific goddesses,
:: Weekly emails consisting on appropriate metaphysical and psychoanalytic concepts regarding working with the Dark Goddess and the “Shadow Self”,
:: Meditations,
:: A private Facebook group to connect with others who are undertaking this journey,
:: Group ritual,
and much more.

As the online journey lasts for around 30 days, it is essential that you are able to commit yourself to the sadhana (spiritual) practice.


To take place over the Southern Samhain – from 6 June 2020 (ACST)to 4 July 2020 (ACST).
This online sadhana is open to anyone regardless of where they live.

Investment: AUD$222 $150 (special introductory rate)

Register online through Paypal.**

Once registered, please email me with your preferred email address and Facebook profile so you can be invite to the secret Facebook group.

** Direct deposit is available for Australian participants only. Please email me for my bank account details.

Making the most of these Changing Times

Come gather ’round people, wherever you roamAnd admit that the waters around you have grownAnd accept it that soon you’ll be drenched to the boneIf your time to you is worth savingThen you better start swimmin’ or you’ll sun like a stoneFor the times they are a-changin’ 
So sung Bob Dylan in 1964.  Today times are certainly changing, and as more is learnt about the COVID-19 virus, the speed of this change can be extremely confusing.
The thought of self-isolation appears to be causing an increasing degree of anxiety for a number of people.  As I am naturally introvert, to hear people raise their challenge around the inability to socialise (especially after such a short period of time) is somewhat confusing.  I personally have an endless amount of projects that I can turn my attention to, or I am more happy to simply read a book.  The biggest challenge I find that I am facing is the need to move into the world of on-line video conferencing, zoom calls and even live streaming on social media.
Technology and I are not always the best of friends.  Even as I write this, I am also chatting to the Support person having attempted to install something onto the Temple of the Dark Moon website only to crashed it completely!!
While I knowledge that for some people, self-isolation can indeed heighten anxiety and other health concerns (and not only mental), now is a perfect time to practice “reframing” – a technique used to help create a different way of looking at a situation, person, or relationship by changing its meaning from negative to positive.  You may even like to turn this into a game or challenge.
Up until the fear off COVID-19 closed events down, on Monday evenings I held a meditation circle that focused around mantra chanting.  My personal goal is to commence a live streaming of these meditations on the Isian Centre of Metaphysic’s Facebook page. If you would like to join in, please do – even if you are unfamiliar to meditation, or mantras, open yourself up to a new experience.  These meditations will commence around 7.30pm ACST (Australia Central Standard Time).  Between now and then I will also attempt to put together a video or two about how to meditate, why I use mantras, and maybe explain more about some of the other techniques I use.
Even though we may feel isolated, we are all in fact going through these uncertain times together, and we are all being impacted – some more than others, and some more visible that others.  As we find ourselves being forced out of our comfort zones, being “encouraged” to show/expose our more vulnerable sides, we also need to remember that everyone else is also going through the same thing.  Therefore we all need to show a higher degree of kindness, understanding and even patience.
Together we can all get through this.