Antonio Pagliarulo interviews Judika Illes, whose new book, “Daily Magic: Spells and Rituals for Making the Whole Year Magical,” was published last month through HarperOne.
BROOKLYN – What if you discovered an ancestor was a judge at the Salem witch trials, and you also found out another ancestor, from the same period of New England history, had been accused of being a witch? No, it’s not some plot twist devised by the creators of Charmed, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina or some other witchy TV series. It’s the true story of photographer Frances F. Denny. That striking discovery sparked her latest photography project, Major Arcana: Witches in America, which is on exhibit through Nov. 24 at ClampArt in New York City.
TempleFest, the annual summer festival of the Temple of Witchcraft, was held the weekend of July 29-31 in South Hampton, New Hampshire. The festival was hosted on a privately-owned farm deep in the hills of southern New Hampshire, and on a property guarded by red, white, and black masks of Hecate. Her guardianship seems completely appropriate in this place, which feels like a true crossroads between the everyday world and the world of all thing magickal. TempleFest’s theme is “Spirit, Community, Education,” and there was plenty of each on display throughout the weekend in the form of powerful rituals, mutual support for attendees of all experience levels, and an excellent array of classes and workshops. Approximately 370 attendees from the TempleFest community came together along with special guests to learn and grow, and to also have fun while challenging their minds and hearts.