What Is Paganism?
Paganism is a family of nature-revering religions rather than a single faith. Here is what the word means and what Pagans share.
A plain-spoken library for seekers and practitioners
Paganism, Wicca, and modern witchcraft, plainly explained
Simple Magick is a calm, practical guide to the old ways as they are practiced today: the Wheel of the Year, the phases of the moon, spellwork, divination, and the beliefs behind them. No gatekeeping, no fearmongering, and nothing to buy.
Tonight's moon
The eight phases
New, waxing, full, and waning, and what each is used for.
Next on the Wheel
Dates, meanings, and simple rituals for every festival of the year.
New here? Begin with the basics
Four short guides that answer the questions almost everyone asks first.
What Is Wicca?
Wicca is a modern Pagan religion that honors a Goddess and a God, follows the seasons and the moon, and practices magick.
What Is Witchcraft?
Witchcraft is a practice and not a religion. Here is what modern witches actually do, and what the word has meant over time.
First Steps
A gentle four-week plan for beginning a practice with ten minutes a day, a notebook, and things you already own.
Explore by topic
The rest of the site, gathered into six shelves.
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Beliefs
The Goddess and the God, the elements, ethics, and the many traditions.
6 guides
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Wheel of the Year
Eight seasonal festivals with their meanings, history, and simple rituals.
8 guides
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Practice
Altars, circles, spellwork, candles, herbs, crystals, and protection.
10 guides
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Moon
The eight phases, the full moon names, esbats, and moon water.
4 guides
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Divination
Tarot, runes, pendulums, and scrying as tools for reflection.
4 guides
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Library
Correspondence tables, symbols, and a glossary to keep at hand.
6 reference pages
The Wheel of the Year
Eight seasonal festivals, about six weeks apart, that give the Pagan year its shape.
From the blog
Seasonal notes and honest reflections from the people who write this site.
Seasonal Living
After Samhain: Five Quiet Practices for the Dark Half of the Year
The weeks between Samhain and Yule are the quietest of the year. Here are five small practices to carry you through them.
Seasonal Living
A Simple Ancestor Altar You Can Build on a Bookshelf
An ancestor altar needs only a photograph, a candle, and a glass of water. Here is how to build one, and what to do there.
Beginner Notes
What I Wish I Had Known in My First Year of Practice
Seven things I wish someone had told me at the start, from buying less to worrying a great deal less.
Beginner Notes
You Do Not Need to Buy Anything: Witchcraft on a Small Budget
Folk magick was practiced for centuries by people with very little money. Here is how to build a full practice from what you already have.
Hearth and Garden
Low-Waste Witchcraft: Disposing of Spell Remains Responsibly
What to do with candle wax, salt, jars, ashes, and offerings once a spell is finished, without harming the land.
Everyday Practice
A Ten-Minute Morning Practice for Busy People
A daily practice does more than an occasional grand ritual. Here is a ten-minute routine for people with very little time.
The reference library
Quick tables to keep open while you plan a ritual or write in your Book of Shadows.
- Herb CorrespondencesThirty-six herbs, flowers, and trees with their uses and cautions.
- Crystal CorrespondencesTwenty-four stones with meanings and safe handling notes.
- Color CorrespondencesFourteen colors for candles, cords, and altar cloths.
- Days of the WeekThe seven days, their planets, and what each is good for.
- SymbolsFourteen common symbols with their meanings and real histories.
- GlossaryMore than eighty terms, defined plainly from A to Z.
A note from the editor
When I began practicing, good information was hard to tell from bad. Some of it was dressed in so much mystery that it was impossible to use, and some of it was simply invented and passed off as ancient.
Simple Magick is the resource I wanted then. We say plainly what is old and what is modern, we explain why something is done and not only how, and we assume you are an intelligent adult who can decide what belongs in your own practice.
Read slowly, keep what is useful, and leave the rest. Blessed be.
Tamsin Alderwick, founding editor