Categories
Activist Witch Things To Do

Join Witches for Progressive Politics

I’ve created a new Facebook Group, “Witches for Progressive Politics“

I created the new Facebook group “Witches for Progressive Politics” during the Full Moon (October 17, 2024), immediately after going to Online Engagement Bootcamp for the Harris Campaign.

When I saw that the “‘Witches for Kamala’ lawn flag post” in Cat Ladies for Kamala Harris had hundreds of comments and thousands of likes, I thought, “oh my goodness: THESE ARE MY PEOPLE!”

So I created this group. It is some excellent Election full moon manifesting, I’d say!

I’d love for this group to be a resource during the rest of the election season and beyond. Invite your friends and connections who are interested. The more, the merrier!

I’m so exited to see what comes from this group. It is the intersection of two of my biggest passions: my witchy spiritual practice and my progressive political beliefs.

I can’t wait to connect with like-minded individuals! 💜🖤⚖️🗽🌛🌝🌜🧚‍♂️🔮💙❤️

From the About Section of the Facebook Group “Witches for Progessive Politics”

Because Salem 1692 will look tame if Project 2025 is implemented.

Calling all witches who support Kamala Harris! Let’s come together and manifest positive change and personal freedom–especially, in our case, spiritual freedom.

Member Request Questions

Here are the Membership Questions that I just created. Please make sure your answer is “yes” to these to ensure you’re a good fit for this group:

  • Are you a witch, pagan, or similar -or- an ally to the witch community at large?
  • Are you voting for Kamala Harris for President in 2024 (or support her if you are not an eligible US voter)?
  • Do you agree to the group rules?

Group Rules

  • Support for Harris & other Dems in 2024: The creation of this group was inspired by a post about the “Witches for Kamala” lawn flag as seen in this group’s cover photo, which was posted in the group “Cat Ladies for Kamala.” The focus of this group until the 2024 election will be to support Democrats, especially Kamala Harris for President. If you do not support Harris and other up-ticket Dems (US Senate, Congress, Governor), you should not join this group. After the 2024 Election, we can discuss 3rd party candidates.
  • Witches and Witchy Allies Are Welcome: If you identify as a Witch, Pagan, or anything along those lines, you are welcome to join this group. If you are an ally to people who identify as witches or similar, you are also welcome to join.
  • In addition to the standard rules of “no promotion or spam,” “respect everyone’s privacy,” “be kind and courteous,” and “no hate speech or bullying”
Categories
Activist Witch Modern Witchcraft

2024 Election Altar

I made an Election Altar with various crystals for the “Happy Warrior”

This is my 2024 Election Altar. In addition to this manifesting and meditating, I am also supporting candidates by donating and volunteering for their campaigns. It’s not one or the other. It’s both/and!

Ways you can help the Harris Walz Campaign

About My Election 2024 Altar

Candle Meditation

The candle wax is from some candle meditation I did in the early afternoon on July 21, because I’d heard rumors that Biden would be dropping out. After the candle was gone, I went online and saw the tweet from the President that he was no longer in the race and had endorsed Harris. I couldn’t believe it had happened while I was doing that candle meditation. Wild!

The plate is special, too. It belonged to my dear Great Aunt Betty. Were she alive today, she would be so thrilled about the chance to support such an amazing, intelligent, powerful woman for President.

Prints

The mailers and bumper sticker are for candidates I support in the 2024 election.

The Witches

The witch dolls are Camilla and Evangeline (hahaha, but seriously, those are their names). I got them from the CVS Halloween clearance last year, for $5 each. No, I do not ever chat with them like they’re real. What are you talking about? (Of course, I do.) BTW they are cousins and they love Kamala. They have offered to help the Harris Walz Campaign with some of their magick. (Goodness, I am a NERD! Har har har).

The Crystals

I purchased the crystals on a recent trip to Salem. I bought them at The Cauldron Black and Enchanted of Salem.

I bought them on August 18, the anniversary day of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which stated that women shall not be denied the right to vote on the basis of sex, so they’re extra charged based on date and location of purchase!

Protection Crystals

  • Yellow Obsidian: to draw out mental stress, block psychic attacks, and help keep balance
  • Purple Obsidian: trust gut feelings (as in, avoid sounding too politician-y!)
  • Strawberry Obsidian: protection from negative energy
  • Smoky Quartz: ease anxiety

Energizing Crystals

  • Green Aventurine: to ease mental and emotional trauma, dissolving negative thought and bringing calm (a combatant against MAGAism)
  • Red Aventurine: for creativity, vitality, and good luck
  • Labradorite: a stone for great magic and transformation

The Backdrop

The backdrop is a scarf with the climactic scene of Pride and Prejudice printed on it, when Darcy proposes to Elizabeth again, and she accepts. I’m praying, hoping, donating, and volunteering to help bring about a happy ending to this election.

Please to all the deities out there, listen to our petitions and grant us this Great Magic and Transformation we seek.

PS It is my Gramma Eileen’s NINETY-FIFTH birthday today. She was born in Salem. She loathes Grumpypants and loves Kamala.

Categories
Notebook Witchery

Fall 2024 BABC

The Murder of Mr. Wickham

On Sunday, October 20 at 2pm ET, we will meet via WebEx for our Fall 2024 Boston Austen Book Club Meeting, to discuss Claudia Gray’s novel “The Murder of Mr. Wickham.”

Webex Info

Meeting link
https://massbay.webex.com/meet/bmadden2

Meeting number
797 422 901

Video address
bmadden2@massbay.webex.com

Audio connection
United States Toll +1-415-655-0003

Access code
797 422 901

About this Fall’s title:

A perfect whodunit for Halloween Season!

The children of the Darcys and the Tilneys are at a house party thrown by Emma and Mr Knightley. Wickham is an unwanted guest who gets himself offed. Young Darcy and Young Miss Tilney help solve the crime.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/671897/the-murder-of-mr-wickham-by-claudia-gray

Facebook event page:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1107068774175289/

RSVP

On the Facebook event page or by email to thenotebookwitch@gmail.com

See you on Sun, Oct 20 at 2pm ET via Webex!

Categories
Sabbats, etc.

Mabon 2024

Happy Fall to Everyone in the Northern Hemisphere and Happy Spring to Everyone in the Southern Hemisphere!

Happy Mabon to all who celebrate! Happy Autumnal Equinox to people of the Northern Hemisphere! (Happy Spring to the Southern Hemisphere people!)

We read fall poems and sang fall songs at Bell Street Chapel to mark the occasion. I have joined the choir, plus I suggested a couple of the poems to read, so I ended up getting up 6 times during the service. Busy, but very fun!

Then MumBetty & I got crepes and tea from Schasteâ. I tried a new-to-me delicious Pu-erh Tuo Cha Tea, and the Eggs and Tapenade Savory Crepe. Delicious!

Next the Boston Austen Book Club had our Summer meeting (one day after summer). As noted, it was an “easy one,” where we just discussed screen adaptations of Austen. I still haven’t watched Fire Island. I have to get on that! Next month for the Fall 2024 meeting, we’re discussing a murder mystery, just in time for spooky season, with Halloween and Samhain coming up. The titled is “The Murder of Mr. Wickham” by Claudia Gray. I’ll have an event page up soon!

And finally Betty and I watched football, and I helped her with her chores. I bribed Baby with a bunch of Greenies and peanut butter, and was able to do a dry shampoo, tail hair clipping, dingleberry removal (gag), and a thorough eye gunk wiping (also gag but not as bad).

Additionally I made a seasonal playlist of fall-ish feeling Tori Amos songs. You can find the playlist on my YouTube Channel, and the playlist is called “A mos, Tori for Fall.”

(YouTube Music only sorts alphabetically or by recently saved and you can’t choose the letter you want to go to from the list, you just have to scroll. Since I listen to Tori so much, I manipulated the listing for her so it would appear at the top by using her last name with a space after it. Silly but it works!)

And I mixed some of my body oils to create two new, lush scents for Fall: Vetiver, lavender, and patchouli for one; and rose, patchouli, and amber for the other.

And you bet I am well stocked on Pumpkin Spice flavored things for my coffee, because I am a Pumpkin Spice kinda witch. Heh heh heh.

I also made these graphics on time-ish, for a change!

Including this one to use as a YouTube banner…

A very busy sabbat!

Have a Happy Fall, Y’all!

Categories
Notebook Witchery

Austen Adaptations for the Screen

Summer 2024 Boston Austen Book Club Meeting

Sun, Sep 22 at 2pm ET via Webex

Join us for the Summer 2024 Boston Austen Book Club Meeting! We will meet to discuss Austen Screen Adaptations, on Sunday, September 22 at 2pm ET via Webex.

This one’s easy-peasy! We’re just going to discuss the screen adaptations of Austen. What do you love? Loathe? What do you recommend? Come discuss the pantheon of Austen screen adaptations with the club! Old, new, in-between, modern takes, YouTube serials, movies, mini-series — everything is fair game for this open-ended discussion.

The Webex address will be shared shortly before the meeting begins here in the event description, in the Facebook event page info, and on the event webpage at . (Please RSVP at the Facebook Event page or by emailing me, so that I can match your Webex name to the RSVP.)

Categories
Activist Witch

Reproductive Rights and the 2024 Election

Vote for Kamala Harris and All Democrats Who Fight for Reproductive Freedom in the 2024 Election

Important links:

Reproductive Rights, Abortion Access, and the Presidential Election of 2024

Reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy is an essential part of my spiritual practice as a modern pagan witch. Reproductive freedom is also an essential right as asserted in Unitarian Universalism. Other religions and spiritual practices also stress this right.

Why some people’s religions get more say than others on this matter in our current laws, especially since the overturning of Roe v Wade, is a matter of, well, the fkn’ patriarchy.

Kamala Harris for President

The choice this election is clear: one side may be flawed and may have much room to improve. That is a given with any circumstance. The Democratic Party is not perfect. Kamala Harris is not perfect. But, as Obama has been known to say, “don’t let the perfect get in the way of the good.”

Because, much more significantly, the other party and the other candidate are an existential threat to freedom, including reproductive AND spiritual freedom. (More on spiritual freedom in another post, if I can get the time. But I must say, based on Project 2025, you know if *they* get their way, Salem 1692 will look tame compared to the persecution of people who don’t conform to a specific kind of extremist religious practice they hope to inflict.)

My activism for women and femme’s equality and equity is a core part of my spiritual practice. For this reason, and many more, I support the Harris-Walz campaign, and all Democrats who fight for reproductive freedom, for the 2024 election.

I hope you will, too.

Categories
Activist Witch Sabbats, etc.

Lughnasadh 2024

Happy Lughnasadh! I am celebrating by taking a trip with my Witches of Weymouth to Salem at the end of the month.

I’m also working on my “Liberty Spell” from now until about 5 days after Samhain AKA doing what I can to volunteer time for the Harris / Walz campaign.

If you’re interested in supporting the Kamala Harris Kamala HQ campaign, here’s some helpful links!

Categories
Activist Witch

Kamala Harris for President

Witches have to support the Democratic nominee for President. Otherwise, Project 2025 will make Salem 1692 look mild.

Witches, modern pagans and other magickal practioners have a lot of reasons to vote for Kamala Harris for President. Donal Grump is dangerous for a lot reasons, reasons that have ramifications on what we as witches care about.

White Christian Nationalism Will Destroy Religious and Spiritual Freedom

Kat Abu’s video on white “christian” nationalism is thorough and terrifying. With so many witches, pagans and other magickal practioners still in the Broom Closet, if white “christian” nationalism gets even more power, the strides we’ve made to connect and communicate will be decimated.

Reproductive Freedom and Abortion Access

Harris will support and amendment protecting abortion access to reverse the Dobbs decision and restore Roe as the law of the land. Grump wants to institute a national abortion ban, with no exceptions.

Environment and Climate Crisis

As a modern pagan whose spirituality is very closely tied to the nature. Harris is the only viable candidate who actually takes climate change seriously and has policies to tackle the climate crisis.

How You Can Help the Harris Campaign

Categories
Notebook Witchery

Pride and Prejudice and Pride

Spring 2024 Boston Austen Book Club Meeting

Sunday, Jun 30, 2024 at 2pm via WebEx – Just As You Are by Camille Kellogg

Spring 2024 BABC Meeting Details

Join us for our special Pride Month Boston Austen Book Club Spring 2024 Meeting, which we’re calling “Pride & Prejudice …& PRIDE!”

We will meet via Webex at 2pm on Sunday, June 30 to discuss Camille Kellogg’s book Just As You Are.

As always, new members are welcome. All you have to do to join is read the book and come to the meeting to discuss it.

RSVP

About Just As You Are

From Goodreads:

Equal parts witty and steamy, this debut rom-com brings a healthy dose of queerness and a whole lot of heart to a Pride and Prejudice -inspired enemies to lovers romance.

The only thing worse than hating your boss? Being attracted to her.

Liz Baker and her three roommates work at the Nether Fields, a queer magazine in New York that’s on the verge of shutting down—until it’s bought at the last minute by two wealthy lesbians. Liz knows she’s lucky to still have a paycheck but it’s hard to feel grateful with minority investor Daria Fitzgerald slashing budgets, cancelling bagel Fridays, and password protecting the color printer to prevent “frivolous use.” When Liz overhears Daria scoffing at her listicles, she knows that it’s only a matter of time before her impulsive mouth gets herself fired.

But as Liz and Daria wind up having to spend more and more time together, Liz starts to see a softer side to Daria—she’s funny, thoughtful, and likes the way Liz’s gender presentation varies between butch and femme. Despite the evidence that Liz can’t trust her, it’s hard to keep hating Daria—and even harder to resist the chemistry between them.

This page-turning, sexy, and delightfully funny rom-com celebrates queer culture, chosen family, and falling in love against your better judgment.

We are so excited to have our first ever Pride-inpired title, and look forward to making this a tradition each June!

Upcoming Boston Austen Book Club events for 2024

Here’s the (still somewhat tentative) plans…more details to come!

  • CONFIRMED: Spring 2024 – Sun, Jun 30 at 2pm – “Pride & Prejudice & Pride” Event: Just As You Are by Camille Kellogg, via Webex
  • High Tea Special In-Person Event (Make up for Summer 2023) – Sun, Aug 18 at 1pm – 19th Amendment Celebration; “A Vindication for the Rights of Women” by Mary Wollstonecraft, at Jolie Tea Room in Salem ($36 per person plus tax and tip)
  • Summer 2024 – Sun, Sep 15 at 2pm – Discussion: Screen Adaptations, via Webex
  • Fall 2024 – Oct 20 at 2pm – Murder in Highbury by Vanessa Kelly, via Webex
  • Winter 2024 – Sun, Dec 15 at 2pm – Jane Austen 249th Birthday Bash; Devoney Looser, “The Making of Jane Austen” via Webex

Looking forward to seeing those of you who can make these meetings!

Follow Bridget Eileen Madden and Boston Austen Book Club

Categories
Sabbats, etc.

Litha 2024

🌞 Summer Is Here!!! 🌞

Happy Litha to my fellow Northern Hemisphere modern pagans and witches. Happy Yule to the Southern Hemisphere ones!

As a Cancer, you know I’m jazzed for summer.

As a triple water sign (Cancer-Scorpio-Scorpio), you know I’m jazzed for beach time.

I’m always a little late with my Sabbat posts. It’s its own tradition now 😆🫣😜 But then once I get on it, I end up making a bunch of other updated graphics for the site, such as this new banner.

Anyway, I do have a long hybrid vacation/staycation coming up. I don’t know if I’ll have time to post more as a result, but who knows?

Hope you have a great summer, all!