The book is simple and easy to read, Van Der Hoeven don't come with big pretensions to be the authority in the topic, she brings a practical easy-to-use Grimoire for each one of those witches working alone and looking to find magic in every corner and in every day and night. At the Spring Equinox, the hours of darkness and those of daylight are equal. But from now on, the days will be longer than the nights – until next Autumn. So we are poised between the ascendancy of long winter nights and the time of increasing light. It is a perfect time to say goodbye to whatever harms us or limits us – or to any harm we might be causing. To clear the way for a more healed and healing and creative way of life. But there is a much earlier definition contained in an old German word ‘hagazissa’ meaning ‘hedge sitter’. And another term found in Northern European traditions – ‘haegtessa’ meaning ‘hedge rider’. Each of these refers to a symbolic hedgerow, one which could be seen to divide the everyday world of the human community from what was perceived as being beyond it – the Otherworld of wild nature spirits and ancestral spirits and elves or faeriekind. This and similar symbolism seems to have come to Britain mainly with Saxon and other Germanic tribes. However, it has parallels within the Celtic tradition, such as the Green and Burning Tree which stands at the outer edge of Faerie. And there are now hedge witches all over the World, along with hedge priestesses, hedge priests and hedge Druids. Rowan met new friends and the solving bit of the mystery at her aunt's town, makes it just a fun and light read. I definitely finished this in one seating and I just laughed at some of Rowan's antiques with her friends. The fact that Rowan is just this robust character with a brilliant personality makes this a good companion novella for the main series. Themes – Beauty, fulfilment. The power of happiness to change our lives. Also, dedication, commitment The Sun is now radiant! In the whole year, this is the time of the greatest light in the northern hemisphere. There is great celebration, for life Is good. People play music. Some stay out in the fields all night, with friends or lovers. The time has come to live fully. At the summer solstice (as at any high point of life, any peak of fulfilment) we can be changed by the experience of joyfulness, by the land’s loveliness or by a healing vision……As with any climax, this is a turning point. Things will be different now. What we distil from the year’s culmination will enrich our spirits and affect our future creative direction.

The image I see when I hear the term "hedge witch" is that of a traditional wise-woman walking along a wayside in a meadow, a basket in her arm, gathering herbs and flowers from the hedgerows to use in the cooking pot or for a healing balm or maybe a magic potion. As she walks, she watches the way the leaves on the bushes blow in the wind, knowing from ancient weather-lore that this will tell her if it will rain or if the sun will shine. But a hedge witch is much more than that, and the hedges she crosses can be those that represent the barrier between this world and the world of the spirits as much as the boundary between a field and country lane.Have any of your guests told you that they feel amazing in your home? That there is something special about that place? That they love to pop in for a tea and return every week? For all hedge morris dancers, there will be ‘a “Dusking” celebration that will take place at 16.43 on October 31st. This will be to welcome the winter and the gifts of reflection, rest and replenishment that the darker months can bring……’

If so, then you build a spiritual time capsule inside your home. You have enchanted each corner of it, that so many people feel and want to be a part of. THE WAY INTO FAERIE looks at what is on the far side of the hedge – the Otherworldly dimension – and at who lives there. It explains how we may relate to ancestral spirits and non-carnate species (known as faeries) as well as to nature spirits. This book is written from the point of view of a natural psychic – a fey person – rather than specifically a hedge witch. It is about our Pagan ancestors’ beliefs concerning the Dead and the faerie races and is based on a great deal of research. However, it is not scholarly but experiential and, I hope, also inspirational. In this book there are fictional sections interspersed with non-fiction and memoir. The fictional bits contain characters, an older woman and her apprentice, who are hedge witches. (Their male equivalents are described as well.)The festival of Imbolg occurs, in the northern hemisphere, at a time of increasing daylight and new life in the natural world. It is a natural time for spells of renewal of good health and inspiration and creativity. Or of magical power……... Who or what are the spirits on whom you call for aid? They may be elementals, the Fae, kindly ancestors or nature spirits. You will need to have invoked them before saying the above charm. And after speaking it, make them an offering such as a garland of flowers or a freshly baked loaf of bread or a song or poem you sing or recite for them. However you see them, your relationship with those of the Otherworld (or of the unseen dimension of this World) is central to your practice as a hedge witch. And light a third candle to welcome the kindly dead, saying ‘May this flame be seen in the Otherworld as it is in this World.’ This could be classed as a coming of age read, great child’s read or teen/ young adult read. For me this was a cross between ‘Sabrina The Teenage Witch’ and Hermione (From Harry Potter) on her summer break. However this book is about Wicca, not headgecraft. Hedgecraft is not a solitary Wiccan and Wiccan are not the only witches as Rae Beth seems to believe. Futhermore, hedgewitches are not overly formal and do not create and execute formal rituals like the ones found in this book. Rituals, if performed, are simple and simply honor the earth, dieties, and nature. One thing she does get right about hedgecraft and hedgewitches is that the tradition is based on the old wise woman or man who lived on the edge of town, by the hedge rows. They were healers and earth lovers who worked magic out of their home and gardens.

Have two pots of earth in front of you, one full up to the top, the other one nearly empty. Consecrate the full one to represent the wealth of those who have more than they really need. Consecrate the other one to represent the wealth of yourself or of you and your family.Hedge Riding – the practice of Shamanic and Astral voyage – is covered in-depth in her follow-up book: Pagan Portals Hedge Riding. Threadneedle was one of my favorite 2021 novels. It had such a rich magical world, such intriguing and layered characters and such a brutal plot-line. I was therefore very excited that we were gonna get more books in this world! Of course, I had hoped for the sequel, but while waiting for that I take what I can get, among which this novella. At Beltaine, find a hawthorn tree or have a sprig of it in the house. Bless the tree and all its species with increased abundance, good health and good fortune. If outdoors, pour out an offering at the base of the tree – spring water (but not if bought in a plastic bottle) or unsweetened apple juice. I have been practicing hedge magic and hedgerow spirituality for almost forty five years. So I can tell you this. If followed with commitment, this Path can bring you to see the magical, shape-shifting nature of all reality and also to see a role for yourself within that as a healing spell-caster with spirit allies.

I do like to learn I study everything. I am very cognitive aware. emotionally aware. I see myself as the master of my ship. I am fiercely interdependent.

This book is an absolute joy to read. It is both simple and profound. It guides the reader step by step in the core practice of the hedge witch (spirit travelling into the Otherworld – known as ‘hedge riding’.) And all is presented in the context of natural magic and nature’s cycles. The author’s approach is non-dogmatic, encouraging everyone towards an individual and creative approach. She knows from experience just how to walk with one foot in Faerie and one in the Everyday World – without recourse to hallucinogens – and she tells us about it and what can be gained from it. This is the real deal. And although it is written for beginners, it made me think and it reinspired me. I give it ten stars! You might even feel like your home is its own type of spiritual entity. Have you ever seen the Howl’s Moving Castle animation? It’s a beautiful story about magic and seeing the home as an actual place of spiritual connection. Set in a modern day magical world, The Hedge Witch follows Rowan on a summer visit to relatives in a small town, nestled in the Welsh countryside, before she starts sixth form. This places Rowan in her mid-teens and the themes of the novella match her age, with Rowan trying to fit in, make friends, assert her independence.