Just the other day, Veronica went to the creekside with three piece of twine and she crafted a sacred object, a relic. It is a beautiful hanging charm with stones and stories tied into the string and it is hanging from a window now and as I look at it I feel the power that seemed to flow through her as she made this connection between herself and the water flowing just outside our home in the Catskills. She called this charm (PUT NAME HERE)

There is power in stories and relics are objects that have mystical powers built around stories. Like so much of our history as a civilization, the idea of relics has been coopted by religious organizations and other power structures. They seek to tell us what is worthy of mystical and ancient value. I am going to tell you that organized religions are not the owners of reliquary. I am going to tell you that you and I and we can craft and create relics and I am going to show you how.

Find yourself in an old European church and you may find...

VARLOW ACADEMY: NOTES FROM A MOUNTAIN MAN

Hello all. I hope this message finds you well and thank you again for subscribing to the Academy Newsletter. If you found your way here and you are not subscribed, you may subscribe here.

Do you ever wonder how you got to be the person you are? Do you wonder what little things happened in your life, what you may overlook until you realize that without these moments you would not be the you that you are?

This is a story about something that came to me recently, just weeks ago really, an epiphany of sorts that can serve as a point of change that manifests itself in many different ways. I am reminded of a film I really loved called 'Run Lola Run' where the action of the main character and the story changes completely based on a small moment and in these posts for now I'm enjoying exploring these moments and hope you will be able to read and relate your own moments, see how they are like the tiny jewels in your crown that may get...

Dear Friends.

As I'm writing this, there is a rainstorm outside that is making its music on the roof. The tiny white string lights are glowing in my living room and the pumpkin harvest candle is flickering in the window.  The once-quiet creek filled with dozens of little rock cairns that David and I made this Summer is now rushing and raging against the stones. The temperature has dropped twenty degrees since yesterday and in the romance of writing these little rituals to you, I made myself a cup of hot chocolate with vegan marshmallows to enjoy! I like to think of you being here with me and drinking hot chocolate with me out of a ghost mug!

Normally, I find myself getting a bit nostalgic, contemplative and a little bit melancholy as the weather begins to cool, but this year, I am feeling deeply recharged by planning creative hands-on spells and magick for Witch Camp next month (psssst - there are still spots left). After a hiatus of 3 long years, I'm...

VARLOW ACADEMY: NOTES FROM A MOUNTAIN MAN

Hello all. I hope this message finds you well and thank you again for subscribing to the Academy Newsletter. If you found your way here and you are not subscribed, you may subscribe here.

Do you find yourself feeling strange as the season begins to change? 

I wanted to share something with you at this beautiful moment as we begin here in the northern hemisphere to transition out of Summer and into Autumn. It has been a lovely time, warm, sunny. We have felt good in our bodies, leapt into cool waters, lay on thick patches of grass, lived with fresh fruits and vegetables in abundance...but something is coming.

Smell the air at night, feel the temperature drop. Do you hear yourself wondering about whether to put on the heat? No, wait, it's still summer. Forget that! 

Dear readers, I have in my life lived in many places, parts of the world, cities, countryside, and as I grew as a person I began to find myself challenged by the coming...