Blake Octavian Blair is a shamanic and druidic practitioner, ordained minister, writer, Usui Reiki Master-Teacher, tarot reader, and musical artist. Blake incorporates mystical traditions from both the East and West with a reverence for the natural world into his own brand of spirituality. Blake holds a degree in English and religion from the University of Florida. He is an avid reader, knitter, crafter, and member of the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids (OBOD). He loves communing with nature and exploring its beauty whether it is within the city or hiking in the woods. Blake lives in the New England region of the US with his beloved husband. Visit him on the web at www.blakeoctavianblair.com.
Kate Freuler lives in Ontario, Canada, and is the author of Of Blood and Bones: Working with Shadow Magick & the Dark Moon. She has owned and operated the witchcraft shop www.whitemoon witchcraft.com for ten years. When she’s not writing or crafting items for clients, she is busy being creative with art or reading a huge stack of books.
Ember Grant is the author of Magical Candle Crafting, The Book of Crystal Spells, and The Second Book of Crystal Spells, and she has been contributing to Llewellyn’s annuals series since 2003. She lives in Missouri with her husband and two feline companions.
Jason Mankey is a Wiccan-Witch who lives in Northern California with his wife, Ari, and two cats. He’s the author of Transformative Witchcraft: The Greater Mysteries, Witch’s Wheel of the Year: Rituals for Circles, Solitaries & Covens, and several books in the Witch’s Tools series. He writes online at the blog Raise the Horns.
Suzanne Ress has been practicing Wicca for about twelve years as the leader of a small coven, but she has been aware of having a special connection to nature and animal spirits since she was a young child. She has been writing creatively most of her life—short stories, novels, and nonfiction articles for a variety of publications—and finds it to be an important outlet for her considerable creative powers. Other outlets she regularly makes use of are metalsmithing, mosaic works, painting, and all kinds of dance. She is also a professional aromatic herb grower and beekeeper. Although she is an American of Welsh ancestry by birth, she has lived in northern Italy for nearly twenty years. She recently discovered that the small mountain in the pre-alpine hills that she inhabits with her family and animals was once the site of an ancient Insubrian Celtic sacred place. Not surprisingly, the top of the mountain has remained a fulcrum of sacredness throughout the millennia, and this grounding in blessedness makes Suzanne’s everyday life especially magical.
Charlie Rainbow Wolf is happiest when she is creating something, especially if it’s made from items that others have discarded. Pottery, writing, knitting, astrology, and tarot ignite her passion, but she happily confesses she’s easily distracted; life offers such wonderful things to explore! A recorded singer-songwriter and published author, she champions holistic living and lives in the Midwest with her husband and special needs Great Danes. Visit her at www.charlierainbow.com.
Laura Tempest Zakroff is a professional artist, author, dancer, designer, and Modern Traditional Witch based in New England. She holds a BFA from RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) and her artwork has received awards and honors worldwide. Her work embodies myth and the esoteric through her drawings and paintings, jewelry, talismans, and other designs. Laura is the author of the best-selling Llewellyn books Weave the Liminal and Sigil Witchery, as well as Anatomy of a Witch, Liminal Spirits Oracle (artist/author), The Witch’s Cauldron, and the coauthor of The Witch’s Altar with Jason Mankey. Laura edited The New Aradia: A Witch’s Handbook to Magical Resistance (Revelore Press). She blogs for Patheos as A Modern Traditional Witch, Witches & Pagans as Fine Art Witchery, and contributes to The Witches’ Almanac, Ltd. She is the creative force behind several community events and teaches workshops worldwide. Visit her at www.LauraTempestZakroff.com.
Tess Whitehurst is a co-host of the Magic Monday podcast as well as the founder and facilitator of the Good Vibe Tribe Online School of Magical Arts. She has written nine books that have been translated into eighteen languages, including Unicorn Magic: Awaken to Mystical Energy & Embrace Your Personal Power. She’s also the author of the Magic of Flowers Oracle and The Cosmic Dancer Oracle. She lives in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
Ivo Dominguez Jr. has been active in Wicca and the Pagan community since 1978. He is an Elder of the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel, a Wiccan syncretic tradition, and is one of its founders. He is a part of the core group that started and manages the New Alexandrian Library. Ivo is the author of The Four Elements of the Wise: Working with the Magickal Powers of Earth, Air, Water, Fire, Keys to Perception, Practical Astrology for Witches and Pagans, Casting Sacred Space, Spirit Speak, Beneath the Skins, and numerous shorter works. Ivo is also a professional astrologer who has studied astrology since 1980 and has been offering consultations and readings since 1988. Visit him at www.ivodominguezjr.com.
Robin Ivy Payton teaches yoga and trains yoga teachers in the Portland, Maine area. She created Robin’s Zodiac Zone daily forecasts for print and broadcast in 1999 and has been writing for Llewellyn publications since 2003. A lifelong student and practitioner of the intuitive arts, Robin offers readings, teaches tarot, and guides yoga nidra journeys. Inspired by nature, she lives close to the ocean with her husband and dogs. Find or contact her through Robin’s Zodiac Zone blog.
Lupa is a naturalist Pagan who has been exploring the wild places of the Pacific Northwest since 2006. She is the author of several books on nature-based Paganism and vulture culture, and is also the creator of the Tarot of Bones. She creates a wide variety of art with hides, bones, and other natural materials. She may be found online at http://www.thegreenwolf.com.
Elizabeth Barrette has been involved with the Pagan community for more than thirty-one years. She served as managing editor of PanGaia for eight years and dean of studies at the Grey School of Wizardry for four years. She has written columns on beginning and intermediate Pagan practice, Pagan culture, and Pagan leadership. Her book Composing Magic: How to Create Magical Spells, Rituals, Blessings, Chants, and Prayers explains how to combine writing and spirituality. She lives in central Illinois where she has done much networking with Pagans in her area, such as coffeehouse meetings and open sabbats. Her other public activities feature Pagan picnics and science fiction conventions. She enjoys magical crafts, historic religions, and gardening for wildlife. Her other writing fields include speculative fiction, gender studies, and social and environmental issues. Visit her blog The Wordsmith’s Forge (https://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/) or website PenUltimate Productions (http://penultimateproductions.weebly.com). Her coven site with extensive Pagan materials is Greenhaven Tradition (http://greenhaventradition.weebly.com/).
Natalie Zaman is the author of the award-winning books Color and Conjure (with Wendy Martin) and Magical Destinations of the Northeast and is a regular contributor to various Llewellyn annual publications. Visit Natalie online at http://nataliezaman.blogspot.com.