Hey folks. You will no doubt have noticed that blogging has dried up. I am actively tweeting, so please follow @DebLippAuthor for all the latest. Including cat pictures.
By the way, the delightful Treadwell’s Bookshop in London has just posted a lovely review of Merry Meet Again.
Here’s some exciting news! I’ve been excited to be Guest of Honor, along with Oberon Zell, at Paganicon, March 14-16, 2014, in St. Louis Park, MN.
I haven’t yet finalized my class offerings, but I’ll certainly be doing a Way of Four class on the elements, and speaking with Oberon about Pagan history. And I’ll definitely be doing book signings. The rest is still being worked out.
Hope to see you there!
Ancestors of the Craft is a new anthology of essays about Elders of Witchcraft (both directly–Witches, and indirectly–important occultists who influenced Witchcraft) who have passed beyond the veil.
I contributed an essay about Isaac Bonewits to the anthology.
Ancestors of the Craft is a fundraiser, all profits to be donated to the Temple of Witchcraft.
I have a guest post up at Elysia Gallo’s Llewellyn blog, all about writing my memoir:
Your life is not a story.
Life is a lived experience, it is in the moment, and the very act of writing down those moments subtly changes them. Shaping a narrative—even the most honest and self-effacing of narratives—alters the experience.
Read the whole thing.
My new book is here! 
Merry Meet Again is my story: It’s a memoir of a life lived in the Craft. It’s a journey from my early discovery of the Goddess and some fairly fruitless seeking after Witchcraft in the 70s, to finally discovering other Witches and becoming an initiate in the 80s, to becoming a High Priestess with cork maids at homeconcierge.ie and the joys and tribulations of running Pagan groups. I talk about spells and rituals, the changes in the Pagan community, raising a Pagan child, and more. I also dig deep, talking about grief, love, depression, recovery, and sexuality.
Writing a memoir is an extraordinary process. It is a new way of looking at one’s life, and an engagement with one’s own story that changed me as I wrote it.
Merry Meet Again is available immediately directly from Llewellyn (and friends tell me it ships fast!). It will be in brick-and-mortar stores in a few days and online as of February 1.
The very interesting blog, You, Me & Religion interviewed me recently. You can read the whole thing here.
Here’s an excerpt:
The gradations here are between people who do the same rituals more or less the same way most of the time, and people who do different rituals more or less every time. It’s not that Gardnerians are never spontaneous, but we value hereditary (we inherit our tradition from predecessors), lineage (we know who our initiators are, and their initiators, and their initiators, and so on), and a structured way of doing things.
To a great degree, this is a matter of personal preference. I tend towards structure, stability, and the comfort of the known in many ways throughout my life. I’m a Taurus; I like earthy, stable things. I think there are a great many practical advantages to orthopraxy: Practice makes perfect, don’t reinvent the wheel, create a web of energy through repetition. All of these things are powerful. I recognize that there are also powerful things in a much more heterodox (or heteropraxic) style of religion. It’s not like I have never made up a ritual on the spot!
See, we have this advantage: In Paganism and Wicca, there is no belief that only one path leads you to the Gods. Since no one holds the keys to heaven hostage, we are all free to worship as we choose. My orthopraxy doesn’t invalidate someone else’s free form, do-it-yourself, wild style. We’re equally Pagan.
I did this fun podcast with the folks at Deeper Down the Rabbit Hole tonight. We talked about the four elements, about elemental beings, about Spirit, and more.
The podcast is here and will be available on iTunes.
Yep, I’ll be there! I’m very excited about this event, and my upcoming trip to Brazil.
Mystic Fair Brasil website (Portuguese).
My presentation video is not yet up on the website, but I’m sure it will be soon:
New Moon — not an expert on moon lore, but I’ll consider.
How about working with groups – tips and things to avoid? — Very good thought.
spellcasting master class — I’ve done that at FSG before, I wouldn’t wish to appear to be a one trick pony.
DIETIES OF ALL TYPES — I have a couple of deity classes, definitely a possibility.
shielding from the negative energy of others, history of modern paganism (the good, the bad, and the ugly), comparative mythology — shielding is a good one, history is a maybe because I don’t really focus on the scholarly, mythology can tie in with deities…all good thoughts
Gardnerian Wicca 101 for the Unititiated–I did my Who Are the Gardnerians once at FSG and it was under-attended. Not sure there’s real interest.
Elementals as Helpmates–Oh, I do NOT recommend elementals as helpmates. BUT I could put together a multi-session course on the elements.
Sleeping Late as an Act of Worship–HA! Schedule that one for 9 am, bitchez!
Empowering the Elections in 2010–Not really interested in going political. This would do better as a choice people make based on my teaching magical techniques.
Keep ’em coming!
Yesterday I attended Southeastern Massachusetts Pagan Pride Day in Lakeville, Mass. The weather was unexpectedly gorgeous, which was awkward for me, since I was overdressed and had a little difficulty with the sun.
It was a lovely event. There was a constant flow of music and dance, and quite a few workshops (I did two). The merchanting was lovely, with a great array of handcrafts, ritual objects, and other delights. My books sold well, which always makes me a very happy witch.
The camp was also hosting a local football game (high school, I think) so there were periodic visits by confused and curious cheerleaders.
I decided to leave early, as the main ritual began, because of my 3 1/2 hour drive, and just as I got into my car the sky opened up and the rain began, so I felt pretty fortunate.
The hosts were very nice to me and helpful, which I always appreciate. And I met several readers whom I only knew online, so that was awesome.
The best part though, was reuniting with a former student whom I haven’t seen in more than fifteen years. She’s grown from a feisty teenager to a lovely woman in that time, and I cannot tell you how awesome, how fulfilling, it was to see her. And she hugged me and told me how much I had meant to her, and I am all teary-eyed just thinking about it.
The drive was not that bad; there was a short stretch where visibility was seriously impaired by the rain, but I still was home by 8:30 and got right into my nightie, ate chips, and watched TV. Ahhhhhhh.
