Good evening,
I have finally received permission to share the news.
There is a special 10th Anniversary edition of my first book Garden Witchery being released this year! 


Garden Witchery, was my first book and it came out in March of 2003. I has been ten years... and the book is still going strong!

This special Anniversary edition has a brand new chapter on "Witchery-Theme Gardens" that includes five enchanting gardens for you to plant along with five new spells! There is also an Epilogue: In the Garden A Decade Later.

I have kept this project a secret for a long time. I got proof pages from Becky my editor, for the new section of the book this week, and wait until you see the new illustrations we added to the book! They are by Wen Hsu and they are fabulous. (She did the illustrations for Seasons of Witchery too!)

I got the go ahead to announce it from Sandra Weschcke this evening, so you can look for the 10th Anniversary edition of Garden Witchery to be available in September of this year!

Blessed be, Ellen

Daylily and feverfew in my gardens 6-28-2013

Hello,
I have decided to run an online class sale. Four out of my five popular online classes are now 5 dollars off!

Here is a list of the four classes that are on sale.
Herb Magick - $25
Psychic Protection & the Paranormal- $25
The Elements of Witchcraft -$35
Advanced Natural Magick-$35

You can sign up for the classes on my website- just click on the link below!
http://www.ellendugan.com/10.html 

The Class descriptions are as follows:

The required text for this online course is Practical Protection Magick, by Ellen Dugan. Published by Llewellyn Worldwide. The text does not come with this course and may be purchased ay any major bookstore or online through Llewellyn Worldwide at www.llewellyn.com or at Amazon at www.amazon.com The book is also available on Kindle.

The Elements of Witchcraft and Advanced Natural Magick 

Award winning author, Ellen Dugan is offering an two-part, at home study course. The first Class-  "The Elements of Witchcraft." and now a second course on "Advanced Natural Magick".
These Courses are only being offered online and are available to purchase through PayPal. The class fee is $35.00 for each class, and will be emailed to you in Rich Text Format. 

The first "at home" course of study, The Elements of Witchcraft, covers the four elements, their magickal correspondences, and several days of elemental homework assignments. Included in the course is: The Welcome letter, a Syllabus, study guide, and the lesson plan and homework assignments. There is a suggested reading list for further study, and a self-test for you to take on the honor system to challenge yourself and to see how much you have learned. Required text for the first course is Elements of Witchcraft: by Ellen Dugan, Published by Llewellyn Worldwide. 




 
The second "at home" course, "Advanced Natural Magick"  goes further into the study of the elements and the Elementals. (It is strongly recommended for you to have taken the first class before you begin the second.) This advanced class builds off of your homework and journaling from the first class, and looks at how the four elemental energies are at play within your own psyche and how they influence your personal power. Included in the course is: the welcome letter, the syllabus and the Study Guide Part I, and Study Guide Part II. Within the study guides for "Advanced Natural Magick" are rituals,  reading assignments and homework assignments. There is also a suggested reading list for further study. The required texts for the second course is Natural Witchery and Garden Witchery, by Ellen Dugan, Published by Llewellyn Worldwide.
The texts do not come with the courses and may be purchased at any major bookstore, or on line through Llewellyn Worldwide 

Oh and yes, my Full Moon Magick class is still available and only $22.00 The lunar eclipse information has been updated for 2013. I have also updated the other lunar information- this is important as there are no Blue moons in 2013 or 2014. So for the new online students I added a Black Moon spell- There are going to be 2 "Black Moons in 2014! What is a "Black Moon" you may ask?
It is the second new moon within any calendar month. In 2014 there is a "Black Moon in January and in March!  

 

So there you go all the class information that you need, go ahead and sign up for a class or two, they are affordable and you can work them at your own pace and in the privacy of your own home. Kick off 2013 by celebrating your Craft and learning something new. 

Blessed be, Ellen

Good Morning,

My very first book Garden Witchery: Magick from the Ground Up, is part of a week long big KINDLE Summer sale from June 16th Through June 24, 2012. For one week it will have a special Kindle price of $2.99. So go snag a copy for you Kindle now and take advantage of the sale!

Garden Witchery will always hold a special place in my heart. It was my very first book and a whole series of Witchery Books was born from it. First we had Garden Witchery... then came Cottage Witchery, Natural Witchery, Book of Witchery and just this year Seasons of Witchery!  Also I should point out the Garden Witch's Herbal is a sequel of sorts to Garden Witchery...
I pulled out a clump of old purple cone flowers from the front gardens yesterday, as they had stopped producing petals and had weird shaped cones... not too sure what happened to them but I replaced them with a fun perennial Black-eyed Susans (Rudebeckia).
 
 This is drought tolerant perennial, makes a nice cut flower, and it can handle the heat and full sun of the front gardens. I actually found a picture of the variety I purchased and here they are. These Black-eyed Susans will grow to be 18-24 inches tall.

I thought these were bright and cheerful- just the thing for summer.     I hope you will enjoy your weekend in the garden, and when you are done working, grab your Kindle- take advantage of the special sale and read or re-read Garden Witchery: Magick from the Ground Up.

There is plenty there to inspire you. With flower folklore, spells and charms, and of course garden plans and ideas for gardens of witchery for sun, shade, faeries or moonlight.

Blessed be, Ellen

Hello,
Sorry it has been a while since I posted anything. But it has been crazy busy here at home. Seasons of Witchery is just released, and I am doing the proof pages with my editor for the Companion book for the Witches Tarot this morning.

Nikko Blue hydrangea in Ellen's garden

Meanwhile in the gardens my hydrangeas are massive this year and so heavily laden with blooms. It is such a treat. Hydrangeas may be used in spells and charm to break a hex and to protect from negative energy. I recommend gathering the bloom heads in autumn when they are dried for this purpose. 

Color variations on one huge hydrangea

If you would like to add hydrangea blossoms to your indoor flower arrangements you need to treat them first- otherwise they wilt immediately. Also be advised if you go crazy and cut a bunch of blossoms- you are cutting off bloom wood for next year. (Especially on the old classic varieties of hydrangea, the Nikko Blue variety to be specific.) The color variations in the pictures are due to the soil acidity. If the soil is acidic Nikko blue hydrangeas turn a crazy shade of blue. If not... they stay pink. Or you can add Mir-acid in water and water it in around the plant and you will get variations of colors. Pink-purple and blue.

To treat the hydrangeas for cut flowers, start a small pot of water boiling on the stove. Only fill that pot half way. Then go out and gather your hydrangeas for cut flowers. strip the foliage from the lower part of the stem. Then CAREFULLY move the pot of boiling water to the sink.

Use a pair of tongs to keep your hands clear- and to hold the hydrangea stems and dunk the very ends into the boiling water. Be prepared that the water will react and bubble up strongly when you dunk the stems in. Hold the stems in for 10 seconds. I had a hell of a mess all over the top of my stove the first time I tried it. So now I keep the water level down, use tongs to hold the stems and put the pot in the sink. So if the hot water bubbles over the sides of the pot. It stays contained in the sink. Afterward you have treated the ends of the stems, arrange your hydrangeas in a vase.

The Witchery Series by Ellen Dugan

That's all from here. Enjoy the summer because it's here early this year!
Blessed be, Ellen

Container with accessories

Flowers before planting

Setting the flowers out

Finished Window box

And I promised myself I would plant with abandon, and mix things up. I chose my flowers and ended up with cool colors- which I think "Pops" against the white siding and blue trim of the house. I set them (still in their pots) inside the window box to get a feel for them-- and then I planted away.  
 Here is a picture of one of the boxes all finished and hung on the house. So it was a nice morning's work. Because I was feeling industrious I swept up the patios and tidied up a bit. The  I walked around the yard and took more pictures of the gardens. 

Ellen's perennial garden 4-2012

I hope you will take some time this weekend and get outside and plant something! Even a container on your porch can add magick to your world. 
Blessed be, Ellen

Good Morning,

Garden sign in the lavender

My garden is blooming about a month ahead of schedule, thanks to the very warm and early spring we are experiencing this year. My lilac is finished its bloom cycle and my snowball bush is blooming now and so are my roses. Wow, this is early. About a month early.

Snowball bush April1, 2012

And I have to say, my garden has been a comfort to me in these last few weeks. When the stress and pressure have gotten to me, I head out to the garden.
There is always work to be done. Staking the peonies- I use round tomato cages- works like a charm. Just train the sprouts up inside of those concentric rings.
I ruthlessly pull weeds, lay down more mulch, and since the weather has been so warm I started planting new hanging baskets and containers. Geraniums and petunias can take a little chill. So when the weather swings cooler (and it will) the flowers will be fine.

New container in Ellen's garden

For the past few days I have been sitting outside in the afternoon and evenings with the proof pages for Seasons of Witchery, and have worked my way carefully through them. There are many illustrations in this new book and the artist, Wen Hsu did a phenomenal job. In just two months the book will be out and in your hot little hands. I can hardly wait!

Seasons of Witchery was a fun book to write as I wrote it in real time. The Midsummer chapter was written in- wait for it... June. The Samhain chapter was written during October, and so on.
I wanted this book on the sabbats to be personal and relaxing. Not to just trot out the old Eggs are for Ostara, schtick. This is a book you can read all year long, and it will give you plenty of seasonal spells, garden witchery, witchy arts and crafts, faerie magick, and even some recipes to try out. I am very happy with it.

2012 Faerie Garden in old Birdbath

 Yesterday my coven sister and fellow Llewellyn author, Ember came over, and I had her take a look at a few questions I had marked in the proof pages. While she was visiting my acquisitions editor Elysia called to check in and since Ember was with me, she scared the crap out us both with an April Fools joke. She got us good too.

After that my friend and I blew through my questions in less than an hour, and then of course we headed out to the gardens. Ember and I talked about the next coven get-together, our book projects- she has her second book on crystal magick coming out next year, and of course we discussed our gardens.

Perennial garden April-1-2012

I loaded her up with some 25 pound bags of organic potting soil- courtesy of my husband's job- he gets to bring home samples... and she headed home- with a gleam in her eye and plans for new container gardens. 

Later in the evening my sons Kraig and Kyle came over and we barbequed and relaxed.
All in all it was a great way to start out the month of April. I hope that you spruce up your gardens, plant some containers and spend some time in your gardens this week. They truly are magickal places.
Blessed be, Ellen

PS. Don't forget that my books; Garden Witchery, Garden Witch's Herbal and Herb Magic for Beginners, are filled with magick and practical gardening information, garden plans, container gardening, flower folklore, spells and rituals that you can use. No matter where you live- there is always a way to add some of the garden's enchantment to your life.

Good Morning,

As the moon waxes towards full, I have begun the "clean out the gardens" process here at home. With a mild winter and a spring determined to come early this year... it's time. My tulip and daffodil foliage is about 4 inches tall and my perennials are starting to show new growth. Definitely time to clean up, cut back, and rake out the fallen leaves.
I leave the perennial foliage and seed heads of my plants stand all winter long. It is much more attractive than a razed-to-the-ground garden in the winter, and this provides cover for the animals and snacks for the birds during the winter.... But the clean up and rake out job in the spring is huge.

I got an hour in and filled up 2 huge yard waste containers, and 2 more of those tall yard waste compost-able bags on Monday. Yesterday I hit the garden again and busted ass out there for 3 hours. Filled up 6 of those tall paper yard waste bags... and I only cleaned out three big flower beds.

I still have about 6 more flower beds to go... Two of those beds are huge. The Secret Formal Garden at the bottom of the yard is massive and the rest of the flower beds that wrap all the way around the house are good sized. But I will keep working my way around our yard until I get them all ready for spring.

With the esbat coming tomorrow I wanted to share a pretty March/ Storm Full Moon spell with you. Light a small white candle and turn and face the moon. Visualize all of the positive things and new beginnings the spring will bring. Then repeat the spell verse.

Good Morning,
I am getting itchy for spring to arrive, which is why I updated the blog design to a cheerful springy/ vintage  theme. 
That, and birds, nests, babies and kids have been on my mind a lot lately. 

Part of that is due to the fact that I was assigned to write the Ostara ritual and article for the 2013 Sabbat Annual. The ritual I came up with incorporates birds, eggs and tiny bird's nests for symbolic props  in the Vernal Equinox ritual.
It was different and fun to conjure up that new sabbat ritual and those types of images and themes are always very season appropriate .

Perhaps it's the baby quilt that I just finished last night for a coven sister who is due in a couple of weeks... Maybe its the fact that my empty nest here at home- which my husband and I have thoroughly enjoyed for the past year- is about to fill back up as one of our chicks will be moving back home in late March.

Our daughter is moving back home to save up for graduate school. She wants to get a better car and put some money away before she takes the big leap and goes to get her Master's degree. Her father and I both support this decision and she will move the bulk of her items into storage and then move back home with her personal items and so forth. 

She is excited and is raring to go, so I imagine by this fall our nest will be empty again as she is looking at universities that are all out of state. We are happy to help her out while she saves up, gets a better car, and prepares for the next chapter in her life.
The girl is a hard worker, she was an RA in college and also held down a part time job off campus. She's been working full time since she graduated with her Bachelor's degree, and I have no doubt that her goals will be achieved.

This morning when I woke up I heard birds singing outside the windows. My daffodils and hyacinths are getting taller every day, and just yesterday when I was gathering some herbs I noticed my butterfly bush is covered in bright green leaves.
Seems to me that the Goddess of Spring is making an early appearance this year.

I imagine I will be running outside a lot in the next few weeks and covering up my plants with buckets to protect them while the temperatures swing back and forth. The perennials are pushing through the ground and the spring birds have returned. At this point I can only hustle and get ready for the new gardening season and all of the projects that are about to come to fruition.

I will be getting the proof pages for Seasons of Witchery, in a couple of weeks, (It will be released in June), the Witches Tarot deck is in its final stages, and I have started yet another new magickal manuscript. Why? because I had an idea and I wanted to explore it. So far while it has been a lot of work, it has also been fun.
No doubt about it, this spring is going to be busy on many levels.

No matter how you look at it spring is always a busy time. So my friends, brace yourself. Because spring and all of its changes and opportunity for growth- is just around the corner. Enjoy them all.
Blessed be, Ellen

Seasons of Witchery: Celebrating the Sabbats with the Garden Witch