Welcome to Craft of the Wise; Herb Craft for the Modern Witch

magical labyrinth

Welcome to Craft of the Wise - a new age blog focused on herb craft for the modern witch.

She sat alone beside her hearth -- 

For many nights alone:

She slept not on the pleasant couch

Where fragrant herbs were strewn.

Letitia Elizabeth Landon, 1801-1838, from her poem “She Sat Alone Beside Her Hearth"

Welcome to Craft of the Wise

Just a quick introduction - I am a solitary practitioner of cottage witchcraft and magic. I don’t follow any particular tradition, nor do I belong to a coven. A cottage witch is a follower of natural magic and doesn’t follow any particular tradition of witchcraft. Cottage witches use ordinary household objects and items found in nature to work their craft and are typically solitary practitioners who don’t belong to a coven. 


Every space in your household, whether you live in an apartment, townhome, condo, or house, can be used as a sacred space. Cottage witches place a special emphasis on the craft arts such as gardening, sewing, and cooking. While you may think cottage witches are traditionally located in the country, anywhere you can incorporate nature into your practice is the perfect location. 


Although I currently live on 1.25 acres in the country, with organic gardens, a fruit orchard, and free-range chickens, I’ve also spent many years living in apartments in the city. You don’t have to be a rural resident in order to practice as a cottage witch. You can grow a variety of herbs and vegetables in containers on your patio, balcony, or deck and there are always many parks and nature preserves within a short drive of any city. 


Herb Craft for the Modern Witch

The Craft of the Wise contains a collection of my own personal studies and knowledge gained throughout the years. I am a freelance writer and have written many articles for magazines and yearly anthologies such as Llewellyn’s Herbal Almanac. The Craft of the Wise is not a blog filled with ritual spells and magic, but rather a compendium of my many years of research focusing on ancient gardening lore and magical traditions. 


I dedicate this book to all practitioners of natural magic and earth-based spirituality whether you call yourself a cottage witch, herb witch, kitchen witch, medicine man, shaman, village healer, wise woman, cunning man, or green witch. Use this book as a guide to conducting your own celebrations honoring mother earth and her magical healing powers.


This book is meant for entertainment purposes only. Many of the herbs with reputed therapeutic value mentioned in the manuscript have not been proven to have medicinal benefits by modern-day herbal practitioners. Others mentioned may actually pose risk in certain doses. Please use caution when working with any plant material you aren’t familiar with.