trees Archives - Glasse Witch Cottage

Rooting Into Springtime: Trees as Spiritual Companions

Posted on May 5, 2025May 4, 2025 by GlasseWitch

As springtime enlivens the world around us, the warmer temperatures and opening leaves and flowers invite us to spend more time outdoors. This time of year is referred to in many Pagan religious traditions as the “outward spiral.” We experience the seasons as a repeating pattern of times of turning inward toward hearth and home…

The Song of Spring ~ Encountering Omens in Nature

Posted on April 25, 2022April 24, 2022 by GlasseWitch

The return of spring is so joyous here in Western Maryland. It seems like the dawn chorus of birds gets a little louder every day as the warm sunlight convinces more spring flowers to open. With grateful hearts, we welcome back the growing season. We begin dusting off our hiking shoes and gardening gloves; we…

Weaving the Threads ~ A Short Sermon

Posted on December 14, 2020December 8, 2020 by GlasseWitch

This short sermon was offered for the December 13th, 2020, streaming service at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick. Full text below. I sometimes joke that paganism is an unusually intense form of environmentalism. One of the common threads that comes up when talking to other pagans is that we were pretty feral as children. …

Foundations of Witchcraft: A Blackfeather Mystery School Training Manual

Available now from Crossed Crow Books! Order a signed copy here (only available in the United States).

Foundations of Witchcraft: A Blackfeather Mystery School Training Manual is a comprehensive guide to the practice of witchcraft and spiritwork. Rooted in over two decades of experience, this immersive manual blends magical theory, ritual, spellcasting, journeywork, and introductory spirit contact into a cohesive and empowering system.

Designed to offer both structure and freedom, Foundations of Witchcraft treats witchcraft and spiritwork as complementary paths. It provides clear, practical training to help witches develop their power and deepen their connection to the unseen.

The Heathen Way: Foundations of Inclusive Norse Practice

Coming in July of 2027 from Llewellyn Worldwide. Reserve a copy from Llewellyn here. Reserve a copy from Amazon here. Options to order signed copies will be available as we get closer to the release date.

In our modern era of changing relationships and digital connectivity, this beginner guide to heathenry offers an inclusive, ethical framework for deep connection and growth.

Drawing from their years of experience as practitioners and teachers, Irene and Ash Glasse introduce you to Norse history, mythology, and philosophy while also providing many hands-on exercises for our contemporary world. They offer approachable ways to explore the basics of heathenry and its community, helping you decide what aspects of the tradition work best for you.

From deities and sagas to runes and rituals, this inclusive guide features everything you need to start practicing heathenry. Learn how to perform blóts and holiday ceremonies, use the Elder Futhark for divination, discover what wyrd, animism, and seidhr mean, and much more. Whatever your background or skill level, this guide welcomes you to find your own heathen way.

Irene Glasse is a Heathen witch based in Western Maryland. She is a longtime teacher of witchcraft, meditation, and magic in the mid-Atlantic. She is the co-author of "Foundations of Witchcraft: A Blackfeather Mystery School Training Manual" (Crossed Crow Books, 2026), the co-author of the forthcoming "The Heathen Way: Foundations of Inclusive Norse Practice" from Llewellyn Worldwide, a contributing writer to Llewellyn's Witch's Sun Sign Series and to the 2024 - 2026 Sabbats Almanacs (Llewellyn Worldwide, 2023 - 2025), and a blogger and columnist. She is a Commissioned Lay Minister at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick and is the lead organizer of the Frederick Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (Frederick CUUPS), offering events, rituals, classes and workshops to a large, vibrant community.

Caine Dreamwalker, co-author and co-creator of Blackfeather Mystery School, has spent over a decade building upon his vision of caring for his community as a modern Spiritworker. It is his life’s work to help others and Caine strives to approach his life with as much compassion as his heart can muster. He makes it his mission to meet people exactly where they are in the moment to help overcome obstacles in their path.

Ash Glasse (they/them) is a Heathen practitioner based in Western Maryland. They are the Gothar (spiritual leader) of Elk Ridge Kindred, an inclusive Heathen group based in Frederick, Maryland. Ash is the co-author of the forthcoming "The Heathen Way: Foundations of Inclusive Norse Practice" from Llewellyn Worldwide. They are a member of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Frederick, where they are an active CUUPS (Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans) member, leader, and teacher. Ash’s primary focus in Heathenry is to incorporate the practice into daily life. They try to break down the walls between the spiritual and the mundane, while keeping in touch with Heathenry’s historical roots.