Ancestral Traditions | The Metaphysical Haberdashery

the field journal

Curious encounters, unexpected discoveries, and adventures in the Wyrd.

Pull a thread.

See where it leads.

Curious things have a way of turning up at the Haberdashery. From time to time, I’ll send you a letter with something that’s found its way through the door — a strange story, an unexpected discovery, an old practice, or whatever else has wandered in.

All
The Sight
Practical Magic
The Marked Word
The Turning Wheel

Whimsical Victorian scene inside The Metaphysical Haberdashery during a thunderstorm. Laura and Sir Henry the peacock wear laurel wreaths and sunglasses while Mr. Nibwick, a tiny horned mouse with dragonfly wings, carefully prepares more wreaths. Antique books, botanical illustrations, teacups, and a framed Regulation No. 49 fill the warmly lit room as lightning flashes outside.

The Emperor, the Laurel Wreath, and the Department of Atmospheric Unpleasantness

What do a thunder-fearing Roman emperor, a ceremonial laurel wreath, and a peacock with absolutely no sense of responsibility have in common? Quite a lot, apparently! Join me at The Metaphysical Haberdashery, where an innocent bit of botanical research has resulted in imperial headwear, a new government department, and considerably more work for poor Mr. Nibwick. 🌿🦚

Practical Magic

4 min read

A steaming cup of rosemary tea in a vintage mug decorated with green flowers, surrounded by fresh rosemary, green apples, cinnamon sticks, and piloncillo on a rustic wooden table.

The Rosemary Spiral

A simple cup of rosemary, apple, and cinnamon tea becomes an unexpected garden blessing. Discover the beauty of everyday magic and kitchen witchery.

Practical Magic

4 min read

An ancient moss-covered stone doorway opens onto a misty Scottish landscape at Samhain. A glowing lantern illuminates the autumn leaves and winding path, while a golden moon rises above distant hills and a quiet loch.

Samhain: When the Veil Between Worlds Grows Thin

As the year turns toward winter, Samhain marks a mysterious threshold between light and darkness, the living and the dead, and the familiar world and the Otherworld. Explore the ancient Celtic traditions, folklore, and beliefs surrounding this sacred turning of the seasons, when the veil between worlds is said to grow thin and the voices of the past seem just a little closer.

The Turning Wheel

6 min read

A glass jar filled with salt, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, bay leaves, black peppercorns, and rosemary, decorated with twine, an antique key, and a handwritten tag reading “Peace within, protection without.” The jar sits on a rustic wooden table surrounded by herbs and spices, with a glowing candle and The Metaphysical Haberdashery sign in the softly lit background.

A Little Jar of Household Magic: Salt, Herbs, and the Art of Protection

Discover kitchen cupboard magic! Make a simple salt jar for home protection using everyday herbs, spices, and a little intention.

Practical Magic

6 min read

Two antique wooden butter prints carved with flower patterns, displayed beside a label describing the protective Daisy Witch Mark at the Museum of Magic in Edinburgh.

To Protect Your Butter from Magic, First Do Some Magic

What do you do when a witch curses your butter? A little magic of your own, naturally. Discover the folklore behind carved butter prints, then try a simple teaspoon flower to protect—or just prettify—your butter. Practical magic, served with toast.

Practical Magic

3 min read

Odin with both eyes intact sits beneath Yggdrasil, reaching toward glowing runes among mossy roots, with a raven nearby and mountains lit by a golden sunset.

Blood, Bark, and Binding Magic: The Hanging of Odin

Bound by rope, pierced by his own spear, and suspended over the abyss—discover the dark, storybook retelling of how Odin gave himself to himself to claim the power of the Runes.

The Marked Word

3 min read

Whispers of Wyrd: How the Norns Carved Fate into Yggdrasil

Ever wonder where the runes actually come from? 🌿✨ Long before Odin hung from the World Tree, three mysterious maidens sat beneath Yggdrasil, carving sacred symbols to weave the threads of fate itself. Step into the story of the Norns, the web of Wyrd, and how the first runes were spoken into existence.

The Marked Word

3 min read

Round pat of butter stamped with a six-petalled daisy wheel beside a carved wooden butter print, traditionally used as protection against bewitchment.

The Six-Petalled Flower That Followed Me Across the Atlantic

A six-petalled flower stamped into butter to protect it from witches. The same ancient symbol covering a 17th-century church built to evangelize the Maya, thousands of miles away. Coincidence, decoration, protection, or something more? Sometimes pulling a thread in Scotland leads somewhere entirely unexpected in Yucatán. 🌼

The Sight

4 min read

Woman with long black hair in a black lace gown embroidered with red and pink flowers stands in a stone castle courtyard facing wooden gallows, evoking a past-life vision at York Castle.

Hung as a witch in a past life? It explains a lot about this life.

I’ve spent much of my life exploring magic, yet some part of me has always been afraid to truly let people see that side of me. Then I walked into a courtyard at York Castle and experienced something that made that fear suddenly make sense. What if some of the fears we carry didn’t begin in this life?

The Sight

3 min read

bind runes in combinations to protect your home.

Your Home Is Your Temple: Florida Water & Bind Runes

Your home is more than the place where you live. It holds you, protects you, feeds you, and carries the energy of everyday life. In this simple folk magic project, we’ll make Florida water with essential oils, create a bind rune for the bottle, and activate it with song and intention. Then use it throughout your home to cleanse stale energy, invite in what you want more of, and remember that the whole space is sacred.

The Marked Word

5 min read