Writing books is a rather solitary endeavor. While friends and family can offer support and encouragement, it’s not like assembling a table; at the end of the day it’s up to the writer to write and convey their experiences in some sort of understandable way to their readers. The solitary work of writing is the exact opposite of my Witchcraft practice, which often involves several hundred (if not thousands of) people every year. Those hundreds and thousands are the people I’m lucky enough to speak in front of and share ritual space with.
The most important of those people is my wife, Ari Mankey. Ari is thirteen times the Witch I am, and as you might have gathered from this book, she’s an equal partner in everything I do. She’s responsible for dozens of ideas that have ended up in this book, and almost all of my best work has been with her by my side. I’m sure you’re tired of getting called out in these books, dear wife, but it’s all the truth.
This book exists only because my coven, the Oak Court, is an amazing group populated with even more amazing people. Several of them contributed ideas that ended up in this book, most notably Amanda Moonflower, who worked with Ari to come up with the working in the Mabon coven ritual. The Ostara circle ritual was highly influenced by a ritual I did with Scottie (I can’t use her last name in this book) for Imbolc several years ago. Scottie, all of us in the Oak Court miss you terribly and hope you move back to the Bay Area one of these days.
Angus McMahan is my pretty hair twin from another county, and he and his wife, Karen Broughton, have been the nexus point for so many of the great people Ari and I have met in California. Amber, Stephanie, and Sharyle, the Oak Court works today because you were all such integral cornerstone pieces. Matt, you are my brother in the truest sense of the word and have made both my rituals and magick stronger. Michael Harris in Santa Cruz, thanks for always giving me something to aspire to in life. When Ari and I “grow up,” we want to be you and Margie. Ankhira, your perfectionism is something I aspire to, and the Brigid Imbolc rite is much stronger because of your work. I don’t have room to thank all of the Oak Nuts past and present, but I think you know how I feel about you all.
I want to thank the Patheos Pagan Illuminati for their encouragement (and for letting me vent) during the writing of this book. John Beckett, Laura Tempest Zakroff, Phoenix LeFae, Astrea Taylor, Gwion Raven, Misha Magdalene, Kelden Mercury, Mat Auryn, and Heron Michelle, it’s amazing to me that I get to call such amazing Witches and Druids peers, and it’s even cooler that you are all my friends. Thanks to my extended writing community too: Chas Bogan, Storm Faerywolf, Thorn Mooney, Devin Hunter, Dorothy Morrison, Christopher Penczak, Mickie Mueller, Lilith Dorsey, and Deborah Blake (plus the other three dozen I don’t have room to mention). I feel incredibly lucky to be writing alongside you all.
My first experiences with Witchcraft were through books, and those books had a tremendous impact on me as a young person. So thanks to Silver RavenWolf, D. J. Conway, Ray Buckland, Amber K, Janet and Stewart Farrar, Pauline and Dan Campanelli, Margot Adler, Starhawk, Scott Cunningham, Chas Clifton, and Doreen Valiente for taking the time to write some amazing stuff over the decades. It was life-changing.
I am always indebted to the folks at Llewellyn not only for letting me write books but for doing such a great job editing, sharing, and marketing them. You are also all fantastic people and I’m glad Llewellyn is my book-writing home. My editors at Llewellyn, Elysia Gallo and Andrea Neff, both truly have the Midas touch and make everything they work on that much better.
I’ve been blessed to have some truly great artists as a part of my books over the years, but nothing prepared me for the amazing cover art and illustrations by Kjersti Faret that grace this book. Kjersti’s contributions have been just tremendous, and I’m so grateful to her for lending her talents to this endeavor.
Away from Paganism, I’m grateful for my Tuesday Night Trivia team at Fibbar MaGee’s in Sunnyvale. I realize how weird this sounds in a Pagan book, but without a break from Paganism, I probably couldn’t write these things. To Bert, Alex, Sarah, Payton, Andy, Lesley, Jody, and the many others who have graced our table over the years, I really do appreciate you. Also, Missy, Ben, Irene, Laramie, and everyone at Fibb’s over the years, thanks for the home away from home. Love always to my dad and mom and the rest of my extended family.
Last but not least, thanks to Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, Rhett Miller and the Old 97s, and Butch Walker for continuing to give me new things to listen to, and reminding me that in my forties I’m not quite dead yet.
Ramble On,
Jason Mankey
September 2018