An Introduction

I’ve deliberated a bit on how to start this blog. I’ve even written a draft or two, only to decide that I didn’t really like them. Write, Ruminate, Recycle Bin, Repeat. So, perhaps I’ll start with getting some basics out of the way.

Hi! My name is Isaac, and I study Nature Magic.

Now, when I drop the “M” Word, I’m not talking about Harry Potter magic. Sorry. Physics reigns supreme in this reality, last time I checked, and, as cool as it would be to break the laws of the Universe with adulterated Latin and a wave of a wand, I can’t do it. I haven’t met anyone yet who can. Instead, I work with an older idea of magic. This work happens in the realm of consciousness. We’ll get into that a little later, as magic, and how I understand it, deserves a blog post of its own.

First, I’ll set a little bit of the scene. I live in an old farmhouse on the side a hill dwarfed by the rolling mountains of Northern Vermont. My town was built up on the side of the Connecticut River, which is the border between us and New Hampshire. This gives me a killer view of the White Mountains, and some amazing, local hiking opportunities. My companions are my husband, my step-son, and a slew of pets. Our little farm is situated in the middle of the woods, a good distance from any neighbors. We have an amazing amount of wildlife living around us that like to interact in our lives for better or worse (they seem to love tasting the food, flowers, and herbs growing in my gardens). Great scenery, fresh air, varied ecosystems… I wouldn’t live anywhere else.

When I was younger, I began to find my spirituality in these woods. These thick, spruce forests spoke to me, and I tried to listen. Lots of exploration, interesting paths, and quite a few dead ends later, I ended up the apprentice of a Shaman, involved in a Revivalist Druid group, an herbalist, and a Reiki master. It’s time that I made something tangible from this work.

So, here we are. At the Green Mountain Mage website. It’s here that I plan to bring my work to the world, in the form of this weekly blog, and in the form of the store. I’ve played around with amulet creation many times, with varying levels of success. The ones that I will sell on this page carry organic herbs (grown by me, when possible), hand-sewn embroidery (a great way to direct intention), and are blessed in ritual after their creation. I will also be selling salves, herbs, and other various herbal and/or magical items. I’m aiming to carry quite the selection, though the store is rather bare bones at the time of writing this blog. I will also be making shamanic and ritual tools in a little bit, so keep your eyes out for those.

My plan with this blog is to post every Friday. A weekly blog is… intimidating, but it seems like a great form of organizing my thoughts, reflecting on my views, figuring out my ideas in a field that I love, and, perhaps, discussing natural magic with you, the reader. May we discover and grow together.

Thank you for reading my intro. Next week, we delve into discussion of Sacred Space.

Until then…

-The Green Mountain Mage