Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

My name is Jess, I have been a practicing pagan for over 20 years now, and I’m currently based in London in the UK. I think it goes without saying that spirituality is a huge part of my life, but other interests include hiking, yoga, bouldering, snowboarding, knitting, sewing, and other ‘crafty’ activities. I also love writing and reading, and attend a monthly book club.

As well as working full time and finding the time to focus on my writing, I also enjoy getting involved in charity work; I currently volunteer as a general manager for The Spiritual Arts Foundation, help with conservation work at my local ecology space, and am in the process of knitting tiny hats for the Age UK/Innocent Smoothie campaign, as well as training for a 42km coastal hike to raise money for a care home on the Isle of Wight (which is where I was born and raised).

How would you describe your spiritual pathway?

I would describe my spiritual pathway as very eclectic, and having been practicing for so long, it has grown and changed along the way. For the past few years I have been practicing what I refer to as ‘water witchcraft’, which essentially is a practice centred around the element of water. That doesn’t mean that I ‘ignore’ the other elements, just that I primarily work with deities and spirits associated with water, use it in various different ways in ritual, etc.

I see my spirituality as a tool for self-improvement, and so meditation, mantras, and shadow work feature quite heavily in my practice. I love connecting with nature and working with nature spirits, and feeling the feeling of peace and connectivity that it brings. I’m also a bit of a history nerd, and I love reading old texts and researching myths and deities through these texts and other historical evidence that has been unearthed.

How and when did your spiritual journey begin?

As a kid, I was always fascinated with witches in the stories I would read. I was constantly mixing potions in the garden, I believed in fairies, and that there was a female God as well as the male God I was taught to believe in. It was around the age of 13 that I found out that ‘witchcraft’ was a very real pathway after reading an article in a magazine. After that, I was hooked! I bought books in secret and stashed them under my bed, I would perform rituals whilst everyone else was sleeping, and once I went to University at the age of 18, I was able to open up and meet other witches within the community. I do feel very lucky to have discovered it so early, and to have found such a supportive community to be a part of.

You work with lithomancy, how did you discover it and how does it work for you?

I actually discovered it through one of Rachel Patterson’s workshops as part of the Kitchen Witch School (a resource I would highly recommend). I had tried more ‘traditional’ forms of divination such as the pendulum, and tarot and oracle cards, but I never quite ‘clicked’ with them. Lithomancy was the first divination method that I found really spoke to me. One of the things I loved about it was the ability to build your own lithomancy set, and so you could craft a tool that really spoke to your intuition and was personal to you. I have had great fun – and success – experimenting with different sets and different ways of reading them. Some have failed, but that is half the fun! And when you find a set which works for you, it is incredibly rewarding. I’ve performed readings for myself and readings for other people, with great results, and it is a core part of my practice. I’ve even found a way to incorporate it into my energy healing practices, and I love the versatility of it.

Do you have any regular daily spiritual practices?

I have quite a varied schedule, and it is very rare that one day is the same as the next! So it can be difficult to conduct a ‘daily’ spiritual practice. However, I do aim to say a short ‘thank you’ to the element of water, my spirits, deities, and ancestors every day. I also try to connect with healing energy everyday, and use it to cleanse myself and my energy centres.

You have a love of water, how does that feature in your practice?

As I’ve mentioned, it is a huge part of my practice! I’m actually a fire sign (Aries), and so it often comes across as unexpected that I have this connection to the element of water. However, it makes sense to me as I find that the element of water helps balance some of my more fiery qualities, and helps me find peace. The element of water is also associated with some of my other interests, such as energy healing and divination so it is a great companion to those other practices. I grew up on the Isle of Wight and have fond memories of days spent on the beach and by the sea, so water has always been a feature in my life. I currently live next to the River Thames, and regularly take time to connect with the energy of the river, and with Father Thames. Many of my rituals are focused around the element of water; I love ritual baths, and make my own salt scrubs and soaps (such as a soap inspired by the Goddess Coventina to cleanse  me of negativity when I’m in the shower), I drink herbal teas, I work with water spirits such as the Sisters of Avalon to help me in my healing, and most of the animal spirits I work with are those connected to the element of water.

Do you have favourite areas of the Craft to work with?

Energy healing is one of my favourite areas; I’m a Reiki master and attend a monthly Reiki share, and I’m currently exploring reflexology as that is a form of energy healing I haven’t worked with. I’ve always loved meditation, especially guided meditations, and have recently got back into writing and recording my own guided meditations. Spirit work – especially nature spirits – and spirit journeying are also activities that I’ve been more and more invested in. I had my first experience with nature spirits over 20 years ago, but since moving to my new flat a couple of years ago I haven’t had a chance to explore the spirits of the local area, so that is very much on my agenda at the moment.

What or who inspires you on your spiritual pathway?

I love being a part of the community, and I always find it inspiring to see what other people are doing, and especially how they incorporate spirituality into their everyday life. Hearing what people are getting up to, seeing their posts on social media, listening to talks and lectures and such is really motivating. I’ve been lucky enough to connect with other pagans, healers, historians, poets, and so many other people who find unique ways to celebrate their spirituality, and I love to see it!

Do you have any new adventures or projects planned?

I’m currently in the process of overhauling my website, by adding more content and improving the look and the user experience – but that is still very much a work in progress! Otherwise I’m getting back into blogging more recently, and sharing my guided meditations. I am also working on a proposal for a new book idea, but that is still very early days. I’m the sort of person who tends to have two or three ideas on the go, so it’s always difficult to tell which ones will make the cut!

For more details: https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com/moon-books/authors/jessica-howard