Part One: The Everyday Witch
What’s in a Name? Pagans, Wiccans and Witches

Part Two: Nurturing the Inner Witch
Conscious Living—Integrating Your Spiritual Beliefs into Your Everyday Life

Part Three: The Witch’s Hearth and Home
Your Home Is Your Temple—the Pagan Household

Chapter 7: Altars, Circles and Other Places of Worship
Chapter 8: Sharing Your Space with Non-Pagans
Chapter 9: Housecleaning and Spiritual Cleansing
Chapter 10: When You Aren’t Out Of the Broom Closet—Setting up the Undercover Pagan Space

Introduction

There are many books out there for the Witch who is just starting out. Lovingly (or not so lovingly) referred to by many of us as “Wicca 101” books, they instruct those who are new to the Craft in the basics of magickal practice, which tools to use, and how to cast spells.

This is not one of those books.

Sorry.

That is not to say that this book won’t be of some use to you if you are a beginning Witch. It is my hope that the topics I cover within these pages will help all those who follow the Old Ways, whether they have been practicing for a month or for twenty years.

But in truth, this book was written primarily with more experienced Witches in mind. There are a few places where I cover the basics, of course; primarily as a refresher or to make sure that we are all on the same page. But if you need to know how to pronounce “athame” or perform a simple quarter call, you need a different book.

So, you might ask, who is this book for?

It is for any Witch who has mastered the fundamentals, and longs to go deeper. It is for the Pagan who has been on his or her path for a while and feels like something is missing…but doesn’t quite know what. And it is for anyone who believes that being a Witch is less about what color candle you light than about how you live your life, every day.

Some of us may reach this point after a few weeks of practice. For others it may take years. But if you are searching for ways to integrate your spiritual beliefs as a Pagan with your everyday life, then this book is for you.

The book is broken up into six sections, covering various aspects of the Witch’s life. I suggest that you read through the first section, well, first—it covers some of the elements that I will be referring to throughout the book. Other than that, though, feel free to go to whichever section suits your fancy, catches your eye, or meets your needs at the moment. Or read through them all in order, it’s up to you.

I have tried to answer many of the questions that have come up in my own life, or that have been brought to me in my role as High Priestess. Questions like: “How does being a Witch help you deal with crisis?” “How do I share my space with non-Pagans?” Or even, “How can I have an altar if I am still in the broom closet?”

In every chapter, I address the issues that confront us as we live our lives as Pagans in a non-Pagan world. I answer some questions and raise a few more in the process, because part of my intention here is to get us all thinking and talking about what it is that makes us Witches, and how we can bring that part of us more fully into our everyday existence.

At the end of each chapter there are small optional extras: some are called “Something to think about,” and others are called “Something to try.” I hope that they will amuse, assist and encourage you as you travel your path.

Goddess is in the Details is about bringing our best Witchy selves to every moment of our mundane lives. Even if no one knows it but us.

I love being a Witch. Not just at Full Moons or on the Sabbats—although I love those too. I love being a Pagan every day of the year.

Why? Because I look at the world differently than I did before I discovered I was a Witch and that difference makes my life a better place. Because being a Pagan influences every facet of my life, bringing light and laughter and a new perspective to the everyday tasks and trials we all deal with 365 days a year.

To me, being a Witch is more than worshipping the goddess under a glowing sky or celebrating Beltane with one hundred of my closest friends (some of whom I just met). It is how I make choices, mark the important moments of my life and bring reverence and mirth to all that I do.

Being a Witch is not just the road to who I am—it is the journey itself. And how I travel on that journey makes all the difference.

So come, join me on the journey that is the well-lived Pagan life. And may the goddess send her brightest blessings to speed you on your way.