A Lantern in the Dark, by Danielle Blackwood

��� At the Crossroads: Betwixt and Between I have been called a modern-day cunningwoman and a village witch.

It is true that I live in a cottage in the woods and people come to me for counsel, often of a decidedly magickal nature. My work itself is liminal, balancing between the worlds of the magickal and the mundane, as I am both professional astrologer and registered counselor.

Often, the imaginary lines between the two overlap, as ultimately, my role is to determine just what medicine someone requires. And although the language of astrology is one of the main tools of my trade, I also design therapeutic rituals for my clients for everything from new beginnings to closure. I read the patterns in the seasons and tend medicinal herbs in my witch’s garden according to the phases of the moon. Guiding others through their rites of passage when they find themselves in a dark wood is my passion and my life’s work. I have been on this path for a very long time and have heeded the call of the Mysteries since I was old enough to perceive that there was more beneath the surface of things than is immediately apparent.

I have always been fascinated with genealogy, and several years ago I embarked on a journey through my family’s origins through DNA testing and extensive family tree exploration. Through my research, I recently discovered that one of my ancestors was tried and executed for witchcraft in the Scottish Highlands during the Great Scottish Witch Hunt of 1597. She was one of what is estimated to 1