Kate Freuler is the author of the book Of Blood and Bones: Working with Shadow Magick and the Dark Moon. Her website is https://www.katefreuler.com. She’s also the owner of the online shop White Moon Witchcraft at https://www.etsy.com/shop/whitemoonwitchcraft. We are excited that Kate Freulerhas agreed to a 13 Question interview.
1. Tell our readers a little about yourself, please.
Hi! I’m a writer and artist living in Ontario, Canada. I’ve been interested in the occult since I was very young and it’s been one of my passions for over 30 years, which tells you a little about my age. Aside from that, I take on a lot freelance writing projects, have an Etsy shop and make art. I’m extremely introverted and sometimes forget to interact with other humans, but I’m working on it.
2. Would you tell us about your book Of Blood and Bones: Working with Shadow Magick and the Dark Moon?
Of Blood and Bones was written between 2016 and 2019, then released in 2020. So much has happened since then that it feels like a lifetime ago. A lot of the book, especially the dark moon theme, was inspired by journal entries written while working through my mother’s death and trying to cope with loss and the cycles of life. Afterwards, I realized it might make an interesting book. The theme of death/rebirth led me to write about bones and animal parts in witchcraft, as they’re something I’m very familiar with but others might not be. Then, I was like, “Well, I’ve come this far, I may as well go all in,” and it became a book about some lesser-discussed elements of witchcraft.
3. How did you learn of contemporary Paganism, and when did you begin your magical practice?
I didn’t learn about actual modern paganism until my teens, in the 90s, through Llewellyn books. Prior to that, I’d been into witchy stuff since childhood, but had few resources to learn from. I started reading about witchcraft in library books when I was 11 and watched a lot of horror movies, but that was all. What I ended up with was a mix of history, Hollywood, and wild imagination. I guess you could say my real practice developed in my teens with the discovery of current authors of the time, and has continued to grow and change throughout my life. It’s changing even now.
4. Is there someone that inspires your magical practice?
Hmm, that’s a tough one. It’s hard to name just one because I’m continuously learning from so many people. Who I admire has shifted over the years, which I think is normal. I will say that younger practitioners play a role in the evolution of witchcraft that shouldn’t be dismissed. They have new and useful takes on things because their experience is current, having been born into a completely different time and social scene than me. I mean, they were dropped right into this fast-paced, techie, information-overloaded era, so they’re best equipped to navigate it, right? Witchcraft evolves with the times, so the younger crowd has insights to offer that are relevant and sometimes challenging. I’m also inspired by people who I disagree with; it forces me consider why I disagree, and leads to some interesting realizations. I guess my practice is impacted by people that make me think in new ways.
5. In your book, you write about Shadow Magick. Would you explain what that is?
Shadow magick is witchcraft that delves into the parts of yourself and your circumstances that are the hardest to face, giving them a voice and direction. It teaches a person to be comfortable with destruction being part of creation. This takes many forms, like purging negativity, facing your “weaknesses”, and using your supposedly “bad” emotions in empowering ways. It teaches people to accept the duality of life and that there is light and dark in everything. The dark isn’t bad, it is natural and necessary, just like death. Many people associate shadow magick with psychology, which it certainly ties into, but it’s not the same thing. My book has been bashed about a little for being triggering or overstepping into subjects that I shouldn’t, but I never meant to imply that shadow magick can replace therapy. (I will say though, not everyone has $150 a week lying around for therapy. Sometimes all you have is a candle, some salt and witchcraft.)
6. How does one acquire bones responsibly for art, collecting, or magick?
Nature is your best resource. It doesn’t happen as often or easily as people would like, but you do find bones around if you’re patient and observant. I only find bones in nature about once a year, if that, because I live in a city. Their rarity makes those bones all the more powerful to me, as if nature has placed meaningful treasures in my path. I’m not out here tripping over piles of skulls every day. However, not everyone is comfortable gathering them; it can be gross, smelly, and germy, especially if you have to clean them. My book explains a few ways to do this and some precautions to take, but no matter what, it’s time-consuming, dirty work. If you’re not into that, you can purchase pre-cleaned bones online. Just make sure to do a little digging on the seller to understand how they acquired them, and whether or not their methods are acceptable to you. For example, some people are okay with bones acquired from hunting, while others would rather ones unconnected to killing. It’s personal.
7. What are some of the steps that magick practitioners should take to safely work with bodily fluids if they choose?
Consent, hygiene and common sense. Consent because it’s illegal to feed bodily fluids to another person, or (I think) put it on their body in some way, without their knowledge. Hygiene because of disease. When handling another person’s blood etc., if you’re not in a fluid-sharing relationship, do not consume it or touch it in ways that it could enter your body, and dispose of it properly. Common sense means to use a controllable, sterile object like a lancet to draw blood, not a big clumsy weapon that could cause real harm. You only need a teeny tiny bit! A wee prick of the finger is plenty. These rules apply to all bodily fluids: consent, hygiene and common sense. If you don’t have common sense, don’t do this type of ritual.
8. You write about hexing (cursing) in your book. Why do you believe some contemporary Pagans, in print and online, oppose the practice?
I guess one reason is because they genuinely believe it will boomerang back to them. Another is that they simply don’t wish to welcome that type of energy into their life, even though in my opinion the energy is already there. Some people prefer to give it a positive spin by turning it into protection, which makes sense. A more unfortunate reason is that there’s a lot of bite-sized, absolutist information out there on social media. It’s inflammatory, heavy handed, and damning, which gives learners a stark, binary idea of “good” and “evil”, with no grey area. Think 20 second tiktok videos, or a single quotation in a box. That’s what some people are currently learning from. Personally, I think in many cases cursing is justified. Just as nature can be cruel, so can magick. It’s balance. You can embrace this or not.
9. In your book, you write about the goddess The Morrigan. What’s it like working with what some describe as a Dark Goddess?
It was chaotic, but also comforting. As I mentioned, I wrote a lot of the book during a time of loss, and identifying with a goddess of death, like the Morrigan, helped me understand and accept the life and death cycle. She is multi-faceted, which is why having her influence in your life is so conflicting. She encompassed the difficult change I was going through, but also within her was the comfort and guidance necessary to get through it. It feels like an unavoidable, disastrous storm is upending your life, but while it does, you get to be in the calm eye of the storm, if that makes sense. Peace and acceptance in the midst of chaos.
10. Tell us about your online shop White Moon Witchcraft.
White Moon Witchcraft started in 2010 on Etsy, and has grown and shrunk and grown and shrunk again over the years. I sell amulets, rune stuff, spell kits and witchcraft supplies of many kinds. I make every order myself, including the packaging and little freebies that come with each order. It’s a very hands-on process. Right now I’ve significantly scaled down my inventory because I’m working on some exciting new projects that are taking a lot of my time.
11. You’ve provided us with some fantastic art. Would you tell us about it?
Lately I’ve been shoving my art down everyone’s throat because I plan to start selling it in the near future. The pieces I’ve included here are some of my spookier-feeling stuff, which I continue to make, but lately I’ve been shifting into a new style. I like to juxtapose scary/dark/weird subjects against obnoxiously bright, jarring colours. I have a bit of an obsession with 1960s aesthetic, so lately that’s been coming out more. I’m really inspired by retro pulp illustrations and the bizarre advertisements of that time. I share my art sometimes on instagram @kate_freuler_author and @kate_freuler_art
12. What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching when writing a book?
Years! For my first book, I researched for at about three years all together. I feel like I need to know EVERYTHING before writing about it, so I end up going down a lot of rabbit holes and into off-shooting topics. In the end, what is present in one paragraph might be the result of two books I read and made a lot of irrelevant notes on. As for how I research, I find all the books I can on each topic, read them, cross-reference and take notes. In some cases I check out related podcasts and videos, but books are my real passion. I also delve into bibliographies, which leads to more bibliographies, and more books… you get it. I can never learn enough.
13. What books/ projects do you have coming up?
I’m finally writing my second book! It will be released by Llewellyn in the first half of 2024. It’s been a long time coming, because of the whole researching-for-years problem I have, as well as a lot of fears/anxiety/vulnerability that I had to process from the first publishing experience. I can’t tell anyone the topic yet, but it’s a doozie! I’ll announce it on Instagram when the time is right. In the next year or so I also plan to launch a line of artwork in the form of prints, cards, stickers and other merchandise.