Q: Thanks for sitting down for a talk, Sirona. When I look over the wonderful variety of projects you’ve been involved with over the years, I see that you’ve been exploring some rich metaphysical territory. You’ve written books about everything from Celtic Druidism to elves to reincarnation. Plus, you’ve been amassing a serious body of work about natural magic and Wicca. How did you get started on your spiritual path? Was there any one author, class, or pathway that got you started?

A: My book, “A Witch Like Me”, describes my childhood a little and the environment I grew up in. Both of my parents were college professors, my mother a linguist and my father a historian and anthropologist. As a result, I began a quest for knowledge at a very early age. Metaphysics, the unknown, and ancient history have always intrigued me. When I was 15 years old, I bought my first tarot deck (the Rider-Waite), and began studying tarot with a passion. At California State University, Sonoma, I was accepted into an innovative program called the Hutchins School of Liberal Arts. My teachers encouraged us to delve into our academic passions and I did a lot of independent study. I took seminars in comparative religion from Sufism and Buddhism to Druidism and early Christian doctrines. I studied psychology, philosophy, and New Age modalities. I also built a Kirlian device that photographed auras. I read everything I could about metaphysics, alternate healing, and ancient history.

After college, I became a Master Hypnotherapist as I continued my quest for knowledge and how the mind worked. I began looking for a spiritual path that worked for me as a person in this modern world. About this time, I met an extraordinary man in San Jose, California by the name of Marcel Vogel. Marcel had studied metaphysics all his life while working as a senior scientist for IBM. He was an inventor and held many patents. When he retired, he set up a laboratory with a fully operational electron microscope, gyroscopes, and a De La Warr Radionics Camera to scientifically measure the energies present in crystals. I was fortunate to be a part of many of his experiments with crystals, including working with a crystal skull named Max. Marcel was the most powerful crystal healer that I have ever met. He personally taught me many of his healing methods as well as the importance of intention and breath for which I am eternally grateful. I write about Marcel’s healing methods in my book, “The Pocket Guide to Crystals and Gemstones.” I still continue to work with crystals on a daily basis.

I learned Celtic Druidism from a group that was originally from Northern California, and published what I was taught in my book “Exploring Celtic Druidism”. At the time I was told it was a Druid tradition, but have since discovered it was more a blend of Druidism and early Wiccan ideas with an emphasis on Celtic spirituality. I also embrace Celtic Shamanism as I gather a great deal of information from altered states of consciousness, from my animal helpers, and the spirits of nature. I live in the country and spend my days connecting with the beauty of nature that exists all around me. Every time I walk outside, I experience the magnificence of the Goddess and God. Both Celtic and Faery traditions are about connecting with the land. This is where ancestral energy resides, waiting to arise from its sleep.

Practicing positive magic every day helps me to better navigate my world. In magic, intention is everything. Your intentions determine how and where you gather energy and what you direct it towards. It’s important to remember that positive intentions, positive thoughts, actions, dreams, and practices engender more positive energy, more love, more sharing, more peace, and the kind. On the other hand, negative intentions, thoughts, and actions only unleash more negativity into your life.

Q: I’ve always been fascinated by the Celtic traditions myself, especially Celtic shamanism. I know a tenth generation Irish shaman who has told me many amazing things about his people and their traditions, many of which have never been shared with the public. I think there is something really special about these people and the way they are attuned to the eight holy days that happen at the equinoxes and solstices and the in between times. I noticed that you include information about the original Gwyddonic druid rituals for the eight solar festivals in your “Exploring Celtic Druidism” book. The Celts seem to view these times a little bit differently from Wiccans and the Native Americans, using slightly different names and approaching these times differently. Have you ever had troubles finding the “one true path” within the sometimes contradictory paths of Wicca and Druidism? Do you end up combining approaches across different systems? Do you tend to adhere strictly to one system, or are you a magical “mutt?”

A: Well Jennifer, I adore dogs but I do have a tendency to stay away from dog-mas (grin). I do gather together concepts and ideas and put them together into a spiritual path that works for me. I find labels are especially limiting. Wicca appeals to me because it celebrates individuality and creativity. It pushes the envelope, the bounds of society.

For me, spirituality is not about following a singular path, exclusive of all others. Spirituality is about finding your personal connection with the divine by whatever name you choose to use. Each of us is basically looking for the same thing—a communion or Oneness with divinity.

Shamans, Druids, Wiccans, Native Americans, as well as most pagans have a strong and personal connection with the land as our traditions are called “Living Traditions.” They all work with the elements—earth, air, fire, and water—and the divine energies, and are nature-based. Wicca flows through the seasons and the cycles of the sun and moon. This is called the Wheel of the Year. The wheel is ever spinning, ever changing, never beginning, and never ending.

My Northern Italian grandmother was a devout Catholic and taught me her tradition when I was a young girl. She also knew a lot of folk magic, which she passed on to me. When talking with others in the modern pagan movement, I found a lot of people had been Catholics, who eventually were turned off by the dogma and moved onto Wicca. They find that Wicca is the path that best expresses their spiritual beliefs and practices. It’s inclusive rather than exclusive. Wicca is the fastest growing spiritual movement in America right now. I don’t think there has been such a powerful movement since rock’n’roll! Many of the emails I receive are from young people aged 12-18, who are looking for something beyond the hypocrisy and lies that they see and hear all around them—especially from their political and religious leaders. Many people talk about brotherly and sisterly love, but in reality they jockey for money, status, and power, and continue to harm and kill one other to attain their greed-filled agendas. The tragic war in Iraq and the resulting death and destruction is testament to this madness.

In Wicca the saying, “Perfect Love, and Perfect Peace,” represents our philosophy very well. It means the perfect love of the Goddess and the perfect peace of the God. It means the perfect love of knowledge and the perfect peace of wisdom. It means the perfect love of all Nature and the perfect peace by being in harmony with all.

Q: One theme that arises over and over again throughout your writing is the importance of maintaining a sacred connection with the land. Have you always felt a psychic bond with nature? You’ve written books about working with crystals, understanding sacred geometry and natural magic, plus you’ve written about elves and faeries. Were there any key experiences you had over the years that have inspired you on your quest to connect with nature?

A: I have always felt most at home in nature, in the woods. When I was growing up, I spent my winters in the foothill country north of Sacramento, California. My summers were spent at our family’s ranch, in an isolated alpine valley in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I spent a great deal of time on my own with our dogs walking the back 160 acres of our ranch. I walked among the trees and gathered the arrow and spear heads that dotted the landscape, left by the indigenous peoples that populated the area when it was a huge valley lake. I spent hours watching birds, insects, cattle, horses, dogs, cats, sheep, chickens, and pigeons, and learning from them. Rather than struggle with nature, my early experiences taught me to be at “One” with nature. I have carried these ideas throughout my life and writings. In my experience, everything is energy, flowing and ebbing energies.

Q: I think many beginning students of magic tend to approach crystals or helpful beings like the faeries from a standpoint of invoking them to “do their bidding” instead of entering into a sacred alliance based on mutual respect. Do you ever find yourself having to chide beginners about maintaining a balanced or “correct” relationship with nature’s denizens? What are your own views about the faeries and the devic kingdom and their relationship with humans?

A:  Unfortunately many people view the magical traditions as simply a way to get what they want and nothing more. This is very sad and disappointing. It’s like putting a materialistic Band-Aid on a spiritual volcano! It also doesn’t work out very well when you work with fairies as they have a plethora of ways to keep you honest. Spirit is unstoppable. When you are working with nature and the fairy spirits, you become “One” with these divine energies. It is a cooperative exchange of energies. You connect in an elemental, deeper way—a way that touches your heart and soul. It permanently changes you—expands your awareness and your ability to love. There are many ways to get there, many paths you can travel, but the end result is always the same—you become One with divinity, with the fairies, with God, with Goddess. And that Oneness is bliss!

Q: I agree - it is all about Oneness and a journey back to the Whole.  Another area that you’re an expert in is sacred symbols like the runes and tarot. I absolutely love the Shapeshifter Tarot which you created with D.J. Conway and which was illustrated by Lisa Hunt. (Readers, this deck is fabulous – get it now!) Do you have any one oracle system that you enjoy working with the most? I know some people swear by their tarot cards and other practitioners don’t go anywhere without their runes. And some people prefer dowsing with a pendulum or consulting the I Ching. What’s the best way for you, the tool that is most natural to you to use on a frequent basis?

A:  Over the years, I have learned a few divination systems, including the runes that I write about in my book, “The Little Giant Encyclopedia of Runes." I must admit that I never tire of using my tarot deck, the “Shapeshifter Tarot.” Thank you for your praise of the deck. It really is beautiful, I agree. Recognizing the connection between all living things, especially people, plants, and animals and the lessons they offer us, is the point of this deck. It was an honor to bring D.J. Conway and Lisa Hunt onboard for the project. On Lugnassad in 1995, I asked for a gift from the Celtic God Lugh, and it came to me in a flash of inspiration. I spent several hours writing my vision down in detail, and Lisa Hunt was able to bring it to life in her artwork. I love the result because the Shapeshifter cards are very organic and earth-spirited, so readers with a strong sense of environmental consciousness are often drawn to the images.

The cards are designed to encourage transformation and change. One of the easiest ways to use the “Shapeshifter Tarot” is to think of a pressing question, and then lay three cards out in front of you from left to right. These cards represent the past, present, and future influences in the question you asked. I keep a tarot reading notebook or journal, and always suggest readers do the same. Date your entry, write down your question, and note the three cards you turned up. It’s a handy way to check to see how accurate your readings are.

Q: Another thing I’ve noticed throughout your body of work is how you are sort of the Julia Child of spell creators – and I mean that in a complimentary way! You have many books including The Wiccan Spell a Day and your new Spell a Night book, Dream Magic, and your excellent Witch and Wizard Training Guide, are chock full of enticing magical “recipes.” Do you find yourself continually inspired to create new spells for different projects? The spells you lay out are so user-friendly and powerful, you must be divinely inspired! Where do they all come from?

A:  I think it’s great you use this analogy because Julia Child was my primary inspiration when I was learning to cook. For me, spellwork, rituals, and meditations are woven throughout my daily life, hence the Wiccan Spell-A-Day and Wiccan Spell-A-Night books. I am continually inspired by nature, working in my garden, cooking, developing my relationships, and communing with the spirit world. There are certain basic formulas and patterns in spellwork and rituals that need to be followed in order to attain the best results such as day of the week, time of day or night, color and zodiac correspondence, and so forth, and I explain these in my books. You work with the flow of energies and their signature or essential powers.

One of the areas of magic I have pioneered is dream magic. I was once told that it would topple governments if people actually started consciously directing their dreams. I completely disagree. I feel that dreaming is a way to get in touch with your inner voice, and when combined with magic, it becomes a potent, positive change agent.

Q: Yes, in Dream Magic you go beyond the idea of just lucid dreaming and teach readers to dream in an active, creative way, which I think is fabulous. We are extremely powerful in the spiritual realms when we journey there each night as we sleep. 

I want to talk to you about another area that you’ve written about – sex and love magick! In your book Love, Sex, and Magick: Exploring the Spiritual Union Between Male and Female, you give readers meditations that they can use to approach sexual union in a three dimensional way, activating mind, body, and spirit. I personally think that this work is SO important. Despite living in a culture that is very sex-obsessed on the surface, we’re still very shy in this country about taking sex to that deeper, more intimate level. How have readers responded to your work in that arena? Has it been a bit polarized – people loving it or hating it? I see so much polarization within people who are on a spiritual path regarding sex and love – a lot of mixed messages going on! Everybody dreams of being with a soulmate, yet sometimes the unique challenges of opening up your psychic awareness and accessing inner mysteries can require a lot of solitude.

A:  You are absolutely correct when you say, it’s SO important, Jennifer. My book “Love, Sex, and Magick” is basically a guide for lovers who are ready to explore new levels of sensitivity, intimacy, and awareness in their relationship. It maps out how to evolve your relationship from sensuous to sensitive to spiritual to divine. It shows you how to enhance sexual intimacy through heightened energy awareness and activation. In my opinion, love, sex, and magick are all sacred, and need to be treated in this way. The media often treats sex a sporting spectator event. I don’t feel that’s what most people want or need.

I’ve been in a relationship for 37 years with my husband Michael, the man I truly feel is my soulmate. Through the years, our relationship has dramatically changed, expanded, and grown stronger. Our relationship is one of the most meaningful aspects of my life. I feel that we all crave positive companionship, someone we can talk with and love, that special person who is there to share holidays and special events. We need the Other, so that we can understand ourselves. That sharing is a special kind of love, a deeper love. When you put sex and magic with that deep, shared love, then you’ve really got something and the fireworks begin!

Sex and love form a sacred union. When love and sex come together and are shared by two people who have taken the time to get to know each other, the experience is sacred and passionately hot! I feel that booty calls or sex on the first date are a couple of the worst choices a woman or man can make no matter how strong the attraction. It’s vitally important to get to know your partner before sharing the most intimate part of yourself with him or her.

Q: I couldn't agree more!  In my own client work doing shamanic healing, I've tried to teach people how sex creates powerful astral cords of energy binding you to the other person. This connecting isn't something that we should be doing on a casual basis. The energy effects are truly awful on the body when there isn't a mutually loving exchange of energy going on between the two partners. Too often, such "booty calls" as you say are the cause of long-term sexual dysfunction, porn addiction, and even sexually-transmitted diseases. All those problems stem from uniting with the wrong person in the wrong way without loving intent. Change the intent and the energy that you share with someone, and you change the result!

What are some of the things that you do to maintain your own clarity and balance on a daily level? It can be quite a challenge sometimes “walking in two worlds,” maintaining an active connection with the world of the sacred but also holding down a job, working in the “real world.” Any particular disciplines or practices that work for you?

A:  I am a full time writer living in the country, so I am fortunate and very blessed. Every morning I wake up thanking God and Goddess to be alive and healthy. Then I grab a cup a tea and walk down to the creek on our property with my two large dogs and cats. Ancient maples, oaks, pines, firs, and California bay trees surround me. When crumpled, the odor of the bay leaves can send me into an altered state. When I am down at the creek, I feel the energy of God and Goddess all around me and I am One with it. I recommend that people go out into nature and experience its magic first hand. Let down your boundaries, and let the natural energy flow within you and without you. It’s a great way to release all the tension and stress. I also listen to a lot of music, which always inspires me!

Q:   Ah, yes -- music and nature, two of the most powerful healers! Tell me more about what projects you're involved with right now. I know that you make periodic media appearances and are also an editor and writer for many magazines. What are some of your newest projects that you’re excited about for 2007?

A:  I am working on two new books that will be coming out soon. I am also a regular guest on the X-Zone Radio Show. As we approach 2012, I feel more of a shift of consciousness happening within people. In 2007, I am excited about seeing what this shift brings as people begin to sense the effects of it. I am very excited about the work I have been doing in DNA Activation and Attunement. It a powerful method of expanding your awareness that uses divine archetypes as well as color, tone, prayer, and aromatherapy. And it’s completely in step with the 2012 shift.

Q: Please let us know when your books are coming out so I can post that news here on my site. In the meantime, what’s the best way for readers to find your work and learn more about you?

A: The best way to learn more about me is to read my books which you can buy both in bookstores and online. I also regularly post information and articles on my websites, http://www.sironaknight.com and http://www.dcsi.net/~bluesky/. I have interviewed everyone from Rick Rubin, 2007 Music Producer of the Year, Robbie Robertson of the Band, to Brandon Boyd of Incubus and writers Starhawk, James Redfield, and Deepak Chopra.

Q: Yes, I encourage everyone to check out the marvelous material you've collected at your sites, as well as your wonderful books. Well, Sirona, I want to thank you for your wonderful contributions to the world of spirituality and magic. I can’t wait to read your next book and to see what new things you’ve been researching! One thing I love about your writing is the sense of infectious enthusiasm you bring to every subject that you cover. You’re really great at motivating the reader to get started applying metaphysical concepts in her everyday life, to become familiar with the energies in a way that is comfortable for her. It’s like you take the reader gently by the hand and become the perfect magical coach. I wish everybody could attend “wizard school” with you!

A:  Jennifer, thank you for the opportunity you have given me to express my views. And Huge Congratulations on your new Ebook, “Why Most Affirmations Fail and the Four Building Blocks of Successful Affirmations.” Affirmations, blessings, and prayer are awesomely empowering for those of us seeking a more positive and healthy lifestyle and attitude. Affirmations are what my book “Goddess Bless!” focuses on. All of my “Empowering” books have affirmations and prayers in each chapter because they really work!

Your site is an excellent resource that aids people seeking more in their life. Some of the interviews you have done are informative and helpful, for example the interview with Sandra Brown. Her work is helping so many women find healthier relationships! Also your interview with Cynthia Sue Larson is wonderful. Expanding our awareness and experience benefits every aspect of our life. The basic concept is to synchronize your "ideal" with your "real" so that they work together in the practical world.

Wiccan traditions teach people to cultivate their expectations with the intention of directing their energies towards specific, positive goals. As we emerge into the 21st century, we need to evolve accordingly. I write books that help people in this process. The idea is to move forward into the future while integrating our past into our present experience. Experience life on all levels of expanded awareness. This has become the purpose of my life’s quest—to bring light into the darkness, to bring more love and positive energy into the world, so that everyone can see the divine beauty of life.

Q: Thank you, Sirona, for stating that so powerfully.  Here's to more of us learning to synchronize our "ideal" with our "real!"  I love that.

Sirona Knight www.sironaknight.com lives in Northern California with her husband Michael, their teenage son Skylor, two big dogs, and a family of felines. She has appeared on national television programs such as NBC’s “The Other Half” with hosts Dick Clark, Danny Bonaduce, Mario Lopez, and Dr. Jan Adams. For more than twelve years, she has appeared on numerous radio and television programs across the United States and Canada. Sirona is a regular on the X-Zone Radio Show each month

A New Age Witch and Third Degree Craftmaster and High Priestess of Celtic Druidism for more than 19 years, Sirona is the internationally known author of over twenty books on the New Age, reincarnation, the Celts, fairies, and dreams. She is also the award winning creator and co-author of “The Shapeshifter Tarot,” and has been a Contributing Editor for the international magazines, “Magical Blend” and “Natural Health and Beauty” for over 10 years. Sirona also has a master’s degree in Stress Management from California State University and is a master hypnotherapist.

Sirona’s Books:

Get Centered with Nathaniel Altman (Sterling Publishers, 2006)

Wicca Spell-A-Night (Kensington/Citadel, 2006)

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Elves and Fairies (Alpha Books, 2005)

Empowering Your Life with Natural Magic (Alpha Books, 2004)

Empowering Your Life with Dreams (Alpha Books, 2003)

Empowering Your Life with Wicca (Alpha Books, 2003)

Wiccan Spell A Day (Kensington/Citadel, 2002)

The Book of Reincarnation (Barron's, 2002)

The Cyber Spellbook (New Page Books, 2002)

Goddess Bless! (Red Wheel, 2002)

Faery Magic (New Page Books, 2002)

The Wiccan Spell Kit (Kensington/Citadel, 2001)

A Witch Like Me (New Page Books, 2001)

The Wiccan Web (Kensington/Citadel, 2001)

The Witch and Wizard Training Guide (Kensington/Citadel,2001)

Exploring Celtic Dridism (New Page Books, 2001)

Dream Magic (HarpeSanFrancisco, 2000)

Celtic Traditions (Kensington/Citadel, 2000)

The Little Giant Encyclopedia of Runes (Sterling, 2000)

Love, Sex, and Magic (Kensington/Citadel, 1999)

The Shapeshifter Tarot (Llewellyn, 1998)

The Pocket Guide to Celtic Spirituality (Crossing Press, 1998)

The Pocket Guide to Crystals and Gemstones (Crossing Press, 1998)

Moonflower: Erotic Dreaming With the Goddess (Llewellyn, 1996)

Greenfire: Making Love With the Goddess (Llewellyn, 1995)