We are meant to grow and evolve, and as our practice deepens, it often brings change. When my spiritual practice became a formalized magical tradition, I struggled to find a name for it. For a few years it was the House of Blackthorn, which morphed into Blackthorn Druid Witchcraft, and then the Blackthorn Druid Order. As my practice deepened further, this still did not seem to accurately describe my path. We were not just druids, we were witches as well, and it was important for that aspect to also be reflected in our name. I didn’t want people to assume that it was all just about druidry. Our symbol up to this point had been a crudely designed triquetra in the colors of green, black and silver. Green represented our connection to nature, black for our dedication to occult wisdom, and silver for our devotion to healing and service. Over time, this symbol began to lose some of it’s meaning, at least for me. Celtic paganism is a huge part of my practice, but I felt the need to revisit it’s name and symbol. After some meditation and reflection, I felt guided to bring the focus back to the pentacle. I still love the triquetra, but it is a symbol that even non-pagans use, and I wanted something that was decidedly pagan and Celtic at the same time. Our new symbol became what it is today, a red pentacle on a black background, surrounded by a white Celtic knot circle. As attached as I was to the Green/Black/Silver combination, my studies in Old Ways Witchery led me to a different color scheme, one that was more rooted in witchcraft tradition: red, white and black. These colors are represented in many traditions of witchcraft, particularly in their ritual robes and cords. Red represents Blood, our connection to witches throughout history, our magical DNA. White represents Bone, our connection to ancestors and each other. Black represents Shadow, the memory of the earth and hidden knowledge. Old Ways Witchery is a path of blood, bone and shadow, and still retains it’s connection to nature, wisdom and service. The Celtic knot circle around the pentacle emphasizes that this path also embraces Celtic lore and mythology, including the acknowledgement of several Celtic deities. This path of Old Ways Witchery blends Druidry and Witchcraft into one cohesive tradition. It is my hope that you may one day decide to learn this rewarding path with me in person, or take my home study course.