Holistic therapist Joanne Gillibrand is one of a tribe of women who are keeping magic very much alive...right here in Rugby.

Joanne - a witch - is inviting other people to join them on a journey of empowerment and spiritual growth.

With Halloween just around the corner, Joanne explains what the season means to her and her coven.

She said: “Behind the pumpkins, costumes and modern celebrations lies something much older. Samhain, an ancient Gaelic seasonal festival marking the end of the harvest and the beginning of the darker half of the year.

Borrom right: High Priestess Joanne Gillibrand runs Tree of Light in Rugby. Here she is pictured with the women who are part of the coven.

placeholder image — Borrom right: High Priestess Joanne Gillibrand runs Tree of Light in Rugby. Here she is pictured with the women who are part of the coven.

"For modern Pagans and witches, Samhain remains one of the most significant points in the spiritual calendar.”

These traditions are very much alive through the Coven of Yggdrasil, led by High Priestess Joanne Gillibrand, the driving force behind Tree of Life Holistics.

Samhain - traditionally associated with the beginning of November and the transition from October 31, has its roots in the Gaelic cultures of Ireland and Britain.

It was a threshold in the agricultural year. Livestock were brought in, harvests had ended and communities prepared for winter.

Joanne says the coven provides a local space in which Pagan spirituality, seasonal observance and traditional practices can be explored within a modern community.

"For our ancestors, this was not simply a change in the weather,” Joanne said.

"Their survival was intimately connected with the land, the seasons, animals, crops and the natural cycles of birth, death and renewal.

"Samhain therefore became a liminal time , a point between seasons and, in traditional belief, a time when the boundary between this world and the Otherworld was considered especially permeable.”

Fire, feasting, remembrance and divination became associated with the season. The dead and the ancestors were remembered, while communities looked towards the uncertainty of the winter ahead.

Joanne, a mother of twins, brings together women from all walks of life with a common goal of seeking a different perspective on the modern narrative of what it is to be a Woman in the 21st century.

Having attended The Goddess Temple in Glastonbury for 20 years and inspired by her teacher Kathy Jones (Goddess Temple Founder), she longed to establish a similar safe space for women here in Rugby.

Joanne set up a Holistic Clinic and then gathered women in groups. The Red Tent was then formed, allowing women to come and be supported by a sisterhood.

She said: “Modern Halloween has inherited and transformed elements of these older traditions, alongside later Christian observances such as All Saints’ and All Souls’ days.

"The name Yggdrasil is taken from Norse mythology, where Yggdrasil is the immense World Tree connecting the different realms of existence.

“The symbolism is particularly appropriate for a coven connected with Tree of Life Holistics.

“A tree has roots reaching deep into the earth while its branches stretch towards the sky. Between them stands the trunk, joining what is below with what is above. Across cultures, trees have represented life, ancestry, wisdom, healing, death and regeneration.”

For the Coven of Yggdrasil, that image reflects something important about Pagan practice; being rooted in the natural world while recognising our connection to our ancestors, our community and generations yet to come.

Under the guidance of Joanne, the coven provides a local space in which Pagan spirituality, seasonal observance and traditional practices can be explored within a modern community.

She said: “Our practices around Samhain centre upon remembrance, gratitude, reflection and respect for the natural cycle of life and death.”

Star Priestess Natalie Gunn said: “It’s is a time to honour those who walked before us.

"An altar may be created with photographs or objects connected with loved ones and ancestors. Candles may be lit in remembrance. Seasonal foods, fallen leaves and other natural materials can form part of the observance. There may also be meditation, storytelling, divination or quiet contemplation.

“The emphasis is not upon the frightening image of witchcraft created by popular culture. Samhain offers an opportunity to acknowledge mortality rather than hide from it, remembering that death and decay are themselves part of nature’s cycle.”

Coven Enologist Di Davenport said: “Honouring Mother Earth, her seasons and all of Nature is a fundamental part of our practice."

The history of the word ‘witch’ is complicated, and it is important not to romanticise the past.

Throughout history communities have relied upon people - very often women - who possessed practical knowledge of plants, childbirth, household remedies and healing.

They might variously have been known as wise women, cunning folk, herbal practitioners, healers or midwives.

Their knowledge was frequently learned through experience and passed between generations long before modern medicine and pharmacy developed into the professions we recognise today.

Joanne said some people accused of witchcraft were healers, but many were not.

She went on: “Accusations could arise from religious conflict, local disputes, fear, misfortune, misogyny and social tensions. Remembering that complexity matters, particularly because the historical witch persecutions involved real people and real suffering.

"Modern Paganism can nevertheless reclaim the positive image of the wise woman: someone who listens, observes nature, understands her community and respects knowledge handed down through generations.

"Samhain reminds us that sophisticated modern lives have not removed us from the fundamental cycles our ancestors understood.

“The Coven of Yggdrasil and Tree of Life Holistics, celebrating Samhain is therefore not about recreating an imagined past. It is about taking something valuable from ancient seasonal traditions and allowing it to have meaning in the present.

“At Samhain, as the trees release their leaves and the year turns towards darkness, we remember that darkness is not necessarily something to fear.”

January sees the Coven of Yggdrasil begin its Spiral One classes once again, welcoming those who feel drawn to explore Paganism, its traditions and practices in greater depth.

If you are interested in learning more about the coven and perhaps taking your first steps along this path, contact High Priestess Joanne Gillibrand. Her page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/Treeoflifeholisticsrugby