An enchanting guide to embodying the spirit of Spring
Emma Mendez (she/her/they/them) // Culture Editor
Sharleen Ramos (she/her) // Illustrator
Feral Witch of the Woods
As you emerge into the day, you still feel the moon as they watch you from above the trees. The radiance of the sun can not tear you two apart. Gathering the plants needed for this afternoon’s potion making, you feel the restless power alive throughout the forest, echoing within you. There is a particular quality to the days here, as if with each breath a secret reveals itself, something blossoms.
Playlist: This list of songs brings out your desire to run into the woods and dance under the full moon in a meadow. Haunting, powerful, and intimate, set your inner feral witch of the woods free!
Sunlight – Hozier
Persephone – Tamino
Lavender Moon – Haroula Rose
Cosmic Love – Florence + The Machine
Water Witch – The Secret Sisters ft. Brandi Carlile
Shows & or Movies
My Neighbor ToToro (1988) – This sweet childhood movie brings to life the connection with the spirits of the land in a nostalgic and adventurous manner.
Maleficent (2014) – The dark faerie and dark witch energy, combined with the ethereal forest fantasy setting, make this film the perfect dark spring fantasy film to watch after a long day of potion making.
The Spiderwick Chronicles (2008) – Another magical childhood film, featuring a spooky old house in the woods, hidden secrets, faeries, and fighting trolls! What more could you ask for?
Books
Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson – Grappling with her identity, her past, and her spiritual abilities, a young Haisla woman goes in search for her missing brother navigating both the physical and spiritual realm. Robinson’s novel highlights among many things, one’s intimate and ancestral relationship to the supernatural, culture, and family.
Wild Beauty by Anna Marie McLemore – Mclemore in her novel, weaves together a powerful story of love in all forms, family, healing, and magic, through gorgeous poetic writing. Wild Beauty captures the heart of this spring aesthetic, of tuning into the beauty and magic within as well as of the land.
Wounded Healer by Emma Mendez – Following the metamorphosis that one experiences throughout their healing journey, Mendez’s poetry chapbook brings to life this aesthetic as they intertwine witchcraft, spirituality, and ancestral healing through their haunting yet potent prose.
Wholesome Picnic Dreams
You’re laying down on a soft cream coloured picnic blanket, warm tea and fruit tarts beside you. The sun is lightly making themselves known, greeting you with a slight breeze. The grass, still wet from a recent week of rain we just had, cradles the blooming flowers. You dream of dancing with butterflies in a meadow somewhere and taking candid photos of your friends as they fall in love with the world around them. But right now you’re enjoying the beautiful simplicity of the ease, this moment alone brings. Sometimes you just need time to be.
Playlist: Soft, yet romantic, this playlist is the perfect combination of light, hopeful, breezy, and gentle. Sounding like an afternoon whisper of spring that runs across the lavender meadow.
Butterflies – Kacey Musgraves
Mother Nature’s Son – The Beatles
Jennifer – Fazerdaze
Sunflower – Harry Styles
From Eden – Hozier
Shows & or Movies
Pride & Prejudice (2005) – Soft scenic countryside spring cinematography, yearning, and Kiera Knightly in a period piece. Need I say more?
10 Things I Hate About You (1999) – A classic light-hearted 90s spring romantic comedy film with a playful enemies to lovers trope!
Gentefied (2020-2021) – This fun yet tender comedy drama follows the lives of a Mexican-American family in LA, as they navigate the challenges of trying to live their lives authentically, support themselves, and go against gentrification. Perfect to watch on a rainy spring evening after a long and exciting day.
Books
Noopming: The Cure for White Ladies by Leanne Simpson – A novel told through poetic narrative, Simpson’s thought provoking, honest, and innovative storytelling will inspire a deep transformation within and will give you plenty to ponder and unravel either by yourself or with your friends as you sit and be with the earth..
Sabrina & Corina by Kali Fajardo-Anstine – This collection of short stories is transformative, poignant, and honest. Honouring the ancestral roots, contemporary stories, and intergenerational relationships of Indigenous Latinx women and femmes, Sabrina and Corina is a can’t put down book that will keep you reading all day while you relax laid down on your picnic blanket.
Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass by Lana Del Rey – Del Rey’s poetry debut weaves vulnerable poetry of heartbreak, nostalgia, and self discovery into a cathartic afternoon or evening spent reading.
Enchanted Riverside Forest Faerie
Staring at the cluster of trees ahead, you sit by the river surrounded by dancing faeries, as the falling spring sunset begins to bleed towards the stars in romantic hues above you. There is a chill in the air, but the glimmer of water reminds you of the otherworldly beauty that lies in the unknown. Not everything has to be explained or understood.
Playlist: Deeply and gently passionate, the playlist for this aesthetic is perfect if you desire that wonderfilled magical ambiance brought into your day. The kind that makes everything around you seem that much more enchanting.
In a Week – Hozier
Verses – Tamino
Handmade Heaven – MARINA
Sweet Adeline Pt. 2 – Avi Kaplan
Strawberry Blonde – Mitski
Shows & or Movies
Fate: The Winx Saga (2021) – This live-action adaptation of the beloved animated series has a modern and mystical ambience to it. If you’re looking for a balance of faerie and reality, this is as close as it comes.
Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989) – A wholesome story following a young witch and her desire to help her community. Entertaining and easy to watch, this film is sure to bring a little magic and hope into your day.
Alice in Wonderland (2010) – Burton’s adaptation of the beloved and strange childhood story brings to life the fantastical and strange in a whole new way. If you’re seeking something more than a mere dash of the strange and want a true taste of what many describe as faerie energy, this is the film for you.
Books
The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black – Black is known for her faerie novels, and this one is no exception. Faeries and humans live beside each other in an unusual small town in this dark ethereal faerie love story. When you want to be transported to the fringes of Faerie, Black’s novel will do just that.
Love Songs to Aphrodite by J Bulsara – Written by a devotee of Aphrodite, Love songs to Aphrodite is a deeply moving and intimate collection of poetry. Bulsara brings to life the raging passion that lives within us all, and sets it free, revealing within us the beauty around us we all desire to experience. In true enchanting riverside forest faerie fashion.
When the Moon Was Ours by Anna Marie McLemore – Magical realism takes hold once again in Mclemore’s novel. This otherworldly novel is a tender and fantastical love story with hauntingly genuine characters. In her signature poetic style, Mclemore takes readers on a journey of identity, love, connection, and magic.
