A candlelit Crooked Briar working space
ABOUT CROOKED BRIAR

Much Can Be Made of Little.

Crooked Briar Mercantile is a small, independent magical practice built around a simple idea: you probably already have more to work with than you think.

I believe good magic comes from understanding what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and learning to trust yourself enough to adapt. You don’t need a cabinet full of expensive herbs, a crystal for every occasion, or the perfect tool before you can begin.

Sometimes you need a candle, something from the kitchen, and a clear idea of what needs to change.

That’s the kind of magic practiced here.

THE CROOKED BRIAR WAY

What Guides the Work

A practical, intuitive approach to magic, tarot, and making use of what's already within reach.

THERE IS A REAL PERSON BEHIND CROOKED BRIAR.

Behind the Briar

I've practiced magic and read tarot for years, and every custom reading and working offered here is done by me. There isn't a team of readers behind the curtain, and I don't use generic, pre-written material for custom work.

My practice is intuitive, practical, and adaptable. I use traditional correspondences and established magical ideas, but I don't believe there's only one correct way to perform a working. Context matters. Intuition matters. What you actually have available matters.

The same is true when I read tarot. I'm less interested in reciting individual card definitions than in the story the cards create together and what that story might show you about the situation in front of you.

RESOURCEFULNESS IS A LARGE PART OF MY PRACTICE.

Use What You Have.

Some of the materials I use come from my kitchen. Some are gathered from my own property. Some have been sitting in a jar for years waiting for exactly the right job.

When something isn't available, I consider what it was supposed to contribute to the work and whether something else can serve that purpose.

That philosophy became one of the foundations of Crooked Briar: Use What You Have.

It applies to more than ingredients. Start with the knowledge you have. The tools you have. The energy you have. The circumstances you're actually living in. You can build from there.

MAGIC AND PRACTICAL ACTION AREN'T OPPOSITES.

The Magical and the Mundane

If I'm doing prosperity work, I still believe in sending the application. If I'm doing road-opening work, I still look for the road. If I'm doing protection work, I'm still going to lock the damn door.

Magic can support an intention, create movement, sharpen focus, strengthen resolve, and help us interact differently with the circumstances around us.

It doesn't mean we stop participating in our own lives. Sometimes magic takes the path of least resistance.

Sometimes, we should too.

BRIARS DON'T GROW IN STRAIGHT LINES.

Why Crooked Briar?

They twist around obstacles, take up space, protect themselves, root where they can, and keep growing with whatever the land gives them.

That seemed appropriate.

Crooked Briar is for the imperfect practice, the improvised working, the question you haven't quite figured out how to ask, and the people building something meaningful from whatever happens to be within reach.

Much Can Be Made of Little.