It’s been a long time since I last posted… between exciting author events, planning my next book, and getting ready for the growing year I’ve found myself grasping at little moments of festive relaxation, which resulted in this substack falling to the wayside. That’s not to say that it hasn’t been on my mind, in fact my presence online has been on my mind more and more, so let’s have chat about it… and how I see myself spending my time online (and off) in 2026…

Online Life In 2026:

There seems to be a change in the air at the moment, I’m noticing more and more people yearning for a less ‘online’ life, time away from screens, and a reconnection with the part of themselves that may have been pushed aside to make time for scrolling, streaming, and showing up online. I’ve also noticed people being choosy with the content they engage with, choosing to spend their limited and precious time in the company of creators and writers who make them feel good, feel part of a community, and teach them things rather than offering them a conveyor belt of overconsumption.

I feel this too, so deeply, and have been trying and failing to peel myself away from the online world for about 3 years now. A lot of people are looking towards slower forms of content for 2026, but it isn’t a groundbreaking idea… we know too much time spent on our phones watching people who only want to sell us things is incredibly bad for us, but like a big tube of Pringles, we just can’t seem to stop chomping away at it. I’ve spent the past month away from a lot of online spaces, and have instead been focusing on enjoying life away from the screen. I’ve finished reading a book (groundbreaking), and I’ve been slowly moving away from streaming platforms which also means I’ve been enjoying digging out my old CDs and DVDs and taking stock of what I have, I also got a lot of old cassettes for Christmas which is so SO cool. Going through old music been really relaxing and fun, and has cut my screen time drastically.

Next year I’ve vowed to myself that I’m going to be a bit pickier about when I spend my time online, (designating a set time for scrolling and then putting the phone down when that time is up), also where I spend my time (I feel pretty exhausted by instagram reels, and I haven’t been on TikTok in months, my attention span is so shattered that I become impatient when reading books…it’s not good, Laura brain feel not happy or smart.)
I’m also going to have a zero tolerance for AI generated content. It can be pretty easy to spot (at the moment), and I’ve unfollowed quite a few witchy accounts this year that I previously admired, their once perfectly and humanly written posts and captions that were brimming with magick, now replaced with that ridiculously robotic artificial cadence that makes my skin crawl. Uncanny valley vibes.
If you’re using ‘Chad Jippity’ in 2026 I am unfollowing you 👋🏻

As a ‘creator’ I am looking to come away from short form content altogether and am looking forward to creating longer video content, written posts, and vlogs… if I do decide to stay on Instagram (I kind of need to as it is tied in with my job as an author) it will not be at the mercy of the algorithm, but used as an advertising platform to direct people to these more precious and community-driven spaces. I feel a sense of moral duty to bring as many people with me to these spaces and away from the damaging never ending scroll to a more peaceful and intentional realm.

Substack (and more) in 2026:

I started writing consistently on Substack in Spring earlier this year, and enjoyed a couple of months of my followership rising very quickly during late Summer, I am however toying with the idea of returning to Patreon and offering different content on both platforms. On Substack I want to continue the ‘blog’ posts and witchy insights but return to posting artistic tutorials, heftier pdf guides, and vlogging content over on Patreon. In my long years of creating content for The Bower Hare I have realised that followership and virality isn’t something to overly stress about… I used to make content and hope and pray that it would ‘do numbers’, but numbers don’t equal active and engaged community. I absolutely love seeing the same usernames and email addresses pop up with likes, comments, and messages, and that’s what I want to focus on in the coming year: continuing to create content with these loyal friends in mind.

That’s you btw.

All that being said, there will be a Patreon announcement and details in a separate post, for now I want to chat about what to expect from this substack in 2026…

Pocket Witchcraft:
I am really keen to share some more of the ordinary every day witchcraft that we can be incorporating into our lives, but moving away from the ‘stirring your coffee clockwise’ sort of advice (which is incredibly useful but I think we all know that by now!). This kind of witchcraft is the sort that you can take with you wherever you go, and that you can use proactively in your day to day goings on.
This will include tips on glamour magick (such as make-up sigils, hair braiding intentions, and charming jewellery), potions, kitchen witchery, and spells to help in your relationships and careers.
This is the sort of affordable, accessible, and easy to follow witchcraft that I wish I had has access to when I was a fledgling witch (and would quite like as a seasoned one too!).

Grimoire Girls:
I’ll be continuing this series on how to create your own grimoire, but I think we’ll only have a couple of ‘beginner’ posts left in the first part of the series, so please expect some more intermediate and then advanced posts on how to get the most out of your grimoire. We’ll be looking at how to make your own notebooks, the really artistic and crafty ways to fit more things onto the pages, and the magick of using all senses and elements within the grimoire.

Tales from the Enchanted Garden:
I’m working on a big project this coming year that means that I’ll be spending about 80% of my time at the allotment, and I’m dragging you along with me (whether you like it or not, put your wellies on!). We’re going to be in amongst the weeds come rain or shine, and I’ll be telling you all about the wonderful going on with the flora, fauna, and spirits that I’ll be encountering throughout the growing year. Expect lots of updates on how the plant babies are growing, how our DIY pond is coming along (spoiler: its full of gungey black water), and my continuous, noble pursuit of begging my husband for ducks.
If you’re looking to get a bit more green fingered next year then please do follow along, I’ve had many years of trial and error and can part with many a tip and trick.

Witchcraft in 2026:

The end of this year has been wonderful for connecting with my fellow witches, both online and in person. Jennifer Lane and I attended the first of our Sabbat Sessions hosted by Beverly Wass at Blackwell’s Oxford, and it was such a fun experience, we’re looking forward to our Imbolc session at the end of January, so book your free ticket! Barely two weeks later we were on the stage at the Mind Body Spirit festival talking to an even larger audience about witchcraft and wellbeing, we’re hoping to return in May for another lovely chat. This sense of community and this ‘hierophant’ energy is what I want to take forward into 2026…

I’ve never claimed to be an expert on anything under the witchcraft umbrella, a lot of my teachings are experience and research led, but in 2026 I want to really channel my energy into teaching people how to get the most out of their magickal experiences, and WHERE the magick actually comes from, which means longer forms of spell craft. I’m going to be using the allotment as the backdrop to this, so growing magickal ingredients from seed to plant with magickal steps in the growing process… I want to really get to the heart of what makes an ingredient magickal, and if we can enhance that. The same goes for the creative process, so asking and exploring how we can combine witchcraft and creativity to make a potent energy.

I feel like the time for sitting back and admiring the work of creators, without creating ourselves, is rapidly coming to an end, I also feel as though we have had our fill of influencers, content creators, and people trying to sell us something in one way shape or form, be that a product we don’t need or a way of life that doesn’t align with us. I also think that our interest in watching said unattainable lifestyles is wearing thin in these very uncertain times… so I am moving towards sharing a lifestyle that is more attainable, more inspiring, and doesn’t come at the expense of the planet, our wallets, or our mental health.

Writing in 2026:

I’m lucky enough to be working on a writing project next year that’s set to be published in Spring 2027, I can’t say much more about it but I’ll definitely be sharing the process as it involves FOUR of my biggest loves in life: witchcraft, writing, illustrating, and gardening… what a lucky girl!
I’m also getting back into the trenches of agent-hunting (help me) I have two agents patiently waiting for further chapters from a manuscript so I’m hopeful that next year will bring more luck in my career as an author. I’ll definitely share more of both the highs and the lows of traditional publishing!

Offline Life in 2026:

2025 saw me go through a myriad of complicated health issues and investigations. For a month I couldn’t stand for longer than ten minutes, which meant the closure of my beloved little book and gift shop, Rhubarb. It suddenly gave me a lot of spare time which I know will soon fill up with book writing, and tending to the allotment… but I also have time for hobbies, old and new, which I am really looking forward to.

As I mentioned before, I’m looking to wrench myself from the clutches of our streaming overlords and instead start to curate a small and sweet music and movie collection, I mentioned in a previous note that although these intentions and the current ‘trend’ of going ‘analogue’ is wonderful, we need to be cautious about those creators looking to jump on the ‘bandwagon’ and start to sell us things we don’t need or lifestyles that aren’t much different to the consumerist nightmare we’re currently living in.

I love collecting things (my messy garden studio is a tribute to all art supplies and journalling paraphernalia that currently exists) but I’m going to be very cautious about falling into the trap of ‘hauls’… steering clear from creators who will be trawling charity shops and thrift stores looking to buy 100+ DVD’s to show off online.
I need to remind myself that I do not need 100 DVDs, the majority of which I would watch once and then would grow dust on a shelf, for the sake of an aesthetic of ‘plentiful abundance’. Nor do I need to keep hold of media that I’ve watched/read/listened to, and aren’t really a fan of… that means downsizing my sizeable book collection, and being cautious that I don’t horde other kinds of media.
I’d love to share more of my traipses into analogue life, please do share if you are making this change over too!

Thank you for reading to the end of this post, apologies again for the big gap in posts, for those paid subscribers please expect a lovely chunky PDF guide as a thank you for your patience, coming in January.

Until next time,

Laura

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