About Me/Books

Note: My blog contains affiliate links/ads from advertisers from which I may earn advertising commissions.
Spread the love

As you may already know, I’m a solitary witch and empath in my Crone years. I have a BA in Psychology, and I facilitated my two sons’ homeschooling efforts when it became clear that public school really wasn’t serving their needs. I earned my Black Belt in Kenpo Karate in 1991, after which I taught other students along side my husband in our dojo.

Herbalism has always been a part of my life, and after suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, the worst of which lasting 13 years, I finally became a cannabis patient in June 2010. After beginning a treatment program I designed myself at the end of December 2010, I achieved remission two and half months later in March of 2011. You can read about my journey of healing in my first book, Confessions of a Back Porch Herbalist where I talk about making and using concentrated preparations of cannabis that allowed me to achieve remission, as well as using traditional herbs to stay well.

Living on the High Desert of Central Oregon with my husband of 42 years, I spend most days writing the blog, Stepping Aside, making videos, gardening, while continuing to study herbs and furthering my esoteric and magickal work. In July, 2017, my husband and I became grandparents for the first time (a granddaughter) followed by her brother in July of 2019. And we’re looking forward to a third grandchild in 2022!

My magickal focus has always included divination (runes, Tarot, and pendulum), trance work, as well as rune and herb magick. And you’ll find the occasional video over on YouTube that discusses the foundational aspects of esoteric thinking and magick.

I’ve written a few books which you can peruse below. The videos are over on the YouTube Channel with the most current videos on available on their own page here on the blog.


Below are links to the books you see above that are available at Amazon and at Books2Read where you can choose from a variety of booksellers including Apple, Barnes & Noble (Nook), and Scribd as well as other platforms.

One Last Reminder About RePosting of My Work

If anyone intends to either quote something I've written, or intends to post any part of my work, including my videos, on any other site, please ask permission before doing so. Any reposting of my work without permission can be considered as copyright infringement, so please ask. And if I give permission, you MUST clearly reference my name as author and my website. No exceptions. The words an author writes are sacred. Unapproved use is not.

Thank you... Jan Erickson