Augur

February 9 2026

The Pen Is

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Mightier Than The Sword

We just received a dozen vials of a most unusual artisanal ink.

These are produced by dissolving guns in acid, and using the resultant material for pigment.

Each is even marked with the kind of weapon used in its creation.

We love the idea of transforming things of violence and destruction into tools for communication and creation.

You could use them to write a protest letter, or to pen a poem for your beloved this Valentine’s Day.

February 3 2026

How many days were there in January? Forty? Fifty?

It’ll get warm again someday. Right? RIGHT?!

Yesterday was the neopagan festival of Imbolc, a Celtic-inspired celebration of lengthening days and their promise of that spring will return. Eventually.

The holiday of Candlemas (and St. Brigid’s Day in Ireland) served a similar role in medieval Europe.

While theologically linked to the celebration of Mary’s presentation of her child at the illuminated temple, in practice the holiday involved many eccentric customs related to celebrating light, and to searching the natural world for general signs of hope and for practical agricultural prognostications.

While the deep lore of Candlemas is all but forgotten, its legacy persists.

Why do we wonder at a groundhog’s shadow on February Second? Because a thousand years ago suspiciously witchy German peasants did something very similar on Candlemas, and their traditions migrated to Punxsutawny (and Covington) in the 19th century.

Enjoy this snowpocalyptic video of Mutter Gottes Church while we wait for the word from the groundhog.

January 26 2026

Not Working Cats

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Raising Good Kids

After seeing an internet video of Maine Coons frolicking in bathtub snow, we dragged some of the outside inside this weekend for a bit of chilly enrichment.

Murderpaws and Baroness were not amused.

We tried burying treats in the snow and moving toys around beneath the surface, but they just weren’t having any of it.

Apparently, our girls just hate ice.

Guess we raised them right.

We hope that everyone is staying safe despite the climate, atmospheric and otherwise.

January 19 2026

Liminal Worlds and Lots of Carbs

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In Timeless Places

When we want to escape and recharge, we look to spaces outside the normal flow of time to help us forget the present for a timeless moment or two.

That can mean a visit to places of natural wonder, but more commonly it is human spaces that grab us.

We gaze up at cathedral walls soaked in centuries of joyful hymns and bitter lamentation, we stand next to lighthouses whose beacons have illuminated darkness since before GPS and radio, and we visit tourist destinations that peddle artery-hardening funnel cakes and polyester blend t-shirts as shamelessly as they did when we were children.

Last week we got to spend a couple of magical nights beneath the roof of the Rocky Waters Inn watching the creek tumble past our balcony and enjoying incredible meals at their restaurant, The Heirloom Room.

We chatted with sea turtles and cuttlefish at the Aquarium, tried our luck at claw games, luxuriated in creative signage and oily snacks, entertained the locals, and fed no bears.

Oh, and we got airbrushed t-shirts of our beautiful girls.

January 15 2026

Finding Security

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In Dark Times

Occasionally people ask us why a serious magic shop is filled with so many adorable plush creatures.

While one obvious answer is that plush creatures are awesome, the more intentional answer is that they make sure that the shop doesn’t feel too scary.

One of the perils of being an imaginative child is that it’s easy to fill spaces with monsters. We were often scared kids, so we wanted to make sure that the next generation of wizards feels safe here.

Here’s the thing, though.

Lots of adults don’t feel safe right now, ourselves included.

We’re horrified by what we’ve seen of 2026 so far, and it comes after a pretty rough 2025.

We don’t have the equivalent of plush toys for adults, but we want our customers to know how much we want them to feel safe here.

We all need places to go to recharge our souls, places where we can remember there are good people.

We are honored to be such a place for so many wonderful people. Thank you all for reminding us, every week, that the world is so much more and so much better than doomscrolling would have us believe.

January 7 2026

All Aboard!

Augur Uncategorized

It’s Never Too Late to Fix Santa’s Mistakes

Santa not deliver you everything that you wanted?

Maybe he doesn’t pay his elves enough. Maybe he was distracted trying to keep all those tiny reindeer in line. Maybe, and this one doesn’t seem likely, you were just a little bit . . . naughty.

Never fear!

If he didn’t supply just the right book of mysterious spells, the shiny rock you were after, or the tiny bouncing goat that would make your life complete, we are here to help.*

Also, we are going to place an order in the next week or so with Scarlet Imprint and Troy Books. If there is something from their catalogs that you are after, just let us know and we’ll make sure to include it.

*We do not actually sell tiny goats. Also, Augur’s bog witch grandmother kept tiny goats. We can thus say with some confidence that, as much as you think you want a tiny goat, you do not actually want a tiny goat.

About Augur

Posts by :

The Pen Is

Mightier Than The Sword

Candlemas,

Imbolc, and Groundhog Day

Not Working Cats

Raising Good Kids

Liminal Worlds and Lots of Carbs

In Timeless Places

Finding Security

In Dark Times

All Aboard!

It’s Never Too Late to Fix Santa’s Mistakes