MysticMag has the absolute pleasure of talking with Griffin Ced, the Virtue holder and Witch Father of the Ced Tradition, leading it alongside Dame Rita Morgan for over 20 years, and with Carrie Wolf ap Ced since Rita’s passing. Originally from Britain, Griffin has a rich heritage of British Craft and Romany Gypsy roots, initiated into the Craft in Essex in 1975. Now based in Los Angeles, he has been teaching, leading rituals, and building community for two decades. As the manager of The Green Man Store in Burbank, Griffin oversees a vibrant hub offering Pagan products, public rituals, and diverse craft-related classes.
Griffin, what distinguishes your approach to spiritual and shamanic healing from more conventional energy healing modalities?
Healing is a delicate and important aspect of what we do, though it’s not our primary focus. Our practice centers around traditional witchcraft, and we were actually one of the first to publicly teach British traditional witchcraft, likely anywhere in the world. We specialize in spellcrafting, spirituality, cosmology, and all the elements associated with the craft. However, when it comes to healing, I believe it requires a great deal of specialized training.
When you’re working with people who are unwell, their energy is diminished, and their ability to receive healing assistance is often lower. It’s crucial to understand that simply directing a lot of energy toward someone who is ill can sometimes do more harm than good. In fact, you can inadvertently make their condition worse if you’re not careful.
When people ask me about sending healing energy to someone who’s sick, I usually advise them to take a different approach. Rather than sending energy directly to the person, I suggest channeling it toward supporting their diagnosis, providing clarity, or directing it to the medical professionals and support systems around them. If you truly want to help, consider taking practical actions—like starting a fundraiser to ease the financial burdens of their illness, which can significantly reduce their stress and anxiety.
I encourage people to be more practical when it comes to healing. It’s vital to seek out practitioners who are well-trained and knowledgeable in this area. I’ve seen far too many instances where well-meaning individuals, without proper training, have caused more harm than good. Just because the intention behind the magic is positive doesn’t mean it’s without risks, especially when dealing with serious illness. Even with the best intentions, the results can be dangerous if you’re not fully prepared or skilled in this work. Therefore, I don’t recommend jumping into healing work lightly or assuming that because it’s not harmful magic, it can’t have unintended consequences.
Can you describe the process of creating a custom spell or candle for a client? How does the consultation and reading influence the final product?
When we conduct consultations for spellcrafting, we take the process very seriously. We believe in empowering the individual seeking help rather than taking the issue entirely out of their hands. In our approach, we involve them in the process so they understand the essence of spellwork. Essentially, a spell redirects the energetic quality of a situation at a crossroads, steering it onto a different path. However, even with a successful realignment, the person can easily fall back into old habits and patterns that have been established over years.
For a spell to be effective, the individual must actively engage in redirecting their own approach to the situation. They need to follow through with actions that set them on a new path, using the spell as an opportunity for change and transformation. This is why we emphasize collaboration in the spellcrafting process, helping them get to the root of what’s truly going on.
We avoid “power-over” workings, where one tries to control others or force a particular outcome. Instead, we encourage people to focus on their own needs and desires from a broader perspective. For instance, someone might come to us saying, “I love this person, and I want them to be in a relationship with me.” Rather than trying to influence someone’s free will, we suggest working toward bringing true love into their life in a more general sense. This ensures that they attract the right partner naturally, without manipulation.
We believe this approach leads to more positive, long-term results. Many places focus on quick fixes, but that often leads to a cycle of short-lived outcomes that don’t provide lasting fulfillment. Our goal is to help people broaden their perspective and invest in building the life they truly desire, becoming the architect of their future rather than seeking immediate, short-term solutions to isolated problems.
With such a wide range of psychic readings and metaphysical practices offered, how do you help clients choose the right service for their specific needs?
We regularly host what we call a “psychic fair,” where all the practitioners who work with us come together. You can purchase a few tickets and essentially “speed date” through the different psychics to see who resonates with you. These fairs are offered at a significantly reduced rate, so you don’t have to spend a lot of money, but it allows you to get a sense of each person’s energy and whether you connect with them. When it comes to choosing a psychic, it’s less about one being better than another and more about finding the right energetic match between you and the practitioner. It’s a very intuitive process, and people often know immediately when they’ve found the right person. You’ll feel it straight away — “this person just clicks for me” — and if not, you can easily move on to the next.
How do you balance traditional spiritual tools like crystals and herbs with modern-day accessibility in your shop?
You really notice what people gravitate towards. We sell supplies in our store, and I think those who are serious about their practice prefer a place where they can touch, feel, and work with the items firsthand. It’s fascinating, actually – we even have people come in and say, “I bought these crystals at another store, but they have this strange energy. Can you cleanse them for me?” They’ll bring their items from other places for us to cleanse. It’s quite telling — they felt obligated to shop elsewhere, but the energy there wasn’t right.
A lot of metaphysical stores can feel oppressive if they don’t maintain a clean energetic environment. When you’re dealing with magical practitioners, energy can accumulate over time, and without a strict regime of cleansing, things can get heavy. We take that very seriously. Every full moon and dark moon, we perform thorough cleansings and set wards to keep the space energetically clear. Visitors often comment on how refreshing the store feels, saying it’s like a sanctuary or a breath of fresh air.
Because of this, people trust us to cleanse their items — they believe we can remove any negativity they’ve encountered elsewhere. That’s wonderful, but it highlights something important: when it comes to buying crystals, especially online, many serious practitioners prefer to buy from a physical store where they can sense the energy firsthand. A lot of online crystals come from warehouses where the energetic environment isn’t exactly ideal, so the crystals might not carry the kind of energy someone is seeking.
While technology has its place — we offer online classes, use Zoom to connect, and share knowledge — when it comes to actual magic, I don’t believe the energy can fully translate through modern technology. For real energetic work, there’s still something essential about coming together in person.
What role does community play in the events and classes you offer, and how do you see these gatherings enhancing participants’ spiritual journeys?
When we first conceptualized The Green Man store, our business model was centered around creating a community hub. Our classes and gatherings are truly the heart of our work, where the sense of community is our primary focus. It’s a bit like going to Disneyland—you enjoy the ride, and when the ride ends, it conveniently drops you off in the gift shop. That’s where we sell our products, and that’s how we manage to keep the doors open and the roof over our heads. We simply couldn’t sustain ourselves financially by operating solely as a community center. The income from the store is essential, but the core of what we do, and the majority of our space, is dedicated to a temple where we host our classes and events.
Community is our biggest focus, and we aim to bring together people from various spiritual modalities—Druids, Wiccans, traditional crafters, shamans—you name it. We’re all about fostering Pagan solidarity, believing that we are one of the most diverse spiritual communities out there. We highlight that diversity as a strength and encourage embracing one another with tolerance and open communication, rather than trying to box everyone into the same practices. It’s through this diversity and unity that our community thrives.
If you would like to find out more about Griffin Ced, please visit https://thegreenmanstore.com/ and https://thegreenmanpsychics.com/
