I got back from teaching magick last weekend. I am always honored to hold a container for curiosity and exploration. And to find some places where I could take a closer look — other parts where I know I need to shift away from old patterns and stories. Healing happens in community. When I started teaching over a decade ago, I prepared so much for each class. I practiced what I would say, how I would say it, and what... Read more
Grief is not a new thing, of course. But if you’ve been reading my blog for any period of time, you know it’s been on my mind a lot. And even more lately. It’s not (just) because of the losses I’ve had in my life, it’s because of something else. It’s because I realize now how much it would have helped to process my grief when it arrived (and returned and tripped me). It would have been wise to have... Read more
The new year is upon us, with resolutions (or not) about the magick you want to make. I’ve seen several folks post this question: what do you want to do with your magickal practice this year? For me, I want to deepen into some practices I’ve been doing for years. But more importantly, I want to play more. Invite in more joy. I want to try more. I want to be willing to make mistakes. I want to infuse my... Read more
Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough. – Emily Dickinson As I walked around some neighborhoods last night, looking at the holiday lights people had strung up with such care and attention, I noticed one message again and again: joy. I know joy as the place of bursting with happiness, with pleasure, with a feeling I can only describe as warmth that expands with each breath. A feeling that I know I want, even need,... Read more
The Winter Solstice sneaks up on me. Maybe it’s because there isn’t snow where I live. Or because I don’t seem to understand how to read a calendar ahead of time. Or because I’m a freelance writer and time is irrelevant for the self-employed (it seems). But before I know it, it’s time for the tipping back into the light for the northern hemisphere. There is an audible sigh of relief that sings from my bones. We made it. A... Read more
I was diagnosed with ADHD a few months ago. Maybe it was TikTok. Maybe it was the fact that I have been the sole witness to the goings-on of my brain for the last few years. Maybe it’s because I am by myself a lot of the time and I don’t have to hide behaviors or rituals. I realized something was different. Messy. Mostly adorable. Often exhausting. With so much of the ADHD conversation focusing on work and everyday life,... Read more
In Reclaiming, we have classes on Iron and Pearl Pentacles, gifts from Feri Witchcraft. These pentacles act as tools for meditation, diagnosis, and interrogation. Each with points that call out and call in the practitioner. What do you know? What do you want to know? What have you been told? What do you want to heal? I ask these questions as student and teacher, as facilitator and human. I wonder into the pentacles with curiosity and courage. There are always... Read more
Last week, I wrote about grief and about supporting yourself. But I missed one thing: the non-human help. Sure, I talked about magick, but I’m aware that not everyone has people, trustworthy and available people in their lives. This might be intentional or unintentional. Some folks don’t have people they can turn to. Or they don’t want to turn to them. Or they don’t want to turn to them as much as they do. So, what else can be done?... Read more
“No one ever told me that grief felt so much like fear.” – C.S Lewis For many, the almost-Winter and Winter months in the Northern Hemisphere present challenges to the heart. Death anniversaries. Loneliness. Memories that rustle the present. Family stories that are louder and ouchy. This will be the first Winter I experience without my parents in the world. I am preparing for rough spots ahead of time. The slight edge of fear already noticeable out of the corner... Read more
(Excerpted from my article of the same title, published in myddle earth Samhain issue 2022, available for members) Right after I wake up, I focus on what other people need. I look at my messages and email to find the direction of my day. I know it’s not the best start. It pulls me away from myself immediately. It causes me to center the needs of others before even asking myself, “How are you doing?” or “What do you need... Read more
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