Winston Churchill said this before he began his work as Prime Minister of England during the dark times of World War II: “I felt as if I were walking with Destiny, and that all my past life had been but a preparation for this hour and for this trial. Eleven years in the political wilderness had freed me from ordinary party antagonisms. My warnings over the last six years had been so numerous, so detailed, and were now so terribly... Read more

Sometimes inspiration comes from funny places.  I’ve had epiphanies driving in the car and powerful spiritual experiences while folding laundry.  Kids have taught me many lessons.   One of the techniques I’ve learned in attempting to change my state of consciousness is that you have to start where you are rather than where you would like to be. I first observed this reality when I was a young mother trying to put irritable children to sleep.  I noticed that if I... Read more

Transgender, transsexual, genderqueer, intersex, non-gendered, third gendered, gender-fluid. Read those words again.  Let yourself feel how you react to them.  Are they comfortable words or words that challenge you?   Each tells a different but related story.  All too often these words tell stories of pain and misunderstanding.  Words have power and these words are powerful indeed.  They have the power to kill, and the power to change a life for the better. I have known a number of people who... Read more

Recently I had a interesting conversation with an ADF member about her new friendship with the local river spirit.  She had been getting headaches and was trying to figure out if that was connected to her spirit workings or not.  I hope I gave her a couple good ideas, but the thing that I really carried away from that conversation was Science.  I have noticed a theme with pagans.  We like science.  We also feel stupid for believing in fairy... Read more

I’ve shared this around the internet, but I wanted to share it here too. We live in a culture of oppression and fear.  We must all take a stand and speak for what we believe in. I believe in this. Read more

Sometimes I have to work hard to do spirit work.  I struggle and think and fail. Other times it’s dropped in my lap like a gift.  Plop! Have some spirit work! I wanted to make sure I spent time with both my daughters this weekend. I played violin with my elder daughter, but my younger daughter wasn’t sure how she wanted to spend our time together. I suggested a number of things, and in the end, we went to visit... Read more

This is about controlling the dissociative state. This is about using our own psychology for our benefit.  About taking what we shove into psychosis and instead trusting in all the threads of experience, research, and the ancient lore woven together like a net under circus performers.  Come with me and let us fly above those who would stand by and watch. Bee Spirit Meditation The creative process is a lot like trance work. When I work at my best and... Read more

I’ve been too busy to think, which is pretty normal this time of year. There’s costumes to make, coloring pages to draw, candy to buy, and stuffie pumpkins to sew. (It’s a thing. Don’t judge me.)  I often feel a little torn between the secular aspects of Halloween and the spiritual side of this time of year.  The balance that I’ve found is that for the month of October I go full swing into modern traditional celebration.  Costumes, fake blood,... Read more

Nature Spirit Shrine In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows the intrepid trio searches for the bits of Voldemort’s soul that he has hidden in the landscape of England and the lives of those surrounding the individual formerly named Tom Riddle.   The book talks about how damaged he had become by splitting off bits of his soul, twisting himself until he was completely amoral and savage. In the real world things aren’t that simple, and souls can be broken. In... Read more

Woods In a Storm (original available for purchase) I wasn’t feeling well that afternoon, and there was a damp chill to the air in the house.  The north wind had brought his bounty of frost tipped leaves and slowly melting flowers.  I carefully laid twigs in a crisscross on the logs laid in the fireplace.  I hoped to drive the cold and the damp back out into the cloud covered landscape, and watched the fire closely, guarding the tiny youthful flames.  ... Read more