Look to your inner fire and call it up before you. Carefully burn away all that does not serve you – the anger, resentment, hatred, and fear. Allow the ashes to nurture and free you. Remember that some seeds can only break open when they are met with great heat and force, initiating a change you never thought was possible.
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The Morrigan and the Power of Transformation
November. The month when we slip off the masks of revelry we share in October and dissolve into the liminal space and dying light. Kissed by the chilling winds that kick up, we begin to pull a little closer into ourselves. Perhaps we breathe a little slower, a little calmer. Opening the door to a place for rest, we find ourselves curling up within the comforts of our home. However, for many of us upon this crooked path, we know that there is much to do, much to explore. Yes, we will rest. We will also begin our long trek into our vast wildness within, seeking the parts of our soul that are still undiscovered or have been pushed aside. If we choose this path, we do not need to walk alone. As the cold winds of change blow, there is a presence that waits. She will make herself known when we are ready for her. However, it is up to us to answer that call.
Read MoreThe Magick of the Season
When the air turns a little cooler and the sun sets a little earlier, a feeling arises within each of us. It is an enchanting time, the autumn season, especially here in New England. As the October chill begins to nip at our fingers and nose, we reach out to the warming teas and ciders to comfort us from within. Sweaters and scarves begin their migration from the depths of our closets and back to our bodies. Giggles of excitement can be heard throughout the orchards. The silvery morning mists rise from the earth as the blades of grass cling to their last days of green, preparing for their own descent into the depths of the earth.
Read MoreLayers Through Time
This blog completes the recent series I have been posting for you. While the first two pieces, “Giving Voice”, and “For Those Who Have Gone Before Us”, offered the history of the Brattleboro Retreat Tower, this article documents my hike up to the top of the hill. It may seem out of sequence, but it felt right this way. I hope it inspires you to explore your local history. Hopefully, we can dispel the fiction from reality to heal the scars that stretch across our communities together.
Read MoreFor Those Who Have Gone Before Us
I recently visited the Brattleboro Retreat Tower. It is a place that holds a long history and such a presence. While it was intended to be a groundbreaking facility, and it certainly was in many respects, there are chapters in its past that range from disturbing to heartbreaking, just like all psychiatric facilities of their time. I wanted to take a moment and offer the history of the location for a few reasons. First, this hospital continues to treat patients today. There is a stigma with mental illness and I do not want to sully the good work and compassionate care that The Retreat offers today. Secondly, to overcome the horrors of the past, we must look at what was true and weed out what is false. Rumors run rampant in places like these.
Read MoreGiving Voice
I have been trying to finish a blog about a particular location in Vermont that we went to recently. It is a place that holds a certain kind of history that quickly conjures images and emotions long before you arrive and captivates you once you enter its grounds. As I was writing, I realized it was becoming quite long, and I have been trying to figure out how to fix it for about a week now. I am not sure what can be cut. It is a place with many layers and stories to tell. This location deserves respect and I don’t want to just give it a few paragraphs and move on. Quick blurbs and soundbites flood our media. As a result, much of the story is lost or shrugged away, reduced to broad stroke summaries and assumptions charged with fear.
Read MoreFinding Our Connection
As we juggle many obligations in our daily lives, it is also important to allow ourselves to stretch out upon the earth. There is wisdom and nurturing that can take place when we allow ourselves to unfurl like the lush, fertile green rolling hills under a blue and sunny sky.
Read MoreBetween the Darkest Depths and Sunniest Skies
Over the last few months, I have been feeling a push and a pull within me. For a time, I am offered space to feel the sun upon my face and the ocean’s spray upon my skin. Joy and excitement flow through me as long held dreams materialize before my eyes. It is like I am living a dream come true. I feel weightless and free. Everything within me rises to the surface to mingle with the sea and sky as my dreams take flight. It is beautiful and surreal all rolled into one gift that has no strings attached. As I smile with my eyes closed and face to the sun, the ocean waves consume me, dragging me down into the ocean’s dark depths. I am instantly carried down below my own waterline. Into the darkness I go; acceptance and silence my only guide.
Read MoreAn Offering to Medusa
As long as I can remember, I have been working with a variety of gods and beings. The work that I do, both publicly and personally, calls upon myth and legend to find the threads that can be woven into our modern lives. Through this work, I have been able to find the strength, wisdom, and healing I need. Over the years, I have found that these stories contain important lessons. They were significant thousands of years ago and the themes still ring true today. Honestly, I feel that they are just as important now as we are all searching for understanding between ourselves and our world. By reaching into the pages of the past, we can find the seeds of wisdom and plant them in our own lives. We can find inspiration. We can see our own pain and trauma. We can recognize common themes and begin to chart a new way forward as we break old and tired patterns. As a witch, these stories are more than whispers from a time long ago.
Read MoreLayers of Lifetimes
There are moments when we dream of far-off places and of a time that has been long forgotten. Hazy pictures within our minds are painted. They create landscapes, uncover memories, and perhaps even pieces of ourselves are revealed as the mist dissipates. The fuzzy images become clearer as we emerge from the shadows, gathering strength through understanding. For some, this is the work of our journey. This is the work of our soul. This is the work of connecting the dots between our longing and with our unexpected de-ja-vu experiences. When we take the time to listen to what our body is telling us, what our soul is craving, we can give ourselves permission to take the step forward to feed ourselves with what we need. However, this can only happen if we choose to walk into the unknown and into that strange place of liminality between today, yesterday, and tomorrow. Like frosted breath on a window pane, we touch the boundaries between ourselves and what is calling to us.
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The Whispering Crow 