Last night I watched the Moon rise above the hills of Saratoga while watching an outdoor concert. It was stunning to behold such a gorgeous sight with a background of trees and hills and music.
I wrote earlier this week about this Full Moon in Capricorn and mentioned that Full Moon energy can be used for both amplifying and clearing workings. That was before I started reading up on the astrology for this particular moon. Everything I have been reading has been pointing to clearing practices during this 2nd Full Moon in Capricorn. This is a time to ask ourselves what we are letting go of, what do we need to wipe clean? I have been thinking about this for myself and, can feel some of the things I’ve been slowly pulling away from my ego self this year. Patterns and beliefs that trip me up or keep me from being not only present but at times totally absent from the moment I am in. Today I filled a pitcher with water and herbs and set it out beneath the sun to warm and steep, and when the sun sets I will let it soak in the moon beams. Tonight before bed I’ll soak in the tub with salt and crystals, imagining that first layer that has been tearing away come fully loose and bluffing off. And tomorrow the pitcher of herby solar and lunar infused water will join me in the shower for a final step in ritual purification. Simple. Powerful. Magic. Tonight I am also pulling cards, to explore some of the themes around wellness and strength I want to weave more deeply into my days. What are you brewing up under this moon? Tomorrow we have our 5th mini lesson of the sneak peek into the 12 sections of the Priestess Path Awakening Series. The 5th lesson focuses on the archetypes of the Maiden Mother and Crone. In case you haven’t seen them yet, these mini lessons are happening every M and W for the next few weeks at 10 am PT and last between 15 and 30 min. All the replays are housed at the bottom of the page here
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One of the gifts of a broken foot has been that I have had to be much more aware and intentional with my movements. Everything I do in my body is approached differently.
There are so many things I take for granted in the way I move. Yet I didn’t really know that until I had to do things differently. There has been a lot of learning, moments of both patience and impatience and even gratitude. Today I was trying to feed my chicken who has recently become blind and no longer has the perception to connect with her spatial awareness in the same way. As I watched her trying to navigate the distance from her beak to the bowl, I recognized that same shift I’ve been working with in myself. That testing of edges and the challenges that come when you try to do things in a new way. Our magical practices can also become something we take for granted. The way we pull and read cards, or the herbs we use or the deities we connect with and the way we work with them. I have a clear structure for my rituals and the way I enact them, yet when I have the opportunity to try something new, to step into a differently led ritual or discover new ways to practice my craft, I find I am able to go deeper, to open more, to peel back another layer and in this way my magic grows. Over the course of the last year I led a part two of the Priestess Path Awakening Series. This was open to those who had completed the program in the past and provided an opportunity to learn, teach and co-create ritual. In essence a place to grow their Priestess skills. Yesterday we ended our time together with a naming ceremony that was beautiful and magical too. This year long journey was such a powerful reminder to me about how taking the role of both student and teacher, leader and led, allows us to grow in ways taking only one role does not. Questions to ponder or journal about: How are you showing up for your Witchery right now? What has become so habitual and familiar that you just might be taking it for granted? What edges are you feeling ready to grow? What new roles and practices might you play with to do this work? The 3rd Mini Lesson in the Priestess Path curriculum sneak peek is tomorrow. We will gather via Zoom at 10 am PT to chat about Creating Sacred Space and do a quick exercise together. These mini lessons are happening Mondays and Wednesdays at 10 am and last 15-30 minutes. There are five weeks left of these lessons. I’ll send the link to join in the morning. If you are interested in joining us for the Priestess Path Awakening Journey, it begins August 23rd. Pre registration will be opening for those on the wait list soon. Get on the waitlist here Summer Digest The 40 pg full color Summer Digest is still available for purchase. You can order your copy here If you live outside of the United States the printing company I use does not deliver to you, but I do. I order a couple of extra copies of the digest and if you would like one and are open to paying international shipping let me know and I’ll send one your way. With Love and Blessings, Emily (Not yet sent) Book Club Update I made a discovery. I do not like to discuss fiction books I’m reading. I am selfish and want to keep the story as mine. It’s kind of embarrassing to admit, but true nonetheless. I was putting together discussion questions in preparation for offering a Summer Book Club and found all kinds of push back happening inside of me. So…here is what I’m going to do instead. I am going to choose a non fiction book, one that includes exercises and practices and we will start a “book club” using that as our foundation The New Moon in cancer just sent us awash in feeling and possibility on Friday.
I don’t know about you but there is a point in the height of Summer heat where the longing for cooler Autumn days starts to stir within me. After the heat wave we have had (and are continuing to have), I’d say that time is now. However there is also something to be said for leaning into the heat and discovering what resides around the places we get uncomfortable. During this Cancer season will your experiences overwhelm you and send you into a pinching or retreating mode? Or will they instead bring you closer to yourself, your truth and the people around you. When we lean into discomfort we can teach our nervous systems that we can tolerate something difficult, that we can respond instead of react and that every feeling and experience actually has a beginning middle and end. In other words, this too shall pass. This week I got called out by an Oracle deck. I met a girlfriend for lunch and I was in a tizzy by the time I arrived. Having written the time down wrong, I was late and having just gotten some bad news about a surgery my dog needs, I was also emotional. To make matters worse this was supposed to be a lunch to celebrate my friend as it was her birthday. So I arrived, ungrounded and in a rush. As we sat down together, she handed me an Oracle deck. She had seen it and thought it was perfect for me. Never mind that it was her birthday, she had brought me a gift. (I know some incredibly thoughtful people) I glanced through the cards and set them aside focusing instead on my friend and trying to not to be too self centered in my inner chaos. I came back to those cards the next day though and my first three card spread called me out. It reminded me to reground, that my roots needed to run deep to manage both the now and future things. That part of my work in this moment is to reconnect with my shadow self and discover the gifts that reside there and that it was time to call in energetic allies. I’ve been avoiding myself a bit. I’ve been rejecting my Shadow. As one thing after the next has been coming down the pike this last year, I’ve been managing what I can and doing my best to act like I’ve got it under control. But I don’t. There are so many things outside of my control. I “know” that. But my own responses to these situations are generally about doing. What can I do to get things moving, to manage to make it all pass by quicker or be less intense? My Shadow is reminding me that I don’t have control and that it’s ok, perhaps even crucial to stop trying to hold back the flood. To instead, retreat, or let the water carry me where it will before coming back up for air, My Dad always told me to let the rip tide take you. He swore it would pop me back up eventually. And he was right. It will. So I am following the advice of the cards. I’m hanging with my Shadow and digging my roots deep and surrendering the best I can. I guess Cancer Season is in full swing. Want to work with the Cancerian energies? One of the themes Cancer brings up is feeling at home in yourself. For me right now that’s about embracing and working with my shadow self. Maybe for you that’s something different. Meditation for feeling at home in yourself Sit in a comfortable seat Tune in to the rhythm of your breath Scan your body from top of your head to the souls of your feet Notice any places that feel uncomfortable, or tense Notice if any thoughts creep in, Acknowledge them and let them float through Continue to breath Imagine your breath loosening tight spots Easing discomfort Releasing Continue to breathe and settle into your body Be with you Explore the Journey We begin tomorrow, Monday July 8th at 10 am PT with a series of 12 mini lessons at 10 am PT Monday and Wednesday for 6 weeks. These classes are glimpses into the curriculum of the Priestess Path Awakening Program that begins August 23rd. I’ll send out reminder emails with the link to join an hour and a half before each lesson. Although the Summer technically just began, already the hills have turned browns and gold and everything is dry dry dry!
Here in Northern California we are in the starting days of a heat wave. Our cool fog is taking a vacation and we will be under the heat and power of the sun. When you delve into the energy of the Sun what comes up? Sun provides, heat and light. It illuminates everything (and can either banish or deepen the shadows too) The Sun in the Tarot is a card of positivity and success. It is portrayed in the Ride Waite-Smith deck as a happy (albeit creepy) baby riding atop a white horse beneath the sun. This card is connected to your inner child and inner light, it is playful and fun, but also powerful. One interpretation of this card from Rachel Pollack, in the book Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom says “The card signifies joy, happiness, and a great sense of the beauty of life. In its deepest sense it means looking at the world in a wholly new way, seeing all life united in joy and light. Above all it a card of optimism, energy and wonder.” With the literal sun above us now is a great time to work with these energies. Sun meditation: find a place to sit in the sun (or at least be surrounded by its light if not in direct sun). Begin by closing your eyes and turning your face toward the light. Breathe. Feel the sun inside of you. What is it illuminating? Where is your joy? Your playfulness? Let your mouth curve into a smile and really feel the light that is surrounding you and inside of you. What shadows are being cast away by this light. What shadows are deepening? Now slowly open your eyes and take in the world around you with this same lens. What do you see? What is being illuminated (literally). What shadows are gone and which ones have deepend? Notice what you notice. Then take a few minutes to journal about your discoveries. Simple Practice-make a Sun Altar Choose items that represent the Sun and its energy to you. Choose oranges and yellows and reds and golds as your color palette. Light candles or use mirrors to reflect light. Come to your altar to connect with these solar energies. Mini Lessons! The Priestess Path Awakening Series begins August 23rd Starting next week I will be hosting a total of 12 mini classes held Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 am PT. These will be available for you to join live and will be recorded if you can’t join us in real time. Each mini class will cover a section of the Priestess Path, offering a bite size example of the journey itself. I’ll send out reminders on those days and the replays will be posted on Facebook and emailed out My own celebrations were quieter than usual. My own movements tempered by my broken foot. But still that solar energy was (and is) palpable.
The fire that Summer brings is both figurative and literal, as those of us in California have been remind of in this past week. What is your relationship to fire? My own is complicated. Fire is strong in my astrological chart, and I have always loved fire in its many forms. It is mesmerizing the way it dances and moves, the way it heats with flame and coals and leaves behind ash. Yet in 2017 when a firestorm blazed through my county and town, I found myself afraid of fire for the first time. All the elements exist on a spectrum, fire included. From a slow steady bed of coals to the quick moving flames of a wildfire, the energy of this element is powerful yet varied. How does fire live in you? How do you seek it out? In its true form or in the energy of fire that lives in experiences, relationships and people. Do you look for the slow burn or the crackling flame? Are you mesmerized by it? Drawn to it like a moth with papery wings? Or do you run the other direction when you feel the energy of fire near? The elements are at the heart of my craft and my relationship with world around me. And although some things are always holding steady (ex: my inner fire is almost always cranking out another “great idea” I want to do “right now”), my relationships with the elements shifts and changes and I invite them in a myriad of forms depending on both what I need and how I’m relating to that energy at a given time. The more you understand your relationship to the elements the greater allies they become. So in this Summer Fire energy, explore your relationship with this elemental power. Sit around a campfire, cook on the coals, let your evening be lit by firelight, discover the way you respond to heat (yes it’s getting hot outside). Play, laugh, dance, move! Happy Summer Wise Ones! Did you get your Summer Edition of the Cauldron digest yet? You can grab your full color 40 page copy here In other news, as I mentioned last week, I have put the next cohort of the Priestess Path on hold until the end of August. If you want to be the first to know when registration reopens, be sure to get on the waitlist! You can add your name here (Please note, if you were on the waitlist for the last registration, the list has been renewed so please resubscribe) In the coming weeks I’ll be sharing some mini chats on the topics covered in the Priestess Path and will be sure to include the links to watch in future newsletters. Summer Reading I’ve been considering offering a book club for some time now and Summer seems like a really good time to do it! If you think you would be interested in something like this, please take a minute to fill out this form as you will be the first to be notified of this opportunity and your answers will help guide the layout. For now, I’m sending you all Summer blessings! The Solstice is the longest day of the year and the shortest of nights.
Although it is the astronomical marking of the start of Summer (meteorological Summer began June 1st in the Northern Hemisphere), it is sometimes called Midsummer. The Solstice is a celebration of light, fire, and the energy of the sun. Everywhere the land is in full bloom and the war and long days are calling us outdoors and onto the earth. What do you notice inside of you as the wheel turns and the season shifts? What Summer traditions do you hold? For many years my women’s circle would trek to the coast to walk a very special labyrinth there, celebrating the sun and the light inside of ourselves. How do you connect with the light inside of you? The Summer calls us into motion. This is a powerful time for prosperity and manifestation rituals, and to supercharge any other intentions you have been working with. This is also a time for connecting with the natural world and all her elements. How are you connecting to Air, Fire, Water and Earth? There are many simple practices you can do to celebrate the season. Here are just a few
Want to celebrate with me? I host 8 wheel of the year ceremonies for the Diving Deeper Community each year. Our Summer Solstice Ceremony is this Saturday June 22nd. If you are not already in the community and want to join us for this event you can register here! Looking for more inspiration for this Summer Season? Have you ordered your copy of the Cauldron Summer Digest? This 40 page digest is loaded with Summer stories, poems and recipes straight from our community. You can order your copy here. If you’ve been around the community for a time you have likely heard me refer to myself as a workaholic. You may also have heard mention of my Sagittarius stellium that is always driving me forward and lending it;s fire to those big ideas I’m always having.
Since the Winter I have slowed down a lot. Still creating, still dreaming, but finding myself less motivated, less driven. And maybe that’s good. As you know it was a rough winter. And honestly I was burnt out and have been feeling more depressed than I’d like to admit. After the retreat two weeks ago though I felt better. A LOT better. I felt like I reconnected to myself, to source to my magic. And I was feeling pretty enthusiastic about the Summer and my practice and possibilities that I could start to see once more. Then two days ago, during a quick jaunt across the street for lemons from my neighbors tree, I stepped on a sidewalk crack and shit slowed waaaaaay down. The old and sturdy magnolia that has her roots dug deep and wide had cracked and lifted the sidewalk, that old magnolia that held a delightful crows nest this year and is always rattling it’s heavy leaves in the wind, that old magnolia sent me a message. My foot twisted and I felt a pop and I stumbled into a telephone pole where I smashed lemons into my chest before hobbling back across the street uncertain of the damage done but knowing it was bad. A few hours, an ER trip and an xray later I was getting a big ass splint added to my foot for the break AND sprain that occurred. The one that left swelling that looked like someone shoved half a softball under my skin. Multiple people have said to me since “The universe is telling you to slow down”. And maybe it is (I’m pretty sure it is). Slow down. Take inventory. Regroup. The universe tells me to slow down often. I don’t tend to listen for long. But now, now I am listening. As an added bonus as I was trying to wrangle my hyper dogs from my crutches today my watch broke. I didn’t notice at first. But a couple hours later when I c=glanced down I realized the watch had stopped and the button on the side that adjusts the time (it’s analogue) was broken off. So if a busted foot wasn’t enough, my watch is now done too. “Hey there Universe, I’m listening!” So I scheduled the rest of my clients this week from home (I’m just saying no to the 24 stairs at my office), I’m letting my husband care for me, I’m elevating my foot as much as I can and spending a fair amount of time focusing on my breathing and trying to calm my frustration. And due to not quite enough sign ups I’m postponing the start of the new Priestess Path cohort until late August. I’m trying to feel into the ways that this message is a gift. I’m practicing patience. And I’m watching for signs. I’m listening Universe. I’m listening. When was the last time the universe asked you to listen? What did it say? (Also are you reading any good books? Apparently I’m going to be sitting still for awhile) One brought on by time in nature and magic and community.
I’ve been so tied to schedules and clocks, electronics and the pit of scroll. But this last weekend I spent four days in a tent, without electricity and steeped in magic. The Wise Woman Witchery Outdoor retreat was a time out of time. The rhythms shifted the alarm that brought me awake, no longer the fake nature sounds from the electronics on my nightstand, but a chorus of birds and a filtering of daybreak and the ones that lulled me to sleep were the crickets and wind in the trees. Here I am now. Back in the day to day. But I feel different. The ceremony, and divination offered openings to the inspiration I’ve been seeking, but so too did the connections with the other women who stepped into this space. It is easy to forget as we trudge through our responsibilities the sheer power of gathering in circle for days, of eating together and sleeping in the same spaces and of course making magic. This deep time allows for vulnerabilities and authenticities to emerge in a way that does not always happen in a quick online class or ceremony. The classes and circles I’ve offered online and in person are intended to create these spaces, these safe microcosms of self exploration and connection. And often they do just that. However being in the same physical space, away from distractions and the energetic pull of the “to do’s” truly carves out space to be with what is, and to open to possibility and each other. I am grateful, honored, moved and changed. And now as the integration occurs, I will discover how to carry this medicine forward, into those things that need tending each day, remembering that I am in fact one of those things too. What’s Happening? I am offering Priestessing in the Modern World, one last time before the Priestess Path begins on June 21st. If you have yet to take this free class and have some curiosity about meeting (or getting reacquainted with) your inner priestess, you are invited to join me Saturday, June 15th at 1 pm PT. Sign up here The Priestess Path Awakening Journey starts June 21st This year long path invites you to deepen into the use of earth based and magickal practices to expand your relationship to priestessing and to yourself. Through the use of twice a month meetings, we build our community and our skills in a small group format, allowing the container to create a space for growth and connection. You can learn more and register here The Summer Digest is ready! I’ve just ordered mine and you can order yours too! This season I asked YOU to send me submissions for the Cauldron. You all have your own wisdom to share, and I wanted to highlight this and create something that was truly formed by community at its heart. Meet some of your fellow Witches and discover a taste of their wisdom. I’ve also added a few more articles to connect us even more strongly to the Summer season. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed cobbling it together. Order here This weekend I celebrated and said goodbye to my dear friend Sarah.
As some of you will recall, Sarah died back in December after a cancer recurrence that would not be stopped. The shape and texture of this loss has echoed through the layers of my life in ways I didn’t expect. At her memorial this weekend her daughter spoke and said something to the effect that she herself hadn’t been to many memorials (she’s only 30), but that she now understood the importance and value of these gatherings. A memorial is a ritual, a space where those gathered step into the in between to remember and share. Some are deeply structured and held within traditions. Some are more casual and even joyful. A while ago I wrote to you about ceremony. How rituals both small and large were carrying me through the dark Winter and bringing support to my soul in a time of need. Rituals are important. Sharing in ritual is important too. When we step into those liminal spaces with others, there is something primal and powerful that emerges. Connections are formed. Some of these transcend these sacred spaces and some last only as long as the ceremony itself. Yet all those connections are meaningful. All have the potential to alchemize something inside of us. Whether in public ritual, coven spaces, community ceremony, or women’s circles, there is something profound about being witnessed and being a witness. We are not meant to be alone. We are communal beings. Some of us need more space independently of the group vibe, but at the end of the day we all need each other. As the butterflies danced and the nearby farm animals called to each other, and the warm sun shone down, I absorbed the stories people shared about Sarah and I took the time to smile and say hello to many people I had only known in name and context, and I felt closer to Sarah, and less pummeled by my grief, and discovered my broken heart was also very very full. I wouldn’t have had this experience alone. Not in the same way at least. Not with the same depth. Where are you coming together in ceremony? Maybe it's a wedding, or a funeral, or a graduation. Maybe it’s a moon circle or a seasonal celebration or a ritual to honor yourself, or connect with the elements. I invite you to bring yourself into these sacred spaces. To let yourself sit in the magic that is stirred when people gather. Yes, I know not all ceremony feels great, (especially when uncle so and so gets drunk and inappropriate or your grief is so big the day feels like a fog) but the invitation is to be with what is, to discover the beauty that is present. Watch the way people look at each other, hug or touch, chant or sing. I promise, even in the weirdest of ceremonies there is a gem to be taken and treasured. Announcements The Witch Next Door is on break-we will return in a few weeks with new episodes. The Priestess Path Awakening Journey begins June 21st. If you’ve been looking for a way to grow your magic, this is an opportunity for you! This program is a year long commitment to yourself and your magical practice. (It also gifts you with those group ceremonies I’ve been talking about). Learn more here I will not be hosting a Summer Circle this season, but these seasonal 6 session circles will begin again in the Fall. And finally, the Diving Deeper Membership circle is here to help you anchor your practice to the seasons and lunar cycles! Membership perks include: A monthly calendar to guide you to lessons, meditations and rituals all housed in the Diving Deeper archives. Wheel of the year live streamed interactive rituals Deep discounts and early registration for classes and workshops An off Facebook social media group where you can connect with other Wise Witchy humans. Plus the occasional pop up ritual and class. You can learn more here I can smell the shift in the air. The green hills are turning gold and everything is blooming and growing.
Back from the Pacific Northwest the turning of the season is even more tangible here in Northern California. The earth is warm, the days long and reminders of the fertility and abundance of the earth are everywhere. Although Spring has not quite let go of her grip on the land Summer is near and everything is alive with the hum of growth. It is this time of year, that I find myself feeling most connected to all of the elements all at once. The Spring breezes are frequent and still cool, pulling my hair and tugging at my skirts, the heat of sun in growing in intensity, the dewy mornings and green leaves of the trees and the rich smells of earth and plants are everywhere. The elements are at the heart of my practice. A foundation on which everything else stems from. Their energy is powerful and can be worked with in a myriad of ways. How are the elements showing up for you? How are you connecting to their energies and associations? Simple Practices Sit in a natural setting. If you like you can set a timer for five or ten minutes. Close your eyes. Listen. Feel. Breathe. What do you notice? Move through all your senses. Discover the world through sensing. Then begin to feel for the elements. Can you find them all as you sense the world around you? Are there certain elements that stand out more powerfully in this specific place at this specific time? When your timer goes off or you feel complete, journal about your discoveries. Impromptu Altar Magic to grow your relationship with the Elements What happens when you hear the word AIR? What associations do you have with this element? Take a look around your house and find an item that represents air to you. Then do the same process with the other elements. Use these items to represent the five elements Air, Fire, Water, Earth and Spirit. Create an altar with these items and take time each day to visit it for a week (or longer). As you do notice if there are more things you want to add or if your original choices no longer fit the way you are feeling into a particular elemental energy. Change, add and subtract as needed. Let’s get outside! There is still room at the outdoor retreat June 7-9th in Sonoma County. (bonus day/night June 6th) I’ve been cooking up some plans for us and I can’t wait to gather with you around the fire and make some magick! During our time together we will be tapping into the energy of the land, community and ourselves, as we create ritual, spellcraft, play with divination and spend time out of time in our sacred space. (plus my Witch Next Door Co-host will be joining us and will be offering morning yoga classes) Not a camper? There are plenty of other lodging options open to you. Spend your nights indoors and your days with us under the trees. Details and registration information here Have you been looking for a way to bring more energy and focus into your magical practice? A community to share your experiences with? A deepening into familiar knowledge and an opening to something new? The Priestess Path Awakening Journey begins June 21st! In this 12 lesson, 13 moon path, you will learn everything from the basics of creating a ritual to spellcrafting and divination. You will also be invited to explore your inner realms and cultivate a more powerful relationship with yourself! Come and discover your inner Priestess! Check out the details and take advantage of Early Bird Pricing here (Early bird ends June 1). Questions? Reply to this email. |
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Emily Morrison MA, MFTArchives
July 2024
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