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When I was little my sister and I had handmade felt advent calendars.
Each day of December leading up to Christmas, my sister and I would awaken and rush to the living room to see what was tucked into the pockets of our calendars. Sometimes it was gum, or nuts, or a small toy or charm. No matter what we discovered, there was something really exciting about the mystery and surprise of it all. According to the dictionary “Advent is the the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event.” In Christian traditions it is the the first season of the Christian church year, leading up to Christmas and including the four preceding Sundays. For me it is simply the magical countdown to the coming of a new calendar year. Once again this year I am sharing a countdown calendar with you! Each day includes a prompt for a magical practice to help you connect with simple daily practices that infuse some witchery into your day to day. You can download your free calendar here Then follow along with us over in the Facebook group as we collectively infuse this last month of the year with magic! Speaking of calendars… The Wise Woman Witchery 2023 Daily Planner has arrived! This paperback tome, offers you pages for each day with spaces for plannings your schedule, your to do list, setting your intentions and making notes. It also includes the lunar calendar for the year, monthly pages for setting your lunar intentions, a two page spread of the months calendar and information on some of the cosmic and seasonal energies that are influencing each month, along with simple practices to keep the magic in your inner cauldron cooking throughout the year. You can order yours here! Here’s to making every day magic!
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I have been enamored with the falling leaves. Where I live in northern California, some trees are bare, while others are slowly dropping their leaves and still others are working on their changing of colors.
The sounds of the leaves falling, the shift for many from bright vibrant shades of red and gold to yellow and brown, the fact that every tree is moving and transforming at its own pace are all reminders of the uniqueness of our own transformations and evolutions. We do not all change and shed and grow together. Each of us has our own rhythm and pace. Nature can be such a steady guide when we take the time to truly notice what she is telling us. Where are you at in your own rhythm Wise Ones? Are you still exploring what you are ready to release, are you in progress or are you feeling the freedom (and vulnerability) of letting go? Simple Practice/Ritual: Meditate in silence on what you might be ready to release, surrender, offer up. Choose clothing items to represent these things. You might consider the weight of fabric and the feel of it on your skin and correlate this with the emotional or mental weight the things are ready to let go of. Dress yourself in these items and sit for 5-10 minutes in quiet feeling the sensation of all these items. Slowly and intentionally remove each of the items, one at a time. Pausing for a moment to notice the shift in sensation as you take these off. Notice if there is an urge to hang on to one item or another. Notice why. When you have removed all the items you chose sit for another 5-10 minutes meditating on the experience of feeling lighter, more vulnerable. Journal about this. You might complete the ritual with a shower or bath to symbolize the cleansing and clearing this experience offered. Holiday sales are ending! The Priestess Path 13 moon, 12 month journey begins with a new Cohort in January. When the registration officially opens at the end of the year the price will be increasing. As a holiday special I am offering you the opportunity to sign up between now and Monday November 28th, at midnight at last years price point. In addition when you sign up during this special early registration you will also receive the Priestess Path Book when we begin in January. This book is a printed copy of all the curriculum you receive digitally during the course. Plus you get an additional month of the Diving Deeper Membership free! This means you can join us for upcoming moon rituals, Winter Solstice and an astrology and seasonal plant class, all before the new year begins! Learn more about this path and register here Witch Crafting This time of year I am always crafting up goodies for friends and family (and sometimes for myself too). I have bundled together 4 of my mini classes (30 min or less with videos and handouts), covering the following,
Get this bundle before midnight Monday and you’ll be crafting up some magic for the holidays and all year round! Register Here Seasonal Guidebook Bundle If you have been following me for a while then you know about the celebration guidebooks I have been collaborating with Erin La Faive from Full Circle Herbals on. Each Equinox and Solstice we have created guidebooks designed to help you celebrate the seasons through a series of reflections, altar creations, crafts, rituals, tarot spreads, divination practices and recipes. For this holiday sale we are offering all four e-books (regularly $22 each), for $44. Plus you get video recordings of seasonal rituals for Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. This offer ends tomorrow at midnight CT. Get Yours Now! Friends, keep your eyes on your inbox. I’ll be sending you our magical countdown to the New Year calendar and I know you’ll want to print it out and follow along. Between lengthening nights, cooler weather and the holidays season, we might find ourselves feeling the desire to craft a bit more. Cozy time inside might lend itself to knitting or quilting or beading. It also might lead you down the road of Witch Crafting! There are so many tools, potions and spells that you can craft up and this time of year is perfect for such things. Plus some of these Witchy creations are great for gift giving! The second of several flash sales this week, is the Witch Crafting class bundle. Inside you will find 4 video classes of 30 min or less, handouts and a bonus potion printable. Learn about
On sale now for 50% off! (Please note that if you are a Diving Deeper Member you already have access to these classes) Did you get your Celebrating the Seasons Guidebook bundle yet? You can still cash in on the 50% price until Monday the 28th. Get all four guidebooks and four seasonal ritual replays HERE Help me celebrate my birthday! Join the Mamma Earth Gratitude movement and get some swag! Every year on thanksgiving my husband and I trek out and pick up trash in our neighborhood. This is a thank you to Mamma Earth and this year it is also one of the ways I am choosing to celebrate my birthday. Celebrate with me! Between now and Saturday the 26th, get outside and give the earth some love by picking up litter, then keep your eye on your mailbox for your Wise Woman Witchery Stickers! Here’s how it works,
 Our temps here have been dropping down to freezing the last few nights. I love walking in these sparkly frost covered mornings, breathing the cold air while my body is warmed with layers of cozy clothes and movement. What I don’t love is how dry my skin gets and how running the heater makes this issue even worse. Simmer Pots to the Rescue! These kitchen potions are perfect home magic for this time of year. They smell amazing and infuse magic into every corner of your residence. A Simmer Pot is a Pot of Water that you bring to a boil then turn down to a gentle simmer on your stove or create in your crockpot Adding herbs, plants and fruits to the water creates a scented steam that fills your house with a wondrous scent and when done with intention,invites in the energy you desire into your home space. Step One: Create an Intention What is the purpose of your Simmer Pot? Step Two: Choose correlating plants and herbs Step Three: Add Water to your pot Step Four: Add your herbs and plants Be sure to speak your intention to the plants as you add them or state it clearly once the herbs are in the water Step Five: bring to boil then turn down to a low simmer (if using a slow cooker you can just turn it on) Step Six: check the water every 30- 60 minutes (depending on the size of your pot and amount of water) and add more water as needed. You can use these same herbs for a full day and compost or bury them when the spell is complete. A Few Combination Suggestions For Love, Protection and Cleansing/Clearing Apple, Orange, Lemon, Allspice, Cloves,Cinnamon Sticks For Success and Money (or Love) Orange, Cinnamon, Clove For Protection/Purification Parsley and Lemon For Clearing Protection and Clarity Lemon, Rosemary and Vanilla For Turning up your Psychic Powers (with a little protection added in) Orange, Clove, Bay, Cinnamon For Purification/Protection Lemon, Bay, Clove, Cinnamon or Bay, Lemon, Lime, Cinnamon and Clove For Love Lemon, Lavender and Vanilla For Protection Pine, Apples and Cinnamon You can also create your own blends based on what plants and spices you feel most drawn to. Enjoy! PS Did you sign up for Astrology Fundamentals yet? You can register for both parts 1 and 2 here Or if you prefer, you can register for just part 1 HERE Our first session is December 4th at 1 pm PT. Replays are available to all registrants  This is admittedly my favorite month of the year. As much as I adore the energy of October, November feels like a deeper sink into the Fall and the darkness.
(It is also my birthday month so I may be just a little biased) Autumn feels like a powerful time of release. Surrendering to the transformation and change of the earth around us and shifting our own focus from the vibrancy and outward energy of Summer to our inner realms. Each November I do a daily gratitude practice to countdown to my birthday. If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you will see these daily gratitude posts in my stories. Gratitude is its own sort of magic. When we practice gratitude it shifts the way we think, the way we view the world and the way we interact with it and with those around us. Gratitude is an invitation to explore ALL the things that there are to be grateful for past the surface elements. For example, instead of just being grateful for the food in the fridge, I find myself thankful for the people who grew and picked it, for the truck drivers who got it to the market and the produce workers who stock the shelves. I discover the gratitude I feel not just for the food and those that brought it to me, but then for the money I have to purchase it and the work I have to earn the money and the people who are courageous enough to come to me to do the work we do together. My own reflections over the years have been that gratitude makes me slow down, take inventory, notice the little things and really notice the layers of blessings in my life. I invite you to join me in this practice and discover what it brings up for you. Moon Magic For the last few years I have created AnnualLunar Calendars and shared them with you. The latest one will be available in about a week and I will include a link for you to get yours delivered to your inbox as soon as they are ready! You will also have an opportunity to join me for a moon magic class in December. Stay tuned. Astrology classes are coming your way! My Tarot Lady Christine Michele will be teaching Astrology classes for the Diving Deeper Membership Circle and we have decided to open these up as ala cart options for those of you who are not in the membership but would like to join in. Astrology Fundamentals will be taught in 2 parts. The first part will cover the Elements, Modes, Planets, and Signs. The 2nd part will add onto this with the House System and the Aspects. The first class is Sunday December 4th at 1 pm PT. You can register for that class here! If you prefer to sign up for both the first and second parts of this class together you will receive a 20% discount. You can register for both here. (Part two will be on February 12th at 1 pm PT) In addition to a live class you will also get an extensive PDF and the replay of the lecture. (Remember if you are in Diving Deeper you are already enrolled in these classes as part of your membership). For those of you curious about all that Diving Deeper offers you can register here and get these classes, moon rituals and so much more! (Cancel anytime) Feeling grateful for all of you! Thank you for being a part of this community. However you are celebrating this day, may you discover many treats and may the tricks be playful.
May your connection through the veil be strong, your messages clear and your heart full. If you haven’t yet checked out the community Samhain ritual I hosted yesterday, you can view the replay here In this hour long ritual you will be guided on a journey to connect with those that have come before. Grab your journal and settle in for this excursion to Summerland. And if you are wanting to connect even more deeply with your ancestors, my class Ancestor Wisdom offers an additional journey and exercises to help you access the insight of these wise ones. This week on the Witch Next Door podcast, I chat with My Tarot Lady Christine Michele about a couple of her Spirit Encounters. This is part two of our ghost story episodes. I dropped this episode today a day earlier than usual to give you plenty of time to listen before Halloween next week. Enjoy! And remember to keep an eye on your inbox over the next few days. You will be receiving emails with suggestions for connecting with your ancestors during this time where the veils are thin.  This time of year we talk about the thinning of the veils between the worlds of the living and the dead. We are moving ever closer to Samhain, the celebration of the final harvest, the welcoming of the darkness and the day when these veils are at their thinnest. This is an overlapping of worlds. Historically this was when animals were butchered and final crops were pulled in the push to prepare before Winter arrives. The leaves are falling and the days are shortening.This is a time to leave offerings and tokens of remembrance for those that have come before. A time to remember and honor our ancestors, known and unknown and for our beloved dead. In the liminal there is wisdom. In the coming days I will be sharing with you several emails that offer ideas and exercises for connecting with your ancestors. If you have been on my email list for a while you may recall receiving these emails last year. These offerings can be explored again and again and you will most likely find that you will have a different experience each time. Starting Tuesday you will receive an email each day for four days with these offerings inside. In addition I am opening up the Samhain ritual I host for the Diving Deeper Membership Circle to all of you. This is scheduled for Sunday October 30th at 11 am PT. I’ll send you the link and reminders as we get closer.  ’ve always been deeply curious about the spirit world. When I was small I believed Casper the friendly ghost lived in my closet and I have devoured ghost stories and lore since I was old enough to read. During this season when the veils thin between the worlds, you might find yourself a little more connected to the spirit world. And with the general spookiness of the October vibe I wanted to share some ghost stories with you all. This week on the Witch Next Door podcast, we step into the spirit world with some ghost encounters from our listeners. Listen In! Grief, my Companion My Dad died just over 11 years ago. There were losses before and have been significant losses since, however, that loss was one of the most profound and painful. Even now 11 years later there are moments I where I walk into the grief of losing my Dad, often seemingly out of nowhere. These might bring a few tears and that familiar hollow feeling in my belly, or the moment might bring me to my knees with the same velocity of fresh grief. You see grief never goes away. It gets integrated into who we are and it comes out to visit from time to time. When my Dad died a friend came to my house in the days following and guided me to create an altar for him in my kitchen. That altar has morphed over time and now holds more than just my Dad ‘s photo. It is a place where we honor and connect with our beloved dead. It is a place where I go to be with my grief. Our grief is precious. No matter what we are grieving or the time that has passed since a loss occurred, our grief remains sacred. This Saturday, October 22nd, I am co-hosting the Leaves of Grief-a ritual, with my friend and fellow Witch Irisanya Moon. We are creating a sacred space to bring your grief, to name it, to work with it and to share it if you so choose. If this speaks to you, you can register here  I am both wanting to ride the momentum and high of a successful conference and go full Hermit to recharge.
Create vs Integrate Stillness vs Motion In the push and the pull I find the freeze. Do you know the one I’m talking about? It is not intentional stillness, not that delicious place where integration and absorption can arrive, but the frozen, stuck kind of feeling where nothing moves. What do you do when you can’t talk yourself out of the freeze? I move my body. Coming back to the need of my muscle and bone, to unwind, release. Most of the time this requires some coaxing. A rhythm, a drum beat embedded in song. Unlocking the freeze with sensation. Simple Practice Choose three songs. One that slowly awakens you, one that invites big movements and one that slows you down again. Play them in succession This week I gathered paper and markers, thumbtacks and gourds and met up with Irisanya Moon, at a local cafe where we created a Community Altar of Remembrance. We hung lights and clips and left paper and pens for people to share the names of their beloved dead, or leave pictures or write a memory. We decorated with tiny mirrors and the fruits of the season and scrawled the names of our own dead hanging them by tiny hooks as an invitation. This simple yet sweet practice is an invocation to memory, to spirits, to our grief. It is a reminder of the sacredness of life and the endlessness of love. During this Samhain season we remember in community. And cast this net wide, so that we need not be alone in our grief. So that we can remember together, and in the togetherness feel the preciousness of the love and the grief, for these two are nothing if not deeply intertwined. You are invited to share in remembering during the Leaves of Grief-a ritual. We will come together in a virtual circle to step into a ritual of acknowledging, remembering, honoring. We will make space for the griefs we carry, whatever they may be. Step from the mundane into the magical and into the sacredness of your grief. With so much love, Emily 10/10/22 Healer, Priestess, Witch I saw these words at the top of my friend Erin LaFaive’s Facebook post yesterday and actually got chills. Say them to yourself. Say them aloud. How do you feel when you hear these words? How do they taste on your tongue? There is power in naming And power in claiming. What are your gifts, Wise One? In our Full Moon ritual yesterday we laid our gifts out under the energy of that abundant lunar light and really looked at them. When was the last time you truly took inventory of all the unique beauty you bring into the world? After two days immersed in the gifts of magic that were at the heart of the Season of the Witch Conference, I am buzzing with all these energies. I am feeling deeply inspired, moved, humbled and transformed, by the work that was done and the invitations that were set forth. I am also reminded of the power we each carry in the belly of Self and the way we can weave amazing things together when we tap in. Do you ever know something, and then have an experience and you “know” it on a whole new level? That’s me today. Just integrating this knowing. I invite you to take some time to let this waning full moon energy illuminate your gifts. Explore those corners in your inner realms and dust off the pieces of Self you might have forgotten about or tucked away. Take inventory. Then give your gifts a name and claim them with an open heart. Simple Practice Journal and or card pull prompts
The Thinning Veil Yesterday I was recording the Witch Next Door with Veronica and we were talking about mediumship and both of us were tapping into our grief. Grief is accessible any time, yet somehow for me when the veil is thinner it feels so much closer to the surface. Do you have this experience? With the dying away of the growing season, the falling of leaves, the decay of windfalls, there is a sense of loss, of ending and this makes it so much easier (I believe) to feel into edges of our grief and sadness. Grief is something that can bring an awkwardness or avoidance with it. But I want to remind you that grief is sacred. Whether you are grieving the loss of a human, a beloved pet, a tree, a relationship or an expectation, feeling into and honoring our grief is a profound and often transformative experience. On October 22nd at 4 pm, Irisanya Moon and I are hosting “The Leaves on Grief” a Zoom based ritual where we will bring our grief into sacred space and make room for it, tend it and if you choose be witnessed in it. You can register here As we deepen into the Season, I am sending you blessings for riding the winds of change. |
Emily Morrison MA, MFTArchives
November 2022
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