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Tomorrow is the fall equinox here in the Northern Hemisphere. This is the Witch's Thanksgiving and is the second of three harvest festivals on the Wheel of the Year. This is also the day that night and day share equal time and the demarcation of the darkness of night beginning it's rule of the land (until the Winter Solstice, when the light begins to return). So Wise Ones, what are you thankful for? Let's bring some gratitude forward to celebrate this season. You can practice gratitude in a myriad of ways, One of my favorites is to reach out to the people in your life who you are thankful for and to let them know via phone or even by dropping a card in the post. You can also make a gratitude list, say intentional prayers of gratitude, or even practice random acts of kindness to spark some gratitude in someone else and find the gratitude for the ability to offer these. Gratitude changes our brain and our overall health. "When we express gratitude and receive the same, our brain releases dopamine and serotonin, the two crucial neurotransmitters responsible for our emotions, and they make us feel ‘good’. They enhance our mood immediately, making us feel happy from the inside." (https://positivepsychology.com/neuroscience-of-gratitude/) So why not use this holiday to cultivate the energy of gratitude in your life? Want a little more? If you haven't already be sure to get your free Autumn Equinox Celebration Guidesheets, for s few reflections on celebrating this seasonal shift. If you missed the community ritual this last weekend but want to experience an Autumn Equinox ceremony, you can get the replay by purchasing the full 40+ page Autumn Equinox Celebration Guidebook, that includes divination, recipes, reflections, crafts and more! Erin Lafaive of Full Circle Herbals and I lovingly crafted this for you to help you connect more deeply with the natural world and the way it lives in you!  I am sitting here listening to the rain outside. The doors and windows are thrown open even with the fierce and chilly wind blowing in. The sound of water hitting the roof, the earth, the leaves, is a balm to my body and the land. The elements doing the things they do, and speaking to the elements in my skin. The wind awakening my wild, the water quieting my inner, often overactive, fire and my body, like the earth, drinking it all in. The earth spoke earlier this week. Shaking and rolling in the way that it does. Settling into itself, as the fault lines shifted and reminded us that grounding is much more than earthing our roots. We talk about grounding all the time in witchery, and in mindfulness practices. I often think about it as a place to land. I assume that to ground means I am solid and safe. The earth is there, supporting us and providing stability. Until it isn’t. As the ground shook and my nervous system amped itself up, I remembered that grounding is not just about landing and rooting. It is not always about being still and steady. Truly grounding is actually about sway and flexibility. Bury your roots in the earth but as the soil and stone shakes, reorienting itself, remember to find the fluidity in your body, in your nervous system, in your thoughts and feelings. Be like the water and flow, be like the air and move, be like fire and find the motion, be like earth and let yourself shake. As I reflect on my own relationship to this land I call home, to this body I call home, it is the elements that I come back to again and again as my greatest asset, my greatest allies. I am them and they are in me. How do the elements live in you? What is your relationship to them? How do you see these in the land you live on? What do the elements teach you when you listen to their wisdom? When the ground shakes beneath you, literally or figuratively, how can you lean into the elements for support? Curious about the elements? Want to learn some new ways to work with them? Deepen your relationship with their energies? I will be teaching “You are Elemental”, at the 3rd annual Season of the Witch virtual conference on Friday October 7th. We will use experiential exercises to delve into the elements and their many gifts. This 2 day conference runs the 7th and 8th and this class is only one of 10 that will be happening over that time. Come fill your cup with Witchery! Early Bird pricing ends on the 23rd of September, so if you haven’t registered yet, be sure to take advantage of the 20% off by signing up now. Use the code EARLYBIRD at check out.  I am sitting here listening to the rain outside. The doors and windows are thrown open even with the fierce and chilly wind blowing in.
The sound of water hitting the roof, the earth, the leaves, is a balm to my body and the land. The elements doing the things they do, and speaking to the elements in my skin. The wind awakening my wild, the water quieting my inner, often overactive, fire and my body, like the earth, drinking it all in. The earth spoke earlier this week. Shaking and rolling in the way that it does. Settling into itself, as the faultlines shifted and reminded us that grounding is much more than earthing our roots. We talk about grounding all the time in witchery, and in mindfulness practices. I often think about it as a place to land. I assume that when I ground I am solid and safe. The earth is there, supporting us and providing stability. Until it isn’t. As the ground shook and my nervous system amped itself up, I remembered that grounding is not just about landing and rooting. It is not always about being still and steady. Truly grounding is actually about sway and flexibility. Bury your roots in the earth but as the soil and stone shakes, reorienting itself, remember to find the fluidity in your body, in your nervous system, in your thoughts and feelings. Be like the water and flow, be like the air and move, be like fire and find the motion, be like earth and let yourself shake. As I reflect on my own relationship to this land I call home, to this body I call home, it is the elements that I come back to again and again as my greatest asset, my greatest allies. I am them and they are in me. How do the elements live in you? What is your relationship to them? How do you see these in the land you live on? What do the elements teach you when you listen to their wisdom? When the ground shakes beneath you, literally or figuratively, how can you lean into the elements for support? Curious about the elements? Want to learn some new ways to work with them? Deepen your relationship with their energies? I will be teaching “You are Elemental”, at the 3rd annual Season of the Witch virtual conference on Friday October 7th. We will use experiential exercises to delve into the elements and their many gifts. This 2 day conference runs the 7th and 8th and this class is only one of 10 that will be happening over that time. Come fill your cup with Witchery! Early Bird pricing ends on the 23rd of September, so if you haven’t registered yet, be sure to take advantage of the 20% off by signing up now. Use the code EARLYBIRD at check out. Some of you may recall several months back we created a community booklist, made up of magical books, both non-fiction and fiction. I have recently updated this list and have added my Amazon affiliate links to the list. (If you use these Wise Woman Witchery gets a small percentage of the purchase price.) You can find the most recently updated list HERE. Over time new books will be added to the list so you may want to save this email to be able to find the list with ease. (I will also be posting it on my website as well). Oracle and Tarot Cards As most of you know, I LOVE cards. I have pulled out a few of my favorite decks and created a list with links for you to check out as well. If you are like me and already have a comprehensive collection, you may recognize some of these already. List of cards and links. Readers One of the things I am often asked about is if I know of any good psychics, mediums or card, rune or astrology readers. I have compiled a list of people whose work I am familiar with and who I trust. There are so many people doing this work out there it can be hard sometimes to know who to book with. Here is my recommended list. Christine Michele and Jen Untalan are on this list and both will be teaching at the 3rd annual Season of the Witch Conference. Come check these Wise Witchy Women out, along with 8 other workshops, on October 7th and 8th. Early Bird Pricing for registration is available now! Gather your notebooks, snacks and tea and settle in for two days of Witchery, Community, Practice and Learning! No matter your experience level there is something here for everyone!  I am a bit of a magpie. When I love a magical tool, I want to collect it. I have tarot and oracle decks, pendulums and loads of crystals that speak volumes about this habit. I love to use these tools when I am working with magic. Pulling cards, using crystals to focus energy and asking my pendulum for clarity are all things I do often. Maybe you too have these practices. Maybe you too are a bit of a collector and find yourself with a myriad of such tools to choose from. I want to share a secret about tools with you. You don’t need them. Seriously. If you got rid of all your cards, crystals and pendulums tomorrow (which I am by no means suggesting you do), you would still be just as magical as you are today. These tools are just a way to hone our focus, to guide our energy to assist us in accessing our intuition. When these tools are unavailable your magical powers are not lost, they might just require a little rebooting, a little pivoting. Your body with all of its senses is the most powerful tool you have access to. And it is with you ALL THE TIME! The more you build your relationship with your body, the easier it is to understand what your body is trying to tell you in a given moment. The more you practice meditation and begin to understand the messages given to you through symbols the greater this symbol library becomes and the easier you can translate the information you receive. When you connect to your body and to your sensation, your feelings, and even your thoughts, you are creating a habitat for connection with other energies around you. Your relationships with the elements, with the cycles of the seasons and the moon will grow deeper and you will be able to use these energies in your craft with more ease. Simple Practice Take some time to sit with yourself. Bring your awareness first to what you see. Really look around the space you have chosen and discover what colors and textures you see. Close your eyes. And listen to what sounds you hear. Notice what is near and what is further away. See if you can identify these sounds. What do you smell? Is there more than one scent you can identify? What do you feel with your fingers. What surfaces are in the space you are in, what fabric, what does your skin feel like under your fingertips? Now how are you feeling? What emotions arise as you sit here with your sensations? What thoughts? Take a few minutes to jot down your reflections and revisit this exercise often. Announcements Today is the LAST day to take advantage of the 50% off birthday sale. Hop over to the course site pick a class and use the coupon code BIRTHDAY50 at checkout! This coupon code works for 50% off your first month of the Moon Ritual Subscription or the Diving Deeper Membership Circle too! Ready to kick your Witchery up a notch? The 3rd Annual Season of the Witch Conference October 7th and 8th. Over two days we will explore a myriad of magical topics with 10 workshops led by some Wise and Witchy Women. You can register, checkout the full lineup, schedule and details HERE. The early bird pricing is in effect, so be sure to sign up before it disappears. The Autumn Equinox Celebration Guidesheets The Equinox is just weeks away and the shift toward Fall has already begun. Get some FREE tips on celebrating the season with these guidesheets. What is Remembered Lives We all love and born of this love is grief. Over the last couple of years we have not had the opportunity to come together as often in community to honor and hold our grief and each other in our grief. This sacred act is so important, so with the coming thinning of the veils, Irisanaya Moon and I have come together to create a ritual for all of us to have a space to name our grief. Regardless of what you are grieving or when your loss occurred, you are welcome in this Circle. The Leaves of Grief ritual is scheduled for October 22nd. Save the date, registration will open soon.  You know the one where one person lies down in the center of the group and everyone else puts two fingers of each hand beneath them then begins to chant “Light as a feather, stiff as a board”, while lifting the prone volunteer into the air. We played it at slumber parties. A LOT! It was silly and a little creepy and totally magical and it rarely ever worked. When it did the lift was subtle. There were no levitating peers at these events, although in days after we might recount the game with a little more “lift” than it actually had. Little did I know that this simple party game was really a window into the realm of magic. Real magic. It certainly seemed rather magical at the time, especially when it worked. But it wasn’t until I was much older and deep in my craft that I began to realize the correlation between this mind over matter “trick” and the way I use my mind in magical workings. Our consciousness is powerful. It can take us places we never thought possible, can shift our body functions, can tap into the energy in the world around us and can even let us receive messages from that energy. I remember when I heard magic described as “the ability to change consciousness at will” and thinking this felt a little more mundane than what I had thought Witchery was all about. Yet over time I discovered that changing my consciousness at will meant I was interacting with the world around me in a different way and in turn the world was interacting with me differently too! This is why meditation and visualization are at the heart of my witchcraft. (The elements take a close second, but more on that in a minute). Yes the tools and tarot cards, the herbs and crystals are all amazing too! Yet at the end of the day these are all just things I use to amplify or channel my thoughts, energy, intention. My body is home to my mind and it is in and of itself an embodiment of the elements. As the well known chant goes: Earth my body Water my blood Air my breath And Fire my spirit We even find threads of the elements in our slumber party game, light as a feather (air), stiff as a board (earth). Simple Practice Imagination- Using your imagination can help you deepen your ability to vision, to shift consciousness, to receive. Choose an object- as an example let’s use a lemon Close your eyes and imagine every facet of a lemon, the details of it’s skin, the texture the smell, the taste (think lemon zest) Then imagine cutting it open Envision and maybe even “feel” the fruit, the intensity of the scent, the sourness of the taste. When you are done, release the image and try another. This may seem easy, or maybe even not magical at all, but I assure you that this type of work can assist you in your other visionings and deepening your meditative and journey workings. (I learned a similar exercise early on in my studies. Although I can’t say for certain, I think it was an exercise done with an apple and that it may have been in a book by Starhawk.) The Wheel is Turning Fall is making itself known here, in the cool and foggy mornings and evenings, while the Summer is clinging to the final days of her reign, during the daytime hours. As autumn arrives, so too does the second harvest. The Equinox is weeks away, but the promise drifts in the air. It’s never too early to begin your equinox/fall celebration planning. In the final installment of our FREE seasonal guidesheets, Erin and I offer you some ideas for celebrating the Autumn time. Grab your guidesheets today! And finally my friends, the 3rd annual Season of the Witch Virtual Conference is coming your way, October 7th and 8th. We have 10 presentations, over 13 hours of content, giveaways and of course a whole lot of magic! This year I am excited to get to teach you all about the elements in the class You are Elemental! I am just pulling together a few last minute details, but as soon as I do registration will be open. So keep your eyes on your inbox, for a full lineup, schedule and registration alert. (You will want to take advantage of early bird pricing)!  You know the one where one person lies down in the center of the group and everyone else puts two fingers of each hand beneath them then begins to chant “Light as a feather, stiff as a board”, while lifting the prone volunteer into the air.
We played it at slumber parties. A LOT! It was silly and a little creepy and totally magical and it rarely ever worked. When it did the lift was subtle. There were no levitating peers at these events, although in days after we might recount the game with a little more “lift” than it actually had. Little did I know that this simple party game was really a window into the realm of magic. Real magic. It certainly seemed rather magical at the time, especially when it worked. But it wasn’t until I was much older and deep in my craft that I began to realize the correlation between this mind over matter “trick” and the way I use my mind in magical workings. Our consciousness is powerful. It can take us places we never thought possible, can shift our body functions, can tap into the energy in the world around us and can even let us receive messages from that energy. I remember when I heard magic described as “the ability to change consciousness at will” and thinking this felt a little more mundane than what I had thought Witchery was all about. Yet over time I discovered that changing my consciousness at will meant I was interacting with the world around me in a different way and in turn the world was interacting with me differently too! This is why meditation and visualization are at the heart of my witchcraft. (The elements take a close second, but more on that in a minute). Yes the tools and tarot cards, the herbs and crystals are all amazing too! Yet at the end of the day these are all just things I use to amplify or channel my thoughts, energy, intention. My body is home to my mind and it is in and of itself an embodiment of the elements. As the well known chant goes: Earth my body Water my blood Air my breath And Fire my spirit We even find threads of the elements in our slumber party game, light as a feather (air), stiff as a board (earth). Simple practice Imagination- Using your imagination can help you deepen your ability to vision, to shift consciousness, to receive. Choose an object- as an example let’s use a lemon Close your eyes and imagine every facet of a lemon, the details of it’s skin, the texture the smell, the taste (think lemon zest) Then imagine cutting it open Envision and maybe even “feel” the fruit, the intensity of the scent, the sourness of the taste. When you are done, release the image and try another. This may seem easy, or maybe even not magical at all, but I assure you that this type of work can assist you in your other visionings and deepening your meditative and journey workings. (I learned a similar exercise early on in my studies. Although I can’t say for certain, I think it was an exercise done with an apple and that it may have been in a book by Starhawk.) The Wheel is Turning Fall is making itself known here, in the cool and foggy mornings and evenings, while the Summer is clinging to the final days of her reign, during the daytime hours. As autumn arrives, so too does the second harvest. The Equinox is weeks away, but the promise drifts in the air. It’s never too early to begin your equinox/fall celebration planning. In the final installment of the FREE seasonal guidesheets, Erin and I offer you some ideas for celebrating the season. Grab your guidesheets today! And finally my friends, the 3rd annual Season of the Witch Virtual Conference is coming your way, October 7th and 8th. We have 10 presentations, over 13 hours of content, giveaways and of course a whole lot of magic! This year I am excited to get to teach you all about the elements in the class You are Elemental! I am just pulling together a few last minute details, but as soon as I do registration will be open. So keep your eyes on your inbox, for a full lineup, schedule and registration alert. (You will want to take advantage of early bird pricing)! In my house you will find a semblance of order, with stacks of papers and notebooks (and sometimes laptops and mail), overflowing bookcases, and the constant refrain of "Honey have you seen my (insert word of the day here)?" It's not that I don't want to be organized or clutter free. When I walk into spaces that have neatly shelved books and organized office spaces, I take a deep breath and feel my shoulders drop down a few inches. A few times I year I call in my mom for help clearing out and getting organized and for a blissful week or so afterward I am basking in the gloriousness that is structure. Then it falls apart. My dishes still get done and meals prepared and laundry folded and put away, but the organization, the beautiful decluttering of a space, suddenly becomes awash in piles and stacks once more. (and don't get me started on the closets and cupboards) My Sagittarius fiery brain is ALWAYS thinking and planning and creating and as a result I am often way too many steps ahead of where my body is at in space and time. I literally have a reminder on my phone to come into presence twice a day. So when Virgo season comes in, I am ecstatic about the shift of the waning Summer, I am thrilled with the idea of getting organized, I am buying school/office supplies I am certain will do just that in fact! But underneath my exuberance is a general sense of unease. There is a rebel inside of me screaming "We will not do this, this is not how we work!" and also "You can't make me!" and then another part that is somewhat moody and melancholy rolling her eyes and saying "Here we go again." What does Virgo season mean to you? What shift does it create in your body? The New Moon in Virgo is happening this Saturday and tomorrow, Friday August 26th at 9 am PT I am hosting my monthly New Moon ritual. Together we will be using intention and action as the heart of our ceremony honoring the beginning of this lunar cycle. Do you want to join us? I am opening this circle to all of you. For just $13 you can join the livestream and ritual in real time with us and will receive a replay of the ritual as well. All you will need is a Tarot or Oracle deck and a pen and paper. You can sign up via my paypal and I'll email you the link to join and the replay after we complete the ritual I wish you all a blessed beginning to this Virgo season.  This week on the Witch Next Door Podcast, Veronica and I delve into some of the deities we have worked with, some we have avoided and discuss the way our relationships with deities has changed over time. Listen in! (and remember, if you like want you hear, you can rate, review and subscribe to help others discover the podcast too!) New Moon Magic The New Moon in Virgo is right around the corner. How do you celebrate the New Moon?
Have you been curious about joining in a ritual with me? This months New Moon Circle is this Friday, August 26th at 9 am PT. If you would like to join in, I am opening up the participation to everyone in the Wise Woman Witchery Community. Registration includes the live ritual as well as the replay which will be emailed to you once the ceremony is complete. $13 for livestream and replay  |
Emily Morrison MA, MFTArchives
September 2022
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