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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!
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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 |
Emily Morrison MA, MFTArchives
February 2025
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