The view from my hotel bed

I am watching the waves crash in and out
Fierce and bubbling with strength and fury
Thunder rolling down the shore
An echo over miles
An echo over centuries
It calls me home
To myself
In this strange town
Where I am a stranger
And the land does not know the tread of my feet
Or the cadence of my breath
But welcomes me anyway
I am watching the waves crash in and out
And finding my rhythm once more
If I'm honest, I began my vacation two weeks ago, burnt out, and exhausted and ready for a break.
Then, as I shared with you all, the first day my dog, my friend, my companion of 12 years died. 

I was grateful for the time to grieve.
And admittedly feeling a little lost.

How does one relax and rejuvinate while grieving at the same time? 
 I went to nature.

Already my husband and I had plans to get away and so we went to Mount Shasta and I walked and listened to the river and waterfalls and made mandalas and altars along our path from the pieces of earth and stone and trees I found.  I let the experience wash over me. A few days later,  home once again, I still felt raw and unrooted but a little more me.

After a couple of days, I was off again.  This time with my mom. 
We stayed away from the mountains and went to the Ocean and Redwoods.
I made more mandalas and listened and felt and sang to the wind and the waves and found my way back to myself. 

 The earth heals me. It is the place I find my center again and again. Somewhere in the rhythmic heart beat of waves and the whispers of the trees, somewhere in the stones and waterfalls, the pinecones and soft soil of forest floors, I rediscover all the pieces of my Self that get lost in my day to day, that get left behind in the responsibilities and the “to do’s”, and I find salve for the tender parts of my grieving heart. I reconnect to the threads that weave us all together. 

 Simple Practice
The making of nature altars and mandalas is a practice that allows for a creation of sacred space, an honoring of a moment, a feeling, an intention.
It is a way to give tangible life to these things and simultaneously surrender them to the universe. 

 In the picture above you see a mandala my mom and I made at the beach. The next morning this creation had been washed into a pile of stones and sticks and sand, with no semblance of the story it had held less than 12 hours before. 
These offerings are an acknowledgement of the ever changing nature of the world around us and the ever transforming nature of ourselves. They also create a release, a focusing of energy that is then dispersed by natural forces. They are sacred spaces, rituals and a cast spell all in one. 

*Where will you create your next nature altar? 
*What will you release and transform in the process? 

Witch School
Want to add some more practices to your magical tool box? 
The Cauldron of Wisdom 2 is like a two day intensive school for Witches. 
As we gather together and for 9 workshops we open ourselves to new skills and experiences, we often discover the practices we already know look a little different when offered by new teachers and we open the door to a deepening of our Magic! 

 The Cauldron of Wisdom 2, virtual conference of Witchery is less than two weeks away.
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Join us for over 11 hours of workshops and a fabulous community of Wise Ones. 
Plus, as always, there will be giveaways as well. 
The full lineup and schedule can be found on the Registration Page. 
 Grab your space around the cauldron and get ready to stir up some magic! ​