authors

Love From A Witch’s Kitchen
by

Love From A Witch’s Kitchen

Tess Matulonis-Archer

One of my teachers once said to me, “look around your home, and see, really see, what you are devoted to.”

It is clear to me that I am devoted to the deep, ancestral, and transient threshold magic of growing, creating, and crafting beautiful food to feed and nourish those I love. Food matters to me. Cooking is the grace note that reverberates through our lives.

Preparing nourishing and delicious homemade food for my family is a most sacred act. Probably one of the most sacred and magical things I do with my life, and life force.

It is devotion and love; magic and craft; and communion with the earth, water, sky, and sun where we live. Immanence. Vegetables and ingredients are carefully weighed and turned in my hands, selected from the garden or the market, to blend into just the right marriage of flavors. I inhale,  and delight in their scent and their color, and explore their textures with my fingers.

Spoons and rolling pins from my grandmothers, worn with time and passed through many hands, stir my cauldrons on my stove and spread dough on the warm wooden counter of my kitchen island. An island which has become, over time, its own altar. Spices and herbs chosen carefully, and blessed with breath and prayer, are stirred and roasted into meals made “just so,” with a particular loved one in mind. Plates of baked goods and food warm my table for my beloveds, and become a time-honored thread in the tapestry of tradition for holidays and gatherings, and the sweetness of the turning seasons. All the while, incense, candles, and bowls of cool water adorn and bless my work in the altar that is my hearth, my home, my kitchen. The very heart of my home.

I have so much magic and gratitude for these small and impactful acts of love and devotion. Food is love. Food blesses family and friends as we gather. And cooking creates a precious container for the little acts of everyday living that mean so much to us, and creates beautiful memories that endure, long after we are gone. I will never, ever, forget my grandmother’s and mother’s hands moving on mine in the kitchen— teaching me how to tell when the sauce is thickened when the spoon glides through the liquid just so, or how shaggy or smooth the dough should be to get the perfect result. Their recipes and love of food and cooking are carried in my blood, so reflexive now that I rarely need to consult the shelf of cookbooks where hand-written recipes dance in the margins.

There really are no “insignificant” little things. To me, they mean the most. If I cook for you, it means that I love you, and I am giving you the very best work of my hearth and hands to nourish and sustain you. It is intimate. I am blending a little of me with a little of you, and a lot of my heart.

by

Stones for the Season: Autumnal Equinox

by Sarah Lyn

Stone has a beautiful language. Anyone who has ever had a rock jump out at them has heard it. Pick me! Pick me! Before you know it, you have either slipped it into a pocket, or you find yourself holding it in your hand, uncertain of how long it has been there.

Deep stone sleeps but the closer to the surface it gets, the more connected it is to us and our life cycles. Some rocks just want to introduce themselves and have a conversation. Some rocks will bite and want to be left alone. And some rocks have been looking for you to take them on a quest to some unknown corner of the world they have only heard about in the whispers of the deepest bedrock (even if that’s just your front yard).

[ALWAYS respect places that ask you NOT to take their rocks.]

The Trio

Different stones I encounter have different energies to them. Each sabbat, I put together a trio of stones to focus on for the following six weeks. It’s divination to me. I reach out into the web and see where we are in the world, creating a recipe of stone allies, and then I send that energy back out into the web.

I don’t usually use the same grouping of stones every year, but a couple of times I have. I will work with the stones I choose in my night meditations until the next sabbat, sometimes individually and sometimes as a group.

It’s the Autumnal Equinox, one of my favorite times of the year. For those of us who live in seasonal climates, the leaves are starting to turn colors and drop to the earth. We’re bringing our harvests in even as we are laying some garden beds to rest for the winter. This is when we frequent our local orchards weekly, and pick apples and pears and pumpkins…

It’s the time of year when the days grown shorter and we begin our spiritual descent into the Labyrinth like Ariadne. Into the Underworld like Inanna. What we find in the center is what we bring in with us. This is the time of year to look inward, stand at the crossroads, and calibrate your way forward.

As you go deeper into the labyrinth, the hidden shadows you carry will be revealed.

Who travels with you in fellowship?

My stones for the Equinox are: Snowflake Obsidian, Tourmalinated Quartz, and Howlite.

Snowflake Obsidian is black, volcanic glass, with crystalized snowflake-like inclusions. It’s one of those stones I am drawn to, over and over again. It is a good stone for people who have trouble staying grounded and tend towards escapism, which makes it a great stone for bringing into the darkness, and facing the reality of what waits for you. It’s a friendly stone, too, and is almost impossible to misuse.

Let me be your shield, snowflake obsidian asks.

My second stone choice for the Equinox was another black and white mineral, Tourmalinated Quartz. Quartz is a power staple in spellcrafting and ritual work. Black Tourmaline is one of the most powerful defensive stones I have used, but it is assertive, not aggressive. It absorbs negative darkness and transforms it into positive energy, and transforming that within the quartz creates a battery of power you can both recharge yourself from and use to light your way forward.

Let us scout the way for you, tourmalinated quartz sings.

The last stone, Howlite, took me a while to find. It is accessible to everyone and has a quieter voice. It is milky white with grey veining and shading. It is often dyed as substitutions for other stones, most commonly for Turquoise. I prefer the natural stone (and have many of them strewn about my home). It connects strongly with the heart center, like a balming elixir, exuding tranquility. This stone is a great ally to have in times of stress and uncertainty.

I’m right beside you, howlite whispers.

These stones will both guide you and take your lead as you do your winter work within the dark shadows we all carry. And they will see you through to the other side of the wheel.

For Advanced Work

For those going on an intense internal journey, I picked out Labradorite as an advanced work companion. This is one of my absolute favorite stones. I have pieces in all colors of flash. Out of the sunlight it can appear a dull grey. But once it gets a taste of some light, it flares to life. This stone is a journey stone, growing and evolving along with your Work. It likes to bond to a person and holds immense power for shifting and transforming.

[Notes from Sarah Lyn: I never purchase rocks from people who do not know where they are sourced from. It’s important to know where your rocks come from so you can make informed decisions about where to put your money. For those of us buying tumbled stones at rock shows, we’re picking up the chips of what has already been cut from the earth, we are not part of the demand that influences the mining world. But know where your stones come from.]

All photographs © Sarah Lyn, 2023

Gargoyle Clan
by

Gargoyle Clan

by Rose Sinclair

Not long ago I had the good fortune to gather and celebrate with like-minded people and as we caught up, one said to me, “I am glad to see you well.”

I thanked him and explained what was happening in my waking world to which he replied, “I am also glad that life circumstances are peaceful for you, but that is external, I mean you are well on the Inside.”

I paused and considered the difference. What Sight was necessary for him to perceive them separately without being invasive? The idea for the Gargoyle Clan was born. External circumstance doesn’t imply the Stuff originates with me; how do I sort that out? How could I make informed choices about what I was feeling/perceiving/responding to, and see clearly what the implications of those choices might be?

How often do we find ourselves in situations where we are stuck wondering what to feel, say, think, do, or even perceive? Sometimes we get whelmed by sensory overload, regardless of what sense(s) we mean. Sometimes we are convinced we feel something; it wasn’t a spider crawling on us after all, but our own hair moving gently in a breeze (I laugh even now considering spinning around trying to find what was tickling me only to find it was me!). How can we refine what we perceive, how can we separate psychic (and even physical) “noise” from that which is potent and important for Us to know, to sense, to allow, and perhaps to act upon?

There is more to the idea of grounding/centering/shielding than may seem evident. It isn’t enough to say “ground yourself” — that can sometimes feel like we are a fish being told a climb a tree. These processes involve some nature of flow — whether from the self to the physical earth, or in the mind using visualization to affect reality, or light touching our optic nerve; all requires flow. At Twilight Covening this year the Gargoyle Clan will work deeply with this flow concept. What flows over me, around me, past me, through me? Can I change the flow? Can I turn it off and on? What about your flow and how it affects me? In these days of information/idea whelm, Gargoyle Clan will learn practices for discernment, filtering, assessing sensory input, and how to allow the flow of ourselves and our perceptive world back into the stream of life.

Why Pagan Pride Day?
by

Why Pagan Pride Day?

by Katie LaFond

Western MA Pagan Pride Day is this coming Saturday the 23rd, 10am-6pm, in downtown Northampton in Kirkland Plaza between Thorne’s and the parking garage (where the Farmers Market happens). We need pagans and non pagans there (and it’s a good time).
I’m pagan. I volunteer for The EarthSpirit Community because I want to nurture my home community and tend my own spiritual self. I volunteer for Western Mass Pagan Pride Day 2023 because I believe in its mission to educate the public about who pagans are and what we do. I represent pagans at The Parliament of the World’s Religions because I think pagans have a lot to offer on the world stage about addressing climate change, among other things. These are very different missions and energies, and I see value in each.
Pagan Pride Day only works if there are pagans there to talk to. The public and the press are invited, and it’s all about people seeing that pagans are people, and not the weird stereotypes or caricatures that they might have in their head. No one voice speaks for all pagans; we have no hierarchy. It’s an organic community, like a meadow; meadows have perennials, annuals, grasses, bushes, vines, trees, etc. We have pagans that have been raised by pagans, others who are “converts.” Some love tarot, others herbs. Some are solitary practitioners, some are in covens, others help organize communities of hundreds or thousands of members. Animists, pantheists, even some atheists and agnostics that identify as pagans.
One of the things I love to show people at PPD is that there is no one right way to be pagan, that there are a couple of things they mostly agree on (the Earth is sacred, we mostly find cultural appropriation distasteful, and if you’re not hurting anyone, do what you want), but that beyond that, part of why I remained pagan when I grew up is that no priest or book tells me what to do, what to wear, how to live.
If you’re pagan, please come to Pagan Pride next Saturday in Northampton and be one of many voices, showing the many ways people can be pagan.
If you’re not pagan, come join the fun and learn more about what it means to be pagan.

Wednesday at the Parliament
by

Wednesday at the Parliament

by Chris & Katie LaFond

One Step Sideways: When the Divine is Feminine

The morning opened with a panel discussion featuring four pagan animist speakers moderated by Dr. Drake Spaeth of Earth Traditions. We addressed the current climate crisis and how we see it as a logical consequence of the patriarchal, hyper-masculinized environment we find ourselves in.

Rev. Angie Buchanan, also of Earth Traditions started with her focus on the connectedness of everything, offering the analogy and example of mycelium, which permeates much of the ground we walk on. She drew on her experience as a Death Midwife as she spoke on the pagan world view as a connected web.

Dr. Derrick Sebree, Jr., a psychologist at the Michigan School of Psychology and practitioner of Hoodoo, spoke as an animist and person of color, spoke about his work in the field of climate psychology, and the importance of the whole, not just the parts. His most salient point was probably pointing out that, from the perspective of race, we as humans don’t even see each other fully, which makes seeing other beings as fully alive even more challenging.

Rev. Byron Ballard addressed the interconnectedness of all beings and specifically some of her work in the interfaith movement, pointing out that with hard work, it is possible to work with spiritual communities that we might assume are so different as to be beyond reach. The second point she made was that while some of the “traditional” religions can claim to be 6,000 years old (or more), these hills (the Appalachians in her case) were far older and full of wisdom. Finally, she warned that nature will always seek balance. Because humans have become apex predators, nature will find ways to restore the balance, as long as we refuse to do it ourselves.

Finally, Chris LaFond took on the legacy of colonialism in the dismissal of the feminine in the conception of the divine. First, the religious and spiritual colonization of pre-Christian Europe, and then the European-Christian colonization of Africa, Asia, and eventually Australia and the Americas. The suppression of any hint of the divine feminine has wounded much of the world. He pointed out that the divine feminine is not equivalent with “woman,” and asked those present to keep in mind what the divine feminine might even mean or look like for feminine-and masculine-presenting people, because our society at large is currently lacking good models for this. He drew the connection that in most cultures, the Earth is considered “Mother” and feminine, and when we denigrate the feminine, then the Earth is profane. In a connected point, he addressed the idea that is often found in interfaith circles that we are all “on the same path,” or “going to the same place,” and how that is not true at all from a pagan animist perspective. But that it doesn’t have to be true to work together. He finished by quoting Andras Corban Arthen, that “the Earth is not our home, the Earth is what we are.”

Langar

A Parliament tradition since 2004 in Barcelona, the Sikh community once again is offering Langar this week. Langar is a free meal that is a part of the Sikhs’ service commitment to the larger community. All who come are fed a delicious vegetarian meal, prepared in large pots and served to those who come. Everyone sits on the ground and eats the same meal from the same pots, a ritual demonstration of the equality of all. The practice has been part of the Sikh tradition since the time of its founder, Guru Nanak. On the way in to the dining area, a display provided information and photos about the origins of Sikhism, of langar, and of kirtan, the practice of ritual chanting. Sharing a meal like this is also an excellent opportunity to meet others at the Parliament and break bread together.

Persephone Speaks
by

Persephone Speaks

by Katie LaFond


Editor’s note: Twelve women, supporting a Web that cradled the Earth, wearing masks crafted by Lauren Raine, presented “Goddess Speaks: Our Earth Has a Voice” at the 2023 Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago. The presentation was organized by the Rev. Angie Buchanan of Earth Traditions, and supported by drummer Helen Bond and harper Chris LaFond. In this post, Katie LaFond reflects on her preparation for, and participation in, the presentation. The masks can be seen here: https://www.masksofthegoddess.com/lauren-raine.html

Part of my summer work this year was working with Persephone. I was invited by my friend Angie Buchanan of Earth Traditions to bring the voice of Persephone to her ritual, “Goddess Speaks,” at the Parliament of the World’s Religions.
It shouldn’t have surprised me that the work permeated my dreams and worked its way into my daily habits. It was such a part of my life by Lunasdal that it took me several minutes to remember it; for many surprised minutes I thought that I hadn’t done any summer work.
While I’m an animist, I appreciated the opportunity to delve more deeply into my relationship with Persephone, and to work to bring her forward on the world stage. I got to work with some incredible priestesses from around the country, and explore stories and webs, both old and very new. 
Persephone was Kore, daughter of Demeter and Maiden of the Spring Flowers. She is also Queen of the Underworld. Tending both Kids Club at Rites of Spring and working with Twilight Covening helped me appreciate the way she fully embodies both roles without apology. 
In preparing our presentation, when the other priestesses seemed to be doing their best writing in the deep of night with the full moon, I shouldn’t have been shocked that at Beltane, Persephone waited until the sun was high in the sky to send words to fall out of me. Completely unprepared, surrounded by flowers, in my gardening gloves and a big hat, sitting in a pile of mulch next to radishes that had just sprung up from the deep dark depths of fertile soil, I recorded the following on my phone which needed almost no editing after:
Even the God of the Underworld didn’t know what he was asking for when he brought me to his realm. I don’t need you to understand me. Your need for understanding isn’t my problem. Still, I bring you these words.
I have dirt under the fingernails of one hand, and blood beneath the other. What would happen if you stopped underestimating women? 
If you don’t seek rest, rest will take you. What would be possible if cultures embraced rest and reflection, and not unsustainable, cancerous growth? 
Sometimes, change comes that we don’t choose, and we learn things about ourselves that we don’t like. What happens if instead of fighting change, we decide to be curious?
I love my mother. I love my husband. I love the slender seedlings and I love tending the bones.Who would you be if you embraced all of your parts? 
Dance with discomfort. Breathe into the gray areas. Release your need to be right.What does it feel like if you learn to hold paradox like you hold your lover’s hand?
I receive both my crown of flowers and my crown of bones with eagerness and poise. What would this world look like if we weren’t a death denying culture? 
I cannot be all things to all people all of the time, but the night is long, and all of us are complicated creatures. What would be possible if we eased into our discomforts and asked what power lies beneath?
Be unashamed of your naked self, and savor the joy of sharing your bodies in consensual sex. Why must I remind you again and again that sex, bodies, and joy are sacred?
Live your stories of courage, growth, and kindness, that you have stories to share in my unending halls. Are you in a rush to meet me, with all of these climate disasters you nurture with your short sightedness? 
Who are you if you let go of who you’re expected to be?Bloom where you are planted.

In the Spirit of the Earth, Katie LaFond

Katie LaFond is a member of the Board of Directors of the EarthSpirit Community.

Photos by Drake Spaeth and Angie Buchanan

by

PoWR 2023 Monday

by Katie LaFond

Reparations

On Monday, I attended Reparations: What is it and What is the Faith Community’s Role in the Contemporary Movement? This workshop was presented by a panel of speakers, including an African American lawyer, a white Jewish Rabbi, a Japanese American, and others. The presenters started by explaining what reparations are. From a legal perspective, they pointed to international law that stipulates five criteria: compensation, (health and mental) rehabilitation, restitution and repatriation, satisfaction (e.g., the taking down of monuments), and a guarantee that it won’t happen again (always challenging). Then they presented some historical examples of reparations, specifically in West Germany after WWII. 

John Tateishi, a Japanese American panelist who shared his experience as a three-year-old in an internment camp, detailed how the Japanese American community has always thought of itself as “American,” and therefore was hesitant for a long time to acknowledge the need for, and to ask for reparations of any kind. When members of that community finally did, they received little response from government sources until the issue of money was broached, at which point some real challenges began. This, along with the testimony of other panelists (as well as some attendees’ comments) pointed to the reality that the language of legislation seems to be cash, and until it becomes the issue, communities are often ignored or put off indefinitely. Money — a shocking amount of it — is often what calls necessary attention to this issue.
The workshop concluded with a few ideas about what steps to take. The speakers suggested joining groups that support this issue, reading about it, talking to your faith communities about it, and more.

It’s clear to many of us that there needs to be some sort of conversation and addressing of this at a national level. I was slightly disappointed that a couple of the presenters seemed to come at this from such a strongly denominational perspective. Using one’s own community to drum up support for this issue is commendable. But we also need to be clear that we do not legislate based upon any one spiritual tradition’s approach. Surely at the Parliament, we can see that we need the cooperation and input of many groups to address such huge societal issues.

Maya Q’eqchi World View: Human Rights, Cosmology and Calendar

by Chris LaFond

Before the main presenter, Miguel Angel Chinquin Yat, spoke, the moderator of the session encouraged the attendees to access the intuitive parts of ourselves, and invited us to “just experience” what we were being presented, even if we didn’t understand all of it. Sr. Chinquin Yat, a Mayan priest speaking in Spanish, began with an invocation in his Mayan language, and then laid out a general model of the Mayan understanding that we are in the fifth Sun, and that this means that we should be progressing beyond a linear understanding of reality into a more circular one.

He assured the attendees that our ancestors had brought us here together this afternoon, and that nothing happens by coincidence. He explained that he was not here to “teach” us, but rather to invite us to share the seeds of corn in our hearts, and that we are our own teachers.

He then presented what he called a “cosmic base” of 20 energies (nahuales), of which each person has four, which influence who we are and what we do in our lives. He gave a brief description of each, and explained what a child who is born today would have as their four nahuales.

A notable quote from the presentation was when he was speaking about our relationship to the earth, and asked “Are we giving our good fruit?” (spiritually and materially). Another was “God isn’t about power, it’s about values.”

During the question period, I asked about how Mayan youth from his tradition learn about these things. Whether there was still a strong cultural infusion (despite the effects of colonialism), whether they learned them through some rites of passage, or whether they had to consult with specialists. He explained that these teachings were strong still throughout the culture and that there were some rites of passage involved. I did get the impression though that for more specific teachings, one would need to consult with the experts (priests and priestesses).

The presentation was fascinating, and reminded me of what many western astrologers refer to as Mayan astrology. It was clear to me though, that there is no one “Mayan astrology,” and that despite the interest and research of a number of astrologers into the topic, when we deal with spiritual systems of other cultures, unless we study with teachers from that culture, we will never fully understand (and in fact might completely misunderstand) what hat seems to be simple and clear on the surface.

Lunasdal 2023
by

Lunasdal 2023

by Chris LaFond

Lunasdal always feels to me like one of the most community focused celebrations of the year. Though my heart always longs for the deep, quiet, cold of winter, there’s no denying the appeal of a food festival. And the best time to do that is when the food is ripe!

This ancient festival, observed by ancient Celts and other peoples of northern Europe, celebrates the first fruits of the season. Obviously, in New England, we have harvested a lot before this season: leafy greens, peas, radishes, fiddle heads, roots, asparagus, and so forth. But it’s now, as the summer turns from its height and begins to wane, that we gather the foods that will nourish us through the fall and winter months ahead.

Food & Community

Wheat and grains come into harvest season in late July, as well as fruits and vegetables that are appropriate for preservation: zucchini, tomatoes, squashes, corn, and so forth. This is what we celebrate as we gather to mark the turning of the season once again.

The community aspect of Lunasdal is also of prime importance. As with many indigenous communities throughout the world, the light half of the year is when the Celtic tribes would come together for all sorts of business. Of course, this would vary from place to place, but often this was a time for tribal members to intermarry, cementing political alliances outside of the tribe and strengthening the stability of the region.

Games and competitions were another common practice. These “pagan olympics” can still be perceived in modern day highland festivals which feature competitions and feats of strength.

2023

About fifty members of EarthSpirit and guests gathered at Glenwood Farm on the first weekend of August to celebrate the season. We observed the transformation of the Green Man into a baked loaf; we made offerings to the Stones in the stone circle; the children presented seeds, roots, and leaves as a reminder of the many levels that go into growing the food that nourishes us.

Following the ritual, we shared of our own first harvests and enjoyed the perfect summer day.

Stones for the Season: Lughnassadh
by

Stones for the Season: Lughnassadh

by Sarah Lyn

Stone has a beautiful language. Anyone who has ever had a rock jump out at them has heard it. Pick me! Pick me! Before you know it, you have either slipped it into a pocket, or you find yourself holding it in your hand, uncertain of how long it has been there.

Deep stone sleeps but the closer to the surface it gets, the more connected it is to us and our life cycles. Some rocks just want to introduce themselves and have a conversation. Some rocks will bite and want to be left alone. And some rocks have been looking for you to take them on a quest to some unknown corner of the world they have only heard about in the whispers of the deepest bedrock (even if that’s just your front yard).  

[ALWAYS respect places that ask you NOT to take their rocks.]

The Trio

Different stones I encounter have different energies to them. Each sabbat, I put together a trio of stones to focus on for the following six weeks. It’s divination to me. I reach out into the web and see where we are in the world, creating a recipe of stone allies, and then I send that energy back out into the web.  

I don’t usually use the same grouping of stones every year, but a couple of times I have. I will work with the stones I choose in my night meditations until the next sabbat, sometimes individually and sometimes as a group.  

Lughnassadh, spelled many different ways, is a Celtic festival but is most familiar to people in the form of the county fairs and local harvest festivals we grew up with during August and September.  

We are reaping the rewards of the plants we have tended and nurtured. It’s a good time of year to put energy into finishing projects. To that end, I chose stones this year that spoke to me of growth and abundance, with the idea of reward for work done.

Now, at the harvest, do you see the seeds you planted? Are they the seeds you intended to sow?

My stones for Lughnassadh are a bit of a green dream team: Aventurine, Rhyolite, and Silverleaf Jasper.

The first stone I picked, Aventurine, is a favorite. It is a commonly-found stone, a kind of quartzite in various colors like blue, green, peach, and others I haven’t encountered. For me, the best Aventurine contains veins of mica flakes, and these are the only pieces I use for my magic. I chose one of my green pieces, for the earth energy.  

They are a favorite stone of mine to work with as they are accessible to anyone, at any level of magic and their main energy is abundance and support. Intuitively, when I need to represent a person, I almost always pick out an Aventurine to represent humans, as they are connected to the Earth. It’s like the stone wants to connect to people. So that is my association with the stone, and a foundation stone I always use for the harvest season.  

You are my cousin and I support your endeavors, aventurine says.

If you don’t know Rhyolite by one name, you may recognize it as Rainforest Jasper. Jaspers are the silent workhorses of the stone kingdom. You can find a kind of jasper compatible to be used in substitution for any other gemstone in spellwork. Think of them as understudies, ready to step in at the last minute. Maybe not as shiny, but just as powerful. I use Rainforest Jasper a lot in substitution for Garden Quartz, so I associate it with growing vegetation and bountiful harvest, whether literal or figurative.  

Stretch out and root, stretch up and thicken, rhyolite chants.  

The third stone is one I always pick up when I see it, even if I don’t always purchase it. Green Silverleaf Jasper is the artistic cousin in the jasper family. Its growth is a little gentler and comes with a flourish. So, this is a good stone to round out the trio. It acts as a bit of a muffler for people who aren’t quite ready to handle their growth, and also, as an aid to people who need some outside-of-the-box movement.  

It is what it is and it will be okay, silverleaf jasper says.

Together these stones harken abundance and growth, in however you need to take in that energy.

For Advanced Work

Chrysoprase is a bright apple green chalcedony. I would use this stone to do some deeper growth work as it works similarly to black tourmaline, in absorbing and then transmuting negative energies, but Chrysoprase does this only for the emotional body.  

Let’s face it, right now we’re all a bit burnt out. We could all use a little extra armor for our poor stretched and beleaguered hearts. If you are a highly-sensitive person, I recommend pairing black tourmaline and chrysoprase together for yourself.    

[Notes from Sarah Lyn: I never purchase rocks from people who do not know where they are sourced from. It’s important to know where your rocks come from so you can make informed decisions about where to put your money. For those of us buying tumbled stones at rock shows, we’re picking up the chips of what has already been cut from the earth, we are not part of the demand that influences the mining world. But know where your stones come from.]

Imagination, Magic, and the Power of Whimsy
by

Imagination, Magic, and the Power of Whimsy

Irene Glasse

I don’t remember where I first heard the phrase “in order to create a new reality, we must first be able to imagine it.” That phrase is especially true when the reality around us is challenging. As I am writing this, we’re in a Code Red air day due to smoke from the fires in Canada. The very real results of climate change are here. The political landscape continues to horrify with oppressive legislation rolling out across the country and hateful rhetoric flowing through our various media sources. The gap between the haves and have–nots continues to widen. It’s tough right now, and there’s no sign of a reprieve on the horizon. It can be hard to hang onto hope when the world around us looks bleak.

Along with all the situational factors, most adults grew up in an environment that squashed imagination and imaginative play. At some point, the majority of us were told to stop daydreaming, to get our heads out of the clouds, or were lectured about what is and is not possible. Many of us were criticized for the material we were feeding our imaginations – fantasy novels and movies, comic books, and role playing games have all come under fire from the Seriousness Police in our culture. However, one of the most overlooked yet also vital ingredients in any spell or working is imagination. And, like the other techniques of magic – raising and directing energy, visualization, etc., – imagination can be strengthened in order to make our spells and workings more effective.

Somehow, we must take this reality and make something new with it. We must feed our imaginations in order to connect the dots between this world and the one we hope to create. We must find ways to work around the patterns that suppress imagination.

Getting “serious” about imagination is a bit of an oxymoron here – more white–knuckling reality isn’t going to help us come up with new ideas. Instead, I think we need to get ridiculous about it.

I recently attended the New York Faerie Festival as part of Kindred Crow and was reminded again of the power of imagination and play. It was wonderful to be in an environment where fantasy ran free – where faeries, satyrs, gnomes, trolls, merfolk, dryads, and more roamed freely. Where children and adults could interact as whatever version of themselves they wished to. Anytime I’m in a fantasy environment, I think about the way people are being more truthful – the Self they are presenting the world is a real one, but one that in most cases stays hidden during the navigation of day–to–day life. In those spaces of fantastical truth, new possibilities are born. By shaking up the everyday, new patterns emerge in the pieces when they land again. Those patterns are often the seeds of new possibilities.

So, how do we get started? If we need to lighten up, how do we really do that given *gestures broadly at everything*? As always, I have some ideas.

  1. Consider what you’re feeding your brain. All the media we consume is input into our imagination. Along with the news and social media, add some seriously whimsical stuff. Been a while since you hit up some high fantasy fiction? Add it in whether that’s books, TV shows, movies, or comics. Also, consider adjusting your social media to include fantasy feeds – there are dozens of hashtags involving the word “fairy/faerie” you can follow on Instagram. #fairygarden alone has over 700K posts. #blackfairy has more than 20K. Deliberately cultivate some whimsy and escapism.
  2. Play make–believe. Got some alone time? Great. Put on some music you love and pretend to be a wizard – the fantasy kind. You’ve been dropped into the real world and are exploring a mundane person’s living space and you have your magic wand. Experiment. Pretend to be a unicorn or a satyr or a dragon or whatever floats your boat. No one can see you, no one will know. It may feel weird and uncomfortable at first. Do it anyway – it just means those muscles haven’t been stretched in a while. It gets easier as you go. I still regularly play “secretly a magical–elf–princess–warrior–being that the animals can talk to if they choose.” It’s a great mental break.
  3. Write a really, really bad story. One of the things that stops many of us from making art, writing, or otherwise expressing our imaginations is the idea that the result has to be good. So, let go of that part. Pick the tropiest trope out of fantasy writing and write a terrible fantasy story. Have fun. Include all the silliest stuff if you’d like – glittery vampires! wise elves! dragons that let you ride them! Go for broke and make yourself giggle while also creating something wholly imagined. Not a storyteller? Fine. Put it in a drawing or painting. Again, make it BAD. We’re not going for fine art here. You can destroy the results of your efforts afterwards, but a better plan would be to hide those results somewhere you’ll forget about for a while (in the attic with the holiday decorations or something) and then giggle all over again when you find your story/drawing/whatever.
  4. Rediculate. I love this word – I learned it as meaning to deliberately do something silly and potentially involve others in that silly. Throw an absurd theme gathering. Grab some hula hoops and a tutu and head to the park. Begin adding whimsical touches to your wardrobe (remember Goodwill and thrift stores for stuff like this). Put in a fairy garden at your home or apartment. Too much? Find your local playground and go swing on the swings. Start small if the discomfort is making you squirm (and it’s okay if it is – many of us have been told that as adults, play is wrong).
    • Bonus points: create something whimsical for others. I have a history of making found–object fairy houses and hiding them along the C&O canal. I was involved in a wonderful Ostara prank one year where we filled plastic eggs with silly phrases like “great, now I need a new eggshell” and “contents under one atmosphere of pressure” and hid them all over a downtown area. Add to the whimsy of the world even when you don’t get to see the results.
  5. Go to the fantasy places. In the mid–Atlantic where I live, spring through autumn are Festival Season. If you are financially and geographically able to do so, include some straight–up fantasy environments like Renaissance and Faery festivals in your schedule. Then, lean in. Wear a costume assembled from stuff you already own/acquire on the cheap. Create a character and be it. Interact with the cast members who want to interact with you. Play.
  6. Get involved with an event. All those “how to make friends after 30” articles are weird to me – I’m constantly meeting new friends. But, I know it’s because I’m involved with big projects that require a group of folks to pull off. Every festival you’ve ever heard of needs volunteers. Like, desperately. Find a fantasy event that looks fun and get involved with helping pull it off. You’ll make new friends who are prioritizing imagination and fantasy. For folks in the Maryland–Virginia– Pennsylvania–Delaware region, Big Whimsy keeps a running list of Faerie Faires/events on their website.
  7. Allow for wonder. Stay with me here, because this one is starting with a story. I have really low blood pressure. It’s hereditary – I didn’t do anything to deserve it and it’s not the result of lifestyle. I’ve been this way since I was a kid. That means that sometimes, I see little twinkles of light when I stand up, or randomly when my blood pressure is struggling to keep my circulation where it’s supposed to be. I didn’t understand what those sparkles of light were when I was a child. I was talking about it with my Mom when I was a teenager, and told her that when I was little, I thought the sparkles of light were faeries. Mom’s response? “Maybe they are.” Allow the world to be more. Go to beautiful places and allow the beauty to wash over you. Maybe the gorgeous cave system was built by gnomes. Maybe earth spirits live there. Maybe the rolling valley is where the faeries dance at night. Maybe the deep forest is where the centaurs live. Let it all be more. Let yourself feel wonder at it all.

There’s no prize for being the most serious and down to earth. Indeed, we know for a fact that the problems of the world require imagination to solve. We also know that imagination is something we can practice and strengthen. And remember, hope is a practice too. It requires support, and growing our imaginations is a great way to keep that tender flame of possibility glowing brightly.

So, those are my suggestions for bringing in a little more wonder, whimsy, and imagination into your life and your magic. What are yours? Hit me up in the comments.

Irene Glasse is a Heathen witch based in Western Maryland. She is a longtime teacher of witchcraft, meditation, and magic in the mid-Atlantic. Visit https://glassewitchcottage.com/ for more.