May 8, 2024

Perth



Certainly, during my darkest times, I seem to experience the most magic. Not just because I'm lighting a lot more candles, listening to goddess chants instead of doom scrolling, and reaching out to my teachers, guides, and good friends. I remember this in my first Saturn Return, the sparkling synchronicities, cosmic moments, coyotes giggle. 

Here is rebirth - the third cycle, could be my last. I move from room to room, expunging expired antibiotic ointments procured during my trip to Ireland in 2016; dozens of plastic hangers as I fold away my winter clothes; rearrange the plethora of items that have somehow accumulated in my car's glove compartment, which I lovingly refer to as "my car purse."

However, at this point how many crumpled masks do I need? But what if there's another shortage and I can reuse these? These are the questions that plague my mind and tax my spirit. 

So I look to Perth, the rune of initiation. The phoenix rises out of the ashes. My dad was cremated and his ashes were scattered at sea, but none of our family was there, per my mom's wishes. No memorial, no funeral. 

Instead, I took down some two thousand origami cranes that have been hanging in my backroom for decades. The first thousand were made by my friend Mina, who sent them in a box right before I moved into this house. It took me hours to bead and hang them, and I spent many more hours admiring their patterns let alone their shadows. The second thousand I folded when my Dad was first diagnosed with cancer, some eighteen years ago.

I burned them in my favorite cauldron, fairly amazed at the amount of heat generated. His birthday is soon, so I'll take them to the ocean and do my own ritual of remembrance, renewal, and rebirth.

May 1, 2024

The Beautiful Unknown: Retreat Poems and Prose 2009 - 2020

 


The Beautiful Unknown: Retreat Poems and Prose 2009 - 2020

During this time, our Baby Crone discovers the joy of silence and solitude by taking sojourns along the California coast. These poems, prayers, meditations, and love spells were woven at various silent writer’s retreats, including Mission San Antonio, St. Columba’s Retreat in Point Reyes, and The New Calmodese Hermitage in Big Sur.

Empty Place


Right now, besides for a few tatters of gray mist,

The sky is empty, gently sun-kissed,

Streak of salmon in the west,

Peaceful blues paint in the rest.


Even the red-tailed hawks and gulls are gone,

Not a spout or a sail out on the horizon,

The ocean seems empty, flat, glassine,

Teeming with life only in the depths unseen.


The field below is quiet and clear,

Except for the scuttling of rabbits, quail, and deer,

Buzzing bees, ravens, the squawking of jays,

Hummingbirds coming to visit the velvety sage.


There's just a circle of chairs in the chapter room,

Filled with a scent of Easter lilies in bloom,

Deep red roses, white daisies and baby's breath,

In the center is the altar honoring life and death.


My cup is dried, bowl washed and put away,

Floor is swept, the bed has been made,

Nothing to do, but enjoy this sacred space,

Think I'll call it, "My empty place."



April 24, 2024

Protection Spell

Protection Spell

Tap the top of your head

Yes, you are thinking clearly

Now the third eye

See the protective bubble


Sing your name

Syllable by syllable

Listen to your name song

Feel the hum


Clap your hands

In front 

Behind

Create a sphere

Over and over again

Notice where you begin

And where you end


Listen to your heart

Safe in your chest

Comfortable in your ribs

Protected by your skin


Activate your willpower

Fill it with light

Choose to empower 

Rather than enable


Sink down into your belly

Trust your gut

All organs, all systems

Are working together


Don't be an amoeba

Evolve

Allow yourself to want more

Trust what you attract, desire


Yes, there will be some moths

As you Flame

All the more reason to

Use a clear chimney


Go down into your bones

Flex your hips and thighs

Wiggle your toes

Safe, secure, reassured


You have everything you need

It's already in your hands

April 17, 2024

Dagaz



Dagaz is the tipping point, the moment the sands of time begin to shift if not entwine, when breakdowns become break-rhroughs. It takes radical trust to work with an atheist's sense of divine timing. 

Now is the moment to doubt your doubts, and come to your own conclusions, "Do what moves you and rationalize in Retrospect" - (8x10 Glossy)

Trickle, tickle
Don't get too comfortable
In the Middle

Everything shifts
Even when it seems fine
Discover
Sacred time

April 10, 2024

Algiz


In the early morning mist, there is a snorfling sound from the forest. A majestic head appears, in full antlered regalia. Here is wisdom, patience, and perseverance coming for a visit.

Allow yourself a sense of coolness, time and space. You know what you need to thrive, and in this moment, time is on your side.

Branch out
Sense
Trust
Endure


 

April 3, 2024

Laphrodite's Guide to Mindful Menopause

 


Laphrodite's Guide to Mindful Menopause 
or the Adventures of a Baby Crone

An enchanting collection of midlife musings, moon magic, and meditations for mindful menopause. Over the last three years, menopause has brought me to my knees. In this humbled position, I offer anecdotes, potential antidotes, and some not-so-common advice.

According to the Mayo Clinic, menopause is experienced by over 3 million women a year in the United States alone. What makes this book different is viewing menopause as a time of incredible spiritual growth and creativity, rather than just a physical experience that needs a special diet or more exercise.

The book offers concrete tools such as guided visualizations, meditations, and rituals to honor this significant passage in a woman's life. Rather than a dry reference book, it includes humorous stories, inspiring poetry, and juicy practices to experience mindful menopause. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I love the artwork and how it goes along with the readings. It was empowering, and beautiful, giving an honest portrayal of the fem experience. Highly recommend! - Kaileigh Otsuka

March 27, 2024

Yew Tree


In the beginning, or at least in my imagination, Odin hung upside down from the Yew tree, and there reflected in the waters were all of the runes. Like the Hanged One in the tarot, he was not in a noose around his neck, but around his ankle. In many cultural experiences, from downward-facing dog to the Sundance Ceremony, there is a clearing of energy when blood rushes into our head.


Echo 
Location
Tune in
Tune Out
Turn a blind eye
Discover
A more nuanced
Vision
Go out 
On a limb
After Winter
Ripe fruit

The week my Dad was dying, I felt in limbo. Played endless games of Solitaire, Sudoku, and Acrostic puzzles. I felt like the times when my flight was delayed, not just by hours, but by days. Camped out at the terminal. Waiting for that final departure.

This feeling lasted months. Everyone deals with grief in their own way - my deal was endless rounds of gin rummy, maybe a soothing way to beat the odds, at least for a while

Yew trees had sharp prickly leaves, being coniferous, as well as bright red berries. It is one of the longest-lived native plants in Europe, according to the Woodland Trust. To quote from their website, 

"Ancient, morbid, toxic. The yew is one of the longest-lived native species in Europe. This has made it a symbol of death and doom, but it provides food and shelter for woodland animals."

Journaling invitation: What would the YOU Tree look like? Roots, stem/trunk, branches, flowers, foliage, seeds? Any flora or fauna? Other symbiotic relationships?

And just like feeling a bit in limbo ( How low can you go?) Become aware of where you could be a little more soft, flexible, not necessarily pliant or defiant, the softness between.