​This Imbolc, we celebrate the re-awakening of the world of nature. Buds and shoots emerge, reminding us that the days are growing longer, and the light is returning. Around us, rain and snow usher in a time of cleansing. In nature, water is a powerful force for creation. Perhaps that is why Imbolc is a time to bring new ideas and projects forward. With water’s help, what we focus on now will inevitably grow. 

In the old country, our Celtic ancestors would have visited a holy spring or well at Imbolc. They may have performed simple rituals of purification and fertility. Water at Imbolc also helps us find the pathway to follow one’s dreams. When we reconnect with nature at this return of the light, we can partner with water to affect growth in our lives.
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Here are seven simple ways to weave Imbolc’s promise and potential into your life at this time.

Light a sacred flame
Lighting candles at Imboc to celebrate the return of the sun is an ancient tradition, one which hearkens to an early honoring of the pre-Christian goddess Brigid. Today, in much the same way, candles are lit in honor of the Christian Virgin Mary. Perhaps you can light candles or a hearth fire and gather with family or friends. 

Serve Hot Beverages
Serve up hot cider or other beverages that marry fire and water to coax warmth and flavor into chilly winter days. I find that hot chocolate and toasted marshmallows or a healing, hot herbal tea are perfect beverages to sip and reflect with anticipation as this time of awakening unfolds.

Start Your Spring Cleaning
Several of my friends have begun cleaning in advance of the spring-cleaning rush. Now is the time to de-clutter so the energy in your home flows with vitality. It’s time to clean and air out the house! Let go and let flow!

Set Your Intentions with Water
Why not visit a clean river or creek in your area, and splash a few drops over yourself as you set your own intentions this year?  Journal about your experience or ask for guidance and work with divination to chart your path forward.

Make time for An Imbolc Bath Ritual

Honor the fire-water elements of Imbolc with a deep, warm bath ritual. Here is a simple, yet powerful work from Tiny Ritual that anyone can do. 

Add Enagic Water to Your Daily Devotions
Drinking Enagic, or alkaline, water enhances the essential nutrition we receive from water that improves our cellular function. Drinking alkaline water as a devotion can provide deep cleansing and purification that heals our bodies from too much acidity. 

If you are interested in improved cellular heath from drinking Enagic water, I am a licensed new earth Enagic water distributor, and I am happy to talk with you about my experience.

Remember that Water Remembers
Now is a good time to explore water’s capacity to carry the energy of intention and potential. One way to explore this is to revisit the works of Dr. Emoto, whose groundbreaking work “The Message of Water” on the crystalline structure of water when exposed to specific words. His work changed the way we think about the power of language, and researchers now believe that water has an infinite capacity of memory.

You can also try this “Drink Your Words” ritual for anyone starting something new.

At Imbolc, please know I am grateful for you. May you be blessed on this day and those ahead.
Love,
Susan

Winter solstice on December 21 is upon us, and with it comes the darkness of the longest night. 

As I write this, I’ve just arrived back in Marietta after spending nearly a month in South Georgia with my stepmother, Nona, who is in transition. As late-stage Alzheimer’s has taken its toll on her health, I’ve been standing in the middle of a whirlwind of activity. I find that I am in constant communication with all different types of people, always on call. It is a bit of a hurricane. 

It came to me as I reflected on what to share today. These days, I am like an everlasting oak, standing resolutely at the eye of a storm.

According to my Celtic ancestors, Oak trees may be understood as symbols of strength and stability. Their branches offer far-reaching protection. Their roots offer deep seated endurance. In the deep South, oak trees are also evergreen, everlasting. 

The oak tree stands. 

Somehow, it makes perfect sense that solstice bonfires in ancient times depended upon the longevity of an oak-burning fire. 

According to tradition, the Saxons and Celts often burned the entire trunk of an oak tree. If the tree burned for the entire 12 hours between dusk and daylight, it was a good sign. A lit fire symbolized good news for the household. In the days ahead, the family could anticipate an abundant harvest and depend upon their health to stand them in good stead.

At the heart of the hospice grounds, there is a large oak tree. I remember those long ago days when my late Daddy and Nona were among its first volunteers. It’s a memory from which I draw strength. I am blessed with the understanding that Nona’s journey has come full circle in this place where she is surrounded by loving friends.

Despite the bittersweetness, I am grateful to have been able to stand for her like that tree. The tree and I have become companions.Here is what I have learned while standing within its embrace: I am strong enough.

Even as we face winter’s darkness, each of us is strong enough.

No matter the circumstances, no matter what happens, we stand. We do not sit and wait, or wander aimlessly in the dark. Resolutely, we choose to move forward with whatever it is that must be done. 

We do not wait for someone else to do the difficult work. Instead, we persevere. We look unwaveringly at the truth of what must be done, then we find a way to do it. We find our strength and our will to see it through.

But like the oak, at the winter solstice, we must also look toward the light. Let each step we take lead us out of darkness, chaos or confusion. The light of the turning year will lend us the guidance we seek. We must allow ourselves respite and open to receive the light’s promise of good days yet to come.

Let us follow the light of this solstice on the longest of nights. May the good that we do be a light in the world.

​

Centered and relaxed. These two words are not the ones that come up first when I think about the holidays. Forget Santa Claus. I become Superwoman. Also known as “she who does it all.”

If you’re like me, you’re grateful for any time you get to yourself between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. Meditation, long walks in nature, binge watching British television, or tub baths sound just wonderful - for someone else. 

Holidays are complicated. They can be chaotic. At any gathering, the wide range of personalities can make you doubt your sanity. 

Yes, it’s true that we cannot control our families, friends, or guests, but we can cultivate inner calm. We can choose our responses. We can act in alignment with our values. We can show compassion to ourselves and to others.

We can even get through a lovely turkey dinner with all the trimmings without feeling as though we ingested kryptonite.

Gratefully, we don’t need to be Superwoman to survive the holidays. We just need to remember who we really are, deep down, at our powerful core. 

When you are coming from a centered place, it becomes possible to honor your most important commitments to yourself. 

Your healthy boundaries may include things like “no politics,” or “no cutdowns.” Don’t be afraid to remind others of these expectations, and be willing to walk away or refuse to engage if your boundaries aren’t respected.

Avoid unpleasant people if at all possible. It helps. If you can’t avoid them, choose to say no to baiting, and therefore to being dragged into their drama. Unpleasant persons want a reactive response. Don’t add fuel to their fire. Remove yourself from their reach. 

 When under fire, use the matching gold bracelets that came with the costume to elegantly deflect whatever comes your way. 

Better yet, stay calm, be compassionate, and detach. 

If you need a moment, take one. Grab a drink. Daydream about the beach. Breathe. Invoke the Goddess. Sit in your car and listen to music. Call a friend and wish them well. Do whatever you need to do to be okay.

As Superwoman, you can choose to defy the laws of space and time. 

Arrive when you wish and leave when you wish. Don’t feel like you have to spend all day or stay late. You only need to do what feels right to you.

Be gracious when you take your leave. Say “thank you” to your hostess,  “I love you” to people who matter most, and “wishing you all the best” to people you won’t see again for at least another year.

When we get home, let’s hang that Superwoman cape on a hook. It’s time to give ourselves a much deserved break. In the holidays, as always, we deserve to do - or not do - whatever our spirit needs and our heart desires.

As the full moon lights the night sky and begins to wane, so wanes the light of our days. The Wheel of the Year turns once again toward Samhain, a time when the veil between our world and the next is thinnest. Already, my ancestors have begun to come to me in dreams. 

If you are a woman who already has a practice, you already know how powerful the Samhain energies can be. If you are new to the idea of spiritual practices for women that honors our relationship to the Earth, then Samhain offers you a chance to connect deeply with magic and mystery. 

One of my favorites, most often recommended resources for women spiritual practitioners at any level is the We’Moon Journal. Here is their guide to Samhain Rituals and Traditions 2022. Another is Mabon House’s Free Printable Library, which has wonderful tools for Samhain and the entire Wheel of the Year. 

My own work offers a range of resources that may be of use to you in the days ahead. I hope these offer opportunities deepen your understanding of Samhain and its place in the Wheel.

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The Medicine Woman and the Samhain Mysteries 
At Samhain, the medicine woman, too, turns her attention inward. Meditations, trance, long nights of dreaming and prophecy stir the cauldron of the night. She stitches stories and herbs into poppets to assist loved ones in sleep. For the adept, deep mysteries of Samhain offer a rare opportunity to step between the worlds and speak directly with otherworldly guides, spirits or the ancestors, and honor them through remembrance in the form of an altar or offering. The medicine woman’s endeavors give comfort to those who recognize the growing darkness. -Excerpt from my blog, “Deep Purple: The Medicine Woman and the Samhain Mysteries” 
READ MORE


‘The Great Wheel Turns Again’
The Veil between the worlds is thin
Our hearts reach cross the sea of time
To bring our loved ones in
Samhain, Samhain we honor all our kin
We honor those whove gone before
As the Great Wheel turns again
From “Samhain Song,” by Lisa Thiel

Read Susan’s Book about the Wheel of the Year
FREE DOWNLOAD

​For the past few years, we’ve all needed more than our share of good old-fashioned grit just to deal with the trials and tribulations of everyday life. Many of us have aging parents or children who are navigating their way through the passages of age in the midst of uncertain times: job changes, broken hearts, messes to clean up. If we’re looking for chaos, we don’t have to look very hard to find it.

That’s why our resilience and ability to persevere are so important. Here are 4 things you can do today to see your way through these difficult times and retain your sense of hope.



Give Yourself a Break

No-one can sustain high levels of stress for long periods of time without some negative health effects. So you’re going to need to drive a wedge between your obligations and your sanity. In that space, you’ll find the time to give yourself a break. Whether it’s a series of short breaks once a week, or a week away, it’s something you must do in order to persevere when pressures are high. 

Be Kind to Yourself

In order to persevere, you will need to consciously refill your inner well each day. Surround yourself with comforting rituals: a cup of tea, a hot bath, a conversation with a friend. Realize that you are doing the best you can in these circumstances. Smile at your heart. Practice gratitude. Be positive in your self-talk. Look for joy in nature. In other words, be kind to yourself. Remember that Hope remains, no matter the magnitude of troubles. 

Find Support for the Journey

Many of the trials we humans face may be too much to carry alone. Thankfully, there are professionals who can help. There comes a day when an aging parent may need a care manager, or a parent who’s adapting to a child’s special needs may need counsel. Others may simply need a friend. Asking for the help you need doesn’t make you weak. Sharing the load increases resilience and ability to persevere. We find hope comes much easier with the right support.

Spend Time in Nature

Whether it’s a walk with the dog or coffee under a tree, spending time outdoors will help you reconnect to the world of which you are a part. Sunlight and fresh air offer health benefits, while the frolic of squirrels in the trees, the flutter of wings, or a rare hawk sighting will awaken your sense of wonder. Nature reminds us of the cycle of life, of which we are a part, and which is a part of us. Feeling our place in the web and our connection helps us persevere and find hope. 

Love, Susan

Going out of your mind lately? Then trust that you are exactly where you need to be.

Right now, the energies are aligned with releasing our entrenched ways of thinking and being and allowing the sacred work of the heart to guide us toward healing, renewal, and transformation in the present.

Let’s check in about what’s happening in the “as above.” Currently, Pluto is retrograde, and 5 planets are aligned in Pisces. This emotional, shadowy realm of activity can feel a bit chaotic and emotional. But we are gifted with a Mercury retrograde cycle which can be utilized to help us work with the communication and commerce issues resulting in the “as below.” 

Starting now, Mercury is retrograde in Gemini from now until June 3 and currently lies halfway between Aldebaron, and the Pleiades, stars of importance to the ancient alchemists. In this position, Mercury retrograde gives us the “renegade” energy we need to ride the waves of change.

Our heart’s desire and soul’s purpose are meant to guide us at this time. Our ability to manifest the life and right livelihood we truly desire can more easily be manifested if we are willing to co-create with the vital energies. 

My friend Cayelin Castell was part of a recent roundtable discussion about these energies here: https://youtu.be/1FrslzMMu3I 

The door opened to the freshly untethered realm of heart-centered possibility with the solar eclipse and Beltane window 10 days ago, and it will extend until the full lunar eclipse on May 15. 

To truly incorporate these energies, consider raising your personal frequency while slowing down the pace, using activities like gardening, dancing or working magic to enhance your daily experiences at this time.

As those insights begin to be received, we need to allow ourselves to remain in awareness and without judgment. Remember, heart over mind. Mercury allows us the time and support we need to question our perceptions and surf the wild renegade wave until it goes direct on June 3. 

Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche called this “crazy wisdom” expression, as Cayelin points out. In times of “crazy wisdom,” we find ourselves fully present and, in the moment, awakened, fresh perceptions, and unbound by our pasts or futures. If we remove our understanding from the context of time and history, our current reality drops away. Thus, we are free to perceive truths which lie beyond culture or society. We listen with our hearts.

Tess Whitehurst’s Live Your Magic offers us a 24-day Mercury retrograde challenge to help us ground this time of revelation in everyday activities performed with awareness. You can join the challenge here: https://tesswhitehurst.com/24-day-mercury-retrograde-challenge-part-1/

Co-create with this Mercury retrograde in whatever way seems right to you. Mercury retrograde requires us to take this time and revise, restructure, revisit, rethink, regroup, or revamp anything we choose. 

If you need help shifting your perception of the real, or if things are moving too fast, divination can help. Book your session with me today.

​Imbolc approaches. But while Mercury is retrograde, I am finding that prayers and blessings together with a lighted candle work more smoothly than other types of conscious communication with Spirit. 
Today, I’m sharing two traditional Irish blessings for your use at Imbolc. One is for blessing persons, and the other is for blessing homes. 

As a special treat, please find attached a two-page Medicine Woman printable guide to Imbolc and working with the Goddess, Brigid. It’s my hope that you’ll find this resource useful as you craft a meaningful celebration of the return of the light this year. 

If you’re new to Imbolc, or to observations of the Wheel of the Year, I highly recommend this Imbolc resource from We’Moon to help you orient yourself to this timing. 
A small candle and a blessing is a thoughtful, simple and meaningful way to honor the light at this time of the year. 

​Happy New Year! 2021 closed in a flurry of activity and unseasonably warm weather here in Marietta. I spent the last weeks of the year marking my 70th birthday, circling with amazing women, and hosting my family for a holiday meal, Now, like many of you, I find that I am looking forward to the quieter days of winter.

On the Celtic Wheel of the Year, New Year’s Eve is celebrated on October 31, at Samhain, and New Year’s Day is marked by veneration of the ancestors. In Mexico, this is called El Dia de los Muertos, The Day of the Dead. (For those of you who are unfamiliar with these holidays, these are depicted in a family-friendly way in the animated Disney film “Coco.”) 

The Gregorian New Year, the one that marks the turning of the calendar, brightens the darkness with delight just as we naturally turn our attention within and enter a period of rest and reflection, comfort and joy. 

Here are some of my favorite resources for enriching this time of year. 

Choose a word of the year to propel you forward. 
Many people do this, but here’s why it works. This year, my word is “Freedom”.
https://www.inc.com/minda-zetlin/one-word-inspiration-new-year-resolutions-motivation.html

Renew your relationship to your word of the year.
This article from Christine Kane shares how to hit the reset button on your intentions.
https://christinekane.com/hit-the-reset-button-on-your-word-of-the-year/

Work with a calendar or planner that marks the natural cycles of the year. 
I often recommend the WeMoon planner for the Wheel of the Year and ephemeris, designed especially for women. https://wemoon.ws/products/wemoon-date-book 
While you’re there, be certain to sign up for the free Lunar News newsletter. It’s an exceptional, timely resource for working with the energies as they occur.

Leverage time, your non-renewable resource. 
For those of us who need a more detailed planner, you may want to check out the paid and freemium resources at Mabon House.
https://www.mabonhouse.co/
When you sign up, you receive access to a FULL range of 2022 Wheel of the Year calendar essentials. These are beautiful resources, sure to enrich your turning year.

Get in touch with the “As Above, So Below” mysteries. 
The Shamanic Astrology Mystery School is a good place to start. https://shamanicastrology.com/ Daniel Giamario, my mentor, has good articles and resources for those starting out. Also, you may want to check out Cayelin Castell’s Celestial Timings to work with the mysteries as they unfold.
https://cayelincastell.com/category/celestial_timings/

As You Plan Your Year, Make Time for Yourself
Do this first, before everything else. Decide how you will honor your own needs around time, and INK those into your calendar before you do anything else. Whether you need a massage, want an in-depth oracle card reading, or choose to work with a healer, go ahead and make that commitment to yourself manifest by writing it into your calendar and plan.

Let me know how it goes?
Love,
Susan

Hope is the light of the world.

At Winter Solstice, or Yule, the seeds of hope are planted during this, the longest of nights. By dawn, the turning of the wheel of the year has marked this place of deep, eternal truth. The Goddess becomes the Great Mother who gives birth to that spark of fire we call the Sun. And the priestesses who walk among us are charged with carrying the light of the world out into the world, tending the hope it sparks in the hearts of humankind.

This hectic, uncertain year has required great faith and great hope from most of us. But despite it all, that small sacred fire of hope we carry in our hearts remains.

In the olden days in the British Isles and Scandinavia, that light of hope was carefully lit and tended at the heart of the home during the Yuletide season. If you would like to honor hope and offer light to the world, here is one way you can make this tradition your own.

On Solstice eve, Christmas eve, whichever feels right to you, light a large, beautiful ornamental candle. Traditionally, this candle would have been red, green, or blue, but a white, silver or gold candle would work as well.  

1. Place the candle on an appropriate, fire-safe holder at the center of your dining table.
2. Decorate with holly and ivy, evergreen boughs, glass baubles. Take a walk in nature and seek inspiration.
3. If you choose to do so, “dress” the candle by anointing its sides with your favorite essential oil.
4. Set your intention to receive the light of hope and its blessings.

At supper, light the candle and allow it to burn until bedtime. Then extinguish the flame. Or, choose instead to light the candle on the holiday morning, and allow it to burn all day. In either case, on each dark evening that follows until 12th Night  (Jan. 6) , make a ritual of re-igniting the light and extinguishing the candle. (Tradition dictates that you use tongs or a snuffer so as not to blow the blessings away from your hearth.)

As the candle is lit or extinguished, express gratitude for the blessings of hope and returning light which are shed upon the household. Lighting a candle in gratitude and hope is a wonderful, simple and meaningful way to celebrate the return of the light to the world. It’s a beautiful reminder of the divine spark within us all. A large taper candle remains a thoughtful, well-received gift in anyone’s household. Perhaps it’s a sweet reminder that each of us tends a divine spark within our hearts.

Bright blessings to you now and in the coming year.

Love,
Susan

Lately, like many of my generation, I’ve been having to watch my health. Things that didn’t faze me ten years ago, now sometimes wear me out.
I noticed this tendency with both resignation and recognition. I’m approaching 70. I still have a lot of work to do with the Medicine Woman tradition. But I’m learning that the days of being able to make a long drive, hold a circle all day, then drive home again… those days may be numbered.

Perhaps, just maybe, I may need to build in less movement and more rest. 
There are also stressors in my personal life. My grown son returned home due to COVID. My stepmother and my mother are both aging simultaneously. The effort to see that they are each get the support and care they need consumes my energy. Those long walks I used to enjoy are more of a luxury these days than I care to admit. 

My blood pressure sometimes goes up. I am stressed, which depletes the immune system. Though it’s true my spiritual work and practice sustain me and increase my resilience, there is another thing which helps me, too.
A gratitude practice.

You’ll recall that I’ve spoken about gratitude in the past. An attitude of gratitude goes a long way toward curing a whole lot of what ails you.

And while the priestess in me understand that what we focus on grows, and that a gratitude journal creates more Good in our lives, science agrees that its effects are both dramatic and lasting.

Here are some of the good effects of a gratitude practice when its’ used every day.

• Lower blood pressure
• Improved immune function
• Better sleep patterns
• Reduces lifetime risk of depression
• Reduces anxiety
• Reduces substance abuse disorders
• Improves resililency
• Decreases suicides
• Gratitude also helps us choose behaviors that benefit our lives.

When we practice gratitude, we tend to

• Exercise more
• Eat better
• Smoke/Drink Less
• Take better care of ourselves

Overall, we live happier and healthier with an active practice of gratitude.

What I have learned is that gratitude isn’t just for Thanksgiving. Gratitude helps me celebrate the present moment. Live isn’t something that just passes me by, but it’s something that I can appreciate. Gratitude helps me appreciate my friends and family. It brings new opportunities to shop up fully in my practice. It focuses me on the positives in any situation. Gratitude helps my heart.

One scientist, Robert Emmons, says that ““Gratitude blocks toxic emotions, such as envy, resentment, regret and depression, which can destroy our happiness.” 
Spiritual women know that toxicity is the enemy of our hearts and health. Other physical benefits of expressing gratitude include

• Increased good cholesterol and decreased bad cholesterol
• Reduced cortisol
• Lower blood pressure at rest and under stress
• A state of harmony in the nervous system and heart rate
• Mental clarity
• Improved kidney function
• Decreased cardiac inflammation and heart disease

Here are 4 ways to establish a simple, successful gratitude practice that can help you protect your mental, emotional and physical health.

1. Recognize what you’re grateful for, acknowledge it, and appreciate it
2. Start a daily gratitude journal and count your blessings
3. Set aside time daily to recall moments of gratitude
4. Write letters of gratitude and feel more optimistic
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This year, our second Thanksgiving since COVID changed the way we relate with others, may be difficult for some. I hope that you will join me in honoring the goodness in life with a simple gratitude practice that will help us find the light in the dark days ahead.
​
Happy Thanksgiving! 
With gratitude, 
Susan