Beltane, also known as “May Day,” is also known as the day that the gates to the world of the fairies opens. Magic is afoot! As Beltane is also a day for attracting a lover, there has never been a better time to open your heart. To do that, we can turn to the healing power of hawthorn, in all its profuse beauty and strength. 

As love can be both spiritual and physical, Hawthorn honors the way of the heart. Its thorny limbs offers the protection that good boundaries provide in all our relationships. 

Before fences, “haws,” or hedges, marked the boundaries between fields and worlds: the known and unknown, the safe and the wild, the sacred and the profane. Hawthorn’s role in marking these boundaries helps us to balance safety and risk in matters of the heart.

Here, in Georgia, on May 1, the modern Beltane observance, Hawthorn is already in flower. As it’s usually the last fruit tree to bloom in spring, it’s often covered in bees. My home state has more than 36 native varieties, with berries which our grandmothers would have gathered and “put up” into delicious, distinctive jams and jellies, fermented into wine, or baked into cakes.

The blossoms, we should say, are just beautiful. 

Unless you are an herbalist, you may find working with Hawthorn as a flower essence preferable to working with the live plant. The blossoms contain trimethylamine, a chemical which gives off a scent that may not be pleasant to all. 

Let’s touch on a few of the basics.

Hawthorn, the herb, is known for certain healing properties. It raises or lowers blood pressure, and is considered as a treatment for those who are diabetic or who have kidney disease. 

All parts of the Hawthorn plant are rich in antioxidants and flavonoids, which are known to have anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial properties. The nutrients from the leaves, buds, flowers, and bright red berries (haws) also include magnesium and calcium. Altogether, the heart and circulatory system are actively nurtured, improving and strengthening the heart, arteries and immune function. 

It’s obvious that Hawthorn, the herb, can support the healing of the physical body. 

Using Hawthorn as a Flower Essence
Flower essences also offer health benefits, but they work on healing the emotional body. When flower essences are created, a dilution process captures the high vibration, healing energy of the flower in liquid form. Taking drops of the liquid therapeutically complements works alone or in complement to herbal medicine or homeopathy. The essences help address the underlying emotions that get stuck in the body. Clearing stuck emotions can help resolve ailments or illness.

Within this context, Hawthorn may be recommended for those who hope to heal emotional wounds, like those sustained during times of grief or when mending a broken heart.  

Different people respond to different essences in different ways. Some essences may work quickly, while others take time. For many, taking flower essences often results in greater awareness of stagnant emotions, which can then be cleared from the body. In this way, they help affect personal change at a deep emotional level. 

If there’s a heart that needs healing, a heart chakra that needs to open, grief that needs easing, love that needs to find its way, or emotions that need balance, Hawthorn is a friend indeed.

This Beltane, here’s to a life long-lived and well-loved.

Recently, my friend Cherie and I began taking a class together. When we put our heads together, we realized it’s been more than three years since we’ve made time for friend activities. Of course, we also realized that it couldn’t be avoided. There’s geography - she was in Chicago, and I was in Marietta and south Georgia. Then there’s the emotional terrain: we’ve both had parents who’ve recently passed away. Then, like a bad, bad trip, there was COVID. 

Over the months, COVID has become a blanket word, the kind of thing you throw over a sofa to cover the worn-out places. After COVID, the lockdowns, and the losses, many of us have learned that being social just ain’t what it used to be. We have to make an extra effort to get out there.

However, studies show that we need a little “health” from our friends. I was reading a recent article on this topic, and a few things jumped out at me. I thought I’d share those with you. 

● Did you know that 59% of us now find it more difficult to form relationships since COVID, compared with 13% who find it easier? 
● Called on to socialize with friends or family you haven’t seen in a while? More than 25% of us get anxious around others, while another 20% are downright scared.
● Meeting new people? Anxiousness plagues 62% of adults who meet strangers.
● Feeling down? Isolation is an issue for 56% of us, and 29% are feeling depressed.

Let that sink in. People are afraid of their friends, their families, and their social network. 

How about you? When you go out into the world these days, how does it feel? Do you ever
● Not know what to say or how to interact with others
● Worry that you’ll embarrass yourself or make others uncomfortable
● Think you’ll “put your foot in your mouth?” (say the wrong thing)

For most of us, these feelings are annoying when they come up. We can usually get past them. 

But some cases are more severe. Social anxiety disorder is more common since COVID. When someone struggles with SAD, they are extremely self-conscious to the point of being afraid. They are afraid of strangers and of being judged. Also, they worry that whatever they do will be embarrassing or humiliating. Their feelings are so intense, work, school, and life will suffer as a result.

Of course, people who are nervous and anxious do not necessarily have SAD. But as we are rebuilding our post-COVID worlds, it’s more important than ever to be patient and take steps to restore our healthy relationships with others as well as ourselves.

Now is the time to reach out to friends and family and share feelings. Eat right, exercise, get enough sleep, and drink plenty of water. If you need more support, seek it out. No matter what, give yourself permission to do things that bring you joy. 

What brings me joy? One of my favorite things to do is go to rock concerts with my son, Will. We share a love of music. Before COVID, we went to see Elton John. It was a blast to remember when both rock and I were young! 

Since then, our opportunities to attend music concerts at venues or festivals have been more limited. But music is one of our connections as a family, and it makes us happy. It’s going back on the to-do list in our near future (I’ll keep you posted!)

Starting now, I’m making more time for joy! I’m also going to make more time for friends, whether we’re hanging out or talking on the phone or hanging out by the lake.

I want you to reach out to your friends, too. 

Science tells us that a good social support network can help you maintain a healthy body mass index, control blood sugar, improve odds of cancer survival, decrease cardio-vascular disease, decrease symptoms of depression, and improve mental health. (American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine)

Experience tells us that living a good life is a lot easier when you are surrounded by good people. Choose to live a little. Dance in a supermarket. Receive joy. Write a letter. Express gratitude. Ride a bike - or a horse. And invite someone you love to join you. 

 After all, we really do get by with a little health from our friends.

​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.
​
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.

​
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