Posts Tagged ‘The A.R.T. of Becoming a Witch’
The 5th crime of patriarchy—murder—and the prayer to transmute it
Theme: Magicians Reporting for Duty Week 18: in which we study the fifth and final crime of patriarchy—murder—and speak the Goddess prayer that heals it Beautiful Magicians, This is the sixth of what is turning out to be a seven or more-part Notes from the Field series on the five crimes of patriarchy and the…
Read MoreThe antidote to PSD (Patriarchy Stress Disorder)
Theme: Magicians Reporting for Duty Week 8: in which we swing from horror to elation until we settle on the mantra that can carry us through Beautiful Magicians, Well, well, well. What can anyone say about this past week. If you’re feeling a tad nauseous as your heart swings from horror to elation and back…
Read MoreThe Good Bunny and the Bad Guru
Theme: Magicians Reporting for Duty Week 7: in which we can’t miss the sharp contrast between the very good bunny and the very bad guru Beautiful Magicians, What a wild week. For me personally it was another week of wacko computer issues. The second screen went black and stayed black. Email did wonky things. I…
Read MorePlan A or Plan B?
Theme: Magicians Reporting for Duty Week 6: in which we realize the profound relationship between the sign in our windows and the sins of our fathers Beautiful Magicians, Thank you for your messages wondering where I was last Sunday and if I’m OK. It is heartening to be reminded that hundreds of you wake up…
Read MoreMagicians reporting for duty
Week 1–in which we receive a rather odd theme for 2026 and suddenly understand why Beautiful Magicians, I promised last Sunday that today I would introduce the theme for 2026. The yearly themes arrive in different ways. The only thing they have in common is that they don’t come from my left analytical brain. I…
Read MoreAre we in mourning or morning?
Week 43–in which we explore the relationship of mourning and morning Beautiful Ones, On Thursday, October 16, we gathered for our final journey in ART 6 on Reverence and Devotion. During that intense mystical journey, Jennifer DeVille Catalano played the Song of the Labyrinth on her Crystal Tones Alchemy Bowls. The song comes from a…
Read MoreIt’s time to choose, the contrast is stark.
Week 40–in which we are given a stark contrast and invited to choose Beautiful Ones, Thank you for all your lovely responses to last Sunday’s Notes from the Field, “How we unconsciously reveal who we are.” Your kind reflections left me in tears. I feel very seen. I was deeply moved, not just by how sweetly you…
Read MoreHow we unconsciously reveal who we are
Week 39–in which we ponder the unconscious ways we convey the essence of who we really are Beautiful Ones, In last Sunday’s Notes from the Field, I promised to share experiences from Jerry and Maura’s wedding that planted deep mystical seeds in me. The biggest, and for me most impactful, came from one sentence in Jerry’s…
Read MoreHow beautiful people enter Equinox, New Moon, and Eclipse
Week 38–in which we enter an Equinox, New Moon, and Eclipse, carrying and renewing our beauty Beautiful Ones, I have returned from my son, Jerry, and daughter-in-law, Maura’s, wedding in New York filled with exquisite stories, memories, and experiences. I feel deeply blessed to have been welcomed into a beautiful family and a vibrant anti-fascist community.…
Read MoreA tiny Native Nation shows us how to say NO
Week 35–in which the Miccosukee Nation shows us how to say NO Beautiful Ones, I didn’t want to write this Notes from the Field. I didn’t know what to say in a week with yet another slaughter of innocents with a barrage of assault rifle bullets. This should have stopped with Columbine in 1999. Or…
Read MoreA volcano is erupting under the Black Moon
Week 34–in which we notice a Volcano erupting under a Black Moon. Beautiful Ones, This is the weekend of a Black Moon. Sound a tad ominous? Maybe “black” is the perfect description of the moment we are slogging through. The world does feel pretty bleak, dark, and cold, doesn’t it. Black Moon is a term…
Read MoreA unexpected note from deep within the Field
Week 33–in which the heart goes on a search. For Her. And finds something unexpected. Beautiful Ones, Throughout this appalling week, in which the worst of patriarchy preened and celebrated itself, I have kept my hope and heart and spirit alive by visiting other places and other times. That’s where I’d like to take you…
Read MoreWhen does it end, you ask. Hyldemoer answers
Week 32–in which we ask “When does it end?” and Hyldemoer of Wyrd answers Beautiful Ones, I have spent every moment this week—waking and sleeping—remembering ancient Minoan Crete. Cathy Stevens Pratt and I just finished preparing a massive visual presentation on Crete for our first Learning Gathering in ART 6. A surprising thing happened that I…
Read MoreHow did we live in peace? Can we again?
Week 31–in which we ask how our ancestors lived in peace… what did they know that we’ve forgotten Beautiful Ones, I’ve spent the last several months immersed in books by historians, classicists, mythologists, anthropologists, and historians who studied how our ancestors lived in peace for thousands of years before patriarchy. All in preparation for our…
Read MoreIs there a model for living in beauty, reverence, peace?
Week 30–in which we wonder if humans have ever lived in beauty, reverence, and peace Beautiful Ones, It’s hard to even start writing this Notes from the Field. Because the Field is splattered with so much blood. And tears. War and death continue and continue and continue. Children die. Infants starve. Mothers weep. While politicians…
Read MoreFinding comfort in laughter and crows
Week 29–in which we find comfort in laughter and crows Beautiful Ones, It has been another week of chaos, cruelty, and heartbreak, capped by CBS (once respected for newscasters like Edward R Morrow and Walter Cronkite) firing Stephen Colbert, a truth-teller par excellence. This is the standard fascist playbook. First they go after the professors…
Read MoreLife is fragile. Handle with Reverence.
Week 27–in which we remember that life is fragile and we must handle it with reverence Beautiful Ones, It’s been a week when even glancing at the news breaks your heart. What have we become when ICE militia round up farm laborers in the fields at night and send them to concentration camps in a Florida swamp.…
Read MoreART 6 Reverence and Devotion is full of surprises
Week 27–in which we listen to what wants to be created Beautiful Ones, For the past several weeks, Cathy Stevens Pratt and I have been completely immersed in the creation of the 6th of 7 intensives in The Witch Sequence. The title of all these intensives is long but every word matters. Here’s the full name: The ART…
Read MoreA Blessing for the moment from a Goddess of Old
Week 26–in which we listen to the ancient wisdom and blessing of the First Goddess Beautiful Ones, It’s been an almost schizophrenic week. The highest highs and the lowest lows. The low lows are painfully obvious. The brink of war, the chest thumping and raised voices of the patriarchal brats. I saw all that happening…
Read MoreWhat’s coming next—and how to prepare
Week 25—in which we get a taste of what’s coming and begin to prepare Beautiful Ones, It has been the most delicious mystical week. Not because of anything happening in the world. Yee gods and goddesses to all of that! The dread I spoke of last Sunday is, if anything, even more intense. The entire world is on…
Read MoreWhat the world needs now: Joy Drops
Week 15–in which we must, we simply must, take some Joy Drops Beautiful Ones, At a moment like this, as the building blocks of what was once considered a bastion of democracy and stability are smashed to bits, we find ourselves straddling the chaos by swinging from anger to despair and back again. Where do…
Read MoreOur shocking Chandra for our new Lunar Year
Week 13–in which we take our first steps in a new Lunar Year guided by a shocking Chandra Beautiful Ones, Every year, on the day the New Moon slips into Aries, I stop what I’m doing, study the Chandra for that degree, look around, and pay close attention to what is happening for me and for…
Read MorePlanting seeds in The Long Dark
Week 12–in which we are reminded of who we are and where we are and why we are Beautiful Ones, You know how there are some people whose posts on social media are food, real and necessary food, for the soul? One of those for me is artist Suzette Clough. Today Suzette wrote something that…
Read MoreThe question we must ask this Equinox
Week 11–in which we ask the question that must be asked if anything is going to change Beautiful Ones, The calamity unfolding in front of our eyes hurts. It hurts. It hurts our hearts—it’s heart-breaking to be a part of a country that parades and applauds abuse and hate. It hurts to watch the rule of…
Read MoreIs Empathy our fulcrum point?
Week 10–in which we begin to remember what we never quite forgot…is that empathy? Beautiful Ones, Last week, I shared my two mantras for 2025: I’ve written about the first, “Beautiful people do not just happen” several times. Today, I want to dive into my second because it feels like an oracle for the moment…
Read MoreI didn’t know what to say, so Fortuna stepped in
Week 9–in which we are shocked, horrified, frozen…and Fortuna steps in to speak. Beautiful Ones, I am writing, or rather trying to write, this ninth Notes from the Field for 2025. I notice the number. Nine. The completion of the story of all the numbers from the independence and new beginning energy of the one,…
Read MoreFortuna: Oracle of Oracles reveals her face and voice
Week 8–in which we realize we all have access to analeptic memory. Beautiful Ones, “Analepsis or the process of remembering and recovering forgotten knowledge—a technique used by poets, historians, mediums, and others—is an inheritance available to all of us who succeed our shamanic ancestors.” Caitlin and John Matthews, Walkers Between the Worlds In the course of my…
Read MoreThink you’re not an oracle? Your natal chart begs to differ.
Week 7–in which we realize we are all oracles. Just ask our natal charts. Beautiful Ones, Divination is not a skill you learn, it is a latent talent that has always been in you waiting to be acknowledged, tapped, and developed. And there couldn’t be a more perfect moment to awaken this latent talent than…
Read MoreScientists went to Delphi but couldn’t find the Oracle
Week 6–in which we follow scientists to Delphi and discover what they missed Beautiful Ones, Who was the greatest oracle of all time? This is a question Cathy Stevens Pratt and I had to ponder before we could even begin to construct a plan for the upcoming ART 5 prayer intensive on Divination. It took…
Read MoreThis voice will carry us out of chaos and safely home
Week 5–in which we listen to the voice that can lead us out of the chaos and carry us safely home Beautiful Ones, So much has happened this week, that it’s hard to focus on any one thing or even any ten things. And that, we must remember, is the point. When chaos and fear…
Read MoreYou have two brains. Which is in charge?
Week 4–in which we notice what happens when we change what we are noticing Beautiful Ones, What a week we have lived through! What was, is no more. Who we thought we were, is dissolving faster than salt in water. We who care are facing some tough choices. One option is to crawl back under…
Read MoreWhat to do when you can’t bear to look
Week 3–in which we must not look away Beautiful Ones, Today, Sunday, January 19, feels ominous. And not just because it’s the eve of what many of us perceive as a victory march of toxic, hyper-masculine, abusive power. We mystics, witches, myrrhophores, priestesses, and oracles remember. Somewhere deep in our bones, we remember what this…
Read MoreIn a disaster St Leonard Cohen leads the way
2024 a year of sacred memory, dreaming dragons, and original prayer Week 40–in which disaster unfolds and St Leonard Cohen leads the way Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, It has been a devastating week. And not just in the United States where Hurricane Helene delivered what is now being called a “thousand-year…
Read MoreDoes anybody know what grace really is?
2024 a year of sacred memory, dreaming dragons, and original prayer Week 35–in which we ask what grace is Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, Last week, I shared the invocation I received for The Return of the Witches pilgrimage early in 2021. Little did I know that that profound event, in which we met,…
Read MoreFinal invitation for Myrrhophore Anointing
2024 a year of sacred memory, dreaming dragons, and original prayer Week 33–in which we look at where we are and the magic that got us here Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, The ART 4 intensive on Myrrhophore Anointing opened 14 days ago. A Witch Sequence intensive lasts 77 days, so we’ve…
Read MoreWhat is this radiant blue light trying to tell us?
2024 a year of sacred memory, dreaming dragons, and original prayer Week 30–in which a radiant blue light arrives, stops us cold, and leaves us wondering what just happened Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, The central mystery and totally unexpected surprise at the heart of the upcoming A.R.T. 4 intensive on Myrrhophore…
Read MoreMagdalene reveals her fierce voice and face
2024 a year of sacred memory, dreaming dragons, and original prayer Week 29–in which Mary Magdalene’s FIERCE VOICE shakes Emma Kupu to her core Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, My dear friend and sister-witch collaborator, Emma Kupu Mitchell, and I have partnered on dozens of prayer intensives. Emma is my go-to on…
Read MoreThe radical difference between learning and remembering
2024 a year of sacred memory, dreaming dragons, and original prayer Week 28–in which we ponder the difference between learning and remembering Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, I’ve been pondering what it means to remember—in contrast to the patriarchal command to learn and use what you learn for profit. Although I didn’t know it, this…
Read MoreThe labyrinth reveals more of her mysteries
2024 a year of sacred memory, dreaming dragons, and original prayer Week 27–in which the labyrinth insists we notice a few more of her startling secrets Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, It’s been an intense week. Intense! All because the anointing oil for the 4th intensive in The Witch Sequence on Myrrhophore…
Read MoreMary Magdalene has a few things to teach us about anointing!
2024 a year of sacred memory, dreaming dragons, and original prayer Week 26–in which we realize that anointing–original anointing–is more ancient, miraculous, and powerful than anything we’ve ever been told Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, Emma Kupu Mitchell and I have a long delicious history of creating powerful anointing practices that amplify…
Read MoreAsk salmon to help you find your way home
2024 a year of sacred memory, dreaming dragons, and original prayer Week 25–in which we ponder the mystical wisdom of the salmon Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, In 2016, I invited artist, author, and activist Mary Ann Radmacher to be a guest teacher in a course I called “Express Your Soul’s Beauty.”…
Read MoreThe mysterious reset hiding in the Aries Equinox
2024 a year of sacred memory, dreaming dragons, and original prayer Week 11–in which we pause at the Equinox to reset the past and glimpse the radical future to come Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, Tuesday is the Aries Equinox—the beginning of spring in the Northern hemisphere and fall in the Southern.…
Read MoreThings are moving at the speed of love, aren’t they!
2024 a year of sacred memory, dreaming dragons, and original prayer Week 9–in which things start moving at the speed of love NOTE: This is the last week you can register for ART 3 on Original Prayer. It will not be repeated live. Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, I have used the…
Read More5 big Lies and 5 Beautiful Memories About Prayer
2024 a year of sacred memory, dreaming dragons, and original prayer Week 8–in which a Full Moon illuminates all the lies we’ve been told about prayer Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, As you read this, we are immersed in the third and final day of a powerful Virgo Full Moon. Full Moons…
Read MoreOrigina leads the way to 3 radical new prayer experiences
2024 a year of sacred memory, dreaming dragons, and original prayer Week 5–in which Origina creates 3 radical new prayer experiences Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, I’m writing this Notes from the Field late on Saturday after introducing the first ever death ceremony, “The Labyrinth Carries Us Home,” with early registrants for ART 3. It…
Read MoreTwo astonishing things your body knows about prayer
2024 a year of sacred memory, dreaming dragons, and original prayer Week 4–in which we discover two astonishing things our bodies know about prayer (but we were never told) Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, I’ve been carrying the call to be a prayer artist for six years. From the moment I heard those words,…
Read MoreWhere are you on the map?
2024 a year of sacred memory, dreaming dragons, and original prayer Week 3–in which we find our spot on the ancient map of the safe path through chaos Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, Chaos is afoot. That’s clear from even a cursory glance at global events. And it’s even clearer when you check in…
Read MoreWhat is your Astonishment?
2023 the year we learn to listen to life Week 37–in which we wake up to astonishment Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, Last Sunday, I shared a powerful paragraph from Annie Dillard in The Writing Life that has been my primary teacher. (Here it is, if you missed it.) She, along with Ray Bradbury,…
Read MoreWhat is Safety? What does it mean to be Safe?
2023 the year we learn to listen to life Week 35–in which we ponder what it means to be safe Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, It’s been quite the week! A hurricane, Idalia, came for a visit. As I said last Sunday, I’ve experienced a few hurricanes in my 4 decades in Florida,…
Read MoreA Prayer from the Fire
2023 the year we learn to listen to life Week 32–in which the fire reminds us how to pray Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, I had all kinds of beautiful ideas for today’s newsletter. I wanted to talk about finding your Heart’s Desire, the one thing that just keeps getting richer and…
Read MoreWhy crossing the threshold between worlds matters
2023 the year we learn to listen to life Week 31–in which we ponder why the ability to cross the threshold between worlds matters Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, This Notes from the Field will be short because I’ve been totally immersed in preparing the Opening Ceremony for the 2nd labyrinth walk in…
Read MoreHow witches heal the wasteland
2023 the year we learn to listen to life Week 30–in which the ancient labyrinth starts whispering clues to the pre-patriarchal past Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, When the word witch arrives, things change. I don’t know anyone who has welcomed that word, even reluctantly, who has not experienced alchemical shifts in their life. Their…
Read MoreCreativity isn’t what–or where–you think it is
2023 the year we learn to listen to life Week 28–in which we ponder the where and the how of a magical creative life Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, When we think about creativity, we invariably get it all wrong. We look at creative people—be they writers, artists, musicians—and think they’re special.…
Read MoreWhat do labyrinths, dragons, witches, Equinoxes, and 7 have in common?
2023 the year we learn to listen to life Week 27–in which we ask a question no one has asked: what do labyrinths, dragons, witches, Equinoxes, and the number 7 have in common? Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, I’ve spent the last week trying to write an outline for a video to…
Read MoreFriday was a wild eclipse, wasn’t it
2023 the year we learn to listen to life Week 18–in which the dragon in our natal charts makes a Beltane eclipse appearance Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, I had big plans for today’s Notes from the Field. Big news to share. The Field is bursting with new life, just as spring always…
Read MoreDemolition reveals a witch story!
2023 the year we learn to listen to life Week 17–in which bathroom demolition reveals quite the witch story Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, In that first year of Covid and quarantine, I, like everyone, couldn’t miss the inequities of life in this country. Some people, largely of European extraction, found ways…
Read MoreLearning to see
2023 the year we learn to listen to life Week 13–in which we decide it’s time to learn to see Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, Since the beginning of this sacred seven year, I’ve found myself tumbling head over heels in love with a surprising and luscious discovery about the mystical life.…
Read MoreToday is Day 1
2023 the year we learn to listen to life Week 12–in which we begin, because it’s DAY ONE in a cosmic window of 77 days. Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, This week is so full of magic and possibility, that I sent a special edition of Notes from the Field on Thursday…
Read MoreA very special Notes from the Field on a very special day
2023 the year we learn to listen to life March 23–the wildest day in the wildest week in the wildest month of the wildest decade Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, Our Lady, Queen of Magicians kept me up half the night with three pages of notes for today’s rare special edition newsletter.…
Read MoreThe Queen of Magicians sent you a letter
2023 the year we learn to listen to life Week 11–in which The Queen of Magicians sends a letter! Still round the corner there may wait a new road or a secret gate and though I oft have passed them by a day will come at last when I shall take the hidden paths that run…
Read MoreWho is that Raven at the door?
2023 the year we learn to listen to life Week 9–in which Raven squawks at our door and we hear him say something vaguely familiar Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, I thought last week was the height of magic. NOTE: If you missed that Notes from the Field, you might like to…
Read MoreYour body has 5 brilliant intuitive senses
2023 the year we learn to listen to life Week 8–in which we go to bed one person, wake another, and are thrilled! Friends, soul writers, mystics, witches, and lovers of prayer, Five years ago, this past Thursday, I went to bed knowing who I was (or rather thinking I knew who I was) and woke at 4am…
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