Beyond the Hedge

The rains have at last arrived to my home on Vancouver island. With the rains come out the fruits of fungi in wide variety of weird and wonderful forms. These are some of my photos from the past two years of mushrooms found just outside of town.

Witches throughout time have used mushrooms for food and powerful medicines as well as psychedelic aids in flying, time-space displacement, transformation into beasts, and close encounters, often sexual, with man-beast therianthropes such as the god Pan. The redcap Fly Agaric mushroom, which appears in many pictures showing witches,being one of the most well known and recognizable (red with white spots on the cap).

This time of year it is a joy to get outside, get a little muddy and connect with these beautiful fungi in the wild with respect and curiosity. I rarely pick any unless there are a ton and I am 100 percent sure of what they are and how to safely prepare them. Most of the time I just enjoy the thrill of the hunt and the excitement of identifying them.

Just a pic of my scruffy mug to let folks know that I am excited to be officially offering tarot readings!!!

I never imagined I would become a tarot reader, infact past me would have poo-pooed the idea for many reasons that I don't need to get into. Tarot is so much more than I understood and it is my joy to read for people. I have found my own way with the practice that feels genuine, honest and sensitive. That way is to be collaborative, trauma informed and focused on the client. I don't claim to foresee the future but I can offer insights about the present and past as well as presenting possible pathways for moving forward. I expect that folks will be open-hearted, and willing to engage fully in the reading, it's not a one way process.
I prefer in person but can also FaceTime or Skype.

My rates are $60 for an hour, $30 for half an hour. If you can't afford it just reach out and we can figure it out. Could make a great Yule gift :)
DM me or email [email protected] to book.

Pumpkins and Samhain!

During the thinning of the veil, on the days up to and including Samhain, spirits roam the earth freely, and people can communicate with ancestors. It’s also thought that the Fae become very active and pull pranks on unsuspecting humans.

Traditionally, in the Celtic world, people wore disguises made of straw, or dressed up as the opposite gender in order to fool the spirits who were wandering around. Bonfires were lit and turnips! carved out with scary faces ( see the second picture) were placed in windows to ward off evil spirits and to help the dead on their journeys.

When the Europeans colonized turtle Island, they found Native Americans growing pumpkins and adapted them for their Halloween rituals.

Pumpkins and pumpkin seeds also represent fertility, abundance, wealth, and love.Pumpkins can be used through cooking, potion making or placing them on your doorstep, altar or windowsill. Delicious and magical, what could be better?

Cats are magical creatures. Since ancient times, their supernatural grace has been revered, demonized, and represented in spiritual practices and myth. Sleek, cunning, and a little detached, cats seem to have one foot in the spirit realm, their piercing eyes always gazing just beyond the veil. It’s no wonder, then, that cats are the number one animal associated with witches. There is something energetically similar about cats and witchy women, both so keenly aware of their surroundings while presiding in their own enigmatic worlds.

On Samhain, it was believed that the cat sidhe—a Celtic fairy creature that was said to resemble a large black cat with a white spot on its chest—would bless any house that left a saucer of milk out for it to drink. Likewise, the Cat sidhe cursed those houses that did not leave out a saucer of milk. Also the association of black cats with witches as familiars ties them to witches new year. Perhaps this Samhain you may want to find a way to honor these beautiful creatures through offerings or visualizations.