Lessons from Squirrels

When I lived in Denver, I considered three special squirrels to be my “outdoor pets”. These were city squirrels that lived in our urban backyard. 

Brown, sleek and wily, I watched as they darted around our yard as if it were their own. And, of course, it was. 

The squirrels in Denver made a nest in our roof—with cotton pilfered from our patio chair cushions. They ate our tomatoes, stole our corn, and took big bites out of every single squash we grew. 

Once, a squirrel hopped in the lettuce bed as I was weeding, looked me straight in the eye, wrapped its little arms around a giant leaf, took a single bite out the middle, and I swear it smiled as it stood there, waiting for my reaction.

They were so naughty and so cute. I loved them completely.

Over the years, I was able to build a relationship with these squirrels (despite needing to kick them out of their nest in the roof…). I could identify each one, and we came to a truce with the garden. It took two years, but they finally focused on eating 2-3 squash total and leaving the rest untouched. 

I suppose I got used to squirrels that had adapted to the city, as I had. They would often leave slices of half eaten bread in our yard. They stole all sorts of cottons and fabrics for their nests. I rarely saw them gather anything that hadn’t been made or grown by a human.

The squirrels here are different. 

Big and gray, with tails that rival those of a winter fox, these are not the ones I knew in the city. The squirrels I live with in Central Oregon are a bit more wild.

They keep their distance when I’m outside—hopefully trust will build over time—but I often watch them through our windows. 

If city squirrels had a bit of tough, no-nonsense, street-smart vibe, these wild squirrels are brave yet cautious. I once saw one skillfully somersault just out of reach from a hunting hawk. 

After years of living with city squirrels, I feel somewhat awed when I see a squirrel storing a pine cone for food, or gathering bunches of grass to prepare its winter nest.

This makes me ridiculously happy. Perhaps because it just seems so healthy. 

No more cotton or white bread. Just the natural foods and materials that squirrels in the wild enjoy.

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Like the squirrels, we humans adapt to our environments. 

We use what’s around us to survive—for better or worse. 

Yet, there’s deep inner sense of alignment I feel when I see a squirrel carrying a pine cone versus a tortilla (yes, it’s happened). And I wonder if getting a bit more back to our own wild roots would feel more in alignment for us humans, too. 

Living with the seasons, sourcing local and wild foods, knowing your land. Every bit of rewilding we do on earth, rewilds our spirit as well.

As a spirit animal, squirrel is often said to carry the gift of preparation—gathering and storing sustenance throughout the summer and fall for the long winter ahead. 

Perhaps in this way, the squirrels all around ask us to look at what it is we’re storing. Yes, preparation is good medicine. Filling our pantries can fill our souls. (And I think most of us are a bit more hyper aware of the need for preparation after the pandemic.) 

Yet, let’s ask ourselves—what are we gathering? Is it food, materials, and even ideas that nourish us? Or have we been programmed to fill up on that which does not truly align with our souls? 

We are currently in a potent time for releasing the old to make way for the new, with our seasonal winter fast approaching. How are you preparing for the season ahead? 

If inspired, hold a small ritual or meditate on what is truly needed in your preparations this Samhain. What old programming can you let go of, and what resources will truly support you in the season ahead? Allow spirit and your own intuition to speak these answers to you.

What are squirrels like where you live? Let me know in the comments :)

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7 Signs You're a Modern-Day Mystic

Today, as we live in times of collective reckoning around power dynamics and the crises facing our mother earth, both traditional religions and alternative spiritual communities dissolving. A new spirituality is emerging…

If you’re a modern-day mystic, you play an important role in ushering in a new wave of spiritual understanding and connection, of supporting the ascension of humans and our planet.

Which of the following do you resonate with?

1. You seek spiritual equality and sovereignty.

   Modern mystics want to experience spirit directly for ourselves and to know that we can trust our own intuition. 

2. You care about our earth.

   The climate crisis is forefront in our minds, and forming meaningful connections with nature has taken on a sort of spiritual urgency. 

3. You are rebelling against old power dynamics—especially patriarchal and colonial ones.

   Calls to end oppression and center previously marginalized voices become intertwined with spiritual practice.

4. You are called to connect with your ancestry and ancestors.

   We’re here because of the ancestors that have survived challenging times before, and there’s a growing recognition of the wisdom we might find through ancestral work. 

5. You are participating a psychedelic revival.

   The shutdown of psychedelic research in the seventies was clearly meant to cut us off from cultivating our own direct spiritual connections—and therefore our ability to think for ourselves. Now, we’re reclaiming our right to research and use psychedelics for healing and connection.

6. You are re-engaging with Jungian thought.

   You find meaning in the transpersonal realms of archetypes, omens, symbols, mythologies, and dreams—acknowledging that the universe is always communicating with us if we’ll listen.

7. You are embracing animism.

   With the climate crisis more pronounced than ever, we are recognizing the need to shift out of human-centric worldviews and into an appreciation of the inspirited nature of all things.

Does this resonate? Then welcome. I’d love to stay in touch. Also, the term I use for this wild, beautiful spiritual life is mythoanimism. You can read more here.

You might also like:

• Shamanism: Ancient Practices for Modern Life

• A Shamanic Guide to Illness: 5 Types of Imbalance

• The Venusian Mysteries: Awakening the Sacred Feminine

• Mythoanimism: An Emerging Spirituality

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Healing with the Goddess Ma'at

The Egyptian Book of the Dead — Entering the Afterlife

It is said that when you die, the Egyptian Goddess Ma’at awaits at the halls of the afterlife. Here, she weighs your heart against a feather to see if you have passage to paradise…or if you’ll be devoured by a monstrous god.

A feather-light heart is the secret to passing through the halls and judgements of the underworld.

In Egyptian mysticism, the neteru, the gods and goddesses, are both deities and higher truths.

Ma'at represents justice, truth, law, and balance. She is the cosmic principle that maintains order on earth, that prevents chaos from disrupting natural order. 

As with many religions’ take on the afterlife, it appears that our lives are judged by some outside source. Grand, powerful beings decide if our sins are too great to enter heaven, or ascend to paradise, or get off the wheel of samsara. 

This is a superficial understanding of a much more nuanced and loving truth…

Want to deepen your connection with Ancient Egyptian spiritual practice? Grab your copy of this free guide filled with daily rituals!

Judgement Day or Divine Neutrality? A Channeled Message from Ma’at

In my personal spiritual practice, I often channel divine beings. The art of channeling is a full-sensory experience for me, as my body becomes attuned to their wisdom and I can feel the cosmic truths shared by the divine. 

This weekend, I had the opportunity to channel Ma’at during a shamanic teacher’s reunion with Sandra Ingerman. The love I felt in the presence of this goddess is not something I can describe in human words, and she shared a beautiful perspective on our afterlife judgements — one that we can begin to implement during our lifetimes.

Ma’at shared that in the afterlife, it is not so much that our hearts are weighed on a scale to determine our fates…we are the scales.

We have the power to to shift, release, and transmute any heaviness that does not serve our spiritual ascension.

And even if we choose to do so through being devoured, our feather-light souls emerge renewed.

Simply being in the presence of this goddess is healing, as she witnesses our souls from the perspective of divine neutrality. 

Contrary to all the religious tales around judgment day, divine neutrality is the complete absence of any judgment. It’s the ultimate non-dual, unity consciousness state of being. And it’s the most purely and powerfully loving energy I’ve ever experienced. 

You may have heard me use this term before — it’s the exact same feeling I get in the presence of Archangel Azrael, another deity who helps souls along their journeys in the afterlife. 

It’s no coincidence that the beings who assist our souls in death embody the spirit of divine neutrality: Judgment as we know it is a uniquely human quality. When we die, we realize the perfection and eternal love of all that is.

Perhaps most importantly, Ma’at shared that we do not need to wait for the time of our passing to transmute the heaviness carried in our hearts.

Her divine love is always available to us, always ready to help us remember our own transformative power. 

A Meditation for Healing with the Goddess Ma’at

Ma’at shared a visualization that we can do anytime to transmute heaviness and embody a feather-light heart:

Imagine yourself merging with a set of giant, golden scales. On one side is your heart, the other a feather. 

Notice the initial balance you experience. How heavy is your heart? What burdens does it carry? 

See the darkness and heaviness carried in your heart begin to flow into the feather. As this magical feather absorbs your pain, the energy is immediately transmuted into lightness so the feather never gets heavy.

Continue witnessing and feeling this process until your heart appears as light as the feather. 

When complete, feel yourself separate and unmerge with the scales, offering Ma’at gratitude for the healing. 

Feel the lightness in your being and see yourself filled with a golden-white light. Allow yourself to rest in this glow before returning to everyday life. 

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• Angel Magick for Protection: An Alchemical Meditation

• A Complete Guide to Magical & Ritual Anointing Oils

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Angel Magick for Protection: An Alchemical Meditation

Angels are divine beings who offer us healing, protection, guidance, and blessings. 

Though I’ve always loved and felt connected to the angelic realms, it wasn’t until a few years ago, when I encountered Damien Echols’s teachings on Western Angel Magick that I discovered how profound ritualized practice with specific archangels can be…

Many cultures throughout the world use wheels or circles to impart teachings on the nature of reality—the cycles of nature and seasons, the directions, and the elements appear on Native American medicine wheels and the Celtic Wheel of the year. 

In Western Magick, the image of a circle is used. For each direction, there is a color (these change a bit depending on who you ask), an element, and a guardian archangel:

Guardian of the East: Archangel Raphael

Raphael is traditionally called in the east. His color is green, his element is air, and his symbol is a caduceus.  

Guardian of the South: Archangel Michael

Michael is traditionally called in the south. His color is blue, his element is fire, and his symbol is a sword.  

Guardian of the West: Archangel Gabriel

Gabriel is traditionally called in the west. His color is white, his element is water, and his symbol is a chalice.  

Guardian of the North: Archangel Uriel

Uriel is traditionally called in the north. His color is red, his element is eart, and his symbol is a pentagram.

Raphael’s caduceus

Michael’s flaming blue sword

Gabriel’s chalice

Uriel’s pentagram

In addition to these four cardinal angels of the vertical plane, Echols brings in guardian angels for above and below, as well:

Guardian of the Below: Sandalphon

Sandalphon both guards the space below and attunes our frequency to the crystalline grid of the earth. His colors are earth tones, turquoise, and metallics. I often see brown, gold, or even crystalline white in my third eye when Sandalphon is present. He sometimes appears with a musical instrument…something I interpret as a sign of his ability to work with frequency.

Guardian of Above: Metatron

Metatron both guards the space above and attunes our frequency to divine wisdom. His colors are purple, gold, silver, and white. His symbol is Metatron’s Cube, a form of sacred geometry that contains all the building blocks of matter itself. 

Sandalphon’s earth grid

Metatron’s cube

In my personal practice, I’ve long invoked these six powerful angels for protection—especially before engaging in any kind of spiritual practice. 

After years of simply calling in the angels and feeling their guardian presences, however, a new more advanced ritual with them was revealed to me during a channeled session—one for both healing as well as protection. 

I’ve shared this ritual with small groups before, and everyone has had powerful experiences. Now, with the release of pure angel anointing oils, it’s time to share this ritual with anyone called to partner with these divine beings for protection, healing, guidance, and blessings. 

The following practice can be done anytime you’d like to connect with the energy of the angels. 

Note: This practice involves visualizing a merkaba—a powerful symbol for protection, healing, and insight, all the things we’re calling in here :) If you’re not familiar with this symbol, here’s an image:

An Alchemical Ritual for Angelic Protection, Wisdom, and Healing

Begin by setting your space for sacred arts. Light a candle, burn some incense or sage, and prepare your mind, body, and spirit for mediation. If you can, play some soothing music—theta music, binaural beats, or solfeggio tones are wonderful.

If you have anointing oils for these angels, place them nearby for use during the ritual. If you don’t have angel oils, simply skip the anointing steps.

I recommend calling upon the angels out loud and visualizing their colors and symbols as you move through this practice.

To begin, visualize yourself in the center of an etheric pyramid of light.

Make sure that this pyramid is large enough to contain your entire physical body and energetic aura.

Anoint your heart with Raphael’s angel oil.

Then speak aloud: “To the east, I call upon the great Archangel Raphael with his emerald green rays.”

Visualize the pyramid being filled with an emerald green fire. Feel this sacred fire cleanse any imprints of disease or illness from your energetic field. Feel healing and harmony restored to your physical and energetic bodies. 

Allow as much time for this process as you’d like. You might get psychic hits of the work being done—specific imprints or illnesses being healed—or you may just sense that healing is happening. All experiences are welcome, so try to experience yours without judgment.

When the process feels complete, see the green flames recede into the eastern wall of the pyramid, which retains a green glow to anchor the healing energy of Rapheal. 

Next, anoint the back of your neck with Michael’s angel oil.

Speak aloud: “To the south, I call upon the great Archangel Michael with his fiery blue rays.”

Visualize the pyramid being filled with Michael’s blue fire. Feel this sacred fire cleanse any foreign energy from your field. Once again, allow as much time as you’d like for the process.

When this feels complete, see the blue flames recede into the southern wall of the pyramid, ensuring that you continue to receive Michael's energetic protection.

Next, anoint the back of your wrists with Gabriel’s angel oil.

Speak aloud: “To the west, I call upon the great Archangel Gabriel with his pure white rays.”

Visualize the pyramid being filled with Gabriel’s white fire. Feel this sacred, watery fire cleanse your emotional body and thought patterns. This protective white light is like a soothing balm for any emotional challenges you’ve been experiencing. 

Once again, allow as much time as you’d like for this process.

When this feels complete, see the white flames recede into the west wall of the pyramid, ensuring that Gabriel’s energy remains anchored to your sacred space.

Next, anoint your solar plexus with Uriel’s angel oil.

Speak aloud: “To the north, I call upon the great Archangel Uriel with his ruby red rays.”

Visualize the pyramid being filled with Uriel’s red fire. Feel these sacred flames removing lower density vibrations and thought forms from your field, creating space for higher vibration outcomes to manifest in the physical world.

As before, you may receive specific insights here, or you may simply experience energetic shifts. Once again, allow as much time as you’d like for this process.

When this feels complete, see the ruby red flames recede into the north wall of the pyramid, ensuring that Uriel’s energy continues to stabilize your energy field.

Next, anoint the soles of your feet (or ankles if easier) with Sandalphon’s angel oil.

Speak aloud: “To the space below, I call upon the great angel Sandalphon.”

See a crystalline grid appear at the base of the pyramid. Sandalphon uses this grid to help attune your energy with the energy of the earth. Feel your vibratory shift as the light grid reaches into your energy field. See how the grid of the pyramid is connected to both your energy system and the earth’s crystalline grid. 

When this feels complete, let go of tracking larger grid movements. Simply see a crystalline grid of light at the base of the pyramid. 

Next, anoint your third eye and crown with Metatron’s angel oil.

Speak aloud: “To the space above, I call upon the great angel Metatron.”

Visualize a golden-purple merkaba at the top of the pyramid. See this cube begin to spin, creating an active portal for divine wisdom to come through. Allow yourself to attune to this wisdom, feeling it flow into your being through your crown chakra. 

Again, you might get specific insights, but that isn’t the point here. You are becoming a stronger, more aligned vessel for a continual stream of wisdom to flow into and unfold in divine timing.

When this process feels complete, return your awareness to the entire pyramid.

Revisit each of the walls—green to the east, blue to the south, white to the west, red to the north. Revisit the grid below and cube above. Feel the protective, loving energy of this space. Notice if you can feel any shifts in your own body and energy.

To close, thank the angels for their presence, healing, and protection. 

Speak aloud: “I gratefully acknowledge the great angels Raphael, Michalel, Gabriel, Uriel, Sandalphon, and Metatron for their blessings and presence in this practice. I ask that I continue to receive angelic protection as I go throughout my days. 

For now, this practice is done. Our parts are done. And we may rest.”

Let go of your visualizations and return awareness to your body and the present moment. You may like to ground a bit after this, as it’s quite powerful. Going for a walk outside or eating a few nuts and drinking water can be supportive. 

Enhance Your Practice with Angel Oils

I created Angel Oils to enhance our connections with these divine beings.

These oils are filled with sacred, rare, and very precious botanicals—white lotus, sandalwood, tuberose, angelica, and more—that align our frequencies with those of the angels. 

When applied directly to your skin, these oils become portals for divine angelic transmissions and greatly impact the potency of angel magick and ritual.

If you’d like to purchase a set of anointing oils to enhance your practice…and simply to smell divine because they are truly elevated perfumes, you can find discovery sets here:

You might also like:

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The Ancestral Convergence: Food & Ritual for Healing this Thanksgiving

I recently saw yet another post about eating ancestral foods and working with ancestral plants on Instagram…

Eat the foods your ancestors ate. Return to the foods that enlivened your DNA throughout generations. Turn to the native plants of your ancestral lands.

This was the message.

On the one hand, I love it. This is something I teach in my Rewilding the Spirit course, having students do a bit of research and prepare a meal that their bloodline ancestors might have enjoyed.

Yet I also teach my students how to connect with their land ancestors—the local ancestors that are keepers of the land they live on now, in this lifetime. Ancestors with whom it’s equally important to partner. Here, we prepare and enjoy local, wild foods to attune our current DNA to the current land we live on.

Reading this post on ancestral foods so close to Thanksgiving here in the States got me thinking—what would an ancestral Thanksgiving meal actually look like?

Would we turn to our recent American ancestors—those who cemented stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie into our collective consciousness? 

Or perhaps we celebrate local abundance and honor the spirits of the land here, with wild rice and three sisters (squash, beans, and corn) themed cuisine? (An approach my family usually takes...)

Or maybe, as the post suggests, we travel further back to the native lands of our blood relatives. 

I have to laugh as I think about what option three would look like…my Dutch, Irish, Swiss, French, and Welsh meeting Mike’s Italian and German heritage would create quite the menu!

And what if we tried to really incorporate all our ancestral influences? Pumpkin pie, wild rice, pickled herring, spaghetti and (vegan) meatballs…

As ridiculous as this image might seem, I actually love how clearly it demonstrates an important truth: 

We are the convergence of many ancestral lines. 

Ask yourself: What would a truly representative ancestral Thanksgiving dinner look like in your home? 

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A Thanksgiving Menu with Ancestral Cuisine

This year, Mike and I are having a quiet dinner…but still going all out on our menu, as I’m somewhat addicted to cooking. 

Our menu tends to mix some traditional foods with some local ones, and I always try to add a bit of wild, foraged plants in the mix. As we’re both vegetarian and I’m gluten free, everything becomes an updated fancy-pants version of ancestral cuisine.

We’ll have a few dishes I make every year—butternut and wild rice salad, boozy spiced cranberry sauce, pumpkin bread rolls, and green beans. Mashed potatoes, stuffing, and gravy always make the menu as well. (You can find a few of my favorite recipes here!)

We often have a stuffed pumpkin for our main, but I’m changing it up this year with a sagey mushroom, chestnut, and walnut loaf. Fingers crossed it turns out!

Gratitude, Trauma, and a Complicated Time of Year

Thanksgiving has traditionally been a time to focus on gratitude. Yet, I think many of us are sensitive to the fact that this holiday brings up many challenges, as well…

For those who have lost loved ones—and so many have, especially in the past couple of years—Hallmark images of happy family holidays can feel like knives in the heart. 

For those who experienced early childhood trauma, any holiday focused on family can heighten a complex array of difficult emotions, decisions, conversations, and more. 

And, while Thanksgiving is still a time to reflect on all we’re grateful for, it’s also becoming more and more a time to reflect on the ancestral traumas that gave birth to this holiday. The very real scars on the peoples and lands who tended this earth before the arrival of settlers cannot be ignored. 

These challenges are real and painful, and they can make it easy to slip into guilt and despair. They can even activate fear around even publicly celebrating this holiday.

Yet gratitude is one of the highest vibration states we can enter into. Gratitude shifts our energy and opens our heart. It fortifies our spiritual strength in trying times. It tells the earth and our loved ones that we appreciate all the gifts in our lives. It communicates our own true worth to our innermost selves. 

What if we treated our Thanksgiving menus as opportunities for healing? What if we ritualized our feasts as vessels of ancestral reconciliation? 

Rituals for Thanksgiving Healing

Rituals work because of the powerful confluence of intention and energy they create. Though seemingly magical, they are one of the most powerful ways I know of to create real, observable change in our lives. 

Any major holiday is already charged with extra usable energy—generations of repeated intentions and actions have already ritualized these days. 

This means that when we set the intention for our Thanksgiving dinners to become healing ceremonies, we really can impact our personal and collective energy in powerful ways. 

Though the details of your personal rituals will look different depending on your intentions, a few pieces will be the same:

• Set your intention for healing before you begin preparing your meal. Then hold this intention throughout the cooking process. See your love, gratitude, and desire for healing flow from your heart, into your hands, and into the food. 

• If possible, state your intentions out loud at your dinner table. Invite the others present to offer their intentions for healing, as well. 

• Affirm that as you consume the food laid before you, your body becomes an alchemical vessel of transformational healing. Just as your digestive system physically transmutes food into energy, the energy of intentions you’ve poured into the food alchemizes into healing. 

Any and all healing intentions are welcome here. Trust your guidance. Here are a few suggestions depending on what might be alive for you in this moment:

• For family gatherings that might trigger personal trauma or seemingly inevitable conflict, try infusing the food with the emotions you wish to cultivate more of—perhaps self-worth, protection, or family harmony.

• For those who wish to honor loved ones across the veil, you may like to prepare their favorite dishes. Imagine the part of them that lives on in you getting to enjoy the meal through your physical vessel. Allow space for their physical absence to be named, and perhaps their spiritual presence to be welcomed.

• If your heart is pulled toward all the people without healthy, hot meals at this time of year (or any, really), a beautiful practice here is to harness the energy of your own gratitude. Have everyone around your table feel a deep sense of gratitude for all the abundance you enjoy. Then imagine this abundance spreading to all beings. Visualize, with all the energy and focus you can harness, a world in which all people are fed. This practice might seem small, but it's a little bit of collective magic that really does spread blessings upon the ethers. 

• To contribute to our collective reconciliation around the traumas inflicted on native populations and the land here, learn about the traditional foods of the ancestors where you live. See if you can incorporate and celebrate these foods into a menu with your own traditional dishes. Set the intention that as your body harmonizes these foods, so harmony and reconciliation build in our collective. Focus on shifting guilt and judgment to love and visions of a better future for all who walk this land.

Please know, these practices aren’t meant to replace the very real-world actions needed to reconcile and heal a horrific legacy of colonization. Nor do they replace the self-healing and resourcing necessary to navigate complicated family legacies. (And for goodness sake, if hunger pulls on your heart be sure to donate to local food banks!)

My intention here is to help transform the underlying energy of our collective traumas so that we can create greater leaps in healing in the physical plane. Just as we tend our own well-being in mind, body, and spirit, we can tend our collective well-being through multiple modes and layers of healing.

An Invitation

This Thanksgiving, take some time to reflect on the many lineages that make up your ancestry. Feel into where healing is needed. Feel into where celebration is called for. And enjoy the sacred dimensions of the wild convergence that is you.

You might also like:

• Who Are the Ancestors? (Discover the three types of ancestral spirits that influence you)

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• A Thanksgiving Menu for You: Veg + Gluten-Free

• Magical Bread Rolls with Pumpkin & Buckwheat

• Pumpkin White Bean Dip

• Celebrating Samhain: Modern Rituals and Festivities for Connection and Protection

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The Mystical and Magical Emergence of Angel Oils

Several months ago, I woke up with the most beautiful, ethereal aroma in my field. 

I have clairolfactory gifts—which means that I perceive spiritual smells as a form of intuitive guidance. So awareness of an aroma from beyond our 3D reality isn’t out of the ordinary for me.

Yet there was something truly magical, something calling me into deeper exploration with this aroma. I decided to 

I entered my perfumery and prepared for sacred alchemical practice. 

I lit my candles, cleansed my energy body with a precious feather, and tended my creative altar. 

Then I sat down to channel the mystical aroma I was perceiving into physical form.

To my surprise, what unfolded wasn’t a single oil at all—it was a divine dance of angelic blessings. The great archangels, who I've been working with for decades now, wanted to share their unique gifts and blessings with the world through sacred plant alchemy.

In other words, the angels told me very clearly to make them ceremonial perfume oils—and to share these oils with as many people as possible!

I’ve never channeled such harmonious recipes for fragrant oils so seamlessly before. I wonder if this is because I’ve cultivated a natural resonance with these beings over years of practice, or if humans in general have a karmic affinity for the angels. Maybe both. (If this resonates, stay in touch! I’ll be teaching angelic mediumship classes next year.)

My first instruction was clear—every oil would have the same 4 aromatics as the base: 

• Angelica—a plant named for the angels, angelica invites and anchors angelic blessings to earth

• Rose—the angels all encompass unconditional compassion, and rose attunes our heart to this vibration

• Sandalwood—a sacred oil with an affinity for the crown chakra, sandalwood opens us to divine messages 

• Frankincense Sacra—another oil sacred to the angels themselves, frankincense sacra, sacred frankincense)  carries our prayers to spirit while quieting our egoic minds

From here, the unique “personality” of each angel came forward to guide the rest of their aromatic oils. Over the course of a single week, nine angels in total (for now at least) came forward to transmit their essences into oils through me.

Meet the Aromatic Archangels

Archangel Raphael

Raphael blesses us with the green ray of healing light, and his oil transmits this healing energy to us through verdant aromatics. High altitude lavender carries an expansive all-healing energy, while evergreens, citruses, and Greenland moss layer green rays of light upon the soul.

Archangel Michael 

Michael comes bearing the blue flaming sword of divine protection. Purifying and protective oils—blue juniper berries, fragrant mastic, bay laurel and more—fill this complex blend. 

Archangel Gabriel 

Gabriel brings us messages from spirit carried upon divine waters. Precious, white florals hold the high vibration of this celestial being—white lotus, white jasmine, white angelica, and more.

Archangel Uriel 

Uriel helps us ground spiritual wisdom into our earthly existence. Grounding oils—cedarwood, patchouli, vetiver, liquidambar, and more—form the heart of this sacred blend, while a trio of potent frankincense provide an infusion of pure spirit. Nourishing sweet aromas of peru balsam, myrrh, and rose soothe the spirit.

Archangel Sandalphon 

Sandalphon connects us to the crystalline energy grid of the highest vibration of Gaia, attuning our frequency to that of the Earth’s ascension. Golden, high vibe oils create a potent transmission in this blend—Italian neroli, amyris, silver fir, ancient amber, and more.

Archangel Metatron 

Metatron connects us to the cosmic and timeless wisdom of the divine. High vibration oils that open our intuitive centers fill this oil, including true white lotus, galbanum, and high altitude lavender.

The above archangels are the 6 primary beings called upon in Western Angel Magick: The four archangels Raphael, Michael, Gabriel, and Uriel represent the four elements and guard the four directions of the horizontal plane, while Sandalphone and Metatron support our ascension and guard the vertical plane.

For anyone who wishes to work with this celestial team in their entirety, I’ve put together a special collection of these six anointing oils.

Archangel Haniel 

Haniel uplifts our spirits and brings joy to our souls with lunar turquoise rays. Botanicals of clary sage and lavender help us harmonize with moon cycles, and uplifting notes of bergamot, geranium, and juniper raise our spirits. Precious florals—tuberose, osmanthus, jasmine, and more—delight our senses and raise our vibrations in this magical angel oil.

Archangel Chamuel

Chamuel carries the pure vibration of unconditional love, healing our hearts and helping us experience what true, divine love really is. Heart-opening oils fill this sacred blend, including rare pink lotus absolute, pink grapefruit, rose, violet, a rare and irreplaceable raspberry leaf absolute, and more.

Archangel Azrael

Azrael holds the pure vibrational essence of divine neutrality, a psychopomp who loving guiding souls through transitions into other realms. Azrael’s oil contains dark essences of mystery, such as black frankincense and star anise, and harmonious essences of pure love. Cypress assists in the crossing over of souls, clove cleanses foreign energy, and vanilla provides loving nourishment in this potent blend.

The Seraphim

Seraphim are a particular class of angels—six-winged celestial beings who appear as flames of purifying divine light. The Seraphim remind us that all is holy. I originally designed the Seraphim’s fragrance as a perfume, but my guidance now is to bring this aromatic elixir into the fold of my angelic anointing oils. 

Seraphim is a true ceremonial-grade perfume oil containing several high vibe essences—rose, orris, benzoin, and pink pepper, to name a few. The result is a layered fragrance with notes of white florals, precious woods, and a powdery finish. 

I’ll be releasing one of these magical oils per day, with details about their botanicals, to the public throughout the 2022 Angel Portal, which runs from 11/11/22 - 11/22/22. Follow me over on Instagram for these angelic transmissions.

You might also like:

• The Magic and Medicine of the Rose

• Angel Magick for Protection: An Alchemical Meditation

• The Alchemy of Making Spiritual Perfumes

• A Complete Guide to Magical & Ritual Anointing Oils

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Who Are the Ancestors? (Discover the three types of ancestral spirits that influence you)

All Hallow’s Eve. Samhain. Dia de los Muertos. Halloween. 

Even if you’ve only dipped a toe into the wild world of spiritual practice, you’re probably hearing a lot about ancestors right now. 

Ancestral altars, thinning veils, and the ghosts of ancestors past. 

We tend to experience a heightened awareness of all-things ancestral around this time of year. Yet recent years have brought about a collective zeitgeist in our interest in ancestral healing.

But who are “the ancestors” really?

The answer to this question is actually much more complex that tracing back your blood lines (though of course that’s part of it).

As we step through this dark portal filled with ghosts of the past, let’s dive into who the ancestors really are—and how we can begin to work with them.

In this article, you’ll explore:

• The difference between a bloodline and milk line

• Our individual ancestors—the known and unknown, well and unwell

• Our collective ancestors—the spirits of the land, our transcendent wisdomkeepers

• Our more than human ancestors—who else are we born from?

Individual Ancestors

Let’s begin with the obvious—those ancestors who gave us our individual lives. Our bloodline relatives. 

Even within this seemingly straightforward category, there are a few important distinctions to make:

Bloodlines & Milklines

Our bloodline ancestors are fairly straightforward. These are the ancestors without whom we would not exist, those who have given us the DNA that makes us who we are. 

Our milkline ancestors are just as important, though rarely discussed. Milkline ancestors are those who have strongly influenced your family line, though not through blood. 

Step-parents, adoptions, nannies and other primary caregivers—wherever these ancestors fall in your family history, their influence and energy becomes part of your lineage. 

In my ancestral healing sessions, I treat our bloodline and milkline ancestry as equally important, because they are. 

I also work with what I call lightlines. Lightlines refers to the spiritual lineages we carry—those from our other lifetimes. This is a bigger topic than this article allows for and one I’ll expand upon in the future. For now, it’s just enough to recognize that your lightline ancestors may be influencing you just as much as your bloodline and milkline ones. 

Known & Unknown Ancestors

Oftentimes, when someone first steps into the work of healing with ancestors, they focus on their known ancestors—grandparents, great-grandparents, and perhaps even further back relatives who can be traced through family histories. 

Yet our unknown ancestors greatly influence us as well, and it's perfectly possible to meet them through deep journeywork. 

Our unknown ancestors are those who lie beyond the reach of family history. While some of these ancestors may be from lineages you’re aware of, many will emerge in surprising places. 

Humans have become intertwined through millennia of exploration, domination, and celebration—and we can probably all trace seeds of influence back to common ancestors. While these seeds might seem like small drops in an ocean of DNA, ancestors from unknown and surprising lines can be quite impactful when it comes to our present day experiences.

Well & Unwell Ancestors

Many of us have very complex relationships with our ancestry… 

For some, recently deceased relatives were cruel or challenging during their lifetimes, and connecting with their energy doesn’t feel healthy.

For all of us, we have ancestors who did horrible things. This is the way of humanity. Whether known or unknown, bloodline or milkline, every person alive has ancestors who were slave owners, rapists, conquerers, persecutors, murderers, and generally cruel idiots. 

(And for what it’s worth, we’ve all had plenty of lifetimes we’d likely be ashamed of, so try to resist judgment here.) 

We also all have ancestors who have endured horrors and tragedies of all types. And while some may have found strength and growth through their experiences, others may have been shaken to the core, carrying wounds and resentments to the grave. 

If our ancestors get stuck in harmful or traumatic patterns, even after death, they remain unwell ancestors. 

If they do the work to evolve their souls—whether through lifetimes as a living human or through soul work on the other side, they become well ancestors.

And, of course, so many of those who have crossed over fall somewhere in the middle.

This is probably the most important distinction to be aware of when it comes to working with and honoring our individual ancestors: If a deceased relative is coming through with advice, it’s essential that you can recognize whether this advice is still rooted in ego or is coming from a more expanded consciousness.

Our well ancestors, also known as compassionate ancestors, have become so completely aligned with their true spiritual nature that they are more like spirit guides than deceased relatives. 

The well ancestors offer us gifts that live in our DNA and our karmic legacies. They have timeless wisdom and experience to share with us, supporting our own survival and good fortune from higher vantages and loving perspectives. 

For millennia, the well ancestors were humanity’s primary spiritual allies—knowledge of who they were was known in ways that most of us (in the modern West at least) have lost touch with. Rekindling our relationship with our well ancestors can be life-changing.

If you’re feeling concerned about your unwell ancestors, know that ancestral healing is completely possible and transformational, with effects that ripple in all directions of time. 

Much of the healing work I do in private practice revolves around tending our unwell ancestors. This might be in the form of restoring balance where harm has been done, untying tethers and cords to past trauma, releasing old agreements and vows, and helping our ancestral “ghosts” cross into the light (to name just a few!). 

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Collective Ancestors

While much of popular conversation about ancestry revolves around our individual bloodlines (and milklines), we also have collective ancestors. These are the benevolent spirits of the land and the grandmothers, grandfathers, and wisdom keepers who watch over humanity.

Our collective ancestors are no longer tied to specific bloodlines. Though they once lived as humans, these ancestral spirits have transcended human systems of relation to become wise elders for all of us.

The Land Ancestors

When we work with the spirits of nature, many of the beings we connect with are land ancestors. These beings have deep ties to a particular place, usually formed during their lifetimes on earth. Now, from the other side of the veil, they continue to tend and protect the land energetically. 

If you’ve ever been to a place in the wild world that just feels good, it’s likely that ancestral tending is happening beyond our physical perceptions. 

For those drawn to earth healing, forming relationships with our collective land ancestors is a powerful practice. 

(Quick tip: If you’re going to travel somewhere new, see if you can meet the land ancestors of that location first—here’s how.)

The Wisdomkeepers

You might have heard some spiritual practitioners refer to “the grandmothers”, “the elders”, or other groups of ancient and wise spirits. These are the wisdomkeepers, ancestors who hold teachings, lessons, and knowledge for humanities evolution and ascension. 

Universal grandparents, these spirits were often shamans, temple tenders, medicine people, and wise elders on earth—though, they may or may not have been recognized as such during their lifetimes. After crossing over, they choose to anchor uniquely human knowledge and guidance in service of all humanity. 

In addition to the elders, Bodhisattvas and ascended masters are also collective ancestors who continue to anchor the divine compassion on earth. 

Non-Human Ancestors

Magical Mating & Overlighting: Individual Non-Human Ancestors

A warning: Ok. If you’re generally spiritual and interested in ancestral healing you’ve probably been on board so far…this section is where ancestors get trippy. It may or may not resonate with you, and that’s fine. But I’m including it because there will be a few people who really need to hear this. You’ve been warned. And feel free to skip to the last section—it’s actually the most important one, and I think you’ll be back on board ;)

If we trace just about any cultural mythology back far enough, we’re led to a time when humans co-existed with other realms. Gods and goddesses mated with mere mortals throughout Greek or Norse tales, and the fae ruled the land alongside the humans in Celtic lands. 

Perhaps, you’re descended from a more magical mating than you realize…imagine the ancestral connections this might open!

Many who descend from the British Isles feel as though there must be some Sidh or fae blood running through their veins. And perhaps there is. 

Or, perhaps their connection with the fae comes through overlighting. Though the term overlighting comes to us from Celtic traditions, it’s a universal phenomenon.

Overlighting refers to a spirit merging with, or “lighting up”, a physical being.

This term is often used for nature spirits—devas who enliven an oak or rose, for example.

When it comes to ancestral explorations, however, overlighting refers to a specific magical act: a non-human spirit overlights (merges with) a human. The intention here is to share unique gifts with that human—or that human’s bloodline.

While overlighting can take place at any time, conception and birth are two especially influential moments. This act might be done without the human parent’s awareness, or the parents may consciously engage in overlighting rituals in order to imbue their child with spiritual gifts. 

In either case, the bloodline becomes infused with non-human ancestry.

Explorations of individual non-human ancestors must be done from a place of wholeness, clarity, and groundedness. 

It can be incredibly tempting to bypass the traumas of your human ancestors—and to bypass the human journey you’ve agreed to take in this life—in favor of more magical—and thus further removed—tales. 

Do the work of being fully human first. Then, when you know you can engage from a place of non-attachment, delve into your magical lineages.

And as a note, just as there are universal ancestral elders in the human realm, we can all connect with universal magical ancestors. So don’t worry if you feel fully human ;) The magic is still there for you.

All is Kin: Collective Non-Human Ancestors

Our bodies are made of the same elements as all of life on earth. We share the same divine spark that enlivens all beings. 

All of earth is our kin. 

And so, all of earth contains our ancestors. 

The trees (living or deceased), the ancient stone people, the spirits of nature, the tiny microbes in our soil and water, the Earth herself…these are our ancestors just as much as any relative by blood. 

Even the stars share their cosmic DNA with us humans—a phenomenon many people feel deeply aligned with. What ancestral wisdom can we connect with through the light beings in the sky?

The late Lakota elder Joseph M. Marshall III, taught that he began each day with silence, smudging, and a prayer—mitakuye oyasin, a Lakota phrase that loosely translates to “all my relations”.

Here, relations are all beings. The sun, earth, and moon. Your family. The birds and trees in your neighborhood. All of us. 

And if we’re all related, all of life gives us our ancestors. 

A Shamanic Guide to Illness & Health

Explore the five main causes of illness from a shamanic perspective―and how to heal them.

In this free workshop, you'll discover:
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• The 5 types of spiritual illness we all encounter
• How to know if you're experiencing spiritual illness
• The surprising ways addressing spiritual illness can impact your life
• A practice to strengthen your energy field right now

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• The Ancestral Convergence: Food & Ritual for Healing this Thanksgiving

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• 7 Reasons You Should Take a Shamanic Journey

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• Who is your Spirit Animal? A 4-Step Guide for Understanding Our Animal Allies

• What Happens During a Shamanic Session?

The Celestial Songs All Around Us

Every song ever created or to be created exists on celestial waves all around us.

I’ve always been able to listen to these songs. Most often, this divine music comes to me in that dreamlike state between waking and sleeping.

This music is never something I’ve heard before—not a song stuck in my head, not a melody I picked up on unconsciously during the day.

And it's always different.

I’ve heard classical symphonies that have blown my mind. Folk songs that get stuck in my head for a few precious hours. The most danceable hip hop. Rock from all time periods. Music from around the world. Country, jazz, electronic. Even commercial-sounding jingles. And once in a while, music that doesn’t sound human at all.

For years, I thought that maybe these songs carried messages for me. That they were omens to decipher.

There might be an element of that kind of meaning there, but I’ve come to realize that for some reason, I’m simply tuned into the songs of the universe.

Interestingly, I do not have the skills to share this music. Yes, I can carry a tune and play the piano—but I certainly couldn’t translate a symphony from mind to paper. These aren’t songs from the muses to be expressed through me. They simply are. For some reason, I simply get to enjoy them.

What a gift this is. To be blessed with glimpses of celestial sounds. Auricular delights just for me, just for a moment.

This music is available for all of us. Sometimes, it finds a willing and able vessel who channels it into a form we may all enjoy. And sometimes, it simply is, just beyond our ordinary reality, yet very real all the same.

Have you ever had the experience of hearing songs yet to be written? Or that were perhaps lost to a pre-recorded past?

Open your mind. Open your ears. Ask for this blessing, and perhaps you shall receive.

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How to Work with the Shadow Work Portal

We are in a potent gateway for shadow work right now, with layers upon layers of celestial support for our integration. 

Beginning with our transit into Scorpio on October 22nd, and continuing into a 2-week eclipse window from October 25th to November 8th, you’re invited to illuminate and integrate any shadows that are preventing you from stepping into your full authenticity, wholeness, and power.

Let’s take a look at some key dates and themes…

🖤 On October 22nd, our Sun entered the sign of Scorpio—the sign most aligned with diving deep into our unconscious and not just facing, but embracing, our shadows. 

Hidden motives; so-called “darker” impulses; unseen power dynamics; sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll…Scorpio guides into the midnight waters of our inner worlds so we can free ourselves from shame, see truths that have been hidden, and embrace the unfiltered fullness of who we really are.

🖤 Also on October 22nd, we saw the rebirth of Venus as the Evening Star. In her Morning Star phase, Venus guides us on a descent into the underworld—the Venusian goddess Inanna’s journey to her dark sister. Now, in her Evening Star phase, Venus ascends—Inanna has integrated her shadows and emerges fully in her sovereign power. 

This date is a tipping point for us. If you’ve been doing the work, the final pieces will now come into completion during our current shadow gateway.

🖤 Venus is in Libra for this turn of her journey, as well—a homecoming to her ruling planet. This auspicious alignment softens and beautifies our shadowy integration, though it may not feel so lovely when you’re in the thick of it. A full cleansing of the heart chakra is possible here.

🖤 On October 25th, we experience the New Moon in Scorpio AND a Solar Eclipse The dark moon, in Scorprio’s shadows, with the light of the Sun also dimmed…The cosmos are making it as clear as possible that we have universal support for shadow integration at this time. Take advantage of the magic.

🖤 The Celtic New Year invites us to release the old and begin anew. Samhain, what we commonly call Halloween, marks the New Year for the indigenous people of Europe. 

Not so much a single day, the New Year is a short seasonal window when the veils between worlds are thin. Our ancestors are more present (hello Dia de Los Muertos) and the fae can more easily communicate with us. With proper protection in place, these spirit helpers can be powerful allies in seeing what has previously been hidden. 

Whether through meditation, journaling, sacred ceremony and ritual, you have support for deep inner work right now. Let’s collectively release our shame and feelings of unworthiness. Let’s collectively remember our wholeness and power. And let’s collectively bring our full selves to our soul purposes. 

I’ve curated a few of my favorite allies for shadow work below. May they bring you support on your journey!

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It’s Not Depression. It’s Exhaustion. ☥ Why Creative Women Are Burning Out and the Soul-Level Need for Deep Rest

What does it mean when you don't want to do anything? When nothing sounds fun, you've lost touch with previous passions, and the things that used to bring you joy no longer have the same effect?

Modern psychology would tell us that these are clear signs of depression. And sometimes, that is what's happening.

But this isn’t always the case. I've found that there's often something a bit more insidious under the surface when creators lose the desire to create…

Many of the women I know are infinite creators. Their inner wells of inspiration seem to have no end to their depths.

These women remodel houses. Build healing practices. Tend potent relationships. Raise little ones. Nurture new life in the land. Paint magnificent works of art. Grow businesses of all types. Launch podcasts. Write books. Envision social ventures. Make a difference in their communities.

(And yes, I definitely count myself in this crowd.)

Their work is so beautiful and needed in our world.

But there is a shadow side to the drive to create. To manifest visions in physical form. To always be growing.

Patriarchal Systems Are Designed to Harm Creative Women

The influence of the linear, growth-driven, and let's face it—patriarchally influenced—culture we all live within sneaks into every part of our unconsciousness.

It slips in through social media and tells you that everyone else is doing more and doing it better.

It's a podcast guest, reminding you that you should always be biohacking your body, healing your trauma, and manifesting your dream life.

It makes sure you know that if you aren't always climbing the ladder of career—including if you work for yourself—you’ll end up desolate and broke.

It subtly lets you know that if, as a woman, you’re not focused on creating or raising new life (having children) on top of all this, you’re not really living up to your full potential.

The amazingly creative, power-house women in my life know that nature and life are cyclical, that endless growth is unsustainable, and that we need space to tend our wellness...

And yet resting or *not doing anything* is soooo uncomfortable for all of them (er, us...I've faced my own struggles here for sure).

But if we don't take the time to celebrate and integrate in the creative cycles of life, we will inevitably crash and burn.

I was talking with a good girlfriend recently, and I could see this starting to emerge in her.

"Some days I'm fine, and I get a ton done and feel in the flow," she said, "But more and more, I just don't want to do anything."

I know this feeling well.

As an infinite creator myself, I finally burned out so hard that I became non-functional. I could tell I was on the verge of chronic illness unless something changed. 

At this time, the idea of doing anything was too hard. And it freaked me out: If I didn't want to do anything, what was I going to do?? What is life without creation? How would I make money? Contribute to the world? Do all the things that "matter"?

When I was in the throws of panic on this topic, my wise little sister came to the rescue with key advice from Martha Beck, who shared (I’m paraphrasing here):

If you don't want to do anything, if you've lost touch with your passion, if nothing matters or motivates or delights you...

You Need Rest.

Just Rest.

Rest.

Can you feel your body relaxing as you read this? 

It's actually ok not to feel purpose-driven, connected with your "why" and following your "hell-yes's" for awhile.

It's okay to step into the alchemical cauldron of rest.

When I relayed this to my girlfriend, she started to cry. Not tears of sadness, but tears that signify a Truth with capital T coming home.

We Must Allow Space for Our Grief

In the months leading up to our deep exhaustion, both my friend and I had been through life-changing transitions. And both of us had experienced significant losses with deep grief.

Just about everyone I know has gone through something similar in the past two years.

It seems that, as a culture, we've forgotten that we need time and space to process and integrate the major changes and losses we've experienced. When this lack of tending meets the creator's endless quest, burnout and exhaustion are inevitable.

Check in with your body and heart. What happens when you ask yourself if you just need rest?

If you feel your nervous system relax and your eyes well up with tears, you need rest.

If you feel a constriction and sense of panic, you also need rest.

Do you remember how? Do you even know how to rest anymore?

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How to Rest — Even When It Feels Impossible

In my experience, it can take days or more likely months for us to actually remember how to rest, with quite a few ups and downs along the way.

Be gentle with yourself during the process. Know that it will be uncomfortable at times, and that it will absolutely become more natural as you practice.

To whatever degrees are possible for you (and I'm well aware that rest seems like an unobtainable luxury to so many women), here are just a few ideas that helped me when I was so exhausted I was becoming non-functional:

• Let go of your to-do list. The more you ignore it, the more you might realize that life won't actually fall apart if you don't get everything done each day.

• Stare out a window for over an hour. No devices, reading, listening, writing, or even trying to meditate. Just space out and stare. It's wild how healthy this actually is.

• Take time off with no plans for how to fill your days. Stay home — or leave if that's easier. Either way, try to spend your days responding to what you need in each moment. This is easier said than done...just know, you will likely binge Netflix or read a ridiculously cheesy novel. And you will end up with dirty floors and a sink full of dishes. It's okay (at least for now).

• Smell good things. Aroma seeps past our conscious minds deep into the brain where it can soothe our tender souls from the inside out.

• Drink water. Lots of water.

• Know that all of the above are easier said than done. Resistance is inevitable. Life is full of demands on your time and energy. Be kind to yourself and do what you can.

As you start to heal, you might find that you have the energy to engage in a few, simple self-care practices. These can feel like too much if you've really hit a deep level of exhaustion or grief, so there's no rushing into them. But when you feel ready, try incorporating a few of these practices into your days:

• Meditate. And don't make it too serious or intense. Find some nice guided imagery, or set a timer for 10 minutes. Or lay on the floor and do a body scan. This should feel good—not like a chore.

• Move your body. Personally, I love yoga for this. I go at my own pace, feel my body, and know my energy is beginning to move more too. If yoga works for you, great. If not, the important thing is that the movement helps you enjoy being in your body. Dance. Walk. Do jumping jacks. Whatever feels good.

• Incorporate herbal allies. Teas or tinctures that soothe your nervous system can help the healing process.

• Treat your senses. Eat nourishing, delicious food. Keep up the aromas. Take a bath and massage oil into your muscles. Decorate your body with jewelry, clothes you love, fake tattoos even...especially if you've lost touch with feeling good in your skin (which often accompanies burnout).

• Get out into nature. Even a backyard or park will do. Or a walk around a tree-lined neighborhood. The spirits of nature are beautiful allies on our healing journeys.

While I found my own journey to deeper rest uncomfortable and challenging at times, I also found it extremely liberating. I began to see the boxes I'd put myself in—yes, the ones I'd unintentionally constructed myself — with greater clarity.

My cocoon of rest has morphed — I've gone from teetering on the edge of autoimmune conditions to restoring health and learning how to enjoy life again bit by bit. And I'm still very much in the cocoon.

I don't know who I will be when I emerge. And everyday I remind myself to surrender to the process.

Because rest isn't just restorative. It's transformational. It's a cauldron we must enter to undergo an alchemical transformation into a new way of being.

Who will we become if we allow the cocoon of rest to alchemize our transformation?

I don't know. But I do know, with my whole heart, that those who surrender to the process will become even more impactful light beings ushering in a new era on our planet. (Yup—made a leap there...more on the new era I'm sensing to come!)

Does this resonate? Let me know in the comments 🙂

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The Complete Guide to Magical & Ritual Anointing Oils

Did your ancestors practice the sacred art of anointing?

Does your soul remember lifetimes as an oil-bearing priestess?

Do you experience a full-body resonance when you simply hear the word, anointing? 

If so, you just might carry the signature of one who is destined to work with these sacred oils in this lifetime. 

Read on to discover what anointing oils are, how they’re made, and why you should use anointing oils in your own spiritual and magical practices.

What are anointing oils?

Anointing oils are sacred infusions of plant materials and oils created to channel divine transmission into physical reality. 

Traditionally, anointing oils were made by macerating whole plant material into pressed oils—the spikenard in olive oil of the Bible and myrrh infused in safflower of ancient Egypt are just a few well-known examples.

Today, fragrant essential oils join the ingredient list, inviting rare and precious botanicals from throughout the world into our sacred oil repertoire. 

Anointing oils open our connection to both spiritual wisdom and divine healing. Perhaps this is because oils infused with botanicals are not only fragrant—they are medicinal. 

Every plant carries both physical and energetic gifts, and a true alchemist knows how to harmonize these layered intricacies, creating sacred oils that provoke divine bliss, carry unique vibrational signatures, and contain chemical properties that promote healing on all levels. —Juniper Stokes

A note of caution: Many anointing oils sold today contain synthetic fragrances. This is partly because these ingredients are much cheaper than true plant oils, and partly because there are many suppliers who sell fraudulent oils to well-intentioned makers. These oils do not carry the vibrational gifts and resonance of true, botanical anointing oils. Check out my free guide to avoiding fakes here.

The History of Anointing with Oil

From the beginning of time, in every culture and on every continent, humans have used fragrance to connect with the divine—and the use of sacred anointing oils has been one of the most important expressions of our aromatic practices.

By turning to the past, we discover the ancestral connections with plants held in our bodies and souls. And by living in the present, we can discover profound ways to create and make use of sacred oils today.

Ancient Egypt

The ancient Egyptians held that the world was created from the fragrance of the blue lotus, and scent was an integral part of all Egyptian life.

Precious oils were used to anoint and activate statues of the gods. Other blends—including the famous Kyphi—were used as both personal perfumes and as medicine. 

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Egyptologist Dora Goldsmith (a PhD candidate and one of my personal teachers in this area), notes how inscriptions on temple walls point to the ritual and intention that went into creating anointing oils and unguents. While some perfumes and oils were made for daily use, others had very strict ritual instructions: These precious oils and perfumes could only be made by priests and priestesses—surrogates for royalty—and precise ingredients, steps, timelines, and even incantations were required during their creation.

(After studying with Dora for over a year—and reading over a dozen books on the fragrances and rituals of ancient Egypt—I have much more to share on this topic. Be sure to subscribe to stay in the loop!)

Vaso alchemico, unknown artist

It’s also likely that our modern practices of anointing royalty (yes, in England a new monarch is anointed in a private ceremony, with a secret blend of oils, to this day) began in ancient Egypt as well. In her groundbreaking work, Egypt’s Anointing Mysteries, Egyptologist Dr. Alison Roberts explores rituals in which the queen would take on goddess-like powers and attributes in order to empower the king through anointing practices.*

*As an aside, in Celtic traditions, kings would receive their power from a sovereignty goddess—without her blessing, he could not be sovereign of the land. A theme to be explored in further articles… ;) 

The fragrant traditions of Egypt spread throughout Europe and the Middle East, where they were influenced by expanding trade routes and changing cultures. From Greek Olympians empowering themselves with olive oil and Hippocrates’s instructions to anoint the sick with oil, to the Arabic healing traditions of Avicenna and Hebrew consecrations of priests and kings, to the Biblical anointing practices still used in churches today and much more, Western antiquity was bathed in fragrant oils. 

Myrrophores

Myrrophores, or “myrrh-bearers” were sacred priestesses who would channel the celestial power of the divine through sacred oils for soul-level healing—a tradition that likely originated in ancient Egypt and spread throughout the Greco-Roman empire, as well. 

Perhaps one of the most well-known acts of anointing in the West is when Mary Magdalene anointed Jesus’s feet with the oil of nard (spikenard). Here, as much as patriarchal retellings have tried to erase Mary Magdalene’s healing gifts, they have not been able to fully obscure the power of her anointing practice or her connection to the myrrhophores. 

Some mystical scholars even suggest that her transmission of prayer and protection, carried forth through sacred oil, empowered the resurrection that followed.

Artus Wolffort, Mary Magdalene Anointing Christ’s Feet in the House of Simon the Pharisee

How do anointing oils work?

Anointing oils work by transmitting divine empowerments into our physical reality.

This happens through the ingredients used, the approach to creating the oil, the art of transmission, and the rituals involved when using the oil.  

Plants have been our allies, teachers, healers, and guides since the dawn of humanity, and every plant used in an anointing oil carries a unique set of empowerment codes that synergistically act to empower the oil. 

When these plants are alchemized in sacred ceremony, they harmonize with the intentions of the alchemist to create a powerful unguent. 

When we place these oils on our body, or anywhere in our fields, we receive the oil’s alchemical codes and ignite our own transformation. 

Shamanic Transmission in Anointing Practices: The Key to Potency

The most powerful oils contain a transmission that they pass onto the anointed. 

When I create either an anointing oil or a botanical perfume, I always include a transmission ceremony for the finished product. My process is rooted in shamanic practice, though certainly not limited to those who identify with shamanism. 

After setting sacred space and preparing my mind, body, and spirit for the work, I enter into a mediumship state. If I’m channeling a particular deity, I invite them to merge with me. If I’m working with an intention, I call forth that energy to be present. Then, I pour the energetic signature of the being or intention involved directly into the final bottle. 

This way, not only does each bottle of perfume or oil contain the vibrational signatures of every botanical involved, it contains a direct healing transmission from spirit. This transmission is then activated with every use. Even if all you have time for is quick application on your wrist, the blessings will flow.

How to Use Anointing Oils

Throughout history, anointing was used for both healing and spiritual purposes—and as mentioned before, the two were often one and the same. 

Traditional aromatic rituals include:

• Awakening and honoring the gods: The anointing of deities’ statues to awaken and empower the gods was a common practice in Egypt and likely used in ancient Greece, as well.

• Blessings: Blessing visitors and guests with sacred oils was a common Hebrew practice in antiquity, and to this day babies might be anointed with sacred oils for blessing and protection at birth.

• Anointing the sick: Throughout the world, anointing the sick was a common practice. In Greece and the Arabic world, oils were infused with medicinal plants. In Christianity, priests would anoint the sick in what is known as an unction. 

• Consecration: Kings and priests were anointed by sacred oils, usually by priests standing in for God to symbolize the divine rights of the anointed. 

• Exorcism: The Oil of Catechumens, aka the Oil of Exorcism, is used by some churches to expel evil during baptisms—but the Christian church isn’t the only group to use oils for exorcism. In Taoist anointing traditions, oils are placed on key acupuncture points to expel ghosts and possessions.

Modern Anointing Practices

Today, magical practices and new spiritual practices have reinvigorated the use of anointing oils—and who can use them. 

I believe that it is our birthright to access the magical, spiritual, and healing gifts of sacred anointing oils. A few of my favorite ways to use oils include…

• Spiritual & Energy Healing—We can use the subtle vibrations of oils to shift our own energetic health.

• Taoist Anointing Practices—Apprenticing with a rare master in the Jade Purity tradition has opened my eyes to the magic that happens when we apply oils to specific meridians.

• Empowering Objects—Rubbing an oil on a sacred object imbues it with spiritual power. (Crystals love anointing oils!)

• Rituals and ceremonies—Anointing oils can enhance rituals and ceremonies of all types, including blessings, transitions, seasonal celebrations, and other intentions.  

• Connecting with the Divine—Whether you want to align with the energy of a specific deity, connect with the angels, or simply open yourself to spiritual wisdom, anointing oils can support you.

• Chakras—Blessing each energy can bring about balance and health.

• Spellwork and Manifestation—Whatever your intentions, be they prosperity, health, protection, or love, magical anointing oils can help.

A Personal Anointing Ritual

While anointing oils can be used in infinitely complex rituals, they can also be used for simple daily empowerment.

Here’s a short practice for anytime you want to connect with an intention or deity:

• Upon receiving your oil (spiritual perfumes will also work here), hold it to your heart and visualize your intention. See your intention flowing from you into the bottle and from the bottle into you. This will activate your personal connection with the oil.

• Next, inhale the oil’s fragrance deeply and several times. You can inhale directly from the bottle, or you can apply a bit to your wrist first. This activates your neural response to the oil, so you’ll more easily remember your intention every time you smell it in the future. 

• Then, apply the oil to your body on a daily basis for 30 days. Depending on your intention, you may rub a few drops into your heart or third eye. Or, you might simply wear a bit on your wrists as a perfume you can smell repeatedly until the natural fragrance fades. Either way, focus on your intention while you apply the oil.

Common Questions: How to Distinguish Anointing Oils from other Aromatic Practices

What’s the difference between an anointing oil and other botanical oils? 

The main difference lies in the intention with which the oil was created. Anointing oils must be created through ritual. This involves setting sacred space, blessing your materials, and infusing the resulting oil with a transmission of your intention. Some oils are made following specific instructions and recipes, while others are created by allowing the divine to work through you intuitively.

Are anointing oils the same as aromatherapy?

Anointing oils can fall within the realm of aromatherapy, but they don’t always do so.

There are two main approaches to modern aromatherapy: clinical aromatherapy, and subtle aromatherapy.* 

Subtle aromatherapy blends are based on the energetic and spiritual qualities of oils, and anointing oils certainly fall in this category. 

Clinical aromatherapy relies on the psycho-emotional and physical effects of oils. While anointing oils may certainly have psycho-emotional and physical effects, their primary purpose is spiritual in nature. So, your typical aromatherapy blends for stress relief or headaches probably aren’t anointing oils. 

*As a note, I feel that the best aromatherapy products integrate both subtle and clinical dimensions into their formulas.

What’s the difference between anointing oils and perfumes?

Broadly speaking, the word perfume can refer to anything used for aromatic purposes—incense, aromatic waters, oils, and unguents of all types all fall under this fragrant umbrella. 

Today, the word perfume most often refers to scents worn for pleasure, while the term anointing oil refers to sacred oils used for ritual and spiritual purposes.

However, I think it’s worth noting that throughout most of human history, fragrance, medicine, and spiritual practice were one and the same. 

In ancient Greece, the single word arómata was used to describe incense, perfume, spices, and aromatic medicine, showing us how little differentiation was given to aroma for pleasure, spirit, and health. Interestingly, the unguentarii, those who sold perfumes, were held in the same esteem as doctors.  

Are anointing oils the same as ritual oils? 

The way I create and use them, yes. 

Some folks will likely disagree here—especially if you’re focused on Christian anointing traditions or have specific guidelines around your magical practice. For me, anointing is sacred and it is magical, so I use the terms interchangeably.

If you’re ready to receive powerful light codes for healing and spiritual connection, be sure to explore my alchemical collection of pure, botanical anointing oils. 

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• How I Make Natural Perfumes: Art, Aroma, and Alchemy in a Bottle

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Here’s What You Need to Know about Buying Natural Perfumes and Essential Oils (aka how to avoid the frauds!)

Those of us who love natural aromas and essential oils do so because we know they are gifts from nature. 

Every single plant on our earth carries both chemical and energetic signatures. When our own physical and energetic bodies receive the gifts of these plants, true healing and transformation can take place on every level of our being.

The same cannot be said for synthetic fragrances. 

Not only do lab-created fragrances lack the vital life force and energetic resonance of true plant materials, they’re often harmful to our health and planet.

Unfortunately, the world of aromatics is fraught with artificial and adulterated oils that are sold as “pure” and “natural”. 

Why? Because of the cost. True natural plant material is simply more expensive than synthetic ingredients across the board. 

While I hope that someday we stop prioritizing greed over life, as a collective, we’re just not there yet. 

So how can you protect yourself? How can you make sure that the oils and products you’re purchasing are truly natural?

I’ll be honest. I’ve learned to be very discerning with my ingredients the hard way…

Yes, despite my years of training and research I’ve been fooled—I’ve probably lost thousands of dollars to fraudulent suppliers and ignorant resellers over the years. 

But I’ve learned some key lessons along the way. The following are my top tips for navigating the wild world of natural fragrances.

1. If the price of an essential oil is too good to be true…it probably is. 

This is probably the number one easiest and most important thing to look for. True plant material will always be more expensive than its synthetic counterparts. 

Pro tip: There tend to be average price ranges for most essential oils. If in doubt, compare several companies’ pricing. Let’s look at a few examples…

How much does lavender essential oil cost?

Lavender essential oil tends to be one of the most affordable and available essential oils. 

Based on a few of my trusted companies, one ounce of lavender EO tends to cost between $17 and $50—country of origin, variety, and organic certification affect the price. 

The lavender EO from a popular oil supplier known to be fraudulent costs $30 for nine ounces!!! No, no, no.

How much does rose essential oil cost?

Along with lavender, rose essential oil is extremely popular—but it tends to be quite expensive. While true rose essential oil is available (and totally divine), the absolute* of rose is what most people purchase. 

From my trusted companies, one ounce of rose absolute from Bulgaria (generally the most affordable rose) costs between $150 and $300 ($200 is the most common pricing). 

Guess how much 1.69oz of Bulgarian rose absolute it from the popular fraudulent company? $36. Again, no, no, no.

(*Absolutes are extracted differently than true essential oils, though within the field of aromatherapy, the term “essential oil” is used as an umbrella to refer to all types of extractions.)

True plant extractions are expensive. And they’re worth it. Do your research and don’t become a sucker for a good price. 

2. The same pricing rules go for “natural” perfumes, oils, sprays, candles, and fragrances of all kinds, as well.

Why is it that some natural perfumers sell a 30ml perfume for $20, and some for $300? Why is it that you can find natural perfume oils on Etsy for as low as $6 and as high as the sky?

Of course, many factors play into how a maker prices their products—experience, artistry, complexity, quality and variety of ingredients, time spent, market recognition, and much more. 

But at a certain point, there is no way someone can be charging so little for a fragrance without using synthetics.  

And here’s the tricky part…these makers usually aren’t intentionally being fraudulent. Instead, they’ve likely been fooled themselves and have sourced impossibly cheap ingredients. Or, they’re using a somewhat “expanded” definition of natural fragrance (more on that below).

If you want to protect yourself from synthetic aromas, trust your intuition and apply everything you learn in this article when making any purchase.

3. If a company sells both synthetics (aka “fragrance” oils) and essential oils, be very wary. 

I’ve yet to find a company that sells both synthetic fragrances and good quality essential oils. And sadly, I’ve tried quite a few over the years. Maybe one exists, but in general, I take this as a major warning sign. (Not to mention, I personally don’t want to support the artificial fragrance industry.)

4. Watch out for fragrant flowers.

Rare and precious flowers delight our senses and form the heart of most natural perfumes. And, they’re very expensive. And, actually extracting essential oils (including absolutes and CO2s) is nearly impossible for many precious scents. 

True rose, jasmine, ylang ylang, boronia, orange blossom, geranium, osthmanthus, tuberose, jonquil, lotus, chrysanthemum, and frangipani are a few florals that are perfectly possible to obtain naturally (though some will cost you well over $1000/oz). 

Listed as ingredients, the following flowers are almost* always synthetic: lily of the valley, gardenia, lilac, daphne, any lily, honeysuckle, freesia, and hyacinth, to name a few. Anything described as “white florals” tends to point to synthetics, as well. 

*The exceptions being labor-intensive enfleurage and tinctures—but you’ll pretty much never find these in commercially produced fragrances.

Any lily fragrance is most likely synthetic.

No natural honeysuckle essential oil exists.

5. Learn to identify the common synthetic descriptors.

While creative combinations of natural oils can produce a wide range of aromas, there are a few descriptors that are most often found with synthetics.

Two main categories to watch out for are one, anything described as “oceanic” or “aquatic”, and two, most fruity and food aromas. 

This tip is definitely more of a general guideline than a rule. A talented alchemist can create marine notes, fun fruits, and sugary sweetness using naturals. I certainly do, and I even use these descriptors. 

Overall though, these fragrance families are commonly synthetic. With oceanic and aquatic fragrances, this is because these descriptors were used to describe the aldehyde-based fragrances that became popular in the 1990s.

As for the foods, the frequency of synthetics is partly because there simply aren’t natural oils that smell like fresh peaches or plums, and partly because even food flavorings found in essential oils are often synthetic for cost reasons. Cinnamon and vanilla are a few of the most commonly adulterated essential oils (scientists are even piloting a vanilla flavoring made from plastic). 

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6. Beware of “clean fragrance” and natural isolates

“Clean” Perfume Houses

With growing awareness of the harmful effects of synthetic fragrances, many perfume houses market their perfumes as “clean”. These companies have a lovely list of EWG-approved ingredients, as well as a promise to be free from cruelty, phthalates, and all sorts of other known carcinogens. 

This might be exactly what you’re looking for—in which case, shop away! 

Just be aware that clean does not mean natural. These companies use what are called “safe synthetics” in their perfumes. So, if you’re looking for truly natural perfume and all the benefits it offers, be sure to look beyond greenwashing. 

Natural Perfume Brands

Many perfumers call themselves “natural perfumers” because they know this is what people are looking for. These perfumers will use mostly natural perfume ingredients, but they rely on synthetics to make their perfumes. If you’re avoiding synthetics for any reason—especially health ones—this defeats the purpose. When in doubt, reach out to the perfumer and ask nicely, but very directly.

Isolates?

If you read the natural perfume ingredient lists of the most popular perfume brands today, you’ll often find words like cedrat, benzaldehyde, and alpha-isomethyl ionone. 

Wait—you might as yourself-–how can something natural sound like it comes from a laboratory?

Because it does. Isolates are molecular extractions from plant origin, and the Natural Perfumers Guild includes them in its list of acceptable natural ingredients. 

Since these chemical components come from plants, you might feel totally fine with using them. They certainly expand the perfumer’s palette! 

Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing how these isolates were extracted (i.e. what process or chemicals were used), or what plant material they originated from. GMO origin is extremely common here, as well.

I personally do not use isolates, as I blend energetically as well as fragrantly. This means that bringing the whole, energetic presence of a plant into my blends is just as important as how it smells. Isolates contain none of the life force and spiritual blueprints for healing that whole plant materials do.

7. Parfum, perfume, and fragrance: A tip for purchasing natural products.

As with many of the words in this list, these terms are used for both synthetic and natural fragrances, meaning that there are no hard and fast rules here. However, if you see any of these terms on a natural product—think shampoos, body lotions, candles, etc—there is a 99.9% chance that synthetics are involved. 

(FYI, I’ve found “Clean at Sephora” to be one of the worst offenders here. Bath and Bodyworks aromatherapy products might have some essential oils, but they most definitely have synthetics, as well.)

8. Be careful when sourcing from various countries. 

First, there are plenty of unscrupulous companies in the US, where I live, as well as throughout the world. And, my worst experiences personally have been from when I tried to buy oils directly from suppliers in India and Egypt. 

While I don’t like calling out specific countries or companies publicly, I’ve seen enough harm that I feel the need to specifically address these two places in particular. 

First, India is home to many of the world’s most precious raw aromatics. Beautiful oils and true natural perfumes come out of India and I’m eternally grateful for all the amazing pure oils I have sourced from this country. 

India is also home to a disproportionate number of online oil suppliers that sell blatantly synthetic oils as pure and natural. Too often, I see people think that costs are lower because they’re buying directly from the supplier. 

This isn’t true. First, the prices are far too low even for a direct supply (yet just high enough to make you sorry if you buy too much…speaking from experience). Second, any experienced nose will be able to tell how fraudulent these oils are from a mile away. 

Next, Egypt. I’ve seen many magical makers of anointing oil claiming to source their oils directly from Egypt. Maybe they have a good connection there…but I have my doubts. 

I remember visiting perfumeries and oil houses during my own travels to Egypt. Time and again, I sat down to smell all these wonderful pure, natural oils. And time and again, my nose was disappointed. 

Sure, if you like synthetic aromas (and many people do—our noses are trained to at this point), you’ll like what you smell. But these oils are not natural. While some, especially the florals, do smell close to the natural versions, any trained nose will pick up on far too many synthetic aromas in the mix. 

So please, just be careful if you’re either sourcing directly from these countries or purchasing sacred oils from someone who claims to have gotten their oils from these locations.

9. Trust your nose.

Finally, trust your nose. 

This is easier said than done for most folks. Modern life is filled with so many synthetic aromas and fragrances that most people have lost touch with what “natural” really smells like. But you can learn. The more you smell natural fragrances, the more you’ll be able to identify their synthetic counterparts. 

Making the Shift to Natural Perfumes

If you’re worried that letting go of synthetics will leave you smelling like a patchouli-drenched hippie—think again. (Although, I do love a patchouli-drenched hippy myself.)

Elevated natural perfumes and anointing oils are far more than the aromatherapy blends you might be imagining. Give true natural fragrance a try and see what you think ;)

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You might also like:

• Severed from Scent

• Flower Essences 101: How to Partner with Plants for Whole-Self Healing

• 8 Tips for Buying High Quality Essential Oils

• A Complete Guide to Magical & Ritual Anointing Oils

• The Magic and Medicine of the Rose

• A Guide to Perfume Types

• Ritual Beauty: A Sacred Skincare Routine

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3 Creative Ways to Celebrate Summer Solstice

Summer Solstice is celebrated in many wonderful ways throughout the world, including dancing around bonfires, seasonal feasts, visiting sacred wells and waters, and leaving offerings for the fae. 

I’ll be dipping my toes into all of the above this solstice, as well as a few new activities I encourage you to try…

1. Watch the sunrise and sunset with a grateful heart

Watching the sunrise and sunset has many benefits for our minds, bodies, and souls—what better time to intentionally set aside time for both than the Summer Solstice? On this day, allow the time, energy, and intention you give to witnessing the sun’s cycles connect you with its divine solar energy.

2. Collect the morning dew for magic and healing. 

This idea came to me from Betsy Bergstrom, and I love it so much I wanted to share with all of you :)

If you’re in an area where lots of dew accumulates, you might be lucky enough to be able to fill a small jar with the dew of the solstice. Shake off leaves and tip full flowers into your vessel. This will be magically potent water that you can use for rituals, healings, and spells throughout the year.

If this means of collection is challenging, you can also soak a cloth in the dew of the grasses. Your cloth will become a healing cloth for the next solar cycle. You might lay it upon injuries or use it in rituals. 

3. Take a prophecy walk.

One of the assignments I give to my Rewilding the Spirit students is to take a quiet, intuitive walk with the intention of receiving omens from nature. This walk can be in the woods or simply your neighborhood—often, closer to home is even more impactful because of your ongoing relationship with the spirits of your land. 

As you walk, try not to talk or listen to podcasts or music. Set the intention to receive guidance about something that’s been on your mind, and then open your awareness to signs from the universe. 

Betsy also mentioned that Solstice gives us a beautiful opportunity to set the intention of receiving prophecies for the year to come on this walk.

Remember, the universe communicates in symbolic language. Think of the messages from your walk as a dream to unravel over time. 

How will you celebrate Summer Solstice this year?

You might also like:

• The Magic and Medicine of the Rose

• How to have a blessing ceremony for your summer travels

• What Happens When You Watch A Sunrise?

• 8 Benefits of Partnering with the Spirits of Nature

• Coregulating with the Natural World

A Shamanic Guide to Illness & Health

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• How to know if you're experiencing spiritual illness
• The surprising ways addressing spiritual illness can impact your life
• A practice to strengthen your energy field right now

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5 Steps for Communicating with The Spirits of Nature

The spirits of nature are always around us.

You’ve probably sensed their presence on occasion. A tingling in your spine. A breeze that you just knew had a message for you. A stone with a face so clear it could not be ignored. 

It is absolutely possible to drop into deeper communication with these nature spirits. All it takes is a heartfelt intention, patience, and practice. 

Do you want to start communicating with the spirits of nature? Here are five steps to get started. 

1. Slow Down

Feel into the pacing of your life. For most of us, a sense of tension or frazzled energy arises. Why? We’re moving at a rapid pace that is foreign to our natural way of being. 

When you’re tied to your to-do lists and glued to multiple screens, it’s next to impossible to be present. But the present moment is exactly where you’ll find the spirits of nature. 

While most of us love the idea of a slower paced life, actually getting there is another story. It’s actually an act of revolution. 

You can begin by carving at least a bit of time each day to pause and focus on the present moment. Go for a meandering walk. Meditate for 10 minutes. Anything that helps you just be is welcome. 

Then start bringing slowness into more of your life as it is. When you’re preparing food, for example, really be present. Remind yourself that the rush is often self-imposed. Put on music you love, delight in the colors and flavors and creativity and nourishment unfolding on your cutting board. 

As a slower pace of life becomes more natural for you, your energy will shift into greater attunement with the pace of nature. This alone opens the door to communication with nature spirits. 

2. Harmonize with Nature’s Rhythms

Similar to slowing down but just a bit more intentional, harmonizing the rhythms of your life with the rhythms of nature is another powerful way to cultivate the ability to communicate with the spirits of nature. 

Here are a few simple ways to explore living in alignment with the cycles of nature:

• Watch the sunrise and/or sunset each day. This has powerful impacts on your physical body and spiritual well-being. 

• Practice moon gazing. Spend a few minutes gazing at the moon each night. Over time, you’re body will start syncing with lunar cycles. Notice the unique ways this affects you physically and energetically. 

• Eat seasonally. Do you know what’s in season when where you live? Or better yet, do you grow a bit of your own food? Eating seasonally doesn’t need to be extreme—I certainly still eat salads in the winter! It can become an intentional way to connect with the seasons though. What does your body crave right now? 

As you track your energy levels, moods, and physical body throughout these cycles, you’ll begin to learn more about what your authentic self craves. Then, as you make adjustments based on this information, you’ll find that the voices of nature’s spirits become even louder in your awareness. 

3. Tune into Your Body

Our bodies are of the earth, and they are powerful vessels for receiving the earth’s messages. 

Remember, the spirits of nature don’t necessarily speak English as a first language ;) 

One of the most common ways for the spirits of nature to communicate with us is through our bodies. This usually comes in the form of feelings and sensations.

Trust what you feel—even if you don’t know what it means right away. This confirmation of spirits’ presence is the first step.

Then, over time, you’ll start unpacking the messages you receive in ways that are unique for you. 

Some will see images, others will hear words, and still others might just have a knowing. Regardless of how your communication comes through, know that it will happen. 

You can use your breath to begin attuning your body to receive nature’s wisdom. Follow your breath into the present moment. Then bring your awareness to your body. Notice the sensations without judgment. Then expand your awareness beyond your body to the nature spirits around you. What shifts? What sensations can you start associating with their presence? 

Another way to prepare your body for communicating with nature spirits is to drop a grounding cord deep into the earth. This attunes you our mother’s energy and keeps you grounded as you open your intuitive sight. 

4. Start Where You Are 

All of us cohabitate with numerous land spirits. This includes the ones we can see—the trees and stones and birds—and the ones that exist just parallel to our 3D reality—the fairies and devas and ancestral spirits. 

These beings are well aware of your presence.

Forming relationships with the beings you already live with is a beautiful way to show respect to the more-than-human world. You’re life already impacts these spirits of the land, and when you become more conscious of this, these spirits will often respond quite clearly.

It’s important to remember that this is true even of those who live in apartments or in areas that seem more separated from the spirits of nature. These beings live everywhere, and they don’t view property lines in the same ways that we do. 

One beautiful way to begin cultivating a relationship with the spirits of your place is through a sit spot practice. 

Simply find a place that you visit regularly—once a week at minimum. 

Then, spend some time there regularly. Notice the plants, stones, and animals that frequent that place. Observe how it changes throughout the seasons. 

Practice slowing down, opening your senses, and tuning into your body. 

Notice where your thoughts travel while you’re here, or insights that might arise throughout your life because of your sit spot time. 

This is nature communicating with you. 

It’s not uncommon to receive a gift after several visits to your sit spot. If you’re so lucky, be sure to give thanks and treat this gift with the reverence it deserves. 

5. Reciprocity 

Perhaps the most important thing anyone who wants to communicate with the spirits of nature can do is practicing reciprocity. 

The earth gives us so much. And it restores divine order when we give back. 

What does reciprocity look like? There are many ways to nourish a reciprocal relationship with the earth. Here are just a few ideas, and I encourage you to practice all of them!

• Love and gratitude. Offering your heartfelt love and gratitude for the simple presence of nature’s spirits and the earth herself is invaluable. The earth feels this gift from your heart. Intention, focus, and authentic love are all that’s needed. If you’re really dropping in here, you’re eyes will probably start to water from the power of your gift and receptivity of the earth. 

• Picking up trash. We’ve probably all come across the random bit of trash on a hike or walk in nature—some places with more than others. The spirits of nature are truly harmed by this litter, yet they rely on us to remove it for them. Bring a bag with you wherever you walk or hike and pick up garbage as you go. This act alone just might accelerate your ability to communicate with nature spirits faster than anything else. 

• Offerings. Giving physical offerings to the earth and her inhabitants, especially when you’re gathering her gifts, is greatly appreciated by the spirits of nature. Just be sure that the gifts are appropriate and won’t disrupt the natural ecosystem (when I visit the delicate desert ecosystems in Canyonlands I only offer love). Small crystals, a strand of hair, cornmeal, dried plants, or fairy foods are all common offerings. 

• Lifestyle. Is your lifestyle ecofriendly and sustainable? Are the products you use natural? The deeply ingrained structures of modern life make it next to impossible for us to live as sustainably as we wish we could. But even if personal lifestyle changes seem like drops in a bucket for the challenges our earth faces, what you do matters. The spirits of nature are watching, and they are far more willing to communicate with those who show them love and respect through daily actions and choices. 

• Earth Tending. As your nature spirit communication deepens and your spiritual skills grow, you may feel called to the art of earth tending. This involves spiritual and energetic practices that actively support our earth. Energetic and crystal grids, soul retrieval for the land, clearing dense energies, and transfiguration ceremonies are just a few of the potentials in this realm. 

A Shamanic Guide to Illness & Health

Explore the five main causes of illness from a shamanic perspective―and how to heal them.

In this free workshop, you'll discover:
​

• The 5 types of spiritual illness we all encounter
• How to know if you're experiencing spiritual illness
• The surprising ways addressing spiritual illness can impact your life
• A practice to strengthen your energy field right now

TAKE A POWERFUL STEP TOWARD THE LIFE YOU'RE HERE TO LIVE.

Enter your email to access this 65-minute workshop today!

Send me the workshop!

It’s more important than ever for all of us to learn to communicate with the spirits of nature and the earth herself. 

Not only do these beings need us to show up and act on their behalf, they can guide us safely through the turbulence ahead in exchange. 

And the more you tend to the wild spirits around you, the more in touch with your own wild spirit you become. 

The world needs our wildness awake and alive.

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• Earth Friends & Reciprocity (You Belong Here)

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• Coregulating with the Natural World

• How to Work with the Spirits of the Land: 3 Powerful Practices

• 8 Benefits of Partnering with the Spirits of Nature

8 Benefits of Partnering with the Spirits of Nature

What are the benefits of working with the spirits of nature?

All of us co-exist with a wide variety of nature spirits—some we can see, like trees and stones, and some are best met through our other senses, such as fairies and elves. 

When we enter into conscious relationship with the seen and unseen beings all around us, miracles begin to unfold in our lives. 

Why? Because our connection with these beings influences every part of our lives, whether we’re aware of it or not. 

Many of the nature spirits around us are very aware of our presence, our behavior, and our intentions. 

When we ignore them, which honestly they’re used to at this point, at best they ignore us as well. But depending on the type of spirit and our behavior, we could find ourselves experiencing lots of unhelpful blocks or trickster energy. 

Still others are basically asleep to our human world. We’ve ignored each other for so long that it’s as if we’re both living our own parallel yet separate dreams. 

This separation is an illusion though. We co-exist and do influence each other. When we “wake up” these beings through the loving intention to create a reciprocal relationship, an immense amount of spiritual support becomes available to us. 

Anyone who continues to deepen their relationship with the natural world will experience gifts across the spectrum of life. Here are a few…

1. Spending time in nature is good for our health. 

There are entire books written on the physical and psychological benefits of spending time in nature—The Biophilia Effect by Clemens G. Avrayis one of my favorites.

From the way our coevolution with plants makes them potent sources of medicine, to the healing terpenes found in summer forests, to the countless studies that show seeing greenery and growth alleviates depression, and so much more—spending time in nature is critically important for our health. 

2. The nature spirits can offer us unseen support for all of life. 

The better relationship we have with those we live with, the happier our lives will be—this is equally true for people and spirits. 

Just as nature spirits can create obstacles or have trickster energy, they can also remove obstacles and create seeming miracles in our lives. 

Cultivating a strong relationship with the spirits of nature where you live can help you be at the right place at the right time—even if it seems unrelated to being in nature. Meeting important people, finding the new opportunities, and experiencing greater abundance are all natural outcomes of right relationship with nature spirits. 

3. You and your property will experience extra protection. 

One particular area of support nature spirits can share with us is that of protection—for yourself, your loved ones, and your property. 

When I lived in Denver, porch pirates were rampant in my neighborhood, and other theft wasn’t uncommon. Every single day, I would partner with the spirits of nature to surround my property and home with spiritual protection—and we never once had anything stolen.

I want to be clear that there are no guarantees here—sometimes shit just happens. But I absolutely know that we were supported by the spirits of our place in this way. (I mean, I ordered a lot of boxes…especially during the pandemic. this really does seem miraculous to me!)

4. Deepening your relationship with nature leads to magical and practical gifts.

The more you engage with the natural world, the more the natural world will engage with you. At a basic level, this can be seen in the joy of a successful garden, finding “treasures” on your walks and hikes, discovering secret spots in nature, amazing animal sightings, and intuitive hits on which plants to turn to for healing remedies. 

I spent about a decade deepening my relationship with the nature spirits of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, and sooo many gifts emerged over our time together—including lots of fun animal encounters, which I pretty much live for. 

But the one animal I always wanted to see but never had was a big bear. Over the years, I saw moose, fox, elk, mountain goats, tons of birds, and many more…but in all my time I’d never gotten to see a bear. 

On my final trip to my favorite spot in the mountains before moving out of state, I finally saw a huge brown bear. It sauntered right by me, no more than 20 feet from where I sat. It took years of love and dedication, but I know this sighting was a true gift from the nature spirits there. 

5. Partnering with the spirits of nature is key to our survival. 

At this point, when we look at the massive changes and imbalances on our planet, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. We must start listening to the needs of nature if we’re to have any future at all. 

Partnering with the spirits of nature is how our ancestors survived, and it’s time for us to do the same. 

When we learn to really listen, we tap into a hidden resource for navigating a rapidly changin world We intuitively know how to prepare for extreme weather events, how to plan for seasons and crops, when to move, where to find the medicinal and edible plants, and so much more. 

Please understand that this doesn’t mean we’re immune to the collective effects of natural disasters and climate change. No one, no matter how beloved you are to the earth, can escape the effects of our collective actions, not to mention there’s a lot of mystery and karma involved here.

It does mean though, that you will absolutely be better prepared and supported for navigating the times ahead.

6. You’ll be able to work magic with the elements.

I’ll admit it: One of my pet peeves in spiritual communities is the tendency to cry out for “rain dances” in times of drought and fire, or to perform collective ceremonies to stop flooding, to ask the wind to blow another direction and soften its gusts. 

Yes, working with the elements is important and possible. What drives me crazy, however, is the idea that we can ignore the elements, abuse the earth, and then simply decide to “do ceremony” for the weather when it suits our needs. Nope!

Being able to perform weather magic and work with the elements is a privilege that comes from taking the time to establish a long, secure, reciprocal relationship with these powerful energies. 

But when you really take the time to come into deep relationship with the elements, everything becomes possible. 

The elements are the building blocks of our world and carry immense power beyond our comprehension. Working with the elements is the key to making magic with real-world, miraculous results, both in your personal life and in service of our collective. 

7. Partnering with the spirits of nature helps you rewild your life. 

We evolved in intimate connection with the land, the seasons, and the more-than-human world. Returning to these natural connections restores our essential nature—the truth of who we are before society and culture tame our wild spirits. 

Your true self is uniquely gifted to fulfill your role on our planet. When you tune into your true nature, you’ll find that you already know what to do and when to do it. You’ll find joy and wholeness are already within. 

Rewilding takes us out of chronos time and into kairos time, a circular wild world where anything and everything is possible. 

The wild spirits of nature remember how to be wild. They can help you remember, too.

8. You’ll experience greater fulfillment as you expand your circle of compassion.

Partnering with the spirits of nature opens you to an entire new world of meaningful relationships, and you’ll soon discover that you’re never really alone. 

Nurturing these relationships opens us to more meaningful dimensions of life and brings deep fulfillment on a soul level.

Want to learn how to start working in partnership with the spirits of nature? Here are 5 Simple Steps.

A Shamanic Guide to Illness & Health

Explore the five main causes of illness from a shamanic perspective―and how to heal them.

In this free workshop, you'll discover:
​

• The 5 types of spiritual illness we all encounter
• How to know if you're experiencing spiritual illness
• The surprising ways addressing spiritual illness can impact your life
• A practice to strengthen your energy field right now

TAKE A POWERFUL STEP TOWARD THE LIFE YOU'RE HERE TO LIVE.

Enter your email to access this 65-minute workshop today!

Send me the workshop!

You might also like:

• How to Use Flower Essences: A Complete Guide

• Coregulating with the Natural World

• Gnome Plant & Meeting the Queen of the Underworld

• Ecological Trauma: A Guide to Understanding Eco-Trauma

• Lessons from Squirrels

How to Be Spiritually Sovereign: Making Magic with the Virgin Goddesses

When it comes to the gods and goddesses of Greek mythology, everyone is sleeping with everyone. Almost. 

Three goddesses remain untouched by the wanted—or often unwanted—passions of men. As Jean Shinoda Bolen shares in her iconic book, Goddesses in Everywoman, these are the virgin goddesses…

Meet Artemis, Athena, and Hestia. 

Of all the Greek goddesses, these were the only ones who never married, were never overpowered, and were never humiliated by male deities or men. 

Interestingly, as Bolen notes, only these three—among gods, goddesses, and humans alike—were the only beings never susceptible to Aphrodite’s seductive power. 

Why? How could these virgin goddesses maintain their independence? Because they are each whole in and of themselves. These aren’t just the virgin goddesses—these are sovereign goddesses. 

Virginity carries many connotations in our modern vernacular—though we will still apply it to some goods such as virgin oil, it’s most often associated with sex. 

When it comes to archetypal perspectives on virginity, the definition expands. The virgin archetype is one of purity—such as the spiritual clarity and pure heart of Mother Mary. And the virgin archetype is one of originality—meaning, “in original form”.

Your original form. Before you were touched, influenced, and hurt by all that we experience in our lives. 

The virgin archetype within us is our true self—that part of us that is whole, divine, and always spiritually free and fulfilled. 

As we move through life, most of us lose touch with our true selves to varying degrees. 

We experience trauma and soul loss. We’re enculturated into the rules and norms of societal and family systems that don’t always meet the needs of our wild spirits. And we’re subtly—and not so subtly—manipulated by forces and groups that thrive when we give our power away. 

This is normal. And it’s within the awesome gifts of the virgin goddesses to help. 

The virgin goddesses can model sovereignty, freedom, and wholeness for us.

And to be clear—this doesn’t mean we aren’t in relationship! Rather, it means that we are complete within ourselves, which allows us to enter into relationship with greater clarity, healthier boundaries, and more secure attachment styles. 

Each of the Greek virgin goddesses offers us a slightly different perspective on spiritual and personal sovereignty…

And, as a note—I especially love that these goddesses show us that the following qualities are all inherently feminine. These aren’t goddesses embodying masculine qualities within feminine form. These are feminine goddesses reflecting the divine feminine back to us—leadership, wisdom, contemplation, independence, focus, and achieving goals are innately feminine traits.

Gustav Klimt's Pallas Athena

Athena

Athena (Minerva), the goddess of wisdom and crafts, helps us connect our heads and our hearts in a way that illuminates Truth with a capital T. Just a few of her gifts we can explore:

• Athena helps us see beyond the surface and uncover the deeper mysteries and knowledge available to us. 

• Able to hold both strategic, practical insights alongside creative energy that is self-generated and refined, Athena is an invaluable ally for bringing impeccable creations to life.

• As a regal goddess who thrives in culture, Athena models true leadership, leadership we can apply to our own lives as well as draw from in service of others. 

The Goddess of the Hearth - Hestia by Roy the Art

Hestia

Hestia (Vesta), the goddess of the hearth, is said to be felt within the heart of every home, turning our everyday world into a sacred space. A few of the gifts we can explore:

• Hestia’s attention to the sacredness of our homes tunes us into the sensual nature of daily living, making simple household “chores” acts of pleasure and devotion.

• The sacredness of our homes is extended to our bodies as well. Hestia reminds us that we are whole and sacred, and helps us treat our body temples with reverence and gratitude.

• Hestia’s inward focus aligns with great mysticism. In meditating with this goddess, we touch into our oneness with the divine, receive deep spiritual insights, and cultivate the stillness from all movement arises.

Athena by Thomas Dodd

Artemis

Artemis (Diana), the goddess of the moon and the hunt, brings us the gifts of rewilding. A few of her gifts to explore:

• More at home in nature’s wilds than any society, Artemis is especially skilled at helping us deprogram from cultural conditioning and remember our own wild natures. 

• A fierce defender of women, Artemis is one of the few goddesses who show no jealousy toward other women, helping us both embrace the power of sisterhood and embody independence.

• As a skilled archer and goddess of the hunt, Artemis helps us pursue what really matters without fear of competition, judgment, or failure. She knows she can accomplish whatever she sets out to achieve, and helps us do the same. 

This is truly the tip of the iceberg when it comes to these goddesses, and I’ll be sharing more in-depth explorations of their magic and medicine in future articles. 

For now though, here’s a practice to give you a taste of what working with these powerful women can offer…

Decide on which goddess you would like to connect with from the above list, and then follow the instructions below.

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Goddess Meditation for Sovereignty

1. Get into a comfortable position. Bring your awareness to the present moment. Feel your body, sense the space you’re held in, and drop anything that’s not needed at this time. Use your breath to call in awareness and let go of distraction.

2. Visualize yourself in a beautiful, protective orb of light. Affirm that only love and compassionate beings are invited and able to be with you in this practice. 

3. Use your intention to call forth the goddess you wish to connect with, making sure to specify that you wish to meet with her most compassionate form. You might like to speak her name aloud. Repeat her name as a mantra until you feel her presence. 

4. As for an attunement to this goddess. She will take the lead so simply receive. You may get images, have a knowing of what’s happening, or simply feel vibrational shifts. Some people will even get a hint of an aroma as confirmation of the goddess’s presence. 

5. When the attunement feels complete, ask the goddess, “How can I embody greater sovereignty in my daily life?”

6. Allow the answers to arise in your consciousness. Remember, spirit speaks in symbols and feelings. If you don’t feel clear on the answer right away, it’s likely that more meaning will unfold in the coming days. Stay open to synchronicities and insights related to your question. 

7. Give thanks. Offer gratitude for the goddess and blessings and wisdom she’s shared with you. 

8. Close the meditation. Affirm that the process is complete, all beings may return to where they came from, and you are free to rest. 

If you’d like to explore the gifts of the goddesses further, it’s not too late to join the Goddess Activation Series.

Each month, we meet with a different goddess to explore her gifts and receive an attunement to her energy. These are accessible 90 minute workshops and each is recorded in case you can’t make it live. 

You might also like:

• The Heliacal Rise of Sirius, the Five Sacred Epagomenal Days, and the Egyptian New Year

• Healing with the Goddess Ma'at

• The Protection of the Goddess: Evaluation of Past Life Vows

• The Venusian Mysteries: Awakening the Sacred Feminine

The Protection of the Goddess: Evaluation of Past Life Vows

(image: Diana Hunting, Guillaume Seignac)

Have you ever felt inexplicably drawn to a particular deity?

Many women today have past life connections with goddesses that greatly influence our current lives.

If, in a past life, you were part of the cult of a goddess, worshipped in her temple, or prayed and made offerings to her frequently, it's likely that your bond extends beyond one lifetime. She is most likely still here, with you, supporting and loving you in this lifetime.

There are a few goddesses that I've had lifelong connections with, and over time, it's been fascinating to uncover more dimensions of our history together.  Freya and Isis are two of my most steadfast allies, as is Diana....

Artemis to the Greeks and Diana to the Romans, this goddess reigns supreme over the hunt, wild animals, the wilderness, fertility, and the moon. An eternal virgin (which really means complete and sovereign in this context), Artemis-Diana has remained a powerful ally for many modern women today, acting as one of the primary goddess of witches and Wicca practitioners.

While I've felt connected with many goddesses over the years, I came to explore the fullness of my relationship with Diana relatively recently. (Interestingly, though I'm usually drawn to the Greek pantheon, it was always clear that my vows had been made to Diana rather than Artemis - perhaps a clue to when and where our lives together took place.)

Through a series of profound spiritual experiences, I discovered that I had been a priestess of Diana in many lives. Realizing my deep relationship with this goddess has been incredible empowering - and it has explained a lot. My natural ability to communicate with wild animals, comfort spending days alone in the wilderness, fierce protective instinct for women's sovereignty...

Under the Protection of Goddess Diana

Diana came to me full force during a shamanic initiation with a teacher who unfortunately was under the influence of her own shadow. (I didn't realize it immediately, but she was targeting me psychically and caused me real damage for many years.)

During one of our sessions together, she told me that it was time to break my past life vows with Diana. That whatever vows I made in the past were holding me back from my path in this lifetimes.

At the time, I really trusted this teacher. But my whole body screamed NO to the idea. I checked in with Diana and my other guides for perspective. They showed me that my vows to this goddesses were of love and freedom, they provided me with her protection and power but in no way held me back from anything my soul was called to do.

If I had allowed this teacher to break my vows, I would have been released from the protection of Diana. And it turned out, I really needed her protection around this teacher.

The Need to Reevaluate Past Life Vows

I do believe it's important to examine the vows we make in past lives, as not all of them are supportive. For example, had my vow included certain caveats, like remaining a virgin or rejecting wealth, I would likely suffer the consequences in this life - perhaps through relationship or financial challenges. It's always good to examine the agreements and vows we've made.

But whether to break your vows is always your decision — never let a teacher tell you what's best for you. By developing your own relationships with spirit guides in your life, and by learning to activate and trust your intuition, you will know what's best for you. This is one important element of cultivating your personal sovereignty.

Activate Your Own Connections with the Goddesses

Which goddesses do you feel a pull to? What clues to past life connections can you see? Do you sense any vows that it is now time to break? To rekindkle?

Leave a comment if so. I'd love to hear from you.

Want to deepen your connection with Diana? The Diana-Artemis Goddess Activation workshop is filled with practices and rituals and recipes and meditations and more.

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You might also like:

• Healing with the Goddess Ma'at

• Humans are losing their ****, and how body and Earth can help

• Coregulating with the Natural World

• It’s Not Depression. It’s Exhaustion. ☥ Why Creative Women Are Burning Out and the Soul-Level Need for Deep Rest

• How to Be Spiritually Sovereign: Making Magic with the Virgin Goddesses

How I Make Natural Perfumes: Art, Aroma, and Alchemy in a Bottle

Each Alchemessence™ perfume is art, aroma, and alchemy in a bottle. They contain magical essences, transmission of spirit, and masterfully composed symphonies of fragrance. 

My formal training (and lifelong practice) in perfumery, aromatherapy, energy medicine, and shamanism provides a foundation for perfumes that not only delight the senses but act as catalysts for healing and awakening. 

These perfumes are primarily dedicated to deities, animals, and plant spirits. Before I begin, I journey to the spirit of the being I’m working with for guidance—sometimes this will come in the form of specific ingredients, and other times it will be more general aroma notes. I’m highly clairolfactory (psychic through smell), so I will also smell the perfume in my journey before it exists in ordinary reality. 

My collection of over 400 different botanical essences includes essential oils, absolutes, CO2s, floral waxes, resins, and handcrafted tinctures and infused oils. Unlike many natural perfumers, I do not use any isolates or animal ingredients (with the few exceptions of burnt seashell essence, honey absolute, and beeswax) in my perfumes. 

I select ingredients for each perfume based on several factors, including… 

The Journey—what the deity specifically requested:

• Aphrodite wanted her perfume’s ingredients to come only from the place of her birth—and the birth of perfume—Cyprus

• Magpie insisted on juniper berry and jasmine (which I have since learned is a powerful and common combo in Toaist aromatherapy)

• Horse requested fresh hay or course, which I complemented with fields of lavender

Geography—essences to honor the primary location of a deity:

• Kuan Yin has notes of green tea and ginger

• Pele is honored with rare frangipani absolute

• White Buffalo Calf Woman contains true white sagebrush

Symbolism—symbolic plants and essences associated with each deity:

• Diana, also known as Artemis, contains the artemisia that is her namesake

• Freya contains true fossilized amber, her favorite stone

• Oshun is blessed with honey absolute for the honeypot she wears 

Energetic Qualities—the way an essence’s energetic properties support the gifts of the deity:

• Persephone contains cypress, which helps with transitioning between life and death, just as she so gracefully moves between Hades and Earth

• Many moon goddesses contain a touch of clary sage, which enhances women’s natural cycles

Aroma—what truly makes each blend a perfume in the purest sense:

• I carefully balance base, middle, and top notes, adding accents and fixatives so each perfume reveals surprises as it unfolds and lasts 

• I match the perfume family requested by each deity as well, be it floral, spicy, chypre, or woody, among others

All of these factors come together to create rare, alchemical botanical perfumes.

Explore the Perfumes

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Mythoanimism: An Emerging Spirituality

Every day, more people are awakening to our interconnectedness, the symbolic language of the universe and the divine, the spiritual gifts within each of us, and the importance of cultivating a strong relationship with the natural world. 

Modern mystics no longer enjoy the trappings of organized religion. And they no longer can separate their spiritual practices from the earth that sustains us.

Spiritual Movements of the 20th Century

While there have always been spiritual explorers, the twentieth century catalyzed widespread radical leaps in consciousness. Largely thanks to the consciousness work of Jung and discovery of psychedelics in the first half of the century, the decades that followed saw a mass exodus from the organized religions of the West toward Eastern spiritual practices. Teachings from the worlds of yoga and meditation expanded the spiritual awareness of countless seekers.

Parallel to the influx of Eastern wisdom in the West was the rising of earth-based practices. Pagan rites and celebrations, women’s circles with witchy leanings, the Gaia hypothesis, and ecofeminist understandings of our interconnectedness, prolifically written about by Starhawk, greatly impacted mass consciousness. 

It’s no wonder that Western shamanism also arose during the seventies and eighties, as shamanism involves trance states (such as those attained with psychedelics or meditation practices) and deep relationship with the earth (as was also cultivated by other earth-based spiritualities).

Looking back at spirituality in the West, it’s safe to say that between the 1940s and 2010s, massive shifts in spiritual awareness impacted our collective consciousness in profoundly beneficial ways.

2000-2022: A Time of Reckoning

Unfortunately, humanity had not yet transcended the need for intermediaries with the divine. While hippies may have turned their backs on priests, many still welcomed gurus with open arms. 

In the past decades, gurus have fallen. And they’ve fallen across the board—yogis, meditation teachers, spiritual guides and healers of various sorts have all had their shadows exposed. I think of the sexual assult charges of John of God and K. Pattabhi Jois. The rise and fall of Doreen Virtue. Bizarre cults like NXIVM. 

Even more recently, a growing reckoning of power dynamics and cultural appropriation has bubbled to the surface of our collective conversations, leaving many modern mystics faced with difficult questions around what elements of their spiritual practices are still welcome, and which might be inadvertently causing harm. 

Current Trends in Spirituality

Today, with both religions and alternative spiritual communities dissolving, as we live in times of collective reckoning around power dynamics and the crises facing our mother earth, a few important spiritual trends are emerging:

1. People are seeking spiritual equality and sovereignty. They want to experience spirit directly for themselves and to know that they can trust their own intuition. 

2. People care about our earth. The climate crisis is forefront in their minds, and forming meaningful connections with nature has taken on a sort of spiritual urgency. 

3. People are rebelling against old power dynamics—especially patriarchal and colonial ones. Calls to end oppression and center previously marginalized voices have become intertwined with spiritual practice.

4. People are called to connect with their ancestry and ancestors. We’re here because of the ancestors that have survived challenging times before, and there’s a growing recognition of the wisdom we might find through ancestral work. 

5. People are creating a psychedelic revival. The shutdown of psychedelic research in the seventies was clearly meant to cut us off from cultivating their own direct spiritual connections—and therefore our ability to think for ourselves. Now, we’re reclaiming our right to research and use psychedelics for healing and connection.

6. People are re-engaging with Jungian thought. More and more people are finding meaning in the transpersonal realms of archetypes, omens, symbols, mythologies, and dreams—acknowledging that the universe is always communicating with us if we’ll listen.

7. People are embracing animism. With the climate crisis more pronounced than ever, more and more people are recognizing the need to shift out of human-centric worldviews and into an appreciation of the inspirited nature of all things.

These trends are universal and important, yet until now, we have not had language that clearly encompasses all of these components.

Witch, priestess, animist, earth-medicine practitioner, akashic record reader, starseed, energy healer, and lightworker are bandied about—and all are lovely words. Still others, feeling the limitations inherent in any of this language use the term “spiritual”—which is still too broad to convey much meaning. 

In truth, there is a deep layer of vast yet cohesive spiritual wisdom and truth that connects all the spiritual qualities listed above…

This is where mythoanimism comes in. 

Mythoanimism—A Spiritual Path for These Times

Animism nods to the inspirited nature of the universe—and not only to the spirits of nature we know and love. True animist practice acknowledges that even concepts and objects can have their own vital energy.

Mythos reminds us of the poetic, non-linear, symbolic, and archetypal reality of the universe. This invites trance states, direct revelation, and ancestral wisdom into our spiritual paths. Mythos also allows space for the non-embodied dimension of spirit—deities and beings of other realms are acknowledged and brought into relationship in this non-human-centric practice.

Together, these words give us mythoanimism. Mythoanimism is contained enough to have identifying characteristics, yet broad enough that each person can walk the mythoanimist path in their own unique way. 

As a universal and emerging spirituality, mythoanimism is welcoming to people of all backgrounds, and when practiced with care and intention, frees us from the trappings of outdated power dynamics, fears around cultural appropriation, and the often overly individualist qualities of the spiritualities that have come before. 

As we embark on this new—yet in truth ancient—path before us, let’s look more closely at the qualities held within mythoanimism. 

1. Spiritual sovereignty is our birthright.

Those on the mythoanimist path are waking up to an important truth: spirit is within. And while teachers on the path are valuable guides, we must never give over our own power and knowing. 

With so many realizing their own divinity, we are experiencing a zeitgeist moment in the realm of spiritual sovereignty—the idea that we can have our own direct connection to spirit, uninhibited and uninfluenced by outside forces.

This concept has rippling effects on our lived experience: When we understand that we are divine and that we have the power of spirit within us, we realize that we must take on a new level of responsibility for our lives. We must care for our health, our communities, each other, and our great earth. 

We must love life itself as much as the great spirit that created us does. 

Spiritual sovereignty, which sounds quite individualistic, actually brings us into greater relationship with all that is. 

2. Animism is the truth of our natural world.

We must view the earth as alive. And we must understand that all beings—from birds to trees to mountains and stones—have consciousness and are inspirited. 

Our ecological crisis requires a cosmological solution.

This is a vast departure from the human-centric worldviews of the past. And, while many people are waking up to the spirits inhabiting our natural world—those found in animals and plants—mythoanimism takes this even further: All is inspirited. 

We recognize the spirit of concepts—such as hope or money—as well as the spirit of objects. If you’ve ever talked to your car in a moment of desperation, you’ve tasted the relationships that are possible here. This may prove to be an essential shift for a world in which AI plays an active role.

When we truly integrate an animistic worldview into our consciousness, everything changes. We form new relationships with the land we live on, the food we eat, and the things we consume. We also become empowered to work with the energies in our lives—around wealth, habits, dreams—in new transformative ways. 

3. We are a web of equality and oneness. And we are individuals, here and now.

Spiritual sovereignty tells us that spirit is within us, and animism tells us that spirit enlivens all things. This framework gives way to the universal understanding that we are all one at the most fundamental spiritual level. 

Where there is oneness, there is no dualism and no hierarchy. With this understanding, no longer can we unconsciously treat that which is outside ourselves as lesser than or disposable. No longer can tribalism, us vs. them, and outdated power dynamics guide our consciousness. 

Returning to regenerative living and creating circular economies become spiritual imperatives. 

And at the same time we acknowledge our oneness, we also recognize that we are having individual incarnations. We are souls, with our own energy, karma, and life experiences. Holding multiple levels of seemingly conflicting awareness is a key part of the mythoanimist path.

4. The universe communicates with symbolic language and archetypes.

As mentioned earlier, Jungian psychology is undergoing something of a revival right now. Jung understood that we are all connected on subconscious levels. Interestingly, when Stanislov Groff did his LSD studies, he also found that not only did various layers of consciousness exist, but another layer not previously understood (in the West at least) revealed itself: the transpersonal.

Groff found that while in a trance state, people could experience universal symbols and archetypes—even connecting with beings and deities from cultures with which they had no previous connection or knowledge. There truly is a universal, symbolic language that we can tap into.

The universe is far more vast and interconnected than we could ever imagine—yet we’re not left in the dark. Our dreams contain important insights and revelations beyond our personal processing. Omens, often in the form of nature’s messengers, are waiting for our attention. Mythology from cultures around the world contains universal archetypes and clues for understanding our human experiences, here and now. 

5. The true nature of reality is far more layered than our consensus reality. 

Mythoanism pulls us out of our limited understanding of consensus 3D reality into an undefined and more expansive understanding of the true nature of reality. While you’ll find some new age teachers referring to this as “5D”, I personally find even that term too limiting. 

Many layers of reality exist beyond what we can validate with our five senses. Energetic blueprints and systems underlie our physical bodies. Various disembodied beings—from deities and angels to the recently deceased and fae—exist alongside us, just on the other side of our veils of perception.

This understanding opens us to possibilities that might otherwise seem like magical thinking or miracles. We know that healing happens on energetic and spiritual levels in addition to physical, emotional, and mental ones—and we can engage in a wide variety of practices and techniques to work in partnership with the other realms and their inhabitants. 

As we recognize that the “rules” we’ve been taught might not be set in stone, we can welcome energy, healing, and creation into our lives through radical new pathways. 

We can also learn to communicate with the various beings who reside in slightly different dimensions from us, opening us to new empowering relationships with real impacts on our 3D existence. 

This is also where altering our consciousness, or entering trans states, becomes important, as doing so can help us navigate the other dimensions of reality. While this can happen with psychedelics, there are many pathways available—breathwork, meditation, yoga nidra, music, and more.

A Shamanic Guide to Illness & Health

Explore the five main causes of illness from a shamanic perspective―and how to heal them.

In this free workshop, you'll discover:
​

• The 5 types of spiritual illness we all encounter
• How to know if you're experiencing spiritual illness
• The surprising ways addressing spiritual illness can impact your life
• A practice to strengthen your energy field right now

TAKE A POWERFUL STEP TOWARD THE LIFE YOU'RE HERE TO LIVE.

Enter your email to access this 65-minute workshop today!

Send me the workshop!

6. Our ancestors are allies—and so are our descendents. (And our ancestry is more complicated than many people realize.) 

Throughout the world and throughout history, ancestors—the well and good ones, at least—have been our primary allies. This is because of the deep care and trust built into these relationships. 

As we navigate the many dimensions of reality, not all beings we encounter are trustworthy or benevolent. Our ancestors, however, always have our backs, and we can check in with them when meeting someone—or something—new. 

Our ancestors have unique abilities to help us in challenging times. They knew how to survive, and they can help us do the same. Remembering ancestral skills, rituals, and ways to care for our bodies, homes, and families nourishes us on many levels.

As we engage with ancestral practices, it’s important to remember that our ancestry is much more vast than our current known DNA lines. Yes, our blood lineage is often a primary influence on our current life—but it’s not the whole story. Spirit is far too expansive to play by any set of rules we humans might like to make up… 

Which also brings us to our descendants. In kairos time, we are not tied to what we view as the past—it’s likely all our lives are happening simultaneously, and we can connect with our descendents just as we connect with our ancestors. 

When you think of a descendant a powerful exercise is to see if you can imagine how many different bloodlines from throughout an ever more connected world converge into that one magical being. 

As a note—you do not need to know your bloodline or have your own offspring to work with ancestral and descendent energies. There’s no way for our human minds to trace all the blood connections we form throughout time, and there are universal ancestors and descendents who are also here to offer us guidance and support. 

7. We are children of the earth and the cosmos. 

At the heart of mythoanimist practice lies a foundational relationship of reciprocity with the Earth. We have an unshakable knowing that we are born of the earth (and the stars) and we are also caretakers of the Earth and all her inhabitants. 

A deep love and reverence of the earth is perhaps the most central quality for all mythoanimist practice. This love might manifest indifferent ways for different folks—some may engage directly with the earth through with rewilding practices, herbal medicine, permaculture, and other such practices. Others may simply feel the presence of earth wherever they are, honoring her through ceremony and ritual, the arts, or advocacy. 

Regardless of the particular way one engages with the earth, cultivating an ever-deepening relationship with her is of primary importance for all who walk this path—this is one of the key factors that sets mythoanimism apart from other spiritual paths. 

While our deep relationship with the earth keeps us grounded, mythoanimism also invites us to expand our awareness into the cosmos. The stars, starbeings, and great mysteries of the skies are just as much a part of our consciousness as our lives here on earth. Just as we cross beyond the boundaries of human-centered cosmology, we invite ourselves to step into unknown territory beyond the world we know.

Being of Service in the Aquarian Age

By now you probably realize that mythoanimism offers us a beautiful individual path to connect with the earth, the cosmos, and spirit. Yet what’s also important to remember is that this path brings us into service, in whatever way aligns with our souls.

Perhaps this is why mythoanimism and all the trends that lead up to this path are emerging now, more strongly than ever. We are just entering the Age of Aquarius—a time of radical shifts in consciousness, more humanitarian and collectively focused service, and innovation that supports healing and equality. 

“Mythoanimism offers us a beautiful individual path to connect with the earth, the cosmos, and spirit.”

— Juniper Stokes

Cultivating an internal spirituality rooted in mythoanimist principles gives us a profound foundation for showing up in the world. We heal ourselves, illuminate our unique gifts, and find clarity in our personal soul-led paths. 

Does this resonate? Are you part of the growing number of mythoanimists who will change our world? Drop me a comment and let me know. 

(And consider joining Rewilding the Spirit—a transformative course rooted in mythoanimist principles.) 

An important request: Would you like to use the term mythoanimism in your own work or practice? I would love to see this term become widely used.

Since is this the first published work (other than my website content) to use and introduce this term to our collective, I would be deeply grateful if you would please reference me as originating this term.

I asked, prayed, meditated, brainstormed, journeyed, and opened myself to spirit again and again before this word arose in my consciousness. Thank you!!!

Mythoanimism—A Spiritual Path for These Times

Animism nods to the inspirited nature of the universe—and not only to the spirits of nature we know and love. True animist practice acknowledges that even concepts and objects can have their own vital energy.

Mythos reminds us of the poetic, non-linear, symbolic, and archetypal reality of the universe. This invites trance states, direct revelation, and ancestral wisdom into our spiritual paths. Mythos also allows space for the non-embodied dimension of spirit—deities and beings of other realms are acknowledged and brought into relationship in this non-human-centric practice.

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You might also like:

• Lion’s Gate Portal 8/8: Ancient Origins, Portal Openers, and the Key to Manifestation

• Coregulating with the Natural World

• 5 Steps for Communicating with The Spirits of Nature

• A Complete Guide to Magical & Ritual Anointing Oils

What Happens When You Watch A Sunrise?

I recently taught A Shamanic Guide to Illness & Health. I absolutely loved meeting everyone who came! What a treat it is to gather in community with others who are also open to the more than human world, even if via Zoom :)

During the class, I shared my personal breakdown of the five main causes of spiritual illness, and in my view, one of these causes is disconnection from the natural world. We can restore this connection in part by more consciously syncing our lifestyles with the rhythms of nature. 

One of my favorite ways to tune into nature’s rhythms is to watch the sunrise or sunset each day—or ideally both! The benefits of this practice are many…

• Researchers have found that the wavelengths at sunrise and sunset have the biggest impact on the brain centers that regulate our circadian rhythms, as well as our mood and alertness.

• The colors of sunlight at rise and set are especially helpful for activating the pineal gland—a portal to divine wisdom.

• Being intentional about watching the rise and set of the sun brings about mindful awareness, helping you find peace and presence as you begin and end your days

• On deep, subconscious levels, witnessing the sun’s cycles restores faith that all will be okay. Though we enter darkness, light comes again. Though the light feeds us in many ways, we crave the rest of dark. And so it continues.

• Pausing in our busy lives to enjoy nature’s natural beauty is the ultimate form of sacred self care, a rebellion against the hustle culture that binds us, and a celebration of the feminine energy seeking restoration in our cosmic consciousness. 

This time of year, when days are shorter, it’s a bit easier to witness both the rise and set of the sun. Though I prefer this as a daily practice, even if you can only squeeze in a couple times a week you’ll receive benefits. 

What can you do to create your own ritual around the great solar blessings of our sun?

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You might also like:

• 6 Ways to Celebrate the Autumn Equinox

• The Heliacal Rise of Sirius, the Five Sacred Epagomenal Days, and the Egyptian New Year

• 8 Benefits of Partnering with the Spirits of Nature

• 5 Steps for Communicating with The Spirits of Nature

• 3 Creative Ways to Celebrate Summer Solstice

A Shamanic Guide to Illness & Health

Explore the five main causes of illness from a shamanic perspective―and how to heal them.

In this free workshop, you'll discover:
​

• The 5 types of spiritual illness we all encounter
• How to know if you're experiencing spiritual illness
• The surprising ways addressing spiritual illness can impact your life
• A practice to strengthen your energy field right now

TAKE A POWERFUL STEP TOWARD THE LIFE YOU'RE HERE TO LIVE.

Enter your email to access this 65-minute workshop today!

Send me the workshop!