The place I live now has a history of burning. People who were not here during the fire wake anyway, at night, to the ghostly smell of flames. These are not the memories of those who live here. They are the memories of the house itself. The city where I live now has a sentience […]
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I’ve been thinking about Vulnerability, lately. I know it’s a triggering word, for some. That it has connotations of submission, even victimhood. A state of being unprotected. Targeted for abuse. Some people use that word most often in reference to “vulnerable populations,” groups that are actually in need of our protection. Their vulnerability is problematic. […]
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As I sit down to write this blog post, I’ve just returned from celebrating Mardi Gras in my relatively new hometown of New Orleans. I still have about half of my body paint on. I’ll be months getting rid of all the glitter. I had the most joyful day, today. And I want to tell […]
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Writers have a blind spot. We depend too much on words. Memory: I am standing with my back to the front door. I am standing between the person I am in love with, and the way out. The person I am in love with wants out. I am convinced that, if I can just find the […]
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Sometimes, comfort isn’t comforting. Sometimes, I can’t hear you when you tell me everything will be all right. Sometimes, when you offer comfort, I feel unseen. Unseen in my rage, despair, grief. Or that you want me to pretend that my rage, despair, grief, are like good-but-grumpy cats that can be distracted with a saucer […]
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I am moving, from one house to another. Something I did very frequently as a child and young adult, then about every five years in my 30’s and 40’s. Every time I say I’m never doing this again. Making that promise to myself, a promise I know I will not keep, has become a ritual. […]
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I’m moving, again. And so I’m thinking about bardo states. Bardo is a Tibetan word that literally translates as the interval between two things. It is traditionally associated with the space between death and rebirth. While most people agree that moving (what my Brit friends call “moving house” or, sometimes, “moving home”) is stressful, I’m not trying […]
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This is an invitation. Some of the members of the Expanding Inward community – new and old – came together a few weeks ago and we did some of the most potent magic there is. We shared. Our support. Our respect. Our time. Our energy. Our ideas. Our knowledge. We looked at old patterns and […]
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The witch has been created by the land to act for it. – Peter Grey/Rewilding Witchcraft Ten years ago, on sacred land, in space made sacred by intention and community, I made a promise. To myself. To those assembled. To the gods. To My Lady. Promises like that don’t get made, […]
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“The veil is thin,” I tell Her and She laughs and laughs. “A veil is always thin,” She tells me. “Words matter. A veil is thin by design. Notice you don’t say curtain.” “And even veil – that word – is a kindness,” She goes on. “Kinder than, more substantial than breath. Which is the true […]
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