Celebrating halfway to Spring, and the Day of Bridget!
Well, here we are…8 days after Imbolc, and I am finally uploading my cover photo for the Sabbat. Typical! And how is your Winter Season holding up? We’re halfway through it!
As always, Imbolc is a very special Sabbat for me. It was my name that lead me to read up on this particular Sabbat, which lead me to realize that all the organic thoughts I’d had about spirituality aligned so very closely with modern paganism and modern witchcraft.
This year, I channeled the healing spirit of Brigid to help during a health emergency a stranger was going through at a restaurant I was having dinner at with my mother. I stayed on the line with 9-1-1 and helped the father and son with taking care of the mother until the ambulance came.
I do not know what it is, but somehow during an emergency I get a calmness-rush. Things for me get very steady, clear, slow, deliberate, and decisiove, and I manage everything within me and around me until the situation is under control.
Then I crash and I’m all kinds of freaked out and buzzed after the fact, but that’s a different story.
In this year’s Imbolc graphic, I’ve included the Sun & Moon at the center, a corn doll, a cross of St Brigid, a candle, a crocus, a bonfire, and sunbeams.
Stay warm with the rest of the season, Northern Hemisphere friends.
Dang but things SUCK right now. I know. And I keep seeing this question: what can we do?
Take Good Care of Yourself!
First, take a deep breath. Drink water. Moisturize. Eat a good snack. Keep doing the things that bring you joy. For instance, I love the art of dressing. Putting together a cute outfit is one of my favorite hobbies. But ever since 2017, when I really stepped up my political advocacy, organizing and volunteering, I didn’t dedicate as much time to that. No more! Me and my ridiculous amount of dresses are going to look AMAZING as we combat all this bullshit.
After that foundational “self-love,” here’s what I have been gathering from other resources and my own thinking of what to do to make things better:
Start local, start small, and don’t do what they tell you
Today at work, I changed the font size to enlarge the part of my email signature that denotes my pronouns. I made the colors in light blue, grey, and pink to represent trans pride flag. I discussed with my library staff co-worker how we are going to double or triple down on our thematic displays and decorations that honor diversity, equity and inclusion. Even more Black History Month decorations, posters, displays. That kind of thing.
Once I was alone in the office, I also blasted “Killing in the Name of” and danced like mad to it. Cartharsis!
Stay local for politics, too
Whoever is an elected official or high level government official in your local or state government that is doing good things and fighting the good fight, do all that you can to support and promote them. Donate, volunteer, share their initiatives. The Massachusetts Secretary of Education made inspiring comments to the presidents of the state collges and our college president shared them with us. These are the fortifying things we need to keep in our minds, hearts, and spirits.
Courage to change things
I keep thinking of the serenity prayer, even though I am not a Christian. So you can make it secular: “grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.” Or you can speak to the spirit that you do believe in for the start of the prayer. “Dear Brigid, Triple Goddess of the beginning, the middle, the end, and renewal, grant me… etc etc.” The point is, you can’t affect these stupid executive orders and terrible appointed federal officials. So don’t dwell on that news. Keep your intake to one half hour of one trusted news source a day, max. Keep focusing on local news, too, since that’s where we all have the most impact. Discern what you CAN do. Then act on what you can.
Take action now: you don’t have to wait for anyone else
I am also thinking about the final episode of Rachel Maddow’s podcast “Ultra” where she discusses how it was that the extremism of the 1930s and 40s, that was on the rise globally and in the United States, was ultimately defeated. It was not one thing, or one person, or one movement, or one approach. It was people using all the tools in their tool belts to do what they could to defeat extremism. They didn’t wait to see what other people were doing. They just took action, and worked hard, and made cracks in the facade of extremism and fascism and Nazism and eventually the foundation gave way. That’s what we have to do.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are AMERICAN VALUES
Say what we mean, and call them out when they don’t say what they mean. We keep letting them say “DEI” instead of “diversity, equity and inclusion.” The person in presidential office is CONDEMNING , stopping, reversing advances in the AMERICAN VALUES of DIVERSITY, EQUITY and INCLUSION.
Or they’re falsely saying their anti trans initiatives are “protecting children” when it is doing nothing of the sort — in fact, it is harming trans and all LGBTQIA+ children and their families and friends, which is the opposite of protecting children.
Call people out on their bullshit, and use the language YOU want, not their rhetorical rigamarole.
I’ve been a die-hard Democract since 2002 (after a brief period from 1998-2001 of being a Green Party member). Since 2017, I’ve done A LOT of things for local and national candidates for office. I’m really burnt out on the Democratic Party right now, though. So, until the DNC et al on a national level can get their collective heads out their collective tushies, I plan to do any advocacy/ organizing/ activist work on an issue-based level, instead of doing so for a particular Congressional or Presidential candidate. State and local politics is a bit different, since you really can make an impact at that level (as I noted above.) But even in this case, I’m still focusing on issues more than state politics: ranked choice voting, changes to how the state legislature works, homelessness, abortion rights, etc etc.
Move along, together
It sucks right now, and it’s scary. But 1/3 of us actively voted against this. 1/3 of us didn’t participate because of a myriad of reasons that we can maybe change in coming election cycle and get those non-participants motivated again, or for the first time. 1/3 of the voting population voted for this but even then, not all of them wanted THIS. They (IMO, ignorantly and/or foolishly) believed the populist economic message and thought they would be seeing a better economy be the focus of this Admonistration. The rest, so less than a 1/3 of the voting population, wanted this. And this is who we will work to defeat in big and small ways as we move along this period of history together. (Yes, I just took lyrics from the Muppets “Moving Right Along” to end this; I’m listening to the song is why! Ha.)
I hope this advice has helped you. There is a lot of good advice out there, right now. Swear, scream, get angry, for sure. Then take care of yourself. Then work on what you can to make things better. That’s what I’m doing.
Where will you be dwelling in the new Robber Baron “Broligarchy” Era?
So far, I’ve disabled my political Twitter account; deleted my TikTok account; and deleted the Facebook app off of my devices. That is the start.
Between the weird and false claim from Zuckerberg that Facebook needs more masculine energy (literally NOTHING needs more masculine energy, tbh), and Musk’s cesspool that was once Twitter, I am at the end of my interest in those two major platforms. I’m also annoyed that Instagram is ruled by Reels. I miss the static photos of the 2010s. I haven’t been a regular poster on Instagram in a while as a result.
So, what to do to stay connected to the people, groups, and large communities of interested with whom I’ve connected via social media since its inception? I’m not sure quite yet, but I’ve started on some things.
Not Using Social Media at All
What a concept. But I’m trying to just pull way back from digital living in general. Give me books, diary writing, embroidery, junk journaling, board games, playing cards, dancing, walking, cooking, tea making, etc etc. My gardening plans have been on hiatus since I moved to Woonsocket. My wardrobe is in desperate need of organizing. I have so many craft projects I want to do with my mom. I’m ready for a more analog existence. And if I want to get in touch with people, I’ll use medium-old/new ways, like text, email, phone.
One of the other reasons I’m just not feeling social media these days is that so much of it is getting invaded by AI, and so much of what’s generated by AI is pure slop.
Focusing on Email, Blogs, and Newsletter Subscriptions
This, for me, is the best way to curate my digital intake. If I take the time to subscribe to a newsletter, then I obviously want to read what the person has to say. I don’t need an Al Gore Rhythm to show me what interests me. I have my own discernment for that. And so I am planning to focus on that method of digital consumption more than social media.
What Social Media I Still Use…for Now
I’m not completely off social media. I’m not even totally off all the social media I don’t like at all. The apps are deleted; thus I can only view on a browser. I realize their usefulness in limited, curated capacities. I see the wisdom in staying on platforms where I’ve been able to connect with like-minded people since the start of the social media era.
I’m an early adopter. I was instant messaging on AOL in 1995. I have been on Facebook since the days when you needed a “.edu” email address to sign up. I used to operate eight different Twitter accounts. So, I’m not leaving in a “you kids and your new fangled technology” kind of way.
I’m doing it in a “this is kinda boring and often detrimental, if not just unhelpful” kind of way.
Additionally, for the apps I still use, they’re all in a folder on my phone. That folder is on the last window of four windows. The most tempting but least helpful of social media apps are buried even further within that folder, on the 4th window of that. That way, I really have to think about whether I want to go on there, whereever “there” may be.
Those caveats out of the way, here’s my list of social media that I am still on:
Pinterest
I love the heck out of Pinterest, still. I find so much good stuff there. There isn’t a lot of interaction on posts, but perhaps that’s why I like it. It is currently my favorite social media platform.
Tumblr
Ye olden internette of Tumblr has a little resurgence once Twitter started going down the tube. I think I want to explore there some more.
Reddit
It’s clunky, but simple and I find good stuff there, too.
Bluesky
One big thing I’m trying not to do this time around with the Frump Admonistration back in office is to skip tuning in to news that does not help me in anyway. I cannot affect the cabinet picks, the executive orders, the pardons of criminal traitors. So, I’m trying to avoid the lefty media I used to follow so incessantly.
I don’t follow them on BlueSky. Instead, I have created a list. I’ll tune into the list if I hear stuff from my “Normie Friends” (people who don’t follow politics incessantly) that they’re concerned about, to get the input from trusted progressive media, politicians, and activists.
It’s hard to break a habit of almost a decade, tuning in to the posts of popular progressive political figures. I revert back to it out of habit when I’m just futzing around on my phone. I’m getting better, though!
Signal
The writer Mo Ryan suggests this app for DMs. She says don’t use any other platform’s DMs or your text to discuss anything sensitive. So I signed up for signal. I don’t use it for anything, yet.
Discord
It is structurally like Reddit, in that it’s message-board based. I don’t love it, but I see its benefits, and i am on there for politcs and literary stuff.
Patreon
I support artists there. Two visual artists: one who makes self-care tools, and another who make gorgeous fantasy-inspired anime-like drawings of plus size imaginative figures. I also support a music teacher, Jeff Rolka, who has a series of vocal warm up videos that I use often.
Good Reads is not ideal but I use it anyway because tht Bezos has me with his Audible and Kindle Unlimited. He’s the broligarch to whom I’m most beholden, with my Fire TV, subscription groceries on Prime, and habit of trolling for excellent fashion deals on the Prime App on a Friday night, instead of going out to bars like I did in my 20s and 30s.
I also still have a Library Thing account, and I’ll always love that corner of the internet, even if I don’t frequent it as much as I did in the mid 2000s.
And I have joined Book Bub, since an author I like is on there. But I haven’t done much there, yet.
The Rule of One
The other thing that I am doing to help keep my head is to stick to the Rule of One for consuming news.
One thing I have loved about social media is learning more about modern paganism and modern witchcraft. The thing is, though, so much of what I give a “like” to are wonderful little memes on how to observe a coming Sabbat or Esbat by doing all these wonderful practices, like lighting candles, saying spells, making jars, performing a ritual, meditating, etc. That’s what we all need to do more of. Once we read that lovely post of things to do on the upcoming Full Moon, we need to put the phone down and get to it!
When I saw that the “‘Witches for Kamala’ lawn flag post” in Cat Ladies for Kamala Harris had hundreds of comments and thousands of likes, I thought, “oh my goodness: THESE ARE MY PEOPLE!”
So I created this group. It is some excellent Election full moon manifesting, I’d say!
I’d love for this group to be a resource during the rest of the election season and beyond. Invite your friends and connections who are interested. The more, the merrier!
I’m so exited to see what comes from this group. It is the intersection of two of my biggest passions: my witchy spiritual practice and my progressive political beliefs.
I can’t wait to connect with like-minded individuals!
From the About Section of the Facebook Group “Witches for Progessive Politics”
Because Salem 1692 will look tame if Project 2025 is implemented.
Calling all witches who support Kamala Harris! Let’s come together and manifest positive change and personal freedom–especially, in our case, spiritual freedom.
Member Request Questions
Here are the Membership Questions that I just created. Please make sure your answer is “yes” to these to ensure you’re a good fit for this group:
Are you a witch, pagan, or similar -or- an ally to the witch community at large?
Are you voting for Kamala Harris for President in 2024 (or support her if you are not an eligible US voter)?
Do you agree to the group rules?
Group Rules
Support for Harris & other Dems in 2024: The creation of this group was inspired by a post about the “Witches for Kamala” lawn flag as seen in this group’s cover photo, which was posted in the group “Cat Ladies for Kamala.” The focus of this group until the 2024 election will be to support Democrats, especially Kamala Harris for President. If you do not support Harris and other up-ticket Dems (US Senate, Congress, Governor), you should not join this group. After the 2024 Election, we can discuss 3rd party candidates.
Witches and Witchy Allies Are Welcome: If you identify as a Witch, Pagan, or anything along those lines, you are welcome to join this group. If you are an ally to people who identify as witches or similar, you are also welcome to join.
In addition to the standard rules of “no promotion or spam,” “respect everyone’s privacy,” “be kind and courteous,” and “no hate speech or bullying”
I made an Election Altar with various crystals for the “Happy Warrior”
This is my 2024 Election Altar. In addition to this manifesting and meditating, I am also supporting candidates by donating and volunteering for their campaigns. It’s not one or the other. It’s both/and!
The candle wax is from some candle meditation I did in the early afternoon on July 21, because I’d heard rumors that Biden would be dropping out. After the candle was gone, I went online and saw the tweet from the President that he was no longer in the race and had endorsed Harris. I couldn’t believe it had happened while I was doing that candle meditation. Wild!
The plate is special, too. It belonged to my dear Great Aunt Betty. Were she alive today, she would be so thrilled about the chance to support such an amazing, intelligent, powerful woman for President.
Prints
The mailers and bumper sticker are for candidates I support in the 2024 election.
The Witches
The witch dolls are Camilla and Evangeline (hahaha, but seriously, those are their names). I got them from the CVS Halloween clearance last year, for $5 each. No, I do not ever chat with them like they’re real. What are you talking about? (Of course, I do.) BTW they are cousins and they love Kamala. They have offered to help the Harris Walz Campaign with some of their magick. (Goodness, I am a NERD! Har har har).
I bought them on August 18, the anniversary day of the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which stated that women shall not be denied the right to vote on the basis of sex, so they’re extra charged based on date and location of purchase!
Protection Crystals
Yellow Obsidian: to draw out mental stress, block psychic attacks, and help keep balance
Purple Obsidian: trust gut feelings (as in, avoid sounding too politician-y!)
Strawberry Obsidian: protection from negative energy
Smoky Quartz: ease anxiety
Energizing Crystals
Green Aventurine: to ease mental and emotional trauma, dissolving negative thought and bringing calm (a combatant against MAGAism)
Red Aventurine: for creativity, vitality, and good luck
Labradorite: a stone for great magic and transformation
The Backdrop
The backdrop is a scarf with the climactic scene of Pride and Prejudice printed on it, when Darcy proposes to Elizabeth again, and she accepts. I’m praying, hoping, donating, and volunteering to help bring about a happy ending to this election.
Please to all the deities out there, listen to our petitions and grant us this Great Magic and Transformation we seek.
PS It is my Gramma Eileen’s NINETY-FIFTH birthday today. She was born in Salem. She loathes Grumpypants and loves Kamala.
On Sunday, October 20 at 2pm ET, we will meet via WebEx for our Fall 2024 Boston Austen Book Club Meeting, to discuss Claudia Gray’s novel “The Murder of Mr. Wickham.”
Webex Info
Meeting link https://massbay.webex.com/meet/bmadden2
Meeting number 797 422 901
Video address bmadden2@massbay.webex.com
Audio connection United States Toll +1-415-655-0003
Access code 797 422 901
About this Fall’s title:
A perfect whodunit for Halloween Season!
The children of the Darcys and the Tilneys are at a house party thrown by Emma and Mr Knightley. Wickham is an unwanted guest who gets himself offed. Young Darcy and Young Miss Tilney help solve the crime.
Happy Fall to Everyone in the Northern Hemisphere and Happy Spring to Everyone in the Southern Hemisphere!
Happy Mabon to all who celebrate! Happy Autumnal Equinox to people of the Northern Hemisphere! (Happy Spring to the Southern Hemisphere people!)
We read fall poems and sang fall songs atĀ Bell Street ChapelĀ to mark the occasion. I have joined the choir, plus I suggested a couple of the poems to read, so I ended up getting up 6 times during the service. Busy, but very fun!
Then MumBetty & I got crepes and tea fromĀ SchasteĆ¢. I tried a new-to-me delicious Pu-erh Tuo Cha Tea, and the Eggs and Tapenade Savory Crepe. Delicious!
Next theĀ Boston Austen Book ClubĀ had our Summer meeting (one day after summer). As noted, it was an “easy one,” where we just discussed screen adaptations of Austen. I still haven’t watched Fire Island. I have to get on that! Next month for the Fall 2024 meeting, we’re discussing a murder mystery, just in time for spooky season, with Halloween and Samhain coming up. The titled is “The Murder of Mr. Wickham” by Claudia Gray. I’ll have an event page up soon!
And finally Betty and I watched football, and I helped her with her chores. I bribed Baby with a bunch of Greenies and peanut butter, and was able to do a dry shampoo, tail hair clipping, dingleberry removal (gag), and a thorough eye gunk wiping (also gag but not as bad).
Additionally I made a seasonal playlist of fall-ish feelingĀ Tori AmosĀ songs. You can find the playlist on my YouTube Channel, and the playlist is called “A mos, Tori for Fall.”
(YouTube Music only sorts alphabetically or by recently saved and you can’t choose the letter you want to go to from the list, you just have to scroll. Since I listen to Tori so much, I manipulated the listing for her so it would appear at the top by using her last name with a space after it. Silly but it works!)
And I mixed some of my body oils to create two new, lush scents for Fall: Vetiver, lavender, and patchouli for one; and rose, patchouli, and amber for the other.
And you bet I am well stocked on Pumpkin Spice flavored things for my coffee, because I am a Pumpkin Spice kinda witch. Heh heh heh.
I also made these graphics on time-ish, for a change!
Join us for the Summer 2024 Boston Austen Book Club Meeting! We will meet to discuss Austen Screen Adaptations, on Sunday, September 22 at 2pm ET via Webex.
This oneās easy-peasy! Weāre just going to discuss the screen adaptations of Austen. What do you love? Loathe? What do you recommend? Come discuss the pantheon of Austen screen adaptations with the club! Old, new, in-between, modern takes, YouTube serials, movies, mini-series — everything is fair game for this open-ended discussion.
The Webex address will be shared shortly before the meeting begins here in the event description, in the Facebook event page info, and on the event webpage at . (Please RSVP at the Facebook Event page or by emailing me, so that I can match your Webex name to the RSVP.)
Reproductive Rights, Abortion Access, and the Presidential Election of 2024
Reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy is an essential part of my spiritual practice as a modern pagan witch. Reproductive freedom is also an essential right as asserted in Unitarian Universalism. Other religions and spiritual practices also stress this right.
Why some people’s religions get more say than others on this matter in our current laws, especially since the overturning of Roe v Wade, is a matter of, well, the fkn’ patriarchy.
Kamala Harris for President
The choice this election is clear: one side may be flawed and may have much room to improve. That is a given with any circumstance. The Democratic Party is not perfect. Kamala Harris is not perfect. But, as Obama has been known to say, “don’t let the perfect get in the way of the good.”
Because, much more significantly, the other party and the other candidate are an existential threat to freedom, including reproductive AND spiritual freedom. (More on spiritual freedom in another post, if I can get the time. But I must say, based on Project 2025, you know if *they* get their way, Salem 1692 will look tame compared to the persecution of people who don’t conform to a specific kind of extremist religious practice they hope to inflict.)
My activism for women and femme’s equality and equity is a core part of my spiritual practice. For this reason, and many more, I support the Harris-Walz campaign, and all Democrats who fight for reproductive freedom, for the 2024 election.
Happy Lughnasadh! I am celebrating by taking a trip with my Witches of Weymouth to Salem at the end of the month.
I’m also working on my “Liberty Spell” from now until about 5 days after Samhain AKA doing what I can to volunteer time for the Harris / Walz campaign.
If you’re interested in supporting the Kamala Harris Kamala HQ campaign, here’s some helpful links!
