This has long been a traditional time of gathering and celebration, though the energies of the year thus far have brought us to a very unusual and unknown place. Many of us are feeling uncomfortable, confused, or angry. We're holding grief for ourselves, and for others - possibly more than we ever have before. Some of us are also perhaps working far too hard to hold their inner knowing at bay and likely losing the battle since truth will always prevail.

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This card marks a difficult yet inevitable ending - as well as fresh starts, birthed by hard and painful labor. It’s a card of broken contracts, treaties, communities and trust. It’s also a card of release. Now that you know the truth and have seen what cannot be unseen, you can free-fall into acceptance of reality and step towards a fresh path of purpose and intention.

A friend is someone who accepts you, supports you, and calls you on your shit because they know you can do better and are better. It’s a journey, not a race. This is what the new moon in Gemini says, with a smile and a friendly slap on the back. Let this be heard, felt, and practiced.

Includes bonus mini-cast for Coven members

Questions of identity and purpose may begin to creep up as we continue this collective journey inwards. Who am I? What am I? We are creatures of community. Extended isolation can invoke questions with challenging or foggy insight. However, there is magical opportunity here to safely look within, take time with ourselves, and wander deeper than we ordinarily may have the capacity for.

Includes bonus spell work for Coven members

I had the pleasure of exploring the relationship between taste and magic with New Orleans witch and ice cream maker Ryan Kurr of Arcana Creamery. I asked him to describe his thoughts on the relationships between flavor - particularly sour and sweet. There is a divine balance between the two, and Ryan explains what it means both creatively, and magically.

Includes recipes for Coven members

There is discomfort in discovery, followed by understanding and release. Surrender to it. Allow yourself to be effected from skin to soul by the medicine of the scorpions sting. This is a time of deep epiphany. Ah-ha moments may come on strong, causing spikes in our responses. Keep yourself in check, and listen to your feelings. This is a great opportunity to mend, and make amends. The key to this moment is self-witnessing through compassion.

Includes Full Moon spellwork through the Coven

For those of you who don't know much about mushrooms past the common gray button slices found on your pizza, I can tell you right now that there is a world - a real world - hiding in plain sight quite literally all around you. PNW-based mycologist Peter McCoy is here to tell you all about it.

The energy of Beltane and the tradition of honoring springtime is personal. Adjusting from a community to solitude this year can be hard for so many, but I encourage you to see this as a chance to delve deeper into your personal magic. This is a time of celebration that can be tapped during any moment. Honor and celebrate the new spring season in all of its magic and splendor.⁣

Dandelions are magic. They pop up, year after year, exactly when we need them. As bitter herbs, they’re naturally great liver and kidney cleaners- organs which can often become stagnant or gunked up after the winter season. Here are some ways in which we can become more aware of dandelion, honor its presence, and utilize it respectfully.

Full Moon in Libra - April 7th

Balancing the scales of giving and receiving is the message of the moment. Libra comes with this very poignant message: if you feel deep down that your giving/receiving scales are off balance, begin to adjust your approach.

Written by Shaimaa El-Sabbagh, activist who was shot dead at a rally in Tahrir Square.

Poem translated by Maged Zaher.

In the last few weeks, things have changed dramatically, and rapidly. Between navigating what’s right and what’s available, we’re all having to adjust to a new reality as well as keep aware of our emotional state. This is an awful lot to juggle, and can easily overwhelm. I’ve taken on some habits in order to better adjust, maintain inner calm for myself and others, honor my body and emotions, and improve my relationship to the moment at hand.

This is a good time to break the rules. Play with your food. Splash in the bath. Say yes to the mess. Keeping our creative sensibilities afloat will help adults and children alike, as so many of us find ourselves physically distant from friends, school, work, and our sources of creativity and play. We’ll have to embark on new ways to incorporate these important parts of our lives, and perhaps improve upon them, together.

I often find that the medicines we need grow where and when they are most needed. Living in the Pacific Northwest, I find myself surrounded by rosemary. My neighborhood is now speckled with the friendly pop of purple flowers decorating each spike. I feel at home with rosemary; it’s a very sweet and accepting plant. It does well in dry and unruly soil, easily agreeing to find peace where it’s planted.

Life breeds life. I found this truth today as I uprooted old crop and weeds from our little vegetable bed, inspiring my spirit to reroot. I used my hands and arms to churn the soil, enjoying the sensation of a cold bed coming back to life. Or at least being prepared to.

The handcraft of tattooing connects the people of Tamazgha to countless communities and tribes of indigenous people around the world who use tattooing as a form of expression, identity, protection and healing. Traditions of indigenous groups face the growth of globalization and modernization, which has in turn led to the disappearance of many indigenous tribes and practices. This goes for Morocco and North Africa, as well.

I remember a college professor of mine once saying, "the minute you set the intention, you've already begun to change." There's only so much I can viably share in writing. A lot of it belongs to me, and me only. At least for now. But what I can say is that I have changed. The person who I was and who is and who will be, she is all the same being. But this phase is different than ever before. I've seen myself blossom, but not for a long time. And certainly not like this.

For most of us, we've been taught that it's normal to experience a waning for the desire to grow. Our roots of curiosity become blunted and forced into the confines of an organized system. And that's very acceptable. Our soul is given a kind of cubicle. As time is stolen away, our thoughts and actions become crowded until we only have space for survival. But what about thriving? Especially so that future generations may thrive as well? ⁣⁣

‘Why did you leave me to die?’
Asks the wild god and you say:
‘I was busy surviving.
The shops were all closed;
I didn’t know how. I’m sorry.’

The topic of ancestors continues to permeate spaces of magical thinking, as well as traditions of the season. And essential as it is to finally acknowledge once again the importance of what was, perhaps we’re leaving out an important component of our spiritual lineage. What of the descendants, and those to come?