Sumac on Merry Christmas Mine Hill I've been thinking about the color red recently. It's a very magical color. Though, truth be told, any color is magical if you use it for magic. Still, red is special. It's associated with blood and the lifeforce. Groups of prehistoric hominids used red ochre to decorate pottery and …
Mineral Point suffered a tragedy this last week when two of its firefighters were killed in a vehicular accident. Like many in the city, I sit with sorrow in my heart, knowing that families and the community are changed forever. At the same time, I acknowledge sources of pride and inspiration that come in the …
A deer stops in the yard after a fresh snowfall in Mineral Point. There's something so special about the silence that accompanies a snowfall--that deep hush that covers the world as thick, wet crystals cascade from the heavens. It is a sound all of its own, that silence. While I am not much of a …
Witchcraft is many different things to many different people. Perhaps the broadest definition I can give is that, today, witchcraft is a practice of using natural energies to effect change. There are many different types of witchcrafts: herbalists who invoke the powers of Jesus and the saints to heal; charmers who practice traditional ways handed …
I took a class on Indigenous religions the fall of 2021. For our final project, we had to explain the mythographic landscape of our home using depth psychology and motifs from Indigenous storytelling. My mythos centered on Brewing Mother--a name that I gave to Brewery Creek--and her son, Brother Christmas--aka, Merry Christmas Mine. Native Americans …
Continue reading Mineral Point Myth: Brother Christmas and the Knocker
As I go about my days in the Midwest, I notice the fields becoming barren, the frost collecting on roof tops each morning, and the naked branches of trees that have shed all their leaves. The world reminds me of loss and grief. I wonder, what does it mean to hold loss and hope? What …
I had the pleasure of offering a centering recently to a group I work with. I've always loved the autumn, and I have really come to appreciate the mysteries of the equinox the last few years. Take a moment to reflect and to feel: Where do you carry your warmth in this transition of light …
As part of my last unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), I needed to explore the theology of suffering. What is suffering? From where does it come and to where does it retreat? Is there a purpose to suffering? If so, what could it possibly be? These are large questions that don't have answers. There …
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to present to the Advocate Aurora Health palliative care team on Wiccan beliefs and practices and how these can impact serious illness and death. Check out the Friday Chalk Talk YouTube channel for other videos, covering other religious traditions and general palliative care topics. **Disclaimer: I did …
Continue reading Palliative Care Concerns for the Wiccan Patient
It’s August already. Hard to believe, honestly. Last year at this time, I was climbing a mist-covered South Barrule on the Isle of Man. I sat atop its peak surrounded by the old hill fort, sheltered from the wind by the low circle of stones that enclosed the central marker. I thought of Lugh and …
The Point Witch 