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Amid the Changes

Amid the changes… in Canada, it is the time of Beltane. To our friends in the Southern Hemisphere, it is Samhain. Each hemisphere is in Mother Nature’s cycle of change. In the North we are celebrating the height of spring and the welcoming of summer. Samhain is the time of acknowledging you are moving inwards and towards the longest nite of the year.

But these cross days are like nothing I have ever experienced. Where I live we are ending our Shelter in Place order. I have been very fortunate to have kept my job and have had little disruption to my life. On the outside. On the inside, I have had good days and bad days. I have been sensitive to the energy around me all of my life, and I have become quite resilient through time. I don’t quite feel so resilient right now. I go through waves of sadness, fatigue, frustration, depression, and anger. We have had protests in our City to open up our economy. I have to admit I have been staying off social media. Not because I am not interested in staying in touch with friends, I feel the life sucked out of me when I read the mountains of misinformation, paranoid musings, and conspiracy theories. [Read more…]

How now brown cow?

How Now Brown Cow is a nonsensical phrase, the origin of which is up for debate. Was it really used in Scotland as a way to order a beer, or/and to teach elocution? Whatever the origin, the phrase is outdated and by many, forgotten.

Language is constantly growing and shifting, picking up new words and letting go of others. Shamanism is on a similar trajectory. The language and words used to describe it have shifted and changed, dropping some things and adding others. The origin of the word is often referred to in an off handed manner, with little, or no, meaning attributed to it.   [Read more…]

Why Can’t I See Anything?

Why can’t I see anything? I encounter this question and comment very regularly. One of the first things I say is have patience and compassion for yourself. We are immersed in a world which places increasingly high value on NOW. Shamanic journeys can be very challenging. It can be very hard to quiet the endless procession of thoughts, grocery lists & fears. Anytime we enter into a realm we are unfamiliar with we are likely to encounter resistance in one form or another. [Read more…]

Samhain – History and Lore

Samhain is the most magical night of the year. Opposite Beltane on the Wheel, Halloween begins the dark half of the year. A night of power, when the veil that separates our world from the Otherworld is at its thinnest. A ‘spirit night’, this is the time of the year when our Ancestors harvested for the last time during the year preparing for the long months of winter. Food was stored, animals brought in from the fields, animals needed for food supply were slaughtered and prepared for long storage, activity was moved from outdoors to indoors, by the warmth of the hearth fire.

Samhain is also known as Halloween, All Hollows Eve, Day of the Dead, All Saint’s Eve, Celtic Winter, Feast of Spirits, Celtic New Year, Third Harvest, Samana, Day of the Dead, Old Hallowmas (Scottish/Celtic), Vigil of Saman, Shadowfest (Strega), and Samhuinn. [Read more…]

Grandmother Moon

Hail and Hello! Thank you for taking time to read my mental meanderings on Grandmother Moon.

The Moon has been a very influential celestial body through human history. My introduction to the Moon began as a teaching tool relating to the life and health of our farm. I remember we would plant certain seeds during different phases of the Moon. We would harvest during certain phases. Depending on when in September the full moon would make its presence known, was usually a sign of frost coming. We liked it when the full moon was at the end of the month, it meant a longer harvest time. We even castrated by the phase of the moon. It has always been a very integral part of my life. So much so, to this day (and I have lived many days) I am still surprised when people are unaware of what phase the moon, directly over their heads, is in.

hi-res image of grandmother moon
Click super hi-res image of the moon.

The children’s rhyme, Jack and Jill, has roots in stories related to the waxing and waning of the moon. I have not, as of yet, discovered why Jill fell down and broke her crown. There is an Old Norse myth that tells us the story of the Moon, Mâni, who stole two children from earth, Hjuki and Bil, as they were collecting water from the well, Byrgir, in their bucket, Sœgr, suspended from their pole, Simul. The Moon as an archetypal kidnapper of children sounds eerily ominous and was perhaps told to keep children from wandering about at night. [Read more…]

Shamanism in Edmonton

Kriket lives and hosts numerous events in Edmonton, Canada. She also performs healing sessions there. To find out more, or book a session check out her personal site.

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