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An excerpt from Seasons of Moon and Flame 
by Danielle Dulsky

May this first moon of spring, this Season of Tender Roots, greet you as the Garden Hag does, with childlike curiosity and much, much joy. Her face is lined, her hair is gray, but her heart beats in the rhythm of the innocent erotic. You have come to her ivy-hugged house in search of some great, unnamed thing, and she is just the one to help you uncover that buried treasure, those invaluable golden depths of wild wisdom tucked away long ago, planted beneath the Elders’ Altar for safekeeping.

Our spring magick does the business of binding our dreams to those who came before us; our healing is their healing, and our longing is their longing.

Sunrise Reflection: The Beloved Dead
The first moon of spring calls us to ask ourselves potent questions about lineage and legacy, about broken mother lines and misplaced myths. Witches lean toward intuitive understanding in these times of lost ancestries, rather than endless intellectual digging through records of birth and death, easily fabricated nonevidence and inaccurate reflections of the deep wells of passion and experience housed by the flesh of those who bore us. There is a rejuvenated purity to early spring, an air of wide-eyed, newborn innocence and electric possibility that pulls us closer to healing what seemed unhealable — that is, to integrating what once seemed so far outside us, too foreign and, perhaps, too revolting to possibly be part of us. Each spring we are blessed with what seems a newfound gift of grace, an invitation to encounter, if not hold in our shaking hands, the wealth of Earth-based traditions that our blood remembers and remembers well.

Those coming home to their Witchcraft, acknowledging the art of magick for the first time, perhaps, after sufficiently dismantling the walls of indoctrinated belief that blocked their way, often are met with yet another obstacle, one entirely unforeseen and seemingly insurmountable. If we are to embrace the rhythms of the earth, the Craft, and the land, we must feel into the beauteous fabric of which our soul threads are part. We must resist ignoring the scars we have inherited, yes, but we must also look to the wisdom of those who lived long before the dead ones we know by name. We must step back and broaden our vision, scrying our way from the intricate patterns of family and roots.

To do so, we must seek out the beloved dead. We must extend our reach beyond a century or two. We must cultivate the long vision that eludes these days, and we must take great care with our fragile psyches and questing spirits.

Spring Equinox Celebration: Twin Eggs of Birth and Renewal
Materials: Air-drying clay

To beckon warmer days, to breathe hot and melt those persistent morning frosts in the name of sheer and visceral desire, is a primal act. We find ourselves in the final stages of labor here, birthing something out of pure will and our human longing to create but not knowing, not yet, what our faithful efforts have yielded. The great paradox of spring is this: If we look to the creation myths across many cultures, we see that birth is nothing if not violent, a sudden and cataclysmic eruption of something epic out of a primordial dark womb. And yet, in spring, there is also a sense of lightness, possibility, and joy.

Our vernal equinox celebrations must weave these two seemingly opposing spring energies together, blending that soft-baby-animal creaturely and generative innocence with that bursting, disruptive force that brings all things new into being. Equinoxes are balance points between light and shadow, and on that first day of spring, we must welcome the sweet and sugary light along with the bold, bone-shaking dark.

At your altar, light your candle of sovereignty and welcome the spirits of your more ancient elders of good intent, those who have your best interest at heart, those who want you to remember the unique power that runs in your blood. Face the east, the direction of new beginnings and the spring season; then begin to mold two egg-shaped sculptures from clay by hand, honoring this season of renewed opportunities and endless chances, pondering the infinite potential found in nature, the sheer resilience of wild agency, and the peace that comes from knowing that all dies to begin again. What you failed to hatch last year, what stayed hidden behind your fragile eggshell walls, surely will emerge from the cosmic egg this go-around, vibrant, full of wonder, and poised for timely action.

Take care with these new creations, humble in appearance as they may be. Hold an egg in each hand, naming the one in your right the Egg of Morning, the one in your left the Egg of Evening. Begin to move now, as you feel called; these movements might be subtle and slow gestures or emphatic leaps and rhythmic pulses. Pray with your body. Become an embodied expression of possibility. Honor both the expanding light and the dwindling dark here, on the equinox. Imagine your beloved ancestors dancing with you, holding their own eggs and welcoming what comes. Invite your primal and long-gone dead, those who hold the deepest treasures, those who can initiate you better and more meaningfully into your Craft than any living human.

These delights are what our best times are made of, after all. These small revelries remind us why we have been born to flesh. Stay with this for as much time as you have, permitting your movements to perhaps find repetition; here is where we meet the body electric, when our dance becomes a sacred limb-and-spine offering. If you can stay in the dance until that blessed slightly altered state of consciousness comes, when the dance swallows the thoughts whole and there’s little left but heartbeat and movement, you will encounter there a small piece of the Holy Wild sensual.
Your dance has charged your eggs with memory and feeling. Seal this ceremony by decorating them in whatever way seems right, perhaps with rose thorns penetrating the Egg of Evening or intricate symbols of blossom and root carved on the Egg of Morning. Drink something cool and sweet, and welcome all that comes, returning your eggs to your altar and thanking the ancestors in spirit who joined you in your celebration.

Waxing Moon Practice: Writing It Real
This first moon of spring is a soul-warming moon, and our magick is tasked with both manifestation and healing. As that moon of cleansing storms swells toward fruition, ask yourself what you are calling in that, if only in a small way, serves as a healing salve for the wounds of the wild, for the aches and pains endured by those who have come before us. We bridge the ancient with the new now, beneath these radically hopeful skies, and we bind the material to the embodied feeling.

Gather the signs you have been receiving from both dreams and the material world that seem to show you the way forward. Choose three life areas to inform your manifestation Craft as the moon waxes toward fullness; these might be sacred work, art, family, gender expression, romance, spiritual connection, communication, or any other aspect of your being that seems potent and pressing now. Certainly, we do not have such pieces of ourselves tucked away neatly in stacked boxes. Our work is hardly separate from our art or our communication. We are selecting certain puzzle pieces of our lives now as an act of discernment, of brave-hearted manifestation. We choose now to make the first mark on the blank canvas with hands shaking and brush dripping. We choose now because we feel those quickening energies sparking in our cells, and we choose now to claim the choice as ours.

Spend this waxing moon choosing the beginnings of what will be your spellwork in spring. Ask yourself what is in transition, what feels as if it is shifting underfoot, and what is teetering on some thin edge waiting for you to pull it close or push it away, once and for all. You might look to the creation myths of your ancestry, framing those tales of primordial darkness, violent deities, cosmic eggs, and ancient, long-rooted trees as telling metaphors for the magick of manifestation.

If it feels overly limiting to choose only three life areas, then choose more. If it feels best to work with only one area, then this is the path. Part of the Garden Hag’s medicine is discernment born of vulnerable and honest reflection; we take stock, we choose the path, and we move forward, all the while listening to our inner crone for direction. Each morning as the moon waxes, set the intention to receive a sign from the wilds, and look to the ways in which nature itself is an oracle.

Waning Moon Practice: The Great Galactic Fabric
As a waning moon practice, consider making an offering to your ancestors. This might be a small gift, a flower laid beneath a tree or a poem written to those who came before you. There is no need to name these people unless you feel called to. You might make this offering just once as the moon wanes, or it might be a daily act of framing yourself as part of an unseen collective. As you make this offering, imagine some small child of the future making this same offering to you. See a world less wounded and a land left better by your hand, by the hands of those who act now to save what must be saved.

Danielle Dulsky is a heathen visionary, pagan poet, and word-witch. The author of Seasons of Moon and Flame, The Holy Wild, and Woman Most Wild, she teaches internationally and has facilitated circles, communal spell-work, and seasonal rituals since 2007. She is the founder of The Hag School and believes in the emerging power of wild collectives, cunning witches, and rebellious artists in healing our ailing world. Find her online at www.DanielleDulsky.com.

Excerpted from the book Seasons of Moon and Flame. Copyright ©2020 by Danielle Dulsky. Printed with permission from New World Library.

I can't seem to meditate, but I would love to learn. I have an extremely busy home with six children, and I also take care of an ill mother-in-law. I've tried a hot bath to relax, and I've tried listening to music, but it doesn't help - I always get interrupted. I would really like to get in touch with the spirit world as my Native American ancestors did. Do you have any advice on how to start meditating for people like me? Thank you so much!

- Gert

Dreamchaser:

I can so relate to your "crazy world" way of living. I think anyone with children and responsibilities can understand. Here are some tips that may help you.

The first thing I highly recommend is an audio set called "The Inner Art of Meditation" by Jack Kornfield. It is for beginners, and it is VERY easy to understand. In the first part he explains all the history behind meditation, etc., and some people find this extremely boring. Once you get to the first exercise, however, it will move along quickly.

This audio program is very helpful, for he teaches you exactly what to do. If you can find 30 minutes after all the kids go to bed and it's quiet, then you can complete this audio set.

Meditation is not the only way to get in touch with the spiritual world, however. You could try just sitting in nature. I know that your Native American ancestors did that, and I know that being in nature is how I "meditate." I go and sit and listen to the wind, watch the birds, trees, grass and the sky. I watch water and fire and anything else that is around me in nature. It has a hypnotic power over me, and I can get lulled into the beauty of it all.

When I am "in tune" with all that is, I hear messages from Spirit. Nature is a quick spiritual fix for me. It brings me back to center. It makes me feel that I am part of all that is. It allows me to hear the voices of guides, angels and other beings that want to speak with me.

It worked the same way with your ancestors. If you put your hand on the ground, you can feel the energy coming up from the earth. THAT is what your ancestors used to find Spirit.

You might ask yourself what you're really seeking through meditation. You also might ask yourself what you want to have happen WHILE meditating. Make sure that you are not stuck in the belief that meditation will calm your entire being and make your day go smoothly. It can help, but you have to do the rest. I guess I am saying that meditation is not a "cure-all" or a tool for instant enlightenment, so stay open to other spiritual practices.

I also think that you need to set a new precedent in your house. If you give and give and give and do not recharge your own batteries, you will wind up empty and sick. You need to set aside some time for you, when no one is allowed to disturb you for any reason. Or you might set up the "Blue or Red Rule": If someone is turning blue or if there is blood or fire, then they can disturb you!

You have to take time for YOU to be a whole human. I wish you a total blending with All That Is.

*****

Astrea:

Many busy people find it quite difficult to meditate. While all the "ladies" magazines tell us we just have to "carve out some time for ourselves" or "lock ourselves in the bathroom" or call a "Mommy time-out," sometimes those things aren't very practical. The only way you're going to find time to meditate undisturbed is to get up in the middle of the night when everyone else is sleeping, and that would probably leave you exhausted.

My best suggestion for you is to find a belly dancing class. If you have older daughters, they can go with you. Yes girls, I know I pimp this idea to you every chance I get, but if you've never tried it, you really can't imagine all the benefits of dancing.

Belly dancing is woman-centered: it was created by women FOR women over 2000 years ago. While meditation quiets the mind in STILLNESS, Belly Dancing takes active people away to a different dimension.

It's easy to do as well. A good side effect is toning and weight loss, but the BEST one is the sisterhood that develops in the "family" you'll build there. Throughout many cultures around the world, women have developed similar dances. Ancient cultures supported the relationships that women find through moving in unison together. One of my long dead teachers was ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE that by now, American men and women would find their Dance Center.

Your own Native American heritage promoted women dancing together too, but let's face it, in most small towns and cities in America, that type of folk dance class is difficult to find. ALL folk dances have common movements and themes, however, and belly dancing will release your Spirit in the same way. One difference with belly dancing is that you get to wear a pretty outfit. (I highly recommend Ebay for finding that!) From color to style, costuming can be another delightful, liberating experience.

"Oh, but Astrea, I don't have time or money for classes." NONSENSE! I'm talking about one hour a WEEK! Your big family can take care of each other for THAT LONG. If you honestly can't afford it, look at the YMCA or the parks and recreation department in your town for affordable options.

Also, dance teachers are understanding folks - perhaps you have a useful skill like sewing or beading that would be more useful than cash to your teacher. Sewing and beading are also forms of meditation for busy people. There's a side benefit of dancing right THERE!

You're already moving through space on an hourly basis for everyone ELSE - I think it's time you start moving a little bit for yourself!