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An excerpt from Seasons of Moon and Flame 
by Danielle Dulsky

As a young woman, beloved witch, author, and teacher Danielle Dulsky found refuge, nurturance, and wisdom when visiting her grandmother’s rustic home. Next to the fire of the winter hearth and sitting outside with the wildflowers of spring, her anorexic body was loved and fed, her racing thoughts were slowed, and she received a maternal support she did not have in any other part of her life. These visits with Grandmother Grace were the seeds that eventually grew into Danielle’s deepening exploration into the Sacred Hag archetype and the wisdom that these elder women have been sharing since the beginning of humanity. Her third book, Seasons of Moon and Flame: The Wild Dreamer's Epic Journey of Becoming is a “Year of the Wild,” — consisting of thirteen chapters that correspond to the thirteen moon cycles, or lunations.

We hope you enjoy this excerpt from the book.

Materials: Three small, squat candles, one for each “cosmic egg” spell jar

As the new moon dawns at midspring, place your small candles on top of your cosmic egg jars. You might choose colors that correspond to your dream visions, or a simple tea light will suffice. When ready, affirm that you are in sacred space, feel into your body, and light these candles, one at a time, in the name of a less wounded, more whole world. As you light each candle, call to mind a vision of children in the future gifted with a dream similar to the dream you are calling in for yourself. If one of your cosmic eggs represents you rooted and secure in new home, for instance, perhaps you envision future generations, the yet-to-be-born, swaddled and secure, as you light the candle. If you are calling in travel and spaciousness,
perhaps you see young ones playing in wide-open spaces while you light the candle, affirming that what you are calling in for yourself is not for you and you alone.

Let the candles burn for a few minutes, holding your hands over the heat of each flame as you move between your visions. When it feels right, carefully pour some of the wax over the jar to seal it, then thank the elder ancestors for the flames they have tended for you. Open the circle and, ideally, allow the candles to burn out naturally, or snuff them if you must.

And so it is.

Waxing Moon Practice: The Wildness of Our Longing

As the moon waxes, consider that what you yearn for is also yearning for you, that you are more sensitive to the spiral dance of nonlinear time than you think, and that desire is memory. As the moon swells toward fullness, task yourself with this practice as often as possible. For each of your cosmic egg jars, move your thoughts between these four points:

Call to mind a seed memory — that is, a memory of you feeling the same feeling that is integral to your vision. While envisioning this moment, chant aloud: “Yes, thank you. More, please.”
Now, come to the present moment. Chant: “Yes, thank you. More, please.”
Call to mind the vision of you with dream fulfilled. “Yes, thank you. More, please.”
Finally, picture the vision of future generations in a more sustainable world, feeling the same feeling that you yourself are calling in.

Do this strategically until it comes more easily, though it might seem difficult at first. If your vision is you joyously dancing in nature, the seed memory might be you softly swaying in your kitchen on the first warm spring day, and then the dream-world vision might be children dancing while bees buzz about and butterflies grace the skies. Envision these scenes in succession: first, you swaying softly, then you in the present moment as you are now, then the vision of you dancing in nature, then the dream-world vision, you in nature, present moment, softly swaying, present moment, nature vision, dream world, and continue. This is a psychic dance that makes for potent spellwork, binding what you want to what you already have to what you hope will bless the great-great-grandbabes of the future, be they your own blood or not.

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 know it's easier to see auras against a blank, light backdrop, and indeed, I often see my toddler's aura when she is in the bathtub and my husband's aura when I'm sitting and he's standing above me with the white ceiling behind him. I have noticed that I see the auras of my toddler and my husband a lot, but I hardly ever see anyone else's aura. Why can I see some auras, but not others? Also, why is it that sometimes I can see theirs, but most of the time I can't? Thanks!

- Aubrey

Dreamchaser:

I believe the answer to your question is really simple. You can see your child's and your husband's auras because you know them and feel comfortable with them. You also feel the energy exchange going on between you and them. These factors open you up to interact on a higher spiritual plane with them than with others.

Energy moves between all living things. We can feel it and be open to it, or we can not feel it and be closed to it. It is hard for you to get to know people, to allow people into your life and your "energy field." As a result, it will be harder for you to get to know them "spiritually."

You absolutely can see other people's auras if you are willing to open up to their energy exchange with you. If you notice, you see your husband's and child's auras when you are at peace and in a relaxed state, when you have no walls or defenses up.

I think you should try the "Bubble Method" that I write about so often in this column. When you go outside the house, picture yourself inside a bubble. You can make the bubble of any material and any color that you would like. My bubble is made of purple water. Just picture yourself stepping into a bubble and it sealing around you. Your energy can get out, but no one's energy can get in if you don't want it to.

Imagining yourself in this bubble is like making a pact with the Universe. The Universe will protect you so that you can experience the energies of the world. When you're in your bubble, you can safely feel OPEN to people around you.

Open up your solar plexus by taking some deep breaths and feel the energies that you want to feel. Remember, your bubble will protect you at all times from any negative or "harmful" energies or entities. I bet you will start to see auras once you are used to being protected inside of your bubble.

I always "bubble" when I am reading for clients. I need to protect my energies so that I don't get drained. I choose to feel my clients' energy enough to give them a good reading, but do not let them "vampire" me.

Once you start to feel safer with energies around you and start to see more auras, I also think you are going to find that you are an empath. That is why it's so hard for you to connect to energies - you learned early in life that it was draining for you to do so.

I wish you safe and enlightening encounters with energies and auras.

*****

Astrea:

Many times I will see the auras of my husband and my family, but most of the time, their auras are hugged close to their physical bodies because they aren't allowing anyone to view them.

People naturally pull their auras in close to their physical bodies most of the time. Unless they are spiritually enlightened and aware that they CAN manage their own energy field and know how to do that, our ability to see their auras will be sort of hit or miss. Once you've had more practice with people outside your own family, you'll be able to access the auras of people who will allow that to happen.

There are lots of good books about aura viewing, and many people think that auras can be photographed. Find a book that contains the photographs of many people's auras and study those photos. You'll begin to see various patterns in most of them. For example, people who are old, young, well or ill will share some of the same aura characteristics. This knowledge will help you view others who are willing to let you.

If there is someone in your area who is teaching aura viewing, it would be good to go and take a class or two with them. Sometimes it just takes another person doing something to help you step into the power to do it too.

Through study and practice, you'll find that some people don't have an aura that extends much beyond their physical presence. People who have suffered physical or emotional abuse, for example, may never be able to let their auric protection out where others can perceive it.

Though you'll be unable to see their auras even with their permission, this will give you a clue as to who they are and what has happened to them in their lives. Sometimes a simple discussion of what has taken place will "free" people like this to release that energy, which should enable you to see it around them.

The only time we can see someone else's aura is when that other person is either consciously or unconsciously ALLOWING us to see it. Your child and your own husband don't feel you are invading their personal space by viewing their auras from time to time. They are "open" with you.

To see the auras of people with whom you're not intimately connected will take some work and lots of practice. It may also take their permission, whether stated out loud or telepathically. Try to be patient, for practice always makes perfect!