Vernal Return

Hey everyone. It’s been a while.

It’s been a bit of a rock and roll experience for everyone since last time I posted on this blog. The last entry was posted at the beginning of the pandemic. We had not yet opened our new shop space to customers. Everything was in lock down. I still had short hair. 

Then, life unfolded in the following two years in unexpected ways. I am certainly not the same person that I was two years ago, and I think many can say the same. It’s been two years of… well… a lot! 

My spiritual practice looks a lot different now. There are some things that have not changed, namely vision work with the rattle and general herbal tomfoolery. I still sing to the land that I live on. I still make offerings to the spirits of place. My work with spirits has grown deeper, though. I’ve worked with a few different teachers who have shown me some interesting ways to go about magical practice. I also seem to be in deep work a deity that I never really thought that I would be working with. 

More on that in future posts. 

I have to have a little bit of mystery to keep you coming back, you know?

If there is something that the past two years have highlighted, I would say that it is the importance of community. We are not stand alone beings. Our actions affect the rest of us, whether we want them to or not. Ecology has taught us this for as long as we have understood ecology, yet there is a difference between conceptually understood information and experientially understood information. We are all connected by a web of relationship where our actions cannot help but vibrate out into other’s lives.

Another part of the importance of community is how we need strong, healthy human community as a species. The effects of the physical nature of the pandemic aside, we have seen how being in a place where we cannot safely be social can be incredibly detrimental to our mental health. I was going to post links to articles that talk about the increase in mental health issues since the pandemic and… it was a little too heavy. If you want the data, Google it. We humans are a social species. This is one of our strengths, and yet, it is our Achilles’ heel. 

Our shop, Deep Earth Arts, has always been intended to be a place that fosters community. Taking precautions and being safe during the pandemic has, of course, waylaid those plans. Sure, we would still do the best we could to host virtual events, community ceremony without contact, and fundraisers to support those around us in need, but they aren’t the same as in person events. Even as we begin to host in person events again, things are still a little dicey out there.

It is virtual community that has supported me through these past two years. While we all know that social media can be an absolute dumpster fire, it still has the potential to create space for people interested in niche activities like magical practice and herbalism to connect. While Facebook is problematic, the practitioners I’ve met across the world in the past two years through it have been so helpful in my learning process. It’s also wonderful just to talk about our experiences, especially when they are weirder than most non practitioners want to discuss. I love hearing about what others are doing and finding inspiration either in their work or thought process. 

I guess that’s why I wanted to pick up the blog again. I want to make room to discuss spiritual practice. I want to make room to explore it with you. I want to plant a torch in the dark places of magic and spirit to show you what I’m finding. 

And I totally want to share with you pictures of the cool plants and rocks that I find outside on my adventures. Maybe even some mushroom and moss. 

So, in the spirit of the excitement that I have of seeing green things again (spring is just starting up here, you know), here is a shot of some chives that are finally popping out of the ground!

Who doesn’t love some delicious chives?

And here is the oregano that has been lying in wait under the snow, patiently looking for its chance to take over even MORE of the garden.

Seriously. If you want some oregano, and you are close to our shop in Littleton, NH, let me know. This stuff is VIGOROUS and needs to be taken down a few notches. Besides being tasty, this herb is medicinal and also has use in folk magic. 

I look forward to writing again, and discussing the world seen and unseen with you all