What's Resonating This Week: #1
Among other things, a Mystic South 2024 trip report!
Hi friends, new and old! Welcome to the first edition of What’s Resonating This Week!
First, I’d like to gush about my amazing trip to Atlanta, Georgia, this past weekend for Mystic South 2024.
This was my first "witchy" event to attend, and my expectations were 100% exceeded.
The energy flowing through the place was palpable. More than once, I got a headache and needed to duck into my room, where it "miraculously" dissipated almost instantly. These were real magickal practitioners walking around the conference center, not people playing at make-believe. More than once, a presenter stated something along the lines of, “Normally, for this kind of working, I would do X, but due to all the energy floating around this place right now, that’s not a good idea. So instead, we’ll do Y.”
Holy fuck, these were some of the best presenters I've ever seen. Most of them DID NOT use slides, and they were captivating. I spent a decade traveling the country (and the globe) as a professional speaker/trainer in the software engineering world, and many of us honed our craft on the No Fluff Just Stuff tour. We would give the same presentations 15-20 times per year easily, and we got good at what we did. I didn’t sit in front of a bad speaker at Mystic South1, and nearly all of them were of the caliber of my NFJS peers.
Almost every talk had a hands-on component. You didn't leave without EXPERIENCING what you were there to learn about. This was an absolute treat during a year in which I’m focused on embodying what I’m learning. To cite a few examples:
Sen Elias’s Uncrossing session began with powerful meditation and prayer.
Wendy Mata guided us in practicing Auric Weaving to heal a previous version of ourselves in the timeline.
Courtney Weber took us on a guided journey to the river’s ford.
Jenna Matlin walked us through practice spreads for Tarot Mediumship.
I did not meet a person who wasn't delightful, and almost everyone became my new BFF. The world would be a whole lot fucking more joyful if we had a bunch more witches.
In a moment reminiscent of an NFJS Speaker’s Dinner of yore, I looked at our Mujer Luna International Coven dinner with satisfaction as our joyous revelry had already cleared the room of other diners.
The hotel had a fucking amazing forest with hiking trails directly behind it!
When surrounded by magickal practitioners doing “all of the things,” it is critical to remain grounded, and this was a beautiful place to take a walk and reconnect with the earth.
I came home with some amazing handmade witchy items (and books…I mean, did you think I would come home without books?):
Do you like my hat? And that Mandala bag - it's made from jeans! A little blue box caught my eye as I walked out of the Mystic South Marketplace. I walked over to check it out, and a few hours later, I owned four new SIGNED decks and gained two new BFFs (and Memphis neighbors!).
Hanging with Stacey Williams-Ng (middle) and Ken Ng (right) Stacey Williams-Ng is the creator of multiple successful Kickstarter decks, including everything you see here:
Left to Right: the Roses, Dust & Ashes Oracle, the Southern Gothic Oracle, and the Southern Botanic Oracle It’s crazy how far I traveled to meet these delightful folks who live 20-30 minutes up the road from me. I had such a blast connecting with them about their work, my work, and fun opportunities to hang out in the future!
Two of the lovely inscriptions Stacey made on my new decks Stacey was kind enough to do a Tarot reading for me using her latest creation. the Rhythm & Soul Tarot (which is available for pre-order and comes out in two weeks!). While I won’t go into the details of the reading, it was absolutely spot on for where I am on my current journey, and we had the most amazing conversation connecting my future plans with the challenges that lay ahead. Look at these beautiful cards, which map the Tarot’s suits to the four foundational genres of American music.
My Tarot reading spread is from The Rhythm & Soul Oracle. Axes correspond to Swords, and Roots correspond to Pentacles.
Astrological Musings
We’ve reached the part of the lunar month when the energy I’ll be feeling from the Moon is hard to predict. This week, the Moon will pass through Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, and Leo. The combination of elemental energies I have in each of these signs (an equation I’ve learned as part of the Celestial Alchemy Astrology Certification, which combines sign, house, and planet/asteroid placements to provide a “Moon Power” prediction for each day) doesn’t “average out” as either active or restful.
When we combine this with the fact that the Sun is in Leo, transiting my Twelfth House of Dreams and Unconscious Secrets, I can tell it’s going to be a bit of an uncomfortable week. I’m not expecting anything bad to happen, but I am feeling that there are things hidden just beneath the surface of my psyche that want my attention. It will be very interesting to see how the week unfolds. With the Sun activating my Natal Jupiter and Natal Black Moon Lilith placements, it seems like my inner witch wants to play a more expansive role than normal this week.
Let’s Pull Some Cards
My Monday card pulls always address the upcoming week. Given the foggy astrological outlook, I thought I’d ask the cards what they say about the hidden things I’ll encounter.
It was apropos to watch The High Priestess jump out of the deck while I was shuffling and thinking about “things hidden.” This is the High Priestess’s vibe! Like the Hierophant, she’s the keeper of esoteric wisdom, but unlike him, she keeps it behind a veil and doesn’t provide you with a key. Instead, we find the crescent Moon resting at her feet. We will be walking through the darkness in search of this wisdom, and she will only provide us with just enough light to take our next step.
I have a bone to pick with Pamela Coleman Smith and her painting of the Six of Cups. Most guides that I read describe this Rider Waite Smith card as an exchange between the younger and older characters depicted in this card. However, that’s just not what my eyes take in.
I see the older woman in the background—perspective anyone? She’s gazing upward at the star-shaped flower planted in the Cup on the pedestal. Given the placement of this pair of cards, it appears she’s actually gazing through the flower directly to the crown of the High Priestess. Her approach is mental, guided by her Third Eye.
I see the younger woman in the foreground. She has gotten physically involved. She lifts the cup to her nose to inhale the flower’s aroma. This character’s approach is embodied, guided by her body and her external senses.
Both cards are full of duality.
This week will require a dual approach. I’m looking for knowledge, but I’m also looking for experience. To access that which is hidden, I will need both.
And Now For Something Completely Different
That’s all for this edition of What’s Resonating This Week! Catch you next Tuesday!
However, I have seen many bad technology speakers in my day. They could be helped with training and practice, but most people simply don’t do the work.