Welcome to the end of the year and Happy Solstice! Today I want to talk about the Solstice, what it is, and various ways to celebrate it. Plus, I ramble about time and how hard this year has been and what I've been working on behind the scenes!   If you want to support the podcast, you can! At http://www.patreon.com/CrowSongCoven My website is at: http://www.CrowSongLodge.com

Today is November 7th, 2020, and I want to talk about the election of President Elect Joe Biden, Jr. and Empathy in society. It's a lot. We're having a lot of feelings and lot of people are yelling about a lot of things out there. So I want to talk too, but less yelling. Also, congratulations everyone, if you haven't been all that functional this week, me neither! We're doing great, though. If you want to support the podcast, you can! At http://www.patreon.com/CrowSongCoven My website is at: http://www.CrowSongLodge.com

I was editing that last episode at a WEIRD time! While I was editing it, the announcement that Trump was diagnosed with COVID came out and I either did that podcast a little too early or a little too late. So  now I want to talk about the reaction to people reacting to the Trump-COVID news. We talked about some of this before in previous episodes: Sanctity of Anger: https://gatheringcrows.podbean.com/e/sanctity-of-anger/ Forced Peace and Spiritual Bypassing in the Witchy Community: https://gatheringcrows.podbean.com/e/forced-peace-and-spiritual-bypassing-in-the-witchy-community/  Essay by Mona Eltahawy, who probably says this way better than I do, "FEMINIST GIANT Does Not Wish Donald Trump Well": https://feministgiant.substack.com/p/editorial-feminist-giant-does-not 

Hey Folks, so today let's talk about community. Little communities, like our Pagan and Witchy community, and also BIG communities, like America and Society in general. We're going to talk about social justice, politics, current events, Ruth Bader Ginsberg (I say "RGB" but I know it's "RBG"), Christian Dominionism, the Christian Default, the Satanic Temple, Civil Rights, White Supremacy outside and INSIDE the Pagan community, and probably some other stuff, too! Here's some further reading: Satanic Temple Legal Campaigns: https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/campaigns   A Beginner's Guide to Christian Dominionism by Chrissy Stroop: https://cstroop.com/2019/09/06/christian-dominionism-a-beginners-guide   My website: https://www.CrowSongLodge.com 

Hi Folks! Today we're kind of catching up! There's a LOT going on in the world, so let's talk about it! In this episode I talk about a lot of stuff, some of which are:   Current Protests, Secret Police, Etc. Bug infestations! WitchTok Drama Comet Neowsie and Stardust Lughnasagh and Samhain Planning (COVID complications!) Bread Baking Relaxation Two different friends' projects Here are the links I mentioned: Previous Podcast Episode, "Black Lives Matter" - https://gatheringcrows.podbean.com/e/blacklivesmatter/   Twitter video June 16th of Secret Police: https://twitter.com/Eleven_Films/status/1283967750981873670   NewsWeek (I think NewsWeek is mainstream?) article on Secret Police "GOP Senators Fear Trum Use of 'Secret Police' is Unconstitutional: Merkley" - https://www.newsweek.com/gop-senators-fear-trump-use-secret-police-unconstitutional-merkley-1519623 A Late Show with Stephen Colbert monologue inc Secret Police: https://youtu.be/G2RSYyjxB8g   Executive Order on Protecting American Monuments, Memorials, and Statues and Combating Recent Criminal Violence (Official) - https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/executive-order-protecting-american-monuments-memorials-statues-combating-recent-criminal-violence/   Fox News article about Linda Tirado, Journalist, lawsuit over police violence: https://www.fox9.com/news/lawsuit-journalist-blinded-in-one-eye-by-officers-foam-bullets-during-minneapolis-riots   AP Article about more lawsuits and charges on behalf of journalists: https://apnews.com/f188f539a0deebc6567c0d2dd992aa1b   Article about Moon Hexing on TikTok:  https://www.thecut.com/2020/07/some-tiktok-baby-witches-apparently-tried-to-hex-the-moon.html   Thread by @heyyadoraa on Twitter that everone is linking to: https://twitter.com/heyyadoraa/status/1284733782499745792   Thread on reddit so you can see the reactions: https://www.reddit.com/r/Wicca/comments/hu9p7q/can_someone_explain_to_me_why_the_tiktok_witches/   Viewing Neowsie via EarthSky: https://earthsky.org/space/how-to-see-comet-c2020-f3-neowise   Aisling Maria Cronin: Healing Our Plastic Story - https://weavinglegends.com/2020/06/27/healing-our-plastic-story-my-upcoming-zoom-workshops/   Elinor Predota: Services/Info coming soon - https://elinorpredota.com/   My website: https://www.CrowSongLodge.com 

As if a global pandemic wasn't enough to have going on, as if the murder hornets weren't enough, the trend of murders by police have been continuing, escalating, and demanding attention. So let's talk about #BlackLivesMatter, social justice, and how MUCH these conversations and activism really matter in the spiritual and witchcraft communities, what we can do if protesting and demonstrating isn't an option for us personally, and how we can address these issues on a more personal level and more socially.  It's SO important that we talk about these things! My website is over here: http://www.CrowSongLodge.com My Patreon is here: http://www.Patreon.com/CrowSongCoven And you can catch me on Twitter here: http://www.Twitter.com/CrowSongLodge 

Howdy, folks! Today I want to talk a bit about cleansing! I know it might seem basic to some folks, but sometimes cleansing is treated like a cure-all and gets over-used or used all on it's own, and I wanted to talk about it a little bit. We'll be discussing when to cleanse and when not to, grounding, elemental properities and activities, different types of cleansings, and a bit more - you know me, I get a bit rambly!  My Twitter is over here: http://www.Twitter.com/CrowSongLodge  My website is over here: http://www.CrowSongLodge.com And you can support me on Patreon here: http://www.Patreon.com/CrowSongCoven  And my YouTube Channel is over here: http://www.youtube.com/c/NatharaCS

A little bit rambly today. I want to talk about what's been percolating in my mind the last couple weeks, what I have been kind of working on, and then I want to talk about how I grew up and what my spiritual/witchy background is because I think it's really important to help understand what my viewpoints and biases are and why I have them and how I developed them. I try to be aware of my own biases and mention them as they come out, but the nature of biases is that they're not usually conscious, so..... I tried to keep it short, but I'm a rambly, tangenting person (thank goodness for editing!), but I'm sure you're used to that by now.  A shout out to Karyn, the Lost Lemurian in this episode! Here's her YouTube Channel! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbznRPr1MTyLOv3hdh7JyMA Some shade thrown at Night Shayde, you can find him on the podcast Flatline 2 Beatline. I'd give you a link, but every time I do, he switches hosts and the link is no longer any good, so use Google to find him.  I talk about Mental Health in this episode! If YOU need mental health support, no shame in that. There's a ton of resources out there, but here are some folks who can be helpful: The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): 1-800-950-6264, [email protected]. NAMI operates an emergency mental health hotline Monday–Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST. Operators can provide information about mental illness and refer callers to treatment, support groups, family support, and legal support, if needed. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): (800) 662-4357. SAMHSA runs a 24-hour mental health hotline that provides education, support, and connections to treatment. It also offers an online Behavioral Health Treatment Locator to help you find suitable behavioral health treatment programs. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): (866) 615-6464. This organization has a variety of methods for you to communicate with knowledgeable people about mental health issues. In addition to the phone line, there is a live online chat option. These resources are available Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST. My website is over here: http://www.CrowSongLodge.com And you can support me on Patreon here: http://www.Patreon.com/CrowSongCoven  And my YouTube Channel is over here: http://www.youtube.com/c/NatharaCS

Hey guys! Today I want to talk a little bit about STARSEEDS - the basic idea behind the concept and how this plays out in real life. I love theory as much as the next person, but all the theory in the world doesn't matter nearly as much as what happens in real life. In this episode, I talk briefly aboout mental health. Here is the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration Helpline if you need to reach out for assitance: 1-800-662-HELP (4357) And the website is here: https://www.samhsa.gov/        And here is the Mental Health Alliance website: https://www.mhanational.org/im-looking-mental-health-help-myself My website is over here: http://www.CrowSongLodge.com And you can support me on Patreon here: http://www.Patreon.com/CrowSongCoven  And my YouTube Channel is over here: http://www.youtube.com/c/NatharaCS  

This episode is republishing a solo episode I did as part of WWT, since I had that conversation with Night Shayde about cultural appropriation last week. I've been about hip-deep in the topic of cultural appropriation (studying it) for over a decade now, so I'm going to share some of what I've learned and the understanding that I've come to on the topic. Here are some other resources you can check out if you'd like to learn more: she’s the one that’s been hip-deep in the topic of cultural appropriation for the last decade or so. We’re going to talk about the foundations of modern witchcraft, the use of sage and smuding, Burning Man festivals, and so much more!  And here are some resources just for you: “What is Cultural Appropriation?” – Origin of Everything https://youtu.be/VQgF1f557YY What to Wear (and What NOT to Wear) at Burning Man – Dustmight Camp http://dustmight.camp/what-to-wear-and-what-not-to-wear-at-burning-man/ “Language Has Power: On Smudging and Appropriation” – Asali https://www.asaliearthwork.com/blog/2016/2/21/on-smudging-and-appropriation “Indigenous People Want Brands to Stop Selling Sage and Smudge Kits” – Huffington Post (includes interviews with Indigenous peoples) https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/indigenous-people-sage-and-smudge-kits_ca_5cd579e0e4b07bc729786e25 “Black Magic: Hoodoo Witches Speak Out on the Appropriation of Their Craft” – Vice https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/qkg93m/black-magic-talking-with-hoodoo-witches “What is Cultural Appropriation Pt 1” – Maggie Haseman https://www.mumblesandthings.com/blog/cultural-appropriation-1 My website is over here: http://www.CrowSongLodge.com And you can support me on Patreon here: http://www.Patreon.com/CrowSongCoven