When we scramble too sharply
out of steeping,
we may stumble.
It takes patience
to refresh ourselves.
Let us commit
to moving at our own pace,
to treating ourselves with love.
Let our devotion
forge a compassionate path forward,
one that nourishes and restores,
one that inspires and transforms.
Happy Beltane and welcome to this week’s Rituals of Returning newsletter! Today is the official publication date of my newest book, Thunder and Roses, which becomes available worldwide today on Amazon! Orders from the Etsy shop also include special bonuses only available directly from us.
And, for the first time ever, we also have one-of-a-kind (OOAK) Bast goddesses in the shop!
18 minute mini ritual video: Beltane ritual and May’s allies
Additional video: letting your heart be your compass
Two minute video: unboxing March’s Magic Mail
Free mini zine: A Festival of Wonder
May’s practice update for #30DaysofGoddess!
We’ve started a new newsletter for Gaea Goddess Gathering! Coming up in September right here in Missouri.
My special offering for May is an Earthprayer series unfolding via the Goddess Magic Mystery School. This series includes weekly live practices, daily posts, inspiring rituals, and FOUR printable card decks for exploring our daily themes.
May I remember I am not here
to watch from the edges,
but to co‑create
in the ceremony of life's unfolding.
May I choose
with wise discernment
what I will tend
in my cauldron of creation.
May I return,
again and again,
to my own sacred center.
And,
may I trust that some wishes
are meant to wander
on the wind,
carrying my magic
farther than I can see.
reading:
(to self) Living in Process—while I have a couple of complaints about this book in terms of what feels like missing information/explanation, I am really enjoying the exploration of living in process, remembering the this earth, this world, this life is not static, it is an unfolding and each of us has a process to live and explore.
(to kids) Aenir, book three in the Seventh Tower series—I actually finished the second book, The Castle, in between April’s newsletter and this one. I’m still enjoying this series, in which everything the main character has thought to be true about his life and world unravels as he discovered how much more lies outside the shadowy boundaries of his life.
(listening to with Tanner): Brian’s Hunt—the final book in the survival classic series that developed after Hatchet. Since I last wrote, we also listened to The River, Brian’s Winter, and Brian’s Return. We also continued our Gary Paulsen festival by listening to Northwind, which is about a Viking-era type of boy who has to survive alone on the sea.
(listening to by self): Sisters in the Wind—I’ve barely begun this one, as I only recently finished listening to Warrior Girl, Unearthed. This is the third book following Firekeeper’s Daughter, but it actually takes place temporally between the events of Firekeeper and Warrior Girl. I actually liked Warrior Girl, Unearthed more than Firekeeper’s Daughter overall, but I was really left frustrated by the many holes in the ending. Each of these books is a 12+ hour listen, so be prepared!
Note: I am on Fable if you want to follow along with what I read there!
I’ve started to add our monthly activation replay videos for this year’s #30DaysofGoddess practice to the homepage! Scroll past the “2026 Practice Updates” section to access the videos. Note: Live monthly activations are available to any member of the Goddess Magic Mystery School Patreon community free and paid both!
Free Everyday Magic series!
Past Resources:
FREE class:
Marshmallow and Raspberry are our herbal allies for May—soft, spiky, sweet, and resilient.
In this month's video, we embark on an exploration of Beltane, centered on the Egyptian cat goddess Bast (Bastet). We weave together goddess wisdom, plant medicine, crystal allies, and animal guidance to support a season of love, playfulness, and heart-healing.
May you be playful this month. May you pause to listen to your heart. And, may you savor sweetness in the ordinary moments
Reminder: I do create monthly handbooks for members of our Goddess Magic Mystery School community and May’s handbook is available here.
Expanded post available here. And, bonus affirmation set for paid subscribers is included at the bottom of this newsletter (scroll down).
Questions to explore:
Do you know how to play as you are now (at this age, in this season of life)? What does play mean to you today?
Where might you be trying to “straighten” what is meant to be delightfully cattywampus? What would it feel like to bless the imperfect instead of fixing it?
Where can you soften in your life—physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually?
What rough edges are currently rubbing at your spirit, and how might you soften them?
Where do you feel “thin,” leaky, or drained in your life or energy body right now?
What fears or resentments are hurting you from the inside out? What would it look like to begin releasing even a little of that today?
If your heart could speak freely, what would it say it needs in order to remember how to be whole?
What idea, project, or dream are you ready to make manifest in this season?
Affirmations:
I allow playfulness to enrich my life.
I find pleasure in the small moments.
I follow what pleases me.
I am rich in so many ways.
I understand the sacred nature of the cattywampus way.
I embrace the tender beauty in imperfection.
I am playful.
I dance in the love light of a benevolent Mother Goddess.
I am rooted in love.
I pause and return to center.
I breathe deep and listen.
I allow myself to delight in the sweetness of life.
I am open to ease in the present.
I soften and rediscover sweetness.
I remember I am already whole.
I am fierce and wild.
I watch the orioles,
orange and black embers
against a backdrop of green.
They do not know what is
on my lists.
Standing under this sky,
this day,
I remember:
when we let the litany
of the undone
run away with us,
we forget to inhabit the real.
The orioles are here today.
Tomorrow is still only a rumor.
Sometimes I feel like I’ve been “camping out” at a long, extended crossroads—combination of midlife re-evaluation, changing family constellations and needs, and simply living in the in‑between on a changing earth.
Midlife invites us to recognize and hold the reality that we can’t live every possible life and can’t say yes to every shimmering door.
But you can:
+Listen for your own full yes from the wise guide within.
+Make peace with the paths that must pass you by.
+Trust that new doors appear because you let others close.
A mini blessing for today:
“May I choose with wise discernment, even when it means letting good things go.”
So pleased to share this guest video from Cynthia Abulafia, the author of Embodying the Goddess with you as a special subscriber bonus this month!
This is where the magic is,
right where we are,
where we touch
the mighty mystery,
step into the sacred,
and ease into the boundless,
right where it touches us.
Gently, now,
we invite ourselves
to remember.
Bravely, now,
we invite ourselves
to reclaim.
Firmly, now,
we invite ourselves
to return.
We need not seek the absolute
or long for the holy,
we need only to open our eyes
and reach out our hands,
right here,
right now,
we have already
arrived.
Sending love to all of you.
Keep living your magic,
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