Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published
HAIL VULTURE, Death Eater, Purifier, Alchemist, Shadow Healer! Feast with me on that which has died, that no longer serves in its current form, that which is ready to be transformed. May we together digest the detritus of the soul so that we can be ecstatically whole. Guide me forward so that I may cleanse myself and soar with grace toward the bright shining warmth of the sun. Hail and Welcome!
TW: gun violence, politics
My bird ally for Mabon and the Fall Equinox and my personal symbol for alchemizing death.
When I began this venture of re-releasing all my zines here in the Khaleidoscope Zine Archive I made a plan to share an issue of 52 Feathers for each of the Neo-Pagan Sabbats that I observe. I find the pace of acknowledging the change in season every six weeks grounding. I find the opportunity to gather with my community rejuvenating and cathartic. Even though I practice a lot of solo ritual and witchcraft, the Sabbats are a joyful time to come together in a larger gathering which ripples out in magical ways through my life.
I like the celebrate the season throughout the whole six weeks between observances. Although for many October marks the shift into Halloween and Samhain season, for me the season doesn’t begin until after the Sabbat. The season of Mabon holds its own energy of death, with the tip into the darkest half of the year and the descent of beloved Maiden goddesses into their underworld Queendom. With the harvest also comes death and sacrifice, we can only take so much into the dark with us.
All season I have been dancing with the balance of Gratitude and Grief. For my communities annual Mabon celebration we held a ritual tree planting, half the congregation choosing to bury their loss and grief with the roots, to become sacrifice in the dirt, and the other half celebrating their harvest in gratitude, tying red ribbons to the branches.
At first I thought I would honor the wisdom of Turkey and Abundant Gratitude for Mabon, but with the darkness of the days mirrored by a chaotic darkness is politics and the news I felt I needed a more potent ally. And so I settled on Vulture, the master alchemizer to guide me through this season of loss, where the fruit on the vine shrivels in the cold, and the leaves begin their steady descent to decay on the earth.
Vulture has been vilified partly due to its wholeness. It performs in all parts of the life cycle, interacting with parts of the world that are taboo, repulsive, or unclean. Vulture literally eats death, transmuting rancid flesh in its stomach so that the world can be purified. By denying the shadow that exists all around us, the death and decay outside and within, we are also denying our sacred wholeness.
You can practice integrating your own shadow through mental digestion with the aid of vulture. Take notes on things you dislike in the world around you.After a few days of noticing stand before a mirror and see if you can integrate these reactions into your own sense of self. Be kind with yourself as shadow work is very powerful. See how these things that are perceived negatively could inform your own shadow. Noticing and loving our humanity through connection to the darker sides of reality is the first step to integration. Let yourself digest any truth that appears to you through the exercise with a self care ritual. If the practice becomes to strong, turn to a trusted friend or guide for support. Warm yourself in the sun like the majestic Vulture.
Take notes on things you dislike in the world around you. Notice actions in people. Notice when your body recoils in disgust.
I had a lot of resistance to exploring my disgust, even though I knew it would be fruitful to sit and digest what I recoil from with the supportive oversight of Vulture. I will share my whole list but will only unpack a couple of the points I discovered:
Guns and gun violence
Anti trans sentiments
the news
xenophobia
my own recoil to drug use, homelessness, mental health crisis in public spaces when I want to have more compassion, knowledge of how to support, eye contact
careless pet owners with reckless dogs off leash
litter
clear cutting of trees, wanton destruction of natural world. I was recently devastated by a roadkill turtle displaced from the median that is being turned into a bikeway. I think the bikeway is good, but many animals and bugs and plants live in these “unused” spaces and I find myself dismayed at the lack of care for the creatures that are disturbed in the name of progress.
Once I put pen to paper I was able to find words and body sensations. I started with something easy and obvious for me. I live in Colorado and I have many friends with guns, who go out shooting. I love these friends but I find myself pulling away when gun use comes up in discussion. Thankfully, I had a fruitful conversation with a friend recently about gun use. For her, as long as guns are baked into the constitution she feels her patriotism is tied to needing to know how to use and be around guns. She is also shared her belief that if you are going to know how to put holes into someone you also need to know how to patch them up. I was thankful for that sentiment, but I still have complicated feelings about gun ownership. I am firm in my stance of abolishing guns across the whole globe, taking all the metal and bullets and turning them into something fruitful like shovels or sculptures.
I also find myself frequently disgusted and in recoil whenever I tune into the national news. I find myself so confused and nauseated by the rhetoric in the political sphere of our country I completely disengage. Sitting with that disgust and really turning towards the power of that feeling provides me with good information. I think that is part of the strategy of the authoritarian rise, to freeze those who might otherwise stand against them with a constant stream of menacing ideology.
I am also puzzled and repulsed by the faction of my country that stand beside the hateful messaging. Who are these people? Would they be disgusted by my worldview? My existence? How did things become so divided and hate-driven? I found this interview by PBS incredibly enlightening, frightening, but also hopeful. As election season straddles the transition from Mabon to Samhain I find myself desiring to stomach my repulsion, tune in, and show up for my democracy in hopes that it makes a difference.
I stand in the mirror and see my fear. I dislike this part of myself, wanting to be courageous and clear and knowing in how to face that which repulses me in the world. I see that I am not a Vulture, but a person, an artist and a mother and a dancer and a citizen. I breathe in patience and grace. I breathe in tolerance for myself creating an opening for tolerance for others. I trust that my fear is part of my wholeness. I trust that I will find my place in the uncomfortable dance of our times.
I imagine there is more to unpack, as the spiraling of self knowing is always unraveling. If you experiment with this exercise and learn anything mundane or profound I always cherish reading what you discover in the comments.
If you want to check out other Birds from this series check out these newsletters:
The Khaleidoscope Zine Archive
Glorious Solstice with Goldfinch
·
June 20, 2024
HAIL GOLDFINCH, Exuberant flash of yellow and light, shine with bright joy with me this day. As the sun peaks in the sky and folk come out to play, bring your exuberance to this moment in song and flight and play and color. I see and celebrate all that I have created in my life to this moment. I see and celebrate all that you have to share with me in this moment. I revel in the good that is abundant all around. I welcome you in gratitude. Hail and Welcome!
The Khaleidoscope Zine Archive
Embracing the Dark with RAVEN
·
December 20, 2024
HAIL RAVEN, Corvus Corax! Bringer of Omens, Seer of the Gods, Master of Shadow & Light! I enter the black cauldron of darkness and night with you this day to become the alchemist, mixing all that is with all that was with all that can be in the primordial black of my soul. From here, with your mastery and influence, I will call forth the light within to illuminate the path towards the life I most truly wish to live. From this moment I open my eyes to your guidance, awakening myself to your prophecy. I will watch for the signs you leave of fortune and warning. Thank you for blessing my journey with your wisdom. Hail and Welcome!
In this issue:
Mythic Vulture Stories
Eight: The Cycle of the Infinite
Vulture as scavenger
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.