Cleveland Pagan Pride

10/16/2026

Shout out to Steven at Buckland Museum of Witchcraft & Magick wearing this years Cleveland Pagan Pride t-shirt on New Day Cleveland.

New Day Cleveland/FOX 8 News at Noon

10/03/2026

Our sisters at Crooked River Crones are looking for donations of small, gently used, interestingly shaped empty bottles with 1-3 ounce capacity for a project they are working on for 2027 Cleveland Pagan Pride. If you have any you can part with, reach out, and we can make arrangements to have you drop them off, for us to pick them up, or for us to meet up in neutral territory.

10/03/2026

Magickal Weather Forecast:

Cleveland, OH 10/3/2026

My GOODNESS the sky was a treat this morning. Our beautiful waning half-moon was nestled in the most brilliant display of stars. It was like they were in a cosmic congress voting on what needs another look before we move forward. (put a pin in that for a few...)

Looking into the heavens, we can see the obvious. The moon is waning, and this is a time for working with decreasing influences and asking questions about what needs carried forward and what can, at last, be left behind.

If we started some work on that third day of the full moon, this morning's lovely Crone shows us that we're halfway there. (Bon Jovi, anyone?)

Let's get to the real meat and bones of this week's cosmic weather.

Tomorrow, October 4, Mercury is entering its pre-retrograde shadow.

And Venus has decided to join the party.

Venus is retrograde in Scorpio, turning our attention toward relationships, values, desire, attachment, self-worth, and what we actually want. And because she is also moving through Scorpio, we may find ourselves looking beneath the surface of those things rather than settling for the easy answer.

What do we value?
What are we attached to?
What do we actually want?

And perhaps most importantly...

Why?

Apparently the Cosmic Congress has a rather full agenda this week.

And before I go any deeper into this, let me just throw this out there:

Personally, I think people struggle with full/new moons and cosmic retrogrades because they haven't worked much with attuning to the energy that is present. We get so stuck in how it was yesterday and how we still want that.

Where's our favorite insurance lady quote?

"That's not how any of this works."

Learning to attune to the energy that is present in the room is beneficial to keeping an even keel during these times that can appear to be determined to bounce us about.

Attunement does not, however, mean "take whatever bu****it is slung your way." Nope. It means...

"The energy is strange in this room."
"Why?"
"Ok... that's why. What can we do with this?"

But back to this shadow period of Mercury retrograde...

The shadow phase of the retrograde is less about the beginning of chaos and more about those previews we love at the movie theater.

I haven't been in a theater for years. Do they even do that anymore?

We may notice the following:

Things that need a second look: This may come with the realization that something we thought was settled suddenly doesn't feel so even-keeled. Maybe you actually went back to read those pesky terms and conditions. Maybe you're reconsidering a decision. Maybe there's some detail you missed.

Old conversations may resurface: This doesn't necessarily mean people will crawl out of the woodwork, mind you, although astrology loves that trope. More broadly, our minds may be pulled toward unfinished conversations, unresolved questions, or subjects that have gone into the mental filing cabinet can end up making another pass.

Information beneath information: And because this shadow period is in Scorpio, I'd lean HARD into this one. Scorpio is traditionally associated with what is hidden, private, psychologically deep, shared resources, intimacy, secrets, and transformation. Astrologically, this gives the Mercury cycle more of a tone of "What's ACTUALLY going on underneath all of this?"

Yes. This cycle is NOT just about that pesky email getting screwed up.

Communication may get more complicated: Yes. Maybe sit with misunderstandings, whether you are misunderstanding or being misunderstood. There may be crossed wires, delays, clarification may be needed... none of this is cosmic law, though. This simply "may" happen. What's important is to notice when it does happen.

No one is saying it is a guarantee that your printer will spontaneously develop a demonic possession.

Those don't seem to need Mercury to go retro for that to happen.

"Get the behind me, Epson WF-2930... with your incessant driver updates and ink refills..."

Probably the biggest aspect of our coming weather...

That pesky return of unfinished business: This shadow period is a "first pass" through territory Mercury will revisit. It's a true preview of what may need our attention later.

If we are mindful of what we experience during that shadow period, the actual event may go more smoothly.

Which brings us back to our Cosmic Congress...

Maybe they are sifting through Mercury's incessant FOIA requests...

On a deeper level:

This is not the time to rush to resolve everything.

Notice. Review. Question. Don't necessarily fix.

The thing that comes back for another look may not be asking to be changed.

It may be asking to be understood.

Scorpio... after all...

Blessings!

10/01/2026

Practice is a relationship, not a vending machine.

On a few occasions, I attended AA meetings with one of my exes. One of the phrases I heard repeatedly in that room was, "work the program."

Recovering alcoholics were not being told to go home and think about their program, to read about it, or to talk about it.

No, the message was to "work it."

Similarly, Zen practices tell us to:

Chop wood. Carry water.

As an aside, sometimes I fun this up and say chop water, carry wood... haha.

At the surface level, these teachings look profoundly unglamorous.

We live in a culture that adores transformation stories.

The breakthrough.
The epiphany.
The ritual that changed everything.
The moment when the universe finally sends the sign.

We see it, and we want it for ourselves.

And then we learn...

It isn't so simple as going out and buying the cauldron, the herbs, the stones, the wand, the incense.... Oh, I could go on and on and list the regalia that heralds High-Holy Witchery that occupies my own home.

Once we bring our horde home, we learn...

"Oh... there is work to do in all of this."
"My wand isn't magick until I make it so."

Even a person born with talents must work with those talents to master them, and yes, sometimes that comes more easily to some than it does to others.

There is still work involved, and that work is the point.

That work is what builds the Witch.

We learn along the way that magick is not necessarily about making life do what we want. Sometimes, it is about becoming the person who can meet life differently.

This requires participation.

If we want strong boundaries, we must practice having them.
If we want greater sovereignty, we must practice making our own decisions.
If we want healthier relationships, we must examine what **we** bring to the relationships.
If we want to understand our patterns, we must be willing to carefully examine them.
If we want to become more compassionate, we must practice compassion.
If we want to become more disciplined, we must practice discipline.

Ouch... that last one hurts me.

Universe: "Christina, if you want the Pagan Learning Collective to be successful, you must wake up early and generate content. Get your name out there... Have others see you."

Me: "Goddammit." *sets alarm for 3:30 AM*

Truly, there are no shortcuts around our practices.

We can't expect results from work we are unwilling to do.

We all have roles in our own becoming.

So how do magickal practices help us?

The ritual opens the door.
The oracle gives us something to consider or contemplate.
The teacher acts as a guidepost.
The deity inspires.
The universe provides opportunities.

Eventually, that threshold must be crossed.

Then what?

Chop wood. Carry water.

Do the next thing. Then the next. Etc...

All my best to you on this day.

Now get busy. 🪣

09/29/2026

Exercises in Sovereignty:

In magick, we, well, I don't know about "we," per se, but I do know that I talk about sovereignty a lot.

What exactly is meant by this, though?

Sovereignty, in the magickal context, is the recognition and practice of your own authority over yourself.

Some of the focuses of sovereignty practices are to reclaim personal power, establish boundaries, and repair damaged self-esteem particularly after experiences of abuse. This work can draw on both modern Witchcraft and somatic psychology, using ritual, embodied awareness, and inner work to help us recognize where old patterns still live in the body and how they affect the ways we relate to ourselves and others.

It assists the Witch in stepping out of victim roles and, ultimately, becoming the sole authority over their own lives through ritual and inner work.

Oh, there's that pesky shadow work again.

Sovereignty practices ask us to stop handing away our authority simply because another person has a title, an initiation, a degree, a following, a reputation, a deity, a spirit, a teacher, or a very convincing voice.

It is all well and good to learn from others. The important word group in that statement was "handing away our authority."

I learned absolutely nothing about BEING a Witch from a book.

Sure. I love books. Have you been to my house? I have lots and lots of them. Some of them, I've even read!

However:

I learned all of my most valuable work by BEING with other Witches.

Notice that word "BEING."

Why did you capitalize that, Christina?

Because I can't figure out making italics in this pesky Facebook text box.

One becomes sovereign while working with others by asking the question:

"How does this apply to me and my practices?"

It requires an open mind.

I have a fun lecture about the open mind. Sometimes, I forget that not everyone has heard it, so I may make it a public thing.

Sovereignty practices free us.

It builds the strength to say "no."

It builds the ability to say "yes," when we truly mean it.

It creates the realization that changing our minds does not make us wishy-washy.

It takes all shame out of saying, "I don't know."

It allows us to hear the wisdom and experiences of others without automatically making their wisdom our own personal truth.

Most importantly, to me, it helps in the building of discernment.

"Yes. I could. But should I?"

Over the coming weeks, I'd like to explore sovereignty through small exercises rather than simply talking about it as an abstract magickal concept.

This may get uncomfortable.

There is a lot more involved than loudly declaring "What-evah... I do what I want."

Sovereignty teaches responsibility along with the realization that the magickal world is our oyster.

Enjoy the ride.

09/13/2026

There is only one kind of person you really need to avoid on your spiritual path: the person who insists you are "doing it wrong." Whatever "it" may be.

There is nothing wrong with following a path that has already been walked by others. In fact, there can be great value in it.

That kind of structure gives the new Witch somewhere to begin. Traditions give us language for experiences we may not have words for just yet. Practicing within a structured tradition gives us repetition, discipline, and ways to develop confidence before we begin branching off into the deeper woods of growth.

It serves us well to remember, however, that a path is supposed to take us somewhere.

Eventually, that path needs to arrive at a point where we are no longer simply walking someone else's path.

We know the ritual.

We have studied the correspondences.

We have memorized the words.

We have learned what came before us and why it mattered.

Then it is time to decide what this all means to us.

There is a point at which faithfully following someone else's instructions, regardless of where they come from, becomes less about learning and more about asking permission.

This does not allow for growth. It creates dependence.

Our practices need to become singularly and solely ours.

This isn't to say, "reject everything that came before." It simply acknowledges our digestion of it. We have tested it, asked the questions, kept what was meaningful and discarded what was not, and added other things that we discovered along the way.

Traditions are wonderful maps.

Beautiful, ancient maps drawn by those who traveled places we have never been.

Yet.

It serves us well to remember that a map is NOT the territory.

Someone else's map cannot tell us where our feet need to go.

Learn.

Study.

Follow.

Question.

Experiment.

And, eventually, walk.

If a "leader" tells us that there is only one way to do things, and that our way is wrong, then we have to ask:

Are they teaching us a path, or are they teaching us to need them?

09/06/2026

Magickal Weather Forecast: Cleveland, OH — September 6, 2026, 5 AM

Conditions:

🌘 Waning Crescent (Crone) Moon
⚔️ Orion returning to the morning sky
🍂 Seasonal shifting
✨ Excellent conditions for release, reflection, and preparation

This morning, I was led to sit in my driveway and gaze at the eastern sky. We all know I am usually up before dawn, so it was an opportunity to see the vastness of the universe, especially since we had a rare treat in NE Ohio.... no clouds! hot damn!

I noticed that Orion is returning to the morning sky.

In and of itself, this is a seasonal marker. Here in the Northern Hemisphere, his return to the predawn sky signals our movement toward the autumn and winter sky.

Magickally, Orion, the Hunter, though we won't concentrate on that aspect, can represent pursuit, skill, determination, and knowing what you're after.

His return to the morning sky reminds us that the things that disappear do not necessarily disappear forever. Some things return in their proper season.

Our beloved Orion also appears at the threshold of the shift from summer into autumn.

And then there is his Belt. Oh, that glorious belt. No, not the cat collar from Men in Black.

Follow the line of Orion's Belt toward Sirius, the Dog Star, and you have a beautiful celestial exercise in orientation. Both are becoming increasingly prominent in the predawn sky right now.

So here's a prompt for us to consider:

What are we hunting for, and what direction does our Belt point us toward?

Orion's Belt can become a magickal instrument of orientation.

We could view the Belt as alignment.

Are our dreams and our energies in alignment for successful manifestation?

This doesn't mean questioning our success or our efforts. More accurately, we might ask:

Does what I believe, what I say, and what I actually do all point in the same direction?

That's alignment.

And when we use Orion's Belt as a tool of orientation, it points our eyes toward other stars in the sky, stars that, for eons, helped travelers find their way long before GPS was a thing.

Sometimes, we don't need to know the destination.

We only need to follow the alignment we can see.

One star reveals the next, and then the next.

We don't need the entire map.

We just need a direction.

I could write about this all day. I do, however, have stuffs to do, and I trust you to look more deeply into our Celestial Hunter if you are so led.

So let's talk about that Crone Moon for a few minutes.

This lovely, wise lady is in her final phase before the New Moon, which arrives on September 10.

This is a delicious magickal morsel.

The Crone has never been the Moon of new beginnings. She is the Moon of revealing what can be put down.

The Crone Moon can be a time for:

• Things that have completed their purpose.
• Divination and listening.
• Reviewing what we have learned during this lunar cycle.
• Honoring endings.
• Cleaning house, both literally and figuratively.
• Withdrawing from unnecessary noise.
• Stoking and protecting our energy.
• Preparing for the next cycle.

She isn't necessarily about destruction.

She is about discernment.

This stays.
This goes.
This has taught me what it came to teach me.
This does not belong in the next cycle.

And with that, I invite you to ponder this week's assignment from the sky:

Go outside before sunrise.
Look east.
Find Orion.
Find the old Moon.

Spend some time there without reaching for your phone to take a picture or opening Google Sky Map to see what you're "supposed" to be seeing.

Just stand there.

Ask yourself:

What is returning?
What is leaving?
What am I being asked to notice?

Then pay attention.

The sky has been doing this for far longer than we have.