The Numinous Podcast

Sharon Blackie, PhD, is a writer, psychologist and mythologist. In her most recent book, Hagitude: Reimagining The Second Half Of Life, Sharon explores the inner life of women over 50 and women who’ve experienced menopause and invites us to challenge belief systems and rewrite the elder years as a time of great flowering. In this conversation, we explore what Sharon describes as the "incandescence" of menopause and the spiritual purpose of women's elderhood.

She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and has taught and lectured at several academic institutions, Jungian organisations, retreat centres and cultural festivals around the world. Some of her work, particularly her two previous books, If Women Rose Rooted and The Enchanted Life, are considered by many to be among the classic psychospiritual and mythic texts of our age, sitting comfortably on the shelf alongside other greats such as Clarissa Pinkola Estes and Jean Shinoda Bolen.

Her highly acclaimed books and courses are focused on the development of the mythic imagination. She likes to explore the relevance of myths, fairy tales and folk traditions to the personal, cultural and environmental problems we face today. 

Find Hagitude wherever you buy books and check out Dr.Blackie's many programs at sharonblackie.net

This is a super fun episode based on a genuine conversation between friends. In this episode, death doula and fellow animist, Andrea Sexton Dumas, asks me some excellent questions!

• What is the personality of The Spirited Kitchen – if it was a person, what would they be like?

• What rituals did I do to petition the Greater Powers to support this book?

• Which deities and spirit guides pressed upon me during the writing of this book or came to me in dreams?

Follow Andrea on Instagram and come to Candle Hour!

Support the women's revolution in Iran.

This is a mini-episode where I talk about the two fundamentals that I believe are required in someone's practice for them to be a witch: animism and activism. If these two things aren't present in someone's craft, I am dubious. They are playing around. They are not being serious. I would not claim them as a peer or fellow practitioner of witchcraft.

Learn more about Witches New Year.

Pre-order The Spirited Kitchen.

Nikiah Seeds has been working in the realm of ceremony and healing for the past 20 years and is the creatrix of the Red Moon Mystery school and co-author of Moon Mysteries: Reclaiming Woman's Menstrual Wisdom.

She offers ancestral healing work and spiritual mentoring along with her creations as a weaver, and drum maker and teacher. Among her offerings are sacred drums, rattles, and shawls/prayer cloaks, as well as online courses.

In this conversation, Nikiah and I talk about changing our identities and adapting language as we grow and evolve. Once again we touch on the topic of being a witch at mid- or later life and the lack of intergenerational spaces for exchange and transmission amongst witches. Nikiah shares when and where she feels most creative and what she does when she's blocked.

www.redmoonmysteryschool.com

Sacred Path Apprenticeship and Certification

Learn more about Nikiah at:

https://www.redmoonmysteryschool.com/about

and

www.nikiahseeds.com

My astrologer, Eliza, is here! Eliza Robertson is a published author, researcher, and astrologer based in Montreal, Canada. She holds a PhD from the University of East Anglia and has published two books of fiction, one of which was selected as a New York Times Editor's Choice. She

began formalizing her astrological studies at the Faculty of Astrology in the UK and has

gone on to study Hellenistic and Electional Astrology with Chris Brennan and Horary

with Nina Gryphon at Kepler College. She co-hosts an astrology and occult podcast under the banner, Kosmic Tonic, and is currently the Director of Content for the CHANI App. You know the CHANI app - Chani Nicholas, another beloved astrologer - that Chani’s app.

Learn more about safer sex work at PEERS Victoria.

Listen to the podcast she co-hosts under the banner Kosmic Tonic.

Come to her session at Witches New Year!

I'm delighted to welcome Erin Fairchild to the podcast! Erin is founder of Journal As Altar, as well as a social worker and (not currently practicing) therapist with expertise related to childhood trauma, attachment, and preventing violence in systems, communities, and families.

In this episode, we talk about the ritual of journaling, and about coming back to the practice if you've experienced a betrayal, conflict, or violation of privacy with your journal.

In addition to Journal As Altar, Erin continues to work in the fields of equity-centered trauma informed care and violence prevention over at Collective Action Consulting. I have wanted to have Erin on the podcast ever since I took her Journal As Altar workshop and received the care package of supplies in the mail - and we're so lucky to have her presenting at Witches New Year this year!

Find Erin on Instagram @journal.as.altar

Erin's Workshops

Erin's Substack Community

Munro's Books - 20% off pre-orders of The Spirited Kitchen 

Mimi Young is here again - in 2020 she was here and we talked about intuition and tea and plant medicine and working with ancestors. Today we’re talking about animism, numerology, her relationship to the word witch, and what we might have in store as we move through the second half of a Yang Water Tiger Year into a Yin Rabbit year in early 2023.

Mimi Young is a Taiwanese Canadian animist spirit medium and the founder of Ceremonie, an esoteric brand focused on imparting practical ancient wisdom so folks can actively receive support from spirits, break negative patterns, and celebrate their path.

Mimi works at the intersection of animism and wu shamanism, ancestral wisdom, dream work, and other Chinese mystic practices to communicate with the Unseen. She offers private readings, education and mentorship, and made-to-order skin and aura care.

Find Mimi on Instagram: @shopceremonie

www.shopceremonie.com

Thérèse Cator is an artist, performer, leadership coach, embodiment practitioner, and founder of Embodied Black Girl, a global community that stands for the embodied liberation of Black women and femmes and women of color globally. Part of that work is realized through the Global Healing Festival, an annual online event featuring over 20 inspiring presenters.

Thérèse has been a coach for 13 years, has been practicing energy work since her teens and performing and writing since childhood. We’ve been friends since Therese first appeared on the podcast in 2017 when we spoke about Shadow Alchemy. Since then we’ve been fellow students more than once and we’ve collaborated professionally by co-facilitated small groups together. Thérèse has held me in some of my most vulnerable moments, at other times she’s given me really stingy feedback when I needed it. I love hearing about her upbringing and family traditions and this conversation about how she celebrates the Wheel of the Year in her Haitian tradition has been a long time coming. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Seattle native, L'Erin Alta, is a mystic, medicine woman, and spiritual mentor with more than 20 years of experience helping women + femmes live their soul's purpose by being their most authentic selves. As creatrix of Black Girl Mystic, she leads masterclasses, workshops, retreats and 1:1 mentorships guiding Black women, femmes, and gender queer folk to embody wealth, ease, and freedom from a deep place of soul alignment.

Her work as a masterful healer, magical facilitator, and transformational space holder began over 20 years ago in the Women's Research and Resource Center of Spelman College, one of the historically Black colleges and universities in the US . It was there that she started SisterFire, a monthly all-women's open-mic / spiritual ceremony / healing space. From Seattle to Spelman to powerful spaces near and far, healing and liberation has always been L'Erin's purpose and she's embodying it everyday. 

L'Erin first appeared on the podcast in 2017 when we spoke about Lineage + Legacy.

In this episode, we're talking about manifestation without spiritual bypass, healing the money wound|mother wound and releasing any conditionality placed upon our self-worth, and finding joy and pleasure in unexpected places!

Follow L'Erin on Instagram @lerinalta

Natalie Rousseau is here and we’re talking about her relationship to the word “witch”, how we feel about creativity and self-expression, feeling stuck, the books we long to write, and the stories we love to hear again and again. Natalie is a woman who wears many hats. She’s taught yoga and meditation since 2002 and is currently in school studying somatic therapy. She lives in Hul'qumi'num territory, also known as Salt Spring Island, BC. She’s a great listener, an excellent writer, and a gentle teacher and I know you’re going to love this conversation between two very like-minded women of great mutual respect. 

In this episode, we mentioned the newer feminist edition of The Odyssey by Emily Wilson (and here's a Vox article on why her version is an important piece of work.)

Also Circe by Madeline Miller

Follow Natalie on Instagram 

Sign up for her newsletter to stay informed about her 13 Moons program and other offerings.

Pre-Order The Spirited Kitchen now!