Happy Solstice, Good Yule to you, and welcome to the first episode of Animisma - All Things In-Spirited!

During this first season, we will follow The Celtic Wheel of the Year. Eight episodes will be dedicated to the eight traditional festivals and each episode will be released on the day of each festival, offering an opportunity for you to connect with and celebrate the festival.

Season 1 of Animisma is also offered as a bridge towards reclaiming the indigenous wisdom of our Celtic ancestry. My hope for this first season of Animisma is to offer anyone who shares the bloodlines of my ancestors a pathway back to the old ways that welcomed us into the web of all existence and offered us connection to presence, each other, and to the magic of the world around us, wherever we may find ourselves. Perhaps by reclaiming our indigenous wisdom, we can heal our lines, truthfully acknowledge the past, and in doing so, claim a future of connection, respect, and reverence for the lands, waters, trees, animals, and all people. Perhaps today we can claim community as connection and no matter what our bloodline, rest into the deep knowing that we are all indigenous children of the Earth.

So, today we launch this podcast on Yule, which we will take as the 1st celebration of the year. For eons, celebrations of the returning light have taken place on the Hibernal or Winter Solstice. I offer this first episode as a way to reveal a little of its history and to connect with this beloved ancestral celebration of the returning light. We will end with a gentle meditation and a blessing to ring in the season.

May the blessings be plentiful and may grace guide you and hold you into the coming year!