00:00.00
witchhunt
Hi hi Shoshhaana welcome to the richitch hu po hi Alex we're so excited to have you here. This is the very first time that we've actuallyually done like a video in the same room where we're recording I mean it's like a talk show. It's a talk show. But which have talks with witches who are out of the closet out of the broom closet. That's right? So everybody this is shohaana hi am excited to introduce you to her so shoshhanana is a neighborhood. Well a neighborhood which she's a neighborhood which but she's my neighbor which also yeah and Shoshana runs. Ah, very beautiful space called community out pitchtch for any toronto witches. But I'm gonna let shohaana introduce herself sure. So I'm Shuana just like we're saying um I'm from Regina um Saskatchewan or we used to call it vaginas the scratcher bum. Those of you witches who are really into fun things like that. Um I have this wonderful space community at which in Parkdale and Toronto and it's really for the others people who are not accepted in other places and who want to practice. Um. Witchcraft or any kind of spiritual healing or just need community. Just really anyone who needs a village. Um, so and I offer a lot of supports for women who just need a break from their lives. We have like a place of respite and lots of workshops and ah like.
01:32.63
witchhunt
All sorts of things today. We have a workshop on psilocybin called through the looking less um where a psychologist comes and talks about it. Um, and yesterday I taught shapeshifting. So yeah, a whole bunch of stuff like that. But you want me to tell you why and how well I went so. So in this episode I want to talk about Shoshana's your journey and how you came to be a witch and what your relationship is to that word that concept that practice and you know I really like getting into the details of it so that other. Women listening who are either kind of somewhere along their sort of awakening journey or further along you know, further along in their experiences which is really understand that there were patterns. Right? Like there moment patterns in a woman's life that I'm really seeing as I as I interview all these incredible women. Um, so I want to know okay, how when did you know you were a witch shahaana um, first of all, my dog is gonna just chew on her bone. It's gonna bug me for sound reasons. Hold on one second ram hey know sorry I'm also a voice actor. So that's why sometimes you might hear me say come on mail. Um, yes, you know? yeah I know she doesn't have your bone so cute. So.
03:00.88
witchhunt
When did I know I think when I was young very young. Um I practiced my own version of witchcraft which was um, like praying to the Christmas tree I know I'm a jew but we celebrated Christmas. Um, and so I prayed to the Christmas tree I cried about Jesus I had little altars in my room I didn't know that that's what they were anytime I was near any kind of religious place like anytime I went to synegogue or anything I would always get teary I was so like moved by the sacredness. Um. But my mother was um, an atheist and a hardcore atheist so I was really I kind of hit it from her my dad wanted to be a rabbi and then discovered Marx and that's Carl not Groucho although he discovered Groucho as well. Um, like both important for both the marxes and so um, yeah, so I I wanted very much to find a spiritual home. Ah, but my parents didn't really want that so much. Um, and our synagogue when I was growing up in Regina was very very conservative so you had to sit on separate sides from the men men and women separate sides and um I wasn't allowed to touch the torah.
04:27.21
witchhunt
Because I was unclean at certain times of the month because I had my period um, for those of you who don't know that's something that women do um, yeah so I decided ah to find my whole like what am I gonna do? What's my thing. Um. And I sort of practiced in silence and you know did my own little prayers and ah when I went to China when I was sixteen I went to ah a temple a buddhist temple and got in there and started. Touching things with my hands and this was after cultural revolution obviously so they were a lot of the temples had been destroyed and that little faces had been smashed off them Rosa leave her oh my Okay and so um I went in there and I had this like very emotional experience where I just. Cried and was so connected to this put my hands on everything was so moved. Um and I just really was searching for a long time and then um I was married I know I'm jumping but I got married to um, a guy that I'd you know, known most of my life and. the marriage turned out to she was very happy with you now um the marriage turned out to be not so great. Um, and then again I was married to a really really big atheist. Okay, why anyway, um.
05:59.62
witchhunt
So He was not into it and anytime I wanted to go to synagogue or practice any kind of like I had been in done sweats before and done ritual before different kinds of ritual Pagan ritual butter sweats like to go into a sweat lodge. Okay. Um, and practice with indigenous people or in shamanism. All this stuff I was like I'm going to find my people um but a big part of my looking was trying to find something that was really feminist.
06:35.51
witchhunt
And that's tough with religion because patriarchy. So ah, it turned out that over pandemic I was you know we're all in lockdown and I was scrolling Instagram like doom scrolling as they say and. Came across this advertisement for witch school and the main thing that caught me was feminist leadership and ritual and I was like oh that's what I need feminist leadership and ritual like I need to be sorry I'm taking my race itself I need to be um. I need to be with people who can pray and have like a sacred beautiful practice that also ah worships women or like acknowledges women at least um my mom growing up though she was atheist. She was an anthropologist. And so she had raised me with all this teaching about goddesses but it was more like this is you know when god was a woman was her big book that she always left her own. You got to read this when god was a woman Merlin something I'll put it in the show. Anyway, she's amazing. It's an amazing book. Yeah amazing book. And my mom was a big feminist. She was like the first ah female union rap in Saskatchewan wow and she was an organizer and so I was raised like you know in activism and in feminism but sort of missing the ritual. Yeah, and so I had all that mythology.
08:10.98
witchhunt
And my mom loved like yeah, the bible's great if you want to read it as like a study in anthropology this is what people believed but not like this is ah a way we have to believe? Yeah, no, no, it was like if you'd read little red riding hood and you were like. We got to live like this now everyone get baskets. They'd be like why born into the right? Yeah yeah, but it was like why are we doing this. Why But anyway. So um, yeah, no I really really was raised mostly with Greek mostly with Greek Mythology ah and some other stuff she was really into this book of the the the pygmy people the tree people of Borneo or something like this. Yeah, all this stuff I was raised with so my god you're going to really have a a lot of dog sounds. There is a dog during the recording. Um, well just to give you a story about our beautiful little rosa here. Yeah Rosa's a pit bullll yeah a trauma chitbull. She's a traumatized pit bullll and I just found out that pit bulllls were actually the nanny dogs the nanny dogs because they're so super protective. Yeah, and so I had to kind of. Make my way into her onto her good side and now she loves me now she's rubbing you and loving me I and sneezing her you you have to you have to the way to a good woman's heart is with some meat sticks anyway, so um, so that.
09:41.43
witchhunt
Ah, comedian well not always, but right now for sure because I so want to no, but she's a paid comedian I'm ah I'm paid sometimes she's paid oh my gosh I the whole time she's not but sometimes I'm not the most hilarious thing so on my website, you're gonna see it cause you're gonna go to my website. I'm going to put this thing that's called not for profits but spelled like prophets the other spelling prophets. Oh I love it is 0 ya? Yeah, so it's not for profits. Okay, so I'm really happy with my joke I think it's no It's good. it's good so anyway that's what happened I found this I found which school and because I was really you know as we all were traumatized by what was happening in the world I was really searching for something I joined which school and I met Kihi Keskinan who taught me all about goddesses and activism and ritual which is. Honestly, this hole that I had right like these were the three things I was craving but I couldn't find 1 thing that fed all those needs and um and I realized as I went through which school that I'd always been a witch. That I had been praying to the trees and talking to crab apples and making potions and you know, crushing up berries and and talking to the sky for a long time ah saving earthworms you know so.
11:08.62
witchhunt
Yeah, and then I was in which school there is a whole thing where they ask you? You know you you go through the whole eleven months and at one point they ask you your I am statement which you're developing throughout and your I am statement is very much like what do I want to do what? what. What am I pulled to do with my life and with the time I have here and so you develop it over eleven months as I said and it's really powerful. Um, and you do a lot of ritual around it so that it's kind of divined how you get to it. Um, and. I realized that in my divorce I had this house that I didn't want because it was the house I had with my ex I was like I want to sell this house fuck this I want to get rid of it. You know we pick this paint together I don't want this house. You know, um, and in. Which school I realized that I could take this house and change it into a place that I could help other people with um rather than selling it and living in an apartment and trying to you know with my son and all this it was like no I'm going to take this beautiful big house that. Is the source of so much trauma for me and transmute it into something beautiful and I had covid I suffer from long covid or as you call it everlasting. What do you call it long-lasting covid it's like it. It's like a cute little gum or a deodorant that lasts they just last let's focus.
12:39.71
witchhunt
So like instead of my misuse of words, let's vote. No I love you. You're miss you. You're not misusum you're creating new ones. Okay, that's right and this is really important but I was gonna say like yeah, it's alchemy what you did was yes me right? Yes, took this situation this this situation and you transformed it. Yeah into something and to a gift for our community. Yeah, and I think when I do a land acknowledgement I really feel like this is the land that has been taken and I am going to use it to create community and give back to not just. The people that it's taken from in my community but also the women who are just like me and the women who are suffering from living half lives I call it like because I have a son with a computer I understand half lives you got a new life. Um, so this idea that we're living in marriages or we're living in jobs or in situations that we we know intuitively in our gut aren't right, but we've we've ignored it. We need to ignore it because if we admit it it opens a whole thing. So I really feel like i've. I have a place where people can meet mostly I think it's it's a meeting place like it's it is a meeting place. Yeah, it is a meeting place. It's a beautiful gathering space. Yeah, beautiful opportunities to learn, incredible things and just go go deep and it's so like I love that.
14:12.40
witchhunt
We can live in the same neighborhood and not know each other and then all of a sudden. Yeah, and there's and what's so interesting also is well. There's an energetics about the space I think shahar and about you that it's just bu for me anyway, I walked in and I met you and I can't remember if Lisa was your. If it was Kate I can't remember but it was just this like oh I can be whole here I can be a little bit of that like um I love too much. yeah yeah which is the yeah the half unlived. That's it. But she's okay, here. She's safe here. Yeah so it's a wonderful place to be. Yeah, even though Rosa had to be put away in the beginning because she wasn't she was he was worried you know why she's great because. It's good to have a familiar who will protect you? Oh yeah, and so she is always there with me. Um, and so yeah, if there are people who are not wishing love. She's there. But then once she loves you omo god droves you so hard, kind starting to feel. Love yeah, so. Yeah that's it and and it's funny because we have these giant glass windows that you can't see but um, this was a wall and when the contractor came and I was like crying the whole time because it was like this is my home and that I had my marriage like it was like this home was like.
15:35.78
witchhunt
Where I'd raise my baby with my husband and all that and I said to him I'm long Covid and I need to bring the feminine into this house and he said ah ah okay contractor and he said what do you want to do and I said I need a giant vulva. The back of the house I needed to open in the Center. Did you really do it I did I said I needed to open in the center like this and I said you know like a like a vulva Anyway, he he was like ah um, I'm gonna see about glass doors that can do that I said I need my vulva. Like the house is an extension of me so I need the vulva to breathe freely because I'm long Covid I need my vulva to be able to take a breath of it and he was just like. Ah anyway, we have these giant glass doors that don't open in the middle but they open from one side which is something that maybe in the future I'll be able to do with my vulva. Also I Love it. I Love just making her do that. The other thing that I did while building the house is when they had stripped renovated yes when they renovated when they stripped the walls down and knocked stuff out as before they were putting it back in I put Gros courts. Obsidian in the walls I put money in the walls and I went around and I put the elements in corners and above Doorways and I had a lot of guidance from Witches. Um, one of the witches in our coven candace helped me with it and.
17:07.88
witchhunt
It was interesting because in this corner I was like putting it and she goes no no no, you don't need water. This is a water pipe so you don't put the element where you have the it's so cool. Um, and I you know was a sage everywhere and like burnt stuff everywhere and oh my gosh. The workmen were just like.
17:27.34
witchhunt
Like they had to wait in every corner because I had to do it in every corner. Yeah, right on and they had to wait and at one point the contractor was standing here and I was on a ladder putting obsid in into the corner drawing my semblight triangles with my lines. And all the workmen were standing around watching me and they were like we need to end. The contractor said you got a letter finish I was like thank you I did it in the floor I did in the ceiling and it really I Really feel it like there's a lot of Love. In the old house. Yeah, you pealed the home and I think that's where the energetics come from and I love that you did it with these men who probably have never saw anything like it and went home and they're like we're building. Yeah, we're working for a witch I'm not quite sure what to think about totally exactly. Totally you know that sounds coming out of the broom closet. That's it I Love it. That's it and creating healing spaces. Yeah no, it feels good and it feels like I mean this is maybe obvious but it feels like as I healed the space I was healing myself. Yeah, it was stuff that I needed to do for myself. Yeah. And I think a lot of the time with witchcraft people like oh yeah, what is that and that what it is is intention and as soon as you say the intention and as soon as you put ritual or action behind it. It becomes a commitment like a vow to self. Yes.
18:58.81
witchhunt
And so if you want to say like that's not magic. You can, but it is it is that is magic. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, and it's um.
19:11.47
witchhunt
What was coming to me as you were talking was you know this whole stereotype around which is casting spells on other people and hexing other people and cursing other people and really it's about healing ourselves so that then we can serve other people to help them heal themselves. That's it right. And and we learn what powers we have? Yeah, we kind of unveiled uneth unveil those so that they come more easily to us. That's it so that then we can make the world a better place and when we looking at goddesses. The reason why I love looking at this stuff through goddesses is because you know the whole idea of jungian psychology that we all have all these archetypes within us. So if I have all these goddesses then I can call on them when I need their particular strength so and. You know I teach shapeshifting so I talk a lot about online dating like with Aphrodite. There's nobody better to shapeshift into an aphrodite when you're when you're going when you're but and I was and when I took which school I was like oh fuck now we're doing aphrodite. Yeah, and yeah, kissy kissy kissy she's all lipstick. She is so not that she's so not that she's so wonderful. So it was really it's it's really good learning that and knowing like when to shapeshift and how to and and learning about the goddesses so like.
20:40.44
witchhunt
You know how kids go through these stages I don't know I have a boy child and his stages were like dinosaurs train construction like I learned a lot of Postman Hat somewhere in the room right? So that's we were like oh my god I had to learn front loaders like like all this. Ah. Excavator I had to learn all these terms and then go visit construction sites for a long time. Um, so I think why am I saying this because for me, that's what the goddesses were and I feel like I've been in that stage for a long time like I need to know all their names and what. Each of them does and when my kids started reading Percy Jackson it was like oh god thank you we're now on the same page or oh god is say oh god is thank you and we used this he he would go to school and I got he got in trouble for saying oh my god so I said you don't say oh my god. Because you can offend people right? They don't like that. Um, so we need to respect so you say oh my gods. Oh or you say and he would he used to say ah what the hell I was like you can't say that so he started saying what the hades what the hades only his kindergarten teacher was like. Can't but but he's still got in trouble because she said but his intention is to say something bad. Oh it was like yeah, whatever. Well, they've got a whole different. Well I love that you know we're learning so I just started which school we're learning now all the goddesses which is beautiful because I mean I was familiar with some but to actually go kind of.
22:16.50
witchhunt
And deeply yeah into all of them is really beautiful, but what I love about it is like there's such a distinction between this monolithic male god who tells you how you should be and then that's one model that didn't quite work. No, no, but then to have like a series of female goddesses each bringing a different energy that allows you to be angry and rageful and trickster. And funny and um, mothering or like sexy or old and wise or cruel or you know full of you know able to deal with death and bringing all that up. So it really just brings the whole gives you permission to access. All of who you are and all your feelings and whereas in the patriarchy. You know you're allowed to smile. You got to be nice and be polite I know that's why I think for me when I do my my 1 on one shapeshifting I always start with Lilith because she is about Lilith. So so Lilith first of all I'm I'm a jewish so I'm both jewish and a witch I study a lot of the goddesses I study are jewish goddesses because that's where I come from and when you start witch school. That's what you do you go in a deep dive into your own who am I way way back 7 generations.
23:40.71
witchhunt
How was I an indigenous person. We all started somewhere indigenous. So um, so anyway I'm jewish and Lilith is jewish from the old testament and she's she's one of ours and what I love about Lilith is is her story is 1 of rage. And um, wild and she's fierce and so I love to teach start. That's my one one because I feel like she's the one who allows us to leave the politeness. So the 1 thing that I always talk about is Eden and Eden is a paradise paradise in the hebrew and in the latin all translates back to a compound a park and meaning it's not really a garden It's a park. It's it's a pretty pretty cage and it's really false advertising. So. I've never heard this before. Yes, yeah, so so god the Sky Daddy was like okay what we're gonna do is um what we're what he what he wanted to do what he did was he took the clay that he was creating Adam with and he the same ball of clay and he created Adam and he created Lilith love is the first woman. Ah, very first and he said okay go I'm gonna put you in the park and they went in the park and Adam said let's have sex you I'm gonna get on top and she said no no, no, no, no, we're equals. We're from the same clay I'm gonna get on top and he said no.
25:17.32
witchhunt
You're insubordinate god so he told told god and god said oh okay, I'm sorry about that. She's insubordinate she she didn't want to be a bottom so he turned her into a snake and she said you can still live here but you're a snake. And then he said here adam I'll take from your rib and I'll make eve so eve came out as like under Adam she was not as powerful of him she was made of him not equal. Yeah now some believe that and there are lots. Lots. Of ah research into this that um eve actually the first time eve had sex. It was with Lilith? Oh yes, and um, and and then it was Lilith who offered the apple because that is the story right? yes. Yeah, so she offered this is all the story I didn't know the first. It's all interpreted right? But it's it's there. It's old testament so she was offered the Apple from the snake who's a lot of people believe was Lilith and then we have patriarchy then we have. Misogy apple then the Apple represented access to wisdom and her power knowledge curiosity um power questioning why this why? that? what's this? Okay, so um.
26:50.16
witchhunt
The idea that somebody would put this beautiful tree of knowledge in this gated community and say they're apples all over it but not for you not for you sweetie yeah, you just look and you be quiet and you be nice and you be a bottom. And you be insubordinate and you'd be subordinate to him and that's it. So um, Lilith was run out of the garden because of this and happily so where she you know became. Great black wings and flowing red hair and this wild monster was you know Lilith is thought of to be a demon in all these other cultures sumerian. The. The christian bible the jewish bible everything she is. She is the the demon because she wanted to be on top. Yes, yeah, and she wanted to know and she wanted to be curious. She wanted to be wild. She didn't want to be nice. Yeah, and I she's the o g shapeshifter. Because not only that but she's also considered to be the first ah person who is trans she's androgynous She's she and she's he she's both so I love loath I love loli so when we shapeshift in my first class that's.
28:17.45
witchhunt
That's who we always take on and it's really beautiful to see women. Um and men because she's both male and female and I encourage women to be to feel both that what that feels like in their bodies and to fly around. Yeah we fly around. Um. But to be able to leave. The garden is a big part of her journey. Oh this is so fascinating. So I hadn't heard you know bits and pieces of course but not like the entire story. Yeah flow and I actually you know I had an idea for like the trajectory of this conversation but is often. So a totally different direction which is totally no so this morning shoshhan and today everybody this is being recorded on November nineteen somewhere around there. How something up some or no, no, it's 19 the 90 s yeah um of 2023 and I saw in my Instagram feed this morning that there was. Palestinian and jewish women went on a gathered in jerusalem to protest and to demand a ceasefire and it makes me think of Lilith yes because we're pissed yes, right? yes. And I have been saying Shoshhana and I think you've probably been saying the same thing where the fuck are the women like how did we get into a situation where we've got these toddler men making decisions that are sending voice to their death and completely obliterating.
29:48.14
witchhunt
You know civilians? How did we get here and it's because there's just no grandmother counsel to tell us what's right? Well and the end I think we've been taught like to keep the anger in but what I'm feeling is when that anger you know thanks to your work. You're giving women permission to feel angry and then to like let the rage out and now it's so beautiful to see it being channeled I mean I know takes what it should. It shouldn't take what it's taking. But um I was really excited when I saw that in Jerusalem. I think you know people my son in particular we argue about this but I always say if the women if the women were running things if the woman and a he's always like well what about Margaret catcher and what about me only yeah Margaret Thatcher yeah yeah, sure um, there are there are some assholes you know there's I've had some assholes like oh I met this midwife who was an asshole one anyway. But that's why this was so like grandmothers right? There's a certain like I think or maybe we should say like why isn't there a witchess council like. Yeah humans yes connected. Yeah, the cycles of the earth who are in love with the earth who understand what life is who understand what death is who understand you know or I guess maybe it's just that they're aligned with the values that I believe in I'm not sure but earth and humanity. You know anybody who.
31:23.68
witchhunt
Sees them themselves in the cycle and I think for women, it's easier because we have a fricking cycle. Yeah now I'm pretending I'm not swearing frickin. Ah, you've gone past I know why know jeez? Um, ha zes ah that girl anyway, another story. When I was little I didn't know I thought Jesus was a woman because I only saw the pictures you know there's the ones of him pictures the paintings of him where he doesn't have the beard right and he's got the beauty and long hair any wore dress and sandal so I was like god's daughter I always thought it was god's daughter anyway, interesting. What does it say about me was sign one. That was that why was 1 you knew? Um, what was I saying no idea so far about who's before that oh god oh I was just saying like if women were the ones who were who were doing this. We were if we were because we have our cycle and so we understand it and mind's done right now. But even that it's like you got to read this book hagitude if you haven't read it. Oh no I've heard of this. Okay, so good 2 things that go in the show. Yeah, but what but looking at women who. From menopause so they think oh we're done but the fact is now you're holding the the power. The fire is staying within you and and that fire that power is meant to teach is meant to hold circle is meant to heal. It's not like oh I'm done. You're not done.
32:54.58
witchhunt
No, you're like you're the person you're the elder who people come see and say okay, what should we do and that's why as you're saying if there was a council of women of elders. Um, or anyone who believes in earth-based religions. They would not be doing any of this. Because we are all joined kiki always would talk about I mean in the first part of which school you do a lot of pausing in nature and at the beginning I was like I don't want to do um because I just didn't I wanted to get to the good stuff. The goddesses. Let's cast some spells. But there's something about the way that she teaches it is like let's not forget who we're connected to you ask permission from the tree may I come may I touch you may I hug you may I take this pause to just feel myself with you am I the same as you. Are we a part of this are my feet on the ground are your feet on the ground the same when you get into water like I am part I am made up of this and when we call the directions. It's this we are everything is the same. We're all like so in terms of Buddhism and. Paganism and any and indigenous religions. All of this stuff is recognizing where we are and that we're just one piece of it. We're not the whole thing. You're not going to destroy something that you're made of right.
34:22.28
witchhunt
This is the thing This is the whole point who I can't remember who I was listening to saying. There's no point in having profit if we've got a dead world. That's it like you know oh it was like profit over Planet. It just simply doesn't make not for profits so not for profits. Yeah written a full circle. Spiral right? back to my point right? back to your fabulous joke I know God alone it? Okay I Want to ask you along the way. What were the biggest challenges you faced in embracing your identity as a witch and then I want to ask like which okay. Let's start with that question so people have perceptions of what a witch is and that's our society and that's you know entertainment and that's fairy tales. Everything. Um. So I would say the hardest part was people laughing at it like not being mean you know like I've dealt with anti-semitism before. So it's It's different than Anti-semitism. It's just kind of ah you' right off like people like right? It's serious. Whatever like my kid will say you're going to solve cancer with lavender. Great Thanks which which please but the thing is when I try to explain to him you got 2 ways to go with this.
35:48.10
witchhunt
You can either have good intention and make good from it or be really cynical and make bad from it. What do you want to do like which one's going to help which one's going to feel better and. When he when I do a ritual I say I just did this ritual blah blah blah he you know Pooh Pooh it or lots of people poo-poo it my family and I just say but what do you care? It makes me feel good. Yeah yeah, and also it's not I think you know there's this this idea that. Let's just take your lavender example that it has to be either or either you just do lavender and you chuck anything that means? Yeah yes, a doctor recommends but actually what this modern day experience of being a witch is about being very discerning about what you choose. And bringing it together I like to think of like new technologies supporting ancient wisdom I love that and and and also the acknowledgement of just ancient wisdom like to me that was the thing that really got me is you know I'm talking to people and they're like you shouldn't be doing this. You shouldn't be doing. Ah, pharmacological, you know and I'm going okay like say with Psilocybin. It's proved and it's old and now it's coming back probiotics where does that come from like all these pills that we're talking about. You can go online and you can start to research them. Yes, some of it's created in a lab.
37:16.91
witchhunt
But it was discovered in the Jungle. You know what I mean or passed down I had a conversation the other day with a friend a witch who said to me I was like I don't feel like I have the credentials to do this and I don't have the letters after my name to do this and she said to me. Yeah, that's the patriarchy and she's got all the letters and I was like. Okay, she's like we don't Acknowledge. What's been handed down generation to generation to Generation. We don't acknowledge Ancient Wisdom None of that's a part of our society knowledge into the power of intuition we don't acknowledge intuition and we don't acknowledge the circle of women like. You know people come I I was saying I had a friend come over who's suffering in a in a depressive episode and just being in a circle of women. It gave her so much and she's a science person who's like this is all bullshit but she left feeling better. Not like. Oh I'm done my my depressive episode I'm cured. It wasn't that at all it was I felt a pause in my pain a break from the dark fail and if that's all it is I mean why is it bad like a what And so yeah, you're. Your question.. What's the most difficult part I think it? um I feel like part of the patriarchy and capitalism is having to prove everything. Yeah and so to prove that what I'm doing in this space and this building this community is okay is good enough am I making money am I bubble You know.
38:54.14
witchhunt
Because otherwise it's not worth it unless you get a product unless you got your hey yeah this baby I making it is cash then it's not real so that's I think been the biggest challenge. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, it's it's like you're living we're or we are living in a world in a lexicon in a vocabulary that is built around certain values. Yep and we're trying to sort of lift up. Bring in new values. But we have to create a new lexicon and create new language and create new energies and space or that to for that to actually well yeah and and it's yeah, it's faith based right like whenever I talk about faith people go oh christianity. But it's not It's. But faith is just believing that a group of women can get together and that that the darkness might lift for 5 minutes like that's that's faith that's faith to me is going I think things might be okay, that's just faith people have kids every day that's. And faith but they don't call. They don't go. What are you thinking of a good kid you idiot but people do it all the time people get married because it's an but to me, it's like that's a biggest biggest act of hope ever is getting married.
40:18.80
witchhunt
Sorry is that bad that I said that that's not bad that said bad at all. But I think that couldnt I think that's a consequence of the patriarchy or maybe it's just the institution. The institution is the patriarchal institute for sure. But it's like why like we're taught to do these things that we know have this high. Potential of failure right? There can be you know I had a kid that was a huge act of faith or stupidity or whatever I just didn't know but like to have a child when you can see what's happening with the environment. Yeah, right? Yeah there's has to be inherent hope there has and faith you have to. Somewhere in your heart believe this may be okay and then there's percentages people want to talk about numbers and statistics. So what are the percent percentages if I have a kid how much percentage will be good feelings and how much will be really hard and so far I really love my kid so far. He's really great drives me nuts teaches me lots amazing kid I want to as a teenager. He's 16 um, but like it's percentages and the same in a relationship you get married or whatever or you just like like jumping into a relationship is such an act of hope. Even a friendship starting a new friendship right? You never know you have vulnerable no idea talking to strangers on the street which is my very favorite thing I said oh not a stranger does my thing I love it. So you love it see like to me that's witchy. Oh really.
41:50.45
witchhunt
Like why? Why is it because we have so much faith that this interaction is going to be special. Yeah and magical and to me it's like so I think people who talk to strangers are such witches. That's so interesting I Yeah I Just thought it was a personality thing I don't know. But I mean I know that part of judaism like for passover part of our our ritual is that you invite a stranger to sit at your table and it is like you really have to have a stranger that's yeah, but you know and you can like it's is you know translated from the old so you. And have somebody that you would normally have a lot nowadays people just consider somebody who's not Jewish to be the person who's learning, but it's the idea of opening of cracking ourselves open come into our container. Maybe it's also like it could be interpreted and taken into that step of bringing the. Other Yes, yes, which is an act of hope and unification and unification and faith like I think it's I think I'm really just talking about faith here like if we can believe that there is something good and that are. Are having intention to make something beautiful. That's kind of what you need and yes, the the world is on fire right now and it's really really Hard. So What do you want to? do you want to sit in a cave and fucking cry about it. You want to get a bunch of guns or do you want to have some faith and join together with some women.
43:20.91
witchhunt
And feel like okay, what can we work on together. Yeah yeah, what can we do together. Yeah and that's kind of why I made this place because I knew what it felt like to do it the other way to be alone and sad like I'm gonna die alone I'm gonna move nobody loves me now I'm like oh my god look at this. Like people are awesome. You know so what's choice I hate people I love people they're somewhere in the middle. You know what else I think is really helpful and this is going to be our bridge into talking about the wheel of the year and yeah super beautiful. Offering that shoshhan and I have coming to people in toronto are interested in coming to Toronto for the December solstice but let's just leave that as a little bit of a taster because what you're. Talking about. You know you said bringing women together so that we can bring in more light and having hope and having faith and I think that if you don't really honor the cycles of life and don't really believe there's that faith piece. Out of the darkness and out of the death and out of the shit and the mud that we all go through there will be. There is space and fertility for you to plant a small seed and that seed will bring life.
44:37.21
witchhunt
And something new and better will be generated and that's really what the entire cycle of everything is about. So um, I'm going to just pop in here with a. Shameless plug and say I have something called the cycle which is the guide to cyclical living Alexandra Dar what is it the cycle I think it's the cycle. Um, and which really teaches you about all those energetics there are 4 phases in the cycle which mimic. 4 phases in our reproductive or what hormonal cycle the moon cycle and then the year's cycle and which is really honor the transition points. Yeah, that year's cycle and so we want to talk a little bit about that and about the upcoming. Um. Really big transition that's going to happen on December Twenty first which is the winter solstice. But let's talk a little bit about why and this is you know I think that a lot of the time and perhaps it's it's because the culture is most alive or has the loudest voice I don't know but we talk about sort of celtech. And anglo-saxon names that are associated with these what we call them high holidays or yeah and yeah points in the year um now I've lost my train of thought right? but this is actually true of all indigenous. Yeah.
46:03.48
witchhunt
Bat and I can say that because I've learned the andean cycle in my and indian priestess training and because um I I have like people indigenous to these lands who also have a particular wheel of medicine their medicine wheel. We yeah, also like how energetics are aligned. And then there are those names like beltae you know and inbulk which you'll be familiar with from the counttic what about? Okay, so what about just the jewish oh yeah, well we we called the directions in judaism and we also have and but there are a lot more directions. And is there a wheel will we certainly celebrate you know the same as ah or similar to the christian but all of that is derived from paganism like both the jewish one and the christian one. Everybody's taken for the pagan. It's a jewish one and this is why I'm kind of a wannabe Jew. Who is because that I've noticed how it's so intimately tied into the lunar. Yes, yes, oh gosh I mean I'm not I'm still learning. Yeah I'm not a priestess and not hook Cohannna priestess but they um my crohne. Ah Judith woke was was who I studied with that. At which school who who I've met who you've met who's fantastic, but she talks a lot about the moon. The ancient judaism is far more witchy like it's it's very very witchy ancient judaism is all sorcery and then what happened was.
47:36.35
witchhunt
Christians came the Jews were like oh they're gonna kill us So let's make our religion sound a little bit more like theirs and everything kind of changed. Um, but it was the ancient Judaism is pure witchcraft. It's very. It's like it's almost exact.
47:53.93
witchhunt
It's like all the guys who started this I'm and you know I know that you're gonna say no, you're totally wrong and that's great if you've studied it. But from my learning it is most of the super old religions are real close and judaism and paganism. No exception. So um. At this time of the year we celebrate light but through hanukah so hanukah everybody is like the jews they do hanukah. It's not really our big one but it's the big one that everybody knows and it's I think it's the it's it's that people know about it because it's coupled with the christian big 1 christians Christmas right? Yeah yeah It's so big. Um, so it's about I don't know lots of people will know the story of Hanukkah but basically there was a war There's always a war There's a war in the temple and everything gets destroyed and when the jews come back to the temple they find everything's wrecked. We don't even have enough oil in the lamp. For one night so we're gonna we don't have any light and it's dark. It's the time of the year that's the spoiler time of the year big deal. Okay, so they don't have any light. So what do they do they say we only have enough oil for one night we'll put it in and we'll I guess that's it and the oil lasted for 8 nights has nothing to do with god although they'd say like it's a miracle god did this but it's not really like ah like god come down and do the thing. It's not really like that. It's just about the candles. So that's why we light candles and candles and fire are really sacred, especially in ancient judaism.
49:31.33
witchhunt
The candle you never burn out a candle. You never blow out a candle and in ju december this in century because each of the each candle each flame is thought to be a soul. Oh so yes, so you don't blow them out. You let them burn down as we burn down right. So that's the idea with sabbath and with all of it. We just light the candley and you leave it so hanukkah you light a candle every night for 8 nights. Um, and how this relates to ah to solstice. Well you can talk about solstice but christianity the light is the star right. So this is the star that we that the wiseman followed and and and so on and you know the story that it's a, but it's a lot of people talk about christianity. They don't get enough Airplay because I'm kidding. Um, and so so um, the star the candles and then. Soltice and also Kwanza Quan says the very same time of year. So when I think like okay solstice Kwanzaba um, the volley just pass but these guys these four all the same exactly the same pretty much same time of year like hankah will move around a little bit.
50:44.44
witchhunt
But it's very close to Christmas and very close to solstice which is always the twenty first so it's like why are they all this because it was dark. It was dark and the other thing that I've heard which is really interesting is and that I really like because I happen to be pisces that that Jesus was actually pisces and they had to. Change his birthday around yes but he came at around a time when pagans would get it. Yes, right? like the son was born when literally the sun ssun yes sun reborn Sunday day. Yeah, yeah, so so that's what's interesting. So the darkest day of the year just follow on from. Your imagination but you talk about this which is not I'm not going to go deeper or anything. It's pretty basic the darkest day of the year is the twenty first the longest day of darkness is the twenty first and then all of a sudden these ancient peoples see that days. Get a little bit longer a little bit longer and a little bit longer and like now we're talking about hope and we're talking about faith and we're talking about trusting that one day the snow will melt and the seeds will grow and life will continue. And so you know today we're distracted by our electronic devices and electricity and central needing and it all makes life so much easier. But if you can imagine living in a time when the stars were like the newspapers. Yeah, and wow we don't even have newspapers anymore. Okay, the stars were like on news feeds on our on our feed. Yeah.
52:12.32
witchhunt
On our devices. Um, but so really, it's a time to evoke that energy and to say okay I've been in the darkness and that's why I think it's really important for us to actually honor the darkness like these days if you're feeling down if you're and. Let's just be honest, what sensitive soul right now isn't feeling down yeah um if you're feeling down if you're feeling kind of powerless if you're feeling sort of stuck with it all just to say you're seasonally aligned. Yeah. You know and it's okay to cry and it's yeah okay to rage and it's okay to burn the shit that you're ready to let that's yeah, it's not only okay, it's actually incredibly healing and the energetics of the world around us because let's remember we are nature. Yeah yeah, that we feel that you know we have water. Inside of us that also happens to run through the rivers and the yeah and yeah oceans and so we we are part of it all and so let's just lean into what we are part of and honor that darkness and then celebrate when the light comes down. Yes, you know. Yeah I mean Kate said to me this morning. Oh yeah, well this is grief season I was like oh my god it's true. It's grief season. This is grief not birth season no right it's grief season and I think
53:40.40
witchhunt
By accepting it and working with it which is what you know we want to do with our shadow right? You don't want to you can't when I when people talk about being sad I say right? Well, It's part of it right? We have to have winter we have to have winter to have spring exactly. We have to have the dark moon to have the full moon. Yes, right? and so you can't just say like I only want the full Moon I Only want to talk about the full moon which is kind of what we grew up with like yeah I grew up only acknowledging that there was a moon when it was full or one that was like a little crescent Moon you know, but. When it's Dark. We don't even talk about it. Yeah, in fact, we had to change it to the new Moon. So The people wouldn't be scared to call it The dark moon. Yeah, right? Yeah and it's like it's part of it I Think the reason why we love Halloween so much is because it's an allowance. It's permission to be dark. That's right. Dance in the Dark. So Yeah I Really I Love solstice and I think it's a great time to again gather in circle to Celebrate. It's like to say now we can. We can start all over again right now. The light's coming. This is the beginning. Of the new right? yes and the other thing that's really beautiful particularly about a solstice ceremony which happens or at least it doesn't have to happen at this particular time because it is an energetic thing but I really like that we're doing it the hours just before the solstice. Yes, yes, the darkest.
55:11.94
witchhunt
Time is always the time before the light. Yes, so just before dawn or those darkest moments and so when you know when I lead you through this ceremony I am going to be. We're going to be going into it. We're going to be going into it and we're going to be journaling and we're going to be dancing it out and raging and we're gonna be journeying and we're gonna be meditating and we're gonna have a fire and I'm looking over it here and you can't see where I'm pointing but we're gonna have a fire outside here at community out which where we're gonna be burning shit and. So. It's really harnessing that moment in time and engaging engaging with the depths of the darkness so that then when we walk him Out. We're really welcoming that next liver. That's it and bringing it into us. It's it's all about. Drinking in that light. Yeah, which by that point I mean especially if you happen to live up north. Yeah, like we do one is desperate for and we still have a few more months of like here you know cold winter so it really is a very beautiful healing thing. But I Think what's also beautiful is. There are different kind of um elements let's saying in that you know part of it is about us dealing with our own personal dark sides and shadow sides which we can do on our own when we come into collective.
56:41.59
witchhunt
There is a magic in the shared energy in the room and it's our intention to create a space. Not only for the personal healing but also for a collective invitation of light to heal the world all right. Well said Alex desperate for that and feeling quite powerless so there will be something around and I haven't you know these things come to me when they come to me hopefully before the twenty first but you know I'm not entirely sure and we can maybe brainstorm on it's Shohaana but you know let's think about. Intention setting for the world I love it and I want to say because I want to make sure you get everything in here we are in Parkdale in Toronto. Yes, this event is at night but not so late. Yeah, so we'll start at 6 30 ish yeah until nine thirty ish yeah and we have 3 different prices. We do have 3 different prices so this is for any american folks out there if you fancy coming up, you are so welcome. Um, you will be so delighted at the exchange. Yeah, you will love it. You will be like who whoa everything. So cheap. Um, 27 47 67 and so if you are someone who wants to support somebody else and can't afford it and wants to support community outwitch. It's 67 if you're kind of um.
58:12.49
witchhunt
Someone who really wants to be there but feels like it's a stretch for you and feel like this is a time when support would be helpful. It's 27 and if you're neither of the extreme. It's 47 so we're playing with this a little bit because we really want for these kinds of things to be accessible to everybody. So. Invite your friends. Yeah, and maybe you want to buy it as a present. Oh that's a beautiful gift what a gift to do like yeah I like think mother daughterters kind of thing or like I want to bring my baie and yeah, so you wanted to take your basie to Mexico. But instead you're coming to do solstice with them. True no I don't know. Okay well I was just trying that. Yeah um, ignore just ignore um also to just say that we're gonna sing we are. We're gonna say so healing and so sa therapeutic. Yeah, and I'm not leaving that are you? Yeah yeah, yeah. I'm I'm leading that and we're sharing in this and we would I just think it's I think it's going to be a beautiful I think it's going to be a really beautiful night for us. It is Goingnna be It's gonna be magical and I hope that there I hope we have a little bit of snow coming down as we dance around the fire in the back. Yeah, and. And as we say the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere which is where we are my dear. Oh yeah, know that's from the song we're gonna sing. Wonderful yeah, look at you, you're all surprised I am surprised this is such a beautiful co-creation. So what else.
59:49.50
witchhunt
Ok, what else? do you want to say I want people to know about a little bit more about where they can find you and your shapeshifting offering and um, yeah let's we'll drop the link in the show notes for not only the solstice celebration but for community. Oh yeah, it's community ow which ww wwww dot community atwitch dot com. You can find me on Instagram or Facebook or what are all the other things that I don't understand and um, you can book 1 on 1 shapeshifting or you can come to a class and there are lots of other classes we have teachers from second city doing communication classes. Um, we have the psilocybin workshop we have the turning of the wheel with sweet Alex yeah, um, have tarot reading and we have tarot readings on the new moon polish therapy. We have massage therapy and anybody who is looking for space or wants to teach. Please reach out that's right, we're gonna have yoga soon. We're having yoga Friday night candlelight yoga for the sabbath. You don't have to be jewish and we have choir on Sundays and you don't have to be able to sing. So yeah, if I'm coming he it's gonna be great and um and we have. Unk ism we have magical activism so please check out community. Ah which especially if here in Toronto you should say also um about Honeycomb. Oh the honeycomb collective which was created by the lovely and magical Candace Craig is an amazing sort of.
01:01:16.78
witchhunt
The wit is rolodex really? and um, we have a group of women but it doesn't have to be women. Um who want to want to be a part of ah if you're searching for like I want somebody who's likeminded who practices who doesn't practice. But. Believes in the same things as I do you can find this all on a website called the Honeycomb collective and you can join it. It's ten bucks 10 bucks a year and it's a way for us to find people like us and then you put that honeycomb link on your page. So anybody who clicks on that link can get the whole kind of honeycomb. Yeah, honey and I love the metaphor of the Honeycomb. It's basically which business owners coming together. Thank you supporting 1 another? Um, at monthly events you know? Yeah, um, together monthly. But then there's I believe it's gonna grow into something where we're more. We're in in touch with 1 another and supporting one another. Basically just planting seeds everywhere. We're just planting crosspoly me just growing stuff. Yeah, and and we're just little bees out dancing little bees were honeybees. Yeah, anything else. You want to add. I just am so happy. Yeah, thank you thank you for for inviting me on and and let's get together and and just cast some spells a peace. Oh yeah, yeah yeah, come and join us to cast some spells of space on the spells of peace and turn on the.
01:02:44.32
witchhunt
Um, the twenty first of December we'd love to have you bye everyone and so it is and so it is now how do we.
