Journey of the Heart

Hallowe’en has, apparently, become one of the biggest festivals in the West… Like Christmas and Easter, it’s become commercialized and popularized and, in many ways, I would suggest, diminished. Also, like Christmas (or Yule) and Easter (or Ostara) the original meanings have largely been lost and swallowed up in somewhat gaudy, even, in the case of Hallowe’en, occasionally distasteful, new “traditions”. I’m not saying that it’s all terrible, that it can’t be great fun - or that we shouldn’t join in - but I do think it’s sad that profundity and beauty have been given up for something more superficial. The Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced Sa-wen) was a time to give thanks for the harvest and to celebrate the lives of those who had passed on, since the previous Samhain festival. It was also a time to honour the ancestors and to remember them. Many Celts believed that, at this time of year, the Veil between the material and the Other was especially thin and that, ther...

The poem, Witchy Sister, came to me as most do, in the night…   …when all the house is asleep, when my two cats have finished kneading the blankets around me. This Halloween season I cannot help but to think and connect to my "Witchy Sister," embracing the things that once belonged to her. Witches and Shamans are keenly connected to energy.  They cultivate awareness of sending out that, which only serves the greatest and highest good of all.  If what we send comes back ten fold, let us send only positive light, healing, love, joy, and positive thought. This is why every spiritual path is called a practice. I feel my Witchy Sister guides me each day, as a yogini, as a Shaman Practitioner, and also as a fellow Solitary Witch. Blessed Be.  'Witchcraft' photograph by Katarina Silva Witchy Sister I’ve never met her in person. I met her after she died. Much like how we meet great poets like how we came to know the great Emily D. Onl...

Redemption is a poem based on my personal journey with faith...  I was b orn in a home for unwed mothers, and adopted at birth.  Since, I found out I was adopted at 5 years old, my heritage had always been an empty void for me.  During my childhood, I spent a great deal of time hiking and reflecting on life, so even today it is an essential part of my spiritual journey.  Redemption I did not find God in churches or in books. He was in each new step as I learned to walk closer to the truth. He whispers to me from around the corner. He calls to me from atop the mountains. His laughter is the melody of the stream. His smile is the warmth of the sun. I follow his steps through the woods. Together we explore canyons and myths. He rests against a rock near a gentle waterfall. He is humble, yet divine. He teaches with patience and virtue. Life holds no glory or fame in the moment of passing.  We his children are content...

Poetry, as we known it, greatly assists the healing process...  The vibration of words allows us to connect and make sense of the some times inexpressible wounds of our past. Poetry helps us grow and harmonize with all the aspects of our multifaceted self. It reconciles the mind and the heart, and the body and the soul, which at times conflict one another. Words are inspiring, healing, and illuminating. “Where The River Meets The Ocean” is the first poem featured in my poetry book “Kauai’s Gift” , which I wrote after I was exposed to a life-changing, Near Death Experience when caught in the wild waves of the north shore of the island of Kauai. It reveals the different facets of Life, the gift of each and every moment, sadness and joy, anger and peace, as perfection. I invite you to discover this poem through dance and sound in this video:   Where The River Meets The Ocean Where the river meets the ocean, I find myself,...

(Introduction by Catherine Ghosh) The Goddess has been visiting me in many forms lately….  The most recent arrived at my doorstep yesterday all the way from Canada, in the form of a beautiful painting, carefully packaged with layers of bubble wrap, and cardboard and sweet urgings for me to release my spirit into a joyful dance. How exciting it was for me to receive her! The Goddesses in my painting is named ‘Sun Dancer’ and she poured through the creative artistry and intuitive insights of my friend Kiernan after she meditated on intentions I had for myself in my life, summoning spirit to guide her. To me, the creative process of every artist is charged with incredible mysticism, and Kiernan’s was no exception. The week my inner Goddess poured from her, Kiernan drew inspiration from visions of the African Creation-Goddess Mawu, asking me to connect with the elements in nature as she decorated the canvass with rich, earthy tones that bled together in watery...