I call to the wild
The soft
The brutal
The power within.

I move with grace
And strength
My blade readied
To pierce the veils
Of the unjust.

I speak my words
I create and I destroy
Each an expression
Of my true nature.

I run in the woods
I fly in the stormy skies
I dive into inescapable waters
I stalk my prey in the stone
Constructs of the civilized.

I am relentless
I am beauty
I am the reflection
Of all that is of the light
And all that coalesces in the darkness.

I am the Divine Feminine
You cannot turn away
You cannot hide from my Truth
Because I am all that you
Aspire to be.

I always feel renewed and empowered at this time of the year. I am a daughter of the cold and wintry world and this is when I come alive and awaken all of my senses to the world around me. This is also the time when I renew my commitment to the Divine Feminine and exploration of HER wild nature. This year, in particular has been difficult for many women given the political agendas and the fear of losing precious legal ground that has seen the sacrifice of many women’s privacy and power in gaining.

And so, as the weather becomes colder and the yearning to be at one with the changes of nature arises, I look for ways to be inspired and forge new pathways of opening in my journey as a woman and as embodiment of the Divine. I offered up my devotions to Hecate and asked for guidance in where my journey would lead me this time. The inspiration came in the form of a newly published book.

I had already read Danielle’s book, Woman Most Wild, and thoroughly enjoyed the candor and fullness of experience presented regarding a subject that has many layers of meaning. So, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to preview Danielle’s current release, The Holy Wild; A Heathen Bible for the Untamed Woman (New World Library.2018). So, this writing is a work in progress; a bit of a book review and sharing of teachings to be explored and savored in the months ahead.

I feel as though I have stepped through a gate of experiences that contain many rooms, each colored by what I already know of myself and yet distinct and unique in what I have to learn in digging more deeply. My exploration of what the wild within me means has had to be purposefully sought out given that I live in a very urban setting and my time in the natural (un-manicured) world is more infrequent than I would like. The constraints of time, work, family, coven and my own teaching schedule crowd in and the joy of metaphorically, let alone, moving wild and free basking in the power of that freedom as creatirx and destroyer, so I wait until the need becomes visceral and the chill of winter awakens me.

I’ve begun moving through the first chapter of The Holy Wild and in looking ahead, love that the way this book has been structured is such that I can keep the wild close at hand and reminded throughout the year. Yes, I know this is work that I should be doing year round, but the right motivation and imagery set through words goes along way with me in letting the wild unfold within me and the story to be written in every season, Sabbat and working.

I begin in Earth (the First Chapter, each following a compendium of use through all of the Elements) and taking a walk in the woods, feel the ground beneath, the life that has been sacrificed so that new verdant growth may lay dormant and safe. I smell the woods and feel the vibration of hoofs as Deer trod their familiar paths and the Goddess, Elen of the Ways stands as wild steward of her four-leggeds. I am reminded of Lilith and the forbidden fruits and the taste of knowledge as its juicy wisdom ran down a throat that spawned creation. My walk brought many revelations and as I carried these home I was excited to make use of one of the first actions in Danielle’s book, "Coming Home to the Wilds: Building The Living Altar".

This work of building is more than a simple house blessing or a claiming of sacred space...

... In this House , I brew with Crone Magick. The old ways of magick-making are emblazoned on my very cells, and I need no Book of Light and Shadow to tell me the right words or the perfect chant. Here , I am a Witch-Priestess in a congregation of one, and even my closest kin do not know all of my secrets...1.

I speak these words, and I am liberated. I am free. I am standing in the power of my nature-wild and attuned to all that is required to become the living altar of my magick. The words resonated within me and they are transmuted as my own spill out, spreading my magick throughout my home and quickening the experience of awakening the wild within from my walk previously. And, this day’s profound work is just the beginning of my yearly revelations!

There is a saying that “a woman’s work is never done”. The truth in that statement is profound in its greater meaning that the feminine, as principle and form-polarity and naming, are continually evolving and the cycle of the wild and holy matriarch is arising stronger and crafted, I believe by greater self-awareness. My gratitude to Danielle for being one to blaze this path of renewal.

Source: 1. Dulsky, Danielle. The Holy Wild: A Heathen Bible for the Untamed Woman

Recommendation:Dulsky, Danielle. Woman Most Wild: Three Keys to Liberating the Witch Within

Website: Danielle Dulsky