Several years ago I wrote a post that was inspired by reading a book by Danielle Dulsky entitled, Woman Most Wild: Three Keys for Liberating the Witch Within. It came at a time when I needed a reminder of the power of the sacred feminine and acknowledgment of the wilder, less sweet nature of the feminine polarity. 

Now, in the midst of COVID-19 and the uncertainty and lack of power that many fear, another of Danielle's books has made its way to my door and into my life. This title-Seasons of Moon and Flame; the Wild Dreamer's Epic Journey of Becoming gave me pause to reassess much of what I have taken for granted as part of my nature and the pressures of moving at lightning speed. The back cover speaks to what lay inside the pages of this book....

...The yearning to slow down and simplify, return to earth, and maybe even "rewild" what has been tamed within ourselves persists even though that dream may seem more remote in contemporary life...1.

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Last year was spent in confronting the shadow and working with the Divine power of what is often vivified and tightly held in control. As I emerged into 2020 and readied myself to step into the light that was interwoven in the darkness of myself, there was still the residual control, tempering and "taming" I felt was needed to function productively. As always, the Sacred Feminine has other paths that SHE lovingly reveals, hoping that we will select that which resonates and holds the most beneficial lessons. Enter now- the Hag's lessons of Danielle's book. 

I love the fact that this is a book that moves through a year's cycle of work to reclaim the beauty and wild force of the Witch, the Hag, the Crone, the Grandmother - all of these names and many more. The days grow longer, time seems to still and the resonance I find in meeting the Four Hags of the seasons as I begin this journey of rewilding is easily conjured in what Danielle guides as the first section of her book - House of Initiation-The Beginning and the End. 

This is indeed where my journey begins and I am encouraged to follow the path of the Hag of the season I feel the most akin to. Of course, being a child of Winter, my first pull is towards the House of the Mountain Hag and the Opening of Winters Portal. But, I also know that to take the easy path is not what reclaiming my wild nature is about. And, I remember the words Danielle wrote at the start and to...

...Take a breath, hum so loudly that your teeth rattle, then whisper: "It begins."...2.

So, I take my breath and hum and what emerges is a calling to the House of the Desert Hag and the Opening of  Summer's Portal. Ironic that we sit on the precipice of Summer's unrelentless heat, something I do not enjoy. And, the full blaze of sunlight that offers no veiling of what it illuminates does not give me the comfort of remaining in the shadows. But I take heart in the active engagement of stories, ritual and invocation to the Crone of the South and all the wisdom that lay within that wild and heated embrace. 

Goosebumps rise on sun drenched skin as I read..

...The Desert Hag urges us to peel back the tougher skin from our own hearts, to lay bare the desires we might hide beneath the colder moons. Hers is not a Craft of secret keeping and mystery work. Hers is a Craft of open-armed sharing and communal work....3.

And, so I begin the work, with trepidation and with excitement and listen as Grandmother Speaks, after all this is the way of learning that Danielle tells in her story of the wisdom of her grandmother and the power of the spoken word. I envision sitting at her side and doing and watching and becoming in that moment the Grandmother Hag herself. I move through ritual and cycles of the moon and am swept away by the stories-oh the sweet and palpable stories, that are my stories as well. 

I am looking forward to exploring the paths of the other Hags and in so doing reclaiming those lost pieces of myself. I am inspired by the writings in this book and the journey I have set out upon having a trusted companion and guide to lead the way. But for now, I remain in the portal of the Desert Hag and the sweet sound of the breaking open of parched ground becomes my place to roam wild...

 

Wanting to find your own re-wilding?

Seasons of Moon and Flame-the Wild Dreamer's Epic Journey of Becoming

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by Danielle Dulsky

New World Library-ISBN 978-1608686421-376pp

 

Read the first post that started my journey to the Wild:

Awakening My Wild: http://witchesandpagans.com/sagewoman-blogs/womb-of-light/awakening-my-wild.html

 

Footnotes:

1. Back Cover

2. pg. 15

3. pg. 92