The wheel turns whether
we mark it or not.
Seasonal rites, séances and workshops, some held in person in Southern California and some online, alongside coven work both online and local, and handfastings for those who ask. Some are open to anyone, some are small by necessity, and all of it is done properly, with preparation before and care afterwards.
What is coming
All times are Pacific, and every moon and solstice below is the real astronomical moment rather than a rounded date. Gatherings are held near them, not always on them, because people have work in the morning.
The hunter's moon
The last full moon before Samhainn, exact at 9.11 in the evening. Traditionally the moon for provisioning and for naming what will not come through the winter with you.
Private handfasting
A private ceremony, held for the couple and the people they have chosen. Not open to others, and listed here only so you can see when I am spoken for.
Private handfasting
A private ceremony at the turn of the year's darkest gate. Closed to all but the couple's own company.
Samhainn: the ancestor supper
The year's hinge, kept in Scotland this year. A dumb supper, the reading of the names, and a fire held until the small hours.
A séance for the thin season
Held while the gate is still open, the night after the supper. Same method, same care, same refusal to perform. This sitting is full.
The study circle: new moon
The first circle of the dark half of the year, and the quietest one. We read by candle and keep the hour short.
Private handfasting
A private ceremony. The thirteenth, on a Friday, chosen on purpose and with my full approval.
Full moon in the dark half
Exact at 6.53 in the morning, so we gather the evening before it and let it come to full while we sit. A rite for endurance rather than increase.
The study circle: new moon
The last circle before the solstice. We close whatever text we are in rather than beginning a new one, which is its own small ritual.
An Grianstad Geamhraidh: midwinter
The sun stands still at 12.49 in the afternoon and the longest night follows. A vigil rite: fire kept from dusk, the old year read out, and the first light met by whoever is still standing.
The long night moon
The full moon two days after the solstice, exact at 5.28 in the afternoon, riding higher and longer through the sky than any other in the year. A closing circle, and then the wheel is quiet until Imbolc.
Private handfasting: the year's last night
Hands bound as one year ends and another begins, which is about as good an omen as a calendar can offer. A private ceremony, closed.
The wheel as I keep it
The modern eightfold wheel is a twentieth century arrangement of much older parts. The four fire festivals are genuinely Gaelic and genuinely old. The solstices and equinoxes are astronomical. I keep all eight, and I tell you which is which. Worth knowing: the true astronomical midpoint between equinox and solstice falls this year on 7 November, a week after the calendar Samhainn. The old reckoning was never a fixed date on a printed page.
Imbolc
Brìghde's day, the ewes in milk, the first stirring under cold ground.
The spring equinox
Balance tipping toward light. A hinge for beginnings that need momentum.
Bealltainn
The bright fire. Protection, vitality, desire and luck.
Midsummer
The sun at its longest. Herbs at their strongest.
Lùnastal
The first harvest. Bread, games, and an honest accounting of the year.
The autumn equinox
Gathering in, settling debts, deciding what is not coming with us.
Samhainn
Summer's end and the year's hinge. The dead are fed and named.
Midwinter
The longest night, kept awake. Fire, vigil, and the turning.
Two circles I lead, two I belong to.
I lead two covens: an online circle that meets through the year across distance, and a local circle here in Southern California. Both are deliberately small, both move slowly, and neither is a step you buy after a course.
I am also a working member of two closed local covens. I say that partly because it is true, and partly because I think it matters: a teacher should still sit in circles she does not lead. Alongside the covens, I keep a closed study group devoted to astrology and tarot.
Membership in the circles I lead, the covens and the study group alike, opens rarely and always by conversation, usually after we have already worked together in the Academy, at a study circle or at an open rite. If that is a road you are curious about, come to something public first. That is genuinely how everyone here started.
Coming to a gathering
Do I need to be experienced?
No. Open rites are written so that a first timer can take part without embarrassment. You will be told what happens before it happens, and you can always stand and watch.
What should I wear or bring?
Something you can move and sit on the ground in, and a layer more than you think you need after dark. Specific offerings are always named in the details when you sign up.
Where do gatherings happen?
Various sites across Southern California, including private land and public parks, and some workshops run online. The exact location is sent to those attending, both for the sake of the land and for everyone's privacy. Once in a while the wheel takes me home: this year's Samhainn is kept in Scotland.
Do you perform handfastings?
I do, and they are some of my favourite work. A handfasting can stand on its own or sit alongside a legal ceremony, and it is built with you rather than read off a page: your families, your words, your cord. I take only a few each year, so write early if you have a date in mind. Dates already spoken for appear above as closed.
What do gatherings cost?
As little as I can manage, because accessibility is the point. Open gatherings are kept as affordable as possible and I keep some offerings free on purpose, with more being added. Workshops are priced per event when you sign up. Private rites, readings and séances are quoted on a sliding scale set by what is genuinely affordable to you, not by a fixed menu. If cost is the barrier, write to me anyway.
Anything I should know about the séances?
Yes. There is a briefing beforehand, a clear way to leave at any point, and a proper closing. Spirit contact is not guaranteed, and anyone promising you that it is should be treated with suspicion. If you are newly bereaved, write to me first and we will talk about whether it is the right room for you right now.
Letters from the fireside
Reflections, essays and teachings delivered to your inbox.