Remembering Pulse
On June 12, 2016 I woke up to news that something happened at Pulse. As more information came out the magnitude of what happened really hit. I spent the day checking in on friends who I knew liked to go there, making sure everyone was okay.
I’m from Florida originally and before I moved to the mid-Atlantic I attended college in Orlando and lived there for about six years. Orlando is where I came out, where I began more fully exploring my spiritual path, and where I started the long process of figuring out who I wanted to be. While I may have been physically born in South Florida, the person who I am today started in Orlando. In that way I see that city see as my home.
Guest Post: Recipe for the Resistance - A Lemon Rosemary Cake to Fuel Your Activism
With the intense escalations happening this week as a result of the terrorism of the police state, I found myself in need of some fuel for resistance. Eyeing this recipe for some time anyway, I decided it was time to give it a go!
Kitchen witches assemble!
Ritual: Maintaining Boundaries For Work/Life Balance
I’ve been working from home for a little over a month now. During this time I’ve seen any semblance of work/life balance I may have established come crashing down. It was easy to excuse this at the beginning - we were all scrambling to transition our processes and support services online. We had a short window to get it done and it was imperative we make as few mistakes as possible. I could justify working around the clock and through the weekend.
Ritual: Protection And Prosperity For Hourly Wage Earners
It is a very scary time right now in many places around the world. I live in the United States where our elected leaders are currently debating how and if to support those severely impacted by the economic impact of coronavirus. I’ve been thinking about how I can do my part to support those vulnerable to financial uncertainty (and I don’t mean the billionaires and corporations currently lobbying for yet another bailout). In addition to purchasing curb-side or take-out as long as its safe to do so, supporting organizations such as United Way, and helping connect those in my community to resources to ensure they have access to food I also wanted to find ways to use my craft to bolster these actions.
Learning From Our Queer Ancestors In Times Of Panic
I’m sitting on my couch after a week of mandated telework for my day job. My husband is next to me on his phone, similarly in a mandatory telework capacity. We had a bit of a scare last weekend when we he received word he would not be able to go to work for the rest of March but there was still no word if hourly workers would be paid. Luckily, come Monday, senior leadership in his organization approved pay and telework for part-time and hourly workers. We are very aware of how blessed we are in that regard as many folks across the country are being thrown into financial chaos as the the coronavirus outbreak continues.
Venerating Our Queer Ancestors: Resilience and Rebellion
This essay appeared as an article in the March/April/May 2020 issue of CoffeeTable Coven.
Growing up Catholic: How The Church And Superstition Helped Shape My Craft
I was raised in a Roman Catholic home, even if our adherence wasn’t terribly strict. I also grew up much closer to my mom’s side of the family which meant my relationship to our religion was intertwined with Cuban culture and heritage. As I was coming to terms with my sexuality in my teens, around the same time I discovered Wicca, I all but ran from the church. For years I told myself I had left everything about it behind except the “Catholic Guilt” but its only in recent years that I’ve really begun to realize just how much of my craft is influenced by my Catholic upbringing as well as the uniquely Hispanic faith-based superstitions surrounding it.
Connecting With Land Spirits Through Urban Farming
My husband and I spent the day working in the yard. We recently received some trees and berry bushes we ordered, and it was the first warm and sunny day to get them in the ground. It was the first time in many, many months that I’ve been able to get outside and get my hands dirty and I was immediately reminded how much doing so energizes and sustains me.
Ritual: Daily Grounding and Shielding
One of the features I want to have on this blog are ritual/spell posts. Whether they are my own personal approaches or sharing guest posts, I think sharing ideas is the cornerstone to building community and maintaining personal growth. To start I figured I would share something fairly simple - my personal daily grounding and shielding ritual that I (try to!) do every morning.
Connecting With Your Roots Through Myth and Storytelling
I was born in South Florida and spent the first decade of my life there before moving to Central Florida. Growing up I’ve always been closer to my moms side of the family. She came here with her parents in the late 1960’s as refugees fleeing Cuba on the Freedom Flights sponsored by the LBJ administration. Her grandmother was already in the country, having left Cuba years earlier and opting not to return when Castro took over. My mom didn’t stop working when I was born, so during the week I would spend my days with my grandmother and great-grandmother (who didn’t speak any English). Some of my first words were definitely “chocolate con leche”, and “guagua” because my grandmother didn’t drive so we took the bus everywhere. I also absorbed a lot of superstition from my time with them. For example, to this day I make a point not to rock a rocking chair if its empty because I’m convinced it invites ghosts into the house.