Nichole London is a transformative guide who dedicates her life to helping people unlock their full potential through rituals, ceremonies, and energetic healing. She is the Elysian Mastery Mentor, liberating women into self mastery and sovereignty through her signature method, the Elysian Way.  She is the founder of the Elysian Temple Wellness Sanctuary, as well as a life-long medical body worker. In this conversation, Nichole shares the nitty-gritty of how she practices and supports others towards self-mastery through radical self-responsibility, deep somatic listening and embodiment.  We talk about: Triggers as messengers and gateways of healing Playing with the Archetypes Villain magic! The emergent expression of the Elysian Way Connect with Nichole: IG: @nicholelondoncoaching FB: www.facebook.com/nslondon Website: www.mysticalmedicine-tacoma.com/

“The softest thing in the universe always overcomes the strongest thing.” Najeea Leslie has been exploring Taoist healing traditions and The Yin/Feminine essence for many years. Dreamwork and meditation have been her closest companions and guides along the way. In this time of great transformation Najeea recognizes that being in sacred circle with others who love Mother Earth and honor Life is essential for the wellbeing of our hearts and souls.  Najeea has also been Kate’s long time spiritual mentor and friend. In this emergent conversation, Najeea and Kate explore: -The lifelong search for one’s ”place” -Perspective shifts and letting go through aging -Navigating the tension of spiritual longing -Facing our vulnerabilities and living alongside fear -The role of the Yin essence in our times -The potent alchemy of fear, loss and grief -The importance of courage and community

Nancy Rebecca been teaching intuitive and psychic development full-time for over 20 years. Before that, she was a hospital nurse—until a spontaneous out-of-body experience cracked her open and left her clairvoyantly sighted. From that moment on, she could see energy fields, and her life was never the same.  Since then, she’s devoted her life to helping others awaken to their spiritual gifts, clear what no longer serves, and live in alignment with their highest self. In this second half of our conversation, Nancy and Kate explore the nature of suffering during transformative times, past lives, finding allies in unexpected places, and cross-cultural spiritual work.  Follow Nancy here: Website: www.intuitivemind.org/ FB: www.facebook.com/intuitivemind YouTube: www.youtube.com/@nancyrebecca

Nancy Rebecca been teaching intuitive and psychic development full-time for over 20 years. Before that, she was a hospital nurse—until a spontaneous out-of-body experience cracked her open and left her clairvoyantly sighted. From that moment on, she could see energy fields, and her life was never the same.  Since then, she’s devoted her life to helping others awaken to their spiritual gifts, clear what no longer serves, and live in alignment with their highest self. In this first half of our conversation, Nancy shares her journey into psychic work, learning to listen to the ’little voices’, un-becoming the ’victim’ of life, and caring for our bodies as we wake up to our divinity. Follow Nancy here: Website: www.intuitivemind.org/ FB: www.facebook.com/intuitivemind YouTube: www.youtube.com/@nancyrebecca

Lisa Fazio is a clinical herbalist, author, and folkloric witch trained in traditional western herbalism, western astrology, and the ancestral healing ways of her Italian immigrant family. This is the second half of my conversation with Lisa, where she goes deeper into what ancestral practice can look like for folks not raised within a cultural ’enclave’.  We talk about the inherent ”anarchist” nature of folk medicine; and the blessing, inconvenience, and responsibility of community. Check out part 1 of our conversation here. Lisa has an academic background in Psychology and Ethnobotany but her primary learning has been through direct experience with plants, place, and the ancestors. Lisa teaches and writes about medicinal plants, ancestral connection, Italian Folk Medicine and Mediterranean spirituality all over the United States, Southern Italy, and Sicily.  Check out Lisa: Website: The Root Circle IG: @therootcircle Course: Della Medicina

Lisa Fazio is a clinical herbalist, author, and folkloric witch trained in traditional western herbalism, western astrology, and the ancestral healing ways of her Italian immigrant family. In this conversation, Lisa shares about being raised in an Italian enclave in New York, and her journey and practice of ancestral reclamation.  Kate and Lisa explore the simplicity and complexity of contextual cultural practice, particularly for people of European descent.  Lisa offers insight and guidance for deep and respectful relating with lineage, plants and place.   Lisa has an academic background in Psychology and Ethnobotany but her primary learning has been through direct experience with plants, place, and the ancestors. Lisa teaches and writes about medicinal plants, ancestral connection, Italian Folk Medicine and Mediterranean spirituality all over the United States, Southern Italy, and Sicily.  Check out Lisa: www.therootcircle.com

”I feel like the demands being put upon me [as a mother] are the equivalent of those on an elite athlete.” Katie Halloran is a mother of three and author of the substack blog, the Mediocre Mother. In this light-hearted and candid conversation, Katie shares wisdom born only from deep personal struggle and experience, such as: - the unexpected hardships of motherhood  - rediscovering creative practice post-partum - parenting a child with ADHD - the paradox of loving and hating parenting (and sometimes your children) - radical self-responsibility as a parent ie. ”do what you gotta do to do what you gotta do. - why boys love to say the word ”butts” (still a mystery!) Follow Katie’s writing here: https://themediocremother.substack.com/welcome

You may have heard...we bought 6 acres in the woods!  Kate's beloved partner Coda makes their premier appearance to unpack the whirlwind of magic that unfolded to bring them into relationship and stewardship of a small sanctuary of land.  In this episode you'll learn about:   - the mundane and practical spiritual disciplines of money management- the identity shape-shifting required to "level-up"- navigating fear, uncertainty, internal judgements and shame around abundance- dream-casting with desire, pleasure and joy ***We are so privileged and honored to now be dwelling on the ancestral lands of the Nisqually peoples, to whom we offer a deep bow of gratitude.  We offer our commitment to care, steward and collaborate with this land towards the liberation of all for as long as we are tasked to do so.***

Did your new year’s resolutions already fizzle?  You have a second chance.   The ancient Celts called February 1st Imbolc (pronounced im-bolc, eem-olc, or eem-yolk), First Spring or the feast of the Goddess/Saint Brigid.  It represented the return or rebirth of the Goddess, after having died to the earth at Samhain. In this episode Kate muses on that quickening, lightness, restlessness from earth-bound hibernation, the darkness and cold of winter just starting to hint of lifting. As we move out of hibernation, how might we respond to those new impulse to stretch, move out and DO?  Have a listen for how this might affect both your inner and outer housekeeping, plus a bonus creative offering from the Forge of St Brigid. Check out a simple Imbolc ritual and song here: https://www.katefontana.com/blog/2018%2F1%2F30%2Fa-simple-irish-spring-ritual-for-families

Katie Spataro, CSB (she/her) is a certified somatic sex educator and sexological bodyworker, womb tender, holistic pelvic care provider, and full spectrum doula.  Katie studies and practices at the intersections of birth work and sex work, drawing upon the embodied wisdom of these two lineages to support healing of the personal and collective cultural body. In this conversation, we explore: - What do we mean by ”the erotic”? - How to rewrite narratives about our sexual and erotic bodies - The relationship between eroticism and sex  - Consent, communication and negotiating the edges and boundaries of desire  - Nurturing erotic spaces and community Katie blends various modalities of somatic practice, bodywork and skilled coaching in her private practice, and facilitates classes on sexual and reproductive wellbeing, embodied consent, and erotic education through a trauma-informed and healing-centered lens. She is core faculty at the Institute for the Study of Somatic Sex Education, a Certified Facilitator through the School of Consent, and adjunct faculty at Antioch University’s Sex Therapy Certificate Program in Seattle.  Connect with Katie: www.sacredwombservices.com Institute for the Study of Somatic Sex Education: www.somaticsexeducator.com/

We are living in a time of overwhelming conflict at an unprecedented scale. It is everywhere, in our homes and in our world. In this week’s podcast, I explore a unique framework and 3 essential components of engaging conflict in a conscious -- and hopefully constructive -- way.  Here’s the reframe I invite us to consider: conflict is an altered state. Like love-making, deep meditation, or psychedelics, conflict does something to our bodies, minds and spirit that is different than our base-line day-to-day state.   What could this mean for how we engage conflict? In light of this, I break down the 3 essentials for conscious conflict.  Have a listen to learn what these are. Want to be a part of a sweet community of earth-loving people seeking to live in deeper harmony with life, each other and our times?  Check out Roots & Rhythms: www.katefontana.com/roots&rhythms Ready to step into your own Priestess Path to steward YOUR people through these troubled times?  Check out Priestess School, now accepting waitlisters: www.katefontana.com/priestess-school

How can Astrology help us understand and navigate the political landscape and bigger cultural and social phenomena of our time? This is a question that drives the scholarship and offerings of Hummingbird, an astrologer, content creator, and creator of Astrology for the Revolution.   In this conversation we explore some profound and provocative themes, particularly around the archetype and influence of Pluto, planet of death, destruction, the unconscious, rebirth, and transformation.  We look at:  - the manifestation and implications of the Pluto Returns of the United States- Pluto in the rise of the global military industrial complex and tech companies- Understanding the uprising for Black Lives - and its backlash - through Plutonian astrology- Plutonian themes currently unfolding in the genocide of Palestinian peoples in Gaza- what Pluto wakes up and calls forth in us, as individuals and collectively- how to use astrology as both "map" and "weather report" to navigate these times Hummingbird (she/her) is a white, half-Jewish cis woman, based in land originally stewarded by the Tutelo peoples, today known as the Blue Ridge Mountains in southwest Virginia.  She is an astrologer specializing in political analysis through an astrological lens in service to activists, movement workers and those concerned with where we find ourselves in this unique moment in history.  She is the creator of Astrology for the Revolution: "an astro-political education that will transform your relationship to our dire historical moment—and to your unique role in it." Follow Hummingbird: Website: www.astrologyfortherevolution.com IG: @astrologyfortherevolution Medium: medium.com/@astrofortherevolution   Resources referenced in this episode: The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones Resources for Orientation during Genocide by Hummingbird The Lobby - USA​

“Everyone wants to do ayahuasca but no one wants to do the dishes.” - Unknown Such is the frame for the Midwinter Mundane Magic Summit, curated by my colleagues and virtual friends Laurel Armstrong and Alyssa Allegretti. In this virtual tea-party, we talk about all things ordinarily mystical: the 'in-between' spaces, departure from dominant spiritual structures, the cycles of disillusionment often experienced on the spiritual fringe, the absence of real integration in the ocean of spiritual highs, the interplay of structure and wildness within spiritual community and formation. You'll also get a sense of the spirit and energetics of the Summit ie we are chatty, honest, and silly (make sure to listen til the VERY end for one of my favorite slightly off-topic conversational moments :) The Midwinter Mundane Magic Summit happens January 25-28, 2024. **Correction: Since the recording of this podcast, Asha Lerae (as mentioned) has withdrawn as a presenter.  Kristopher Drummond has been added to the line-up.** Check it out and register here:  ttps://buytickets.at/sevenspellsproductions/1077835

You could probably sing a dozen Christmas songs at the drop of a hat.   But do you know any Solstice songs? I didn’t either, so the season and I co-authored a few, and in this week’s episode I share them with you. Singing is a cultural practice from traditions worldwide, and one of the things that really enlivens me in my personal practice as well as in my priestess role in my community. How do you and yours mark this season?  Tag me in your celebratory Solstice posts! Want a whole Solstice ritual outline for your family or community?  Check out last week’s podcast here or wherever you listen to podcasts: priestessofordinarythings.podbean.com/e/solstice-ritual-for-families/ Local to the South Puget Sound?  Join our Sing Up the Sun community celebration here: www.thesanctuarynorthwest.com/celebrations Ready to step into your own Priestess gifts?  Sign up for the Priestess School waitlist here: www.katefontana.com/Priestess-School

Solstice is one of those days that cultures around the world recognized as significant: a moment to dwell in the beauty and paradox of light and darkness. For us in the northern hemisphere, winter solstice can be a time to receive the gifts of deep darkness: rest, incubation of dreams, and the freedom as well as hardship of death and endings. In this week’s podcast, I go over 5 components of a simple ritual that you can adapt for your own family and community.   If you try this with your family, or have other practices or resources you use with your family, please let me know in the comments! Get the ritual in written form here: https://www.thesanctuarynorthwest.com/blog/2020/12/18/a-simple-winter-solstice-ritual-for-families Join our community solstice ritual here: https://www.thesanctuarynorthwest.com/celebrations

This week’s episode is a conversation with inabel Uytiepo, a queer, ilocanx-chinese-spanish-portuguese somatic forgiveness practitioner, artist, teacher, animist and forever student.  inabel’s work spans many modalities and themes, only some of which we are able to explore together.  Some include: -Colonialism, Cultural Insecurity, and severance from the land -Finding our place in movement ecology -Somatic forgiveness and healing through non-linear time -Tending our victim-selves, activating our adult-selves -Forgiving White Supremacy -”we-searching” for creative culture-building -The criminalization of dance as  -Facing our world as it is: responding to ongoing genocide, war and violence in Gaza, Ukraine, and the U.S. and throughout the world inabel Uytiepo (they/isuna/siya) is a queer, ilocanx-chinese-spanish-portuguese somatic forgiveness practitioner, artist, teacher, animist and forever student. They were born on Tongva lands within an immigrant settler family. inabel presently stays with their partner, children, dog and cat amongst the oceanside mountainous forest of the Uypi lands presently stewarded by the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band. inabel has been studying death and meditation since they were a child. inabel began a healing arts practice after becoming a Buddhist meditation student and teacher. inabel is a certified clinical hypnotherapist. inabel is an intuitive, trained bodyworker, contemporary and ancestral lineage holder of wholistic manual therapies for digestive and reproductive systems via neuromuscular, visceral, aura and energy presencing. With community, inabel offers sessions and holds co-creative careshops, events, circles and retreats via somatic mindfulness, quantum consciousness, expressive arts and ancestral wayfinding journeys.  inabel often works with Asian, Pilipinx, femme, gender queer and LGBTQIA+ community. inabel is also one of five co-conveners for the cross-racial solidarity grassroots organization Peoples Collective for Justice and Liberation. inabel’s most recent endeavor is explorative work in a co-creative journeys called the Wayfinding Collective.  Join inabel at the next free series of seasonal Amourphous Pathways.  Connec with inabel: IG: @healingisgiving  Updates and upcoming events: linktr.ee/healingisgiving Website:healingisgiving.com ; wayfinding collective.com

If you’re a highly sensitive person, even though you might LOVE the holiday season, you might also struggle with feeling: ~like it doesn’t take much to make you completely overstimulated (resulting in sensory shut down, grumpiness, irritability or relational avoidance) ~guilt or disappointment for not being able to show up for or thoroughly enjoy ALL THE THINGS (which might result in trying to do so perfectly through gritted teeth OR not even wanting to try and cancelling everything) ~paralyzed or overwhelmed by options, the demands of others, OR your own desires (possibly resulting in going into full hibernation mode and watching Netfilx for the next 2 months) If any of these sound familiar, I’m talking to you. I’ll share 3 essentials of Holiday Self-Care for Highly Sensitive People, with a bonus very simple energy medicine practice to support flexible but firm energetic boundaries for your holiday season. Check out my seasonal offerings here: Nourish: A Winter Solstice Retreat: www.katefontana.com/nourish Holy Darkness: An Advent-Solstice Pilgrimage: www.katefontana.com/holy-darkness

What does it take to de-center whiteness and create spaces where ALL people can experience nourishment? What does it look like to nurture harmony experience healing together amidst systems of oppression that impact each of us so differently? How might spiritual practice support us in these endeavors? These are the questions I explore with my colleague and collaborator, Rhea Goodrum, in preparation for this year’s winter solstice Nourish retreat. Rhea is a Chamorrita with roots from Guam in the Mariana Islands.  She is a spiritual activist, and seeks to reconnect us to the wisdom and life skills of Indigenous Peoples to nourish our personal rhythm, and the rhythms of our environment.  In this episode, Rhea shares about her eclectic spiritual journey, her experience as a participant of the Nourish retreat, and what she aims to offer to other women of color in that space. We wade into the awkward waters of ancestral access, navigating whiteness, and nurturing intercultural spaces with authenticity, equity and grace. Find out more and register for nourish here: www.katefontana.com/nourish

In this Oracle of the Mundane I share some insights from the season on how to live in the ”too muchness” of everything. From the overflow of nature’s bounty to the war in Gaza and throughout the world, to the pending holidays just around the corner, it can be easy to get overwhelmed or just numb to it all. Is there another option? Let’s see what the natural world might say. For your own ’too muchness’ support this season, check out: Holy Darkness: An Advent-Solstice-Epiphany Pilgrimage: www.katefontana.com/holy-darkness Nourish: A Winter Solstice Retreat: www.katefontana.com/nourish

Do you feel burned or disillusioned by your faith tradition of origin? Do you long for meaningful rhythms and rituals around the holidays? Are you seeking more depth, quietude and companionship on your spiritual path? This episode is a conversation with Jessica Bittner, a participant of my winter offering: Holy Darkness - An Advent-Solstice-Epiphany Pilgrimage. She shares about her break from her Christian church and her ensuing spiritual search.  Jessica gives a glimpse of what you might experience as a participant in Holy Darkness, from uncertainty to deep insights.  We also laugh about Harry Potter bans, fear of the ”woo” and all the weird things I get to do as a ”priestess on the fringe”. Check out and register for Holy Darkness here: www.katefontana.com/holy-darkness