Brigid – Embodying the Divine Feminine

SILVER LINING OF SICKNESS

December 16, 2025 Mary Katherine Spain

On November 21st, I tested positive for Covid–for the first time EVER!

For some reason, my immune system has resisted the coronavirus (or all of her mutations-) all these years we have been aware, and living with, Covid. But I guess my luck was up! In addition to not being able to attend the family Thanksgiving gathering with my in-laws, I wasn’t really hungry enough to eat the yummy leftovers Michael brought home for me.

And that wasn’t my only low point during my ‘bout’ with Covid. Not by a long shot…

…but sometimes the low-point IS THE POINT.

It’s just too easy, isn’t it, to feel sorry for yourself when you’re sick. The pity-party gets rocked up to the next level. ALSO: No wonder we were all masked and isolated–Covid is NO JOKE! I have never been so sick in my life! Maybe when I had Scarlett fever as a child, but I don’t remember that.

You know the drill: NyQuil, sleep, hack, pray for some breathing apparatus to appear by your bedside when you wake up. Calling out for “More juice!” down the stairs to Michael. Moaning for the pounding headache to subside. The PILES of used Kleenex on the bedside table. Magazines, books, and more YouTube videos than you thought your eyeballs could possibly handle watching. Sometimes I would text Michael passive aggressive texts from upstairs: “Are you home?” which really meant ‘I need something.’ Poor Molly got instituted real quick as my emotional support animal. I wondered if my liver or kidneys were shutting down from all of the dextromethorphan in the NyQuil.

Rinse, repeat. And on it went for four days.

When our bodies weaken, so do our minds, and spirits. One feels strung out, defeated, even depressed. Ennui creeps in, and then maybe you go a little deeper, maybe you go to the Dark Place: Who Loves Me? What’s It All For?

It is hard to look on the bright side when you feel like crappola. But there is a silver lining down there in the cellar: when you are struggling in mind, body, spirit and soul, you are compelled to ask the harder questions of yourself. Shadow arises more easily because you don’t have your defenses up; there are no protectors of the ego in the house. Those ego-loyalists are out to lunch, possibly out of the country–they are not interested in listening to the harder questions the defenseless self asks.

These ideas and perceptions are the edge I was walking. Ideas–both creative and self-lacerating–were coming to the surface to be dealt with. As I wallowed in the bed, I had to make peace with those edgy shadow dwellers. But how?

It all started with a Facebook post. SHOCKING, I know! If you’ve never gotten triggered by a Facebook post before, you probably aren’t on Facebook. One thing I know for sure about Facebook: if you are in a great mood, you don’t even check it. If you are in a good mood, you might be mildly amused by your feed’s content or pleasantly distracted for a bit. If you are in a bad mood, say, when you are sick, chances are you might get triggered by something you see or pissed off by something someone posts.

Just saying.

And so it was with me. I noticed that an acquaintance who I had been in a training with a while back was offering a very interesting 4-day retreat for women. It looked like one of these “re-wilding” events, a chance to resurrect our primal selves, paint ourselves with mud and drum under a full moon. In other words, it looked like something I SHOULD be offering. Tempted to sign up myself, I became fixated on ‘why’ I wasn’t doing more of ‘these kinds of events’ at Avalon. I could carry this off! What was so great about so-and-so, when we probably have very similar skills…

Then I went to the Dark Place: You will never be so-and-so because you have to split yourself between the Professor Spain life at UNE and Lady-of-the-Manse life at Avalon. You can’t be FULLY either, and so you suck at both.

Ok, yes, it was easy to go to the dark place because I had been lurking in the waiting room of the dark place for a few days. Finally I was in! Thanks Covid! I was at the Big Show of Shadow, and I was spiraling.

Having one foot in one world and one foot in the other, I was convinced it was my job somehow to carry a sense of fracturedness. (For those of you keeping score at home, this was the “stop at the Martyr Hotel” of the darkness walk). It wasn’t long before I started resenting being the one in the family who had to carry the health insurance, and therefore maintain the health insurance JOB, i.e., my UNE job! *Mind you, Michael did this for us for SEVERAL years as I did not get jack-diddly in terms of insurance as an adjunct professor…

I’ll save you more details of the spiral, but believe me: It wasn’t pretty. At least I was stuck in bed and so didn’t project my nonsense onto anyone in my life. Thankfully, after I just could not stand myself anymore, I was ready to listen.

My defenseless self was willing to listen to what the Mighty Magi of Shadow needed me to tell me, and it went something like this:

“First of all, little darlin, if you wanted to be so-and-so and howl at the moon for four days with the MANY friends and shamanistas that you know, YOU COULD. You could do that!

But is that what you want? Because if it was, you’d be doing that.

And health insurance not-withstanding, you’re actually an intellectual. Oh I know you love to imagine that you are channeling Morgan LeFay here at Avalon but you also wanted to go to college at U-Mass Amherst because you really, really loved Emily Dickinson, because you loved poetry. You LOVE WORDS, and what you can make of them. So don’t poo-poo your dependable, conventional job at the university. PLEASE!

And another thing: what is so wrong with doing both? You call it ‘being fractured’ but isn’t it being multi-talented? Multi-interested? Couldn’t you just see it as being dynamic?

I’m here to remind you: You are someone who needs to do things her own way, in form and fashion that does NOT follow the ways and trends of others. You choke on the words “being a follower”–a fate worse than death. No, no! You can’t copy anyone’s style, or offerings!

So if you are really all that unhappy about how you’re showing up in the world, only you can change that. But just so you know: you generally birth the creations that come to you. You share the inspirations that run through you, and most generously.

You are the intellectual, AND you are the wild woman of the woods. Your words can cast spells as easily as your high ceremonies. You actually are free to do either, or both, or none. Nobody’s stopping you.”

I AM BOTH, I realized. I DO need to be original! The silver lining of sickness: feeling powerless strips you of artifice; not having the regular conditioning plugged in about how you go about your day, your perspective gets shifted.

Covid facilitated an unexpected trip to the underworld I needed, a moment of getting triggered, in order to access the space of the internal world– what a gift!

When you feel great, everything’s great. When you are knocked on your ass, you have to deal with yourself, your weaknesses, your shadow, your warts, your bruises.

Can we be kind to ourselves, when we are stumbling around down there in the cellar?

Christmas time is a time of giving. It feels good to give gifts, to spend a little extra on food and drink, to treat your loved ones to something special. But please do not forget that holiday time can also be a time of triggers, of old hurts resurfacing, even of coveting. If you feel yourself going to the Dark Place, there might be some auspicious wise counselors down there. If this happens this holiday season, my wish for you is to have the courage to hear them out.

And please, please, be gentle with yourself as you listen.

Shine On,
Mary Katherine

FEATURED EVENT:
FORGING THE FIRE WITH BRIGID
Sunday, February 1st, 2026
1 PM- 4 PM
Avalon Acres
Suggested Donation: $20
(This is a FUNDRAISER for Through These Doors*)

Join me and my dear friend and fellow shamanic practitioner, Kristi for a special day spent mostly outside learning the ways of Brigid, the Celtic Goddess of Healing, Smithcraft, and Poetry.

Please consider what empowers you FROM THE INSIDE. External validation is subjective–how are you forging your internal passions? The more joy we generate by doing what truly feeds us, the brighter our lights shine.

Calling on CREATION that is the SPARK of the Divine Flame Within, we will build an outdoor altar to Brigid, hold a Witness and Reveal circle, and speak to what hopes we have for a fruitful, abundant year.

This event is a FUNDRAISER for Through These Doors, a Domestic Violence Non-Profit serving Cumberland County and beyond.

Domestic Violence Prevention is a topic near and dear to my heart, as I was in an abusive relationship for four years with my first husband. One thing I learned was that Super Bowl Sunday (which falls on Sun, 02/08 this year) is one of the busiest days of the year for domestic violence hotline calls. Let’s help those volunteers helping other women!

TO REGISTER or FMI: Email MK! ninepillarshealing@gmail.com

WISE WOMEN TALKING
WINTER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION
Sunday, December 21st
12:45 PM–3:30 PM
AVALON ACRES

[This event is capped! The maximum number has been met for this special event. Hope to see you in January! Please note 2026 circle dates and mark your calendar!]

2026 DATES for WISE WOMEN TALKING
Wise Women Talking meets on the 3rd Sunday of each month at Avalon Acres* in Hollis, Maine from 12:45 PM–3:30 PM

Here are the dates (with a few caveats-) for 2026:

JAN 18th (virtual unless someone wants to host at their house)
FEB 15th (virtual unless someone wants to host at their house)
MARCH 15th
APRIL 19th EARTH DAY FOCUS
MAY 24th (* This is actually the 4th Sunday, FYI)
JUNE 21st SUMMER SOLSTICE ceremony
JULY 19th POSSIBLE WATER LOCATION for this circle
AUGUST 16th NO CIRCLE FOR AUGUST
SEPT 20th FALL EQUINOX ceremony
OCT 18th
NOV 15th HONORING THE ANCESTORS
DEC 20th WINTER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION

*As the barn is not heated, it is difficult (and uncomfortable) to hold our circle in person for the winter months therefore for Jan and Feb, we will meet on Zoom

FMI or to read about what we do in this FREE, open circle, click HERE

AVALON NEWS

CSA AVALON BOXES 2026

We will be taking orders starting in January 2026. Who doesn’t love some home-grown, fresh ORGANIC produce grown by this guy?

FULL SHARES WILL BE $350, and that’s 12 weeks of delish starting end of June x 12 weeks

AND SPEAKING OF 2026….ARE YOU IN?

In addition to my own offerings at Avalon and a possible workshop on Monhegan, here’s a few of the fun, nourishing, and soulful events we have planned for 2026!

MICHELE LOWRY:
Animal Communicator
*I’ve confirmed Michele’s Workshop! mark your calendar for Feb 7th, 11 AM- 2 PM at Avalon Acres!

AMYLIA JAYNE:
Journey Dance

ŚRI DEVI MELISSA UREY:
Sacred Sound and Yoga Nidra Retreat
*Summer Solstice*

JULIETTE SUTHERLAND:
Keening Workshop and Ceremony
Anger Workshop and Ceremony

JENSYN PELLETIER:
Holistic Healing Practitioner & Herbalist
Sound Bath & Meditation

AMANDA PAINTER:
Astrology Readings (as part of a mini-retreat)

Would you like to offer a special event at Avalon in 2026? We’d love to hear your ideas! Do you know someone that could benefit from our special magic, events, a night at the Sweet Suite? Feel free to forward our website; to see our rental form and FAQs, click here.

Newsletter

PERSIST, PERSIST, PERSIST

January 23, 2025 Mary Katherine Spain

Uncategorized

HAPPY IMBOLC

February 6, 2024 Mary Katherine Spain

Hello and Happy IMBOLC!

*Brigid is shown here “putting Winter to sleep;” art by John Quigley, Printed in Ireland, 2000*

This winter, I’ve been listening to the audio book, My Name is Barbra, on my way to work. It is Barbra Streisand reading her memoir, which must have taken years to pen–she’s had quite the life! If you grew up in the 70’s like I did, your mom may have played Barbra Streisdand’s records one after the other, like mine did. So I kinda feel like Barbra is part of the family.

The great thing about listening to an audio book is that your brain (and eyes?) don’t have to work quite as hard; you can just listen. The pure joy of listening, of receiving information in the form of images, of a narrative–and that voice!–is heavenly. I’m not sure who helped her edit but you can add “Great Writer” to the list of her many talents.

SO GORGEOUS–inside and out!

Last week, I think it was around chapter 35 or 36, she explained many of the juicy details about making A Star Is Born. Her crazy boyfriend Jon Peters was jealous of Kris Kristofferson. The director was a jerk, who apparently tried to sabotage the movie by selling certain “filthy lies” to the gossip columnists. Barbra shares that she was exhausted after the movie wrapped and did not want to do any movies for a while. She needed a break, so she took one. Admittedly, she notes, “I got bored after about three months.” Then, she confessed, she needed a project.

Her project turned out to be remodeling a one-story “ugly tract house I used as a small sound studio.” Throughout the book, she’s always recounting what she wore to this event or that party in great detail; she has a penchant for antique clothing and, as she puts it, “old things.” So it was no surprise when she tells the listener, “I didn’t want to tear the house down, as ugly as it was. That would have been too dramatic, and a lot more work. I wanted to fix it up, re-do it. Besides, you got to use what you are given.”

USE WHAT YOU ARE GIVEN. Wow! The multiple meanings weren’t lost on me. Barbra begins this delicious memoir of her life in Brooklyn, and shares that she was told, “No Jewish girl with a nose like that will ever see herself on the big screen.” Can you believe it? Aren’t we all glad she didn’t listen to them! And God gave her a VOICE, but also a lot of chutzpah! Those beautiful songs, the enchanting on-screen performances, the literally millions she has given away to charity–ALL OF THEM (and more) would have never been realized had she not used what was “given” to her–her natural gifts of performing and singing. She never went to college; she took 1 or 2 piano lessons but reports that her family, or rather her single mom, couldn’t afford to continue with the lessons.

She just knew she wanted to act. Particularly, on Broadway. And that is exactly what she did. To make ends meet–before she got her big break with Funny Girl–she sang in a nightclub in Manhattan called the Bon Soir. She just kept pushing those doors open, kept persisting. And she wasn’t afraid to ask, “But what if we do it this way?” It made me wonder if one of her ‘natural gifts’ was determination. Is that possible?

There have been numerous places throughout this book that I thought I might have to pull over and have a good cry. Not because anything that Barbra was saying was sad–although there are sad bits in it. No, it’s because I get so MOVED! So incredibly enraptured by what ONE LIFE CAN DO, what one woman is capable of! It’s the epitome of inspiration! No one can say she has wasted one minute of her life…

And so this multi-layered “Use what you are given” line really, really stuck with me. It made me ask myself: Am I using what I was given? Have I taken any of my God-given talents for granted? Is there a dormant talent which was not nurtured enough when I was young? Was there someone who told me I would never do such-and-such, as those who told Barbra that her nose would keep her off the big screen?

Which of those messages did I take in, and adopt as my truth? What door have I yet to bust open for myself, afraid of what I may discover, find, or reclaim?

In addition to HIGHLY RECOMMENDING this memoir of Barbra Streisand’s, I invite you to ask yourself the same questions. Are YOU using what was given to you? It could be your voice, like Barbra’s. What about your metaphorical voice, the voice of your truth, the voice of your wisdom? What new heights are you willing to go, knowing that the only things in life you truly regret are the risks you DON’T take?

That last bit is Ann Margret’s line in Grumpy Old Men. I guess the movie stars are acting as my muses today!

Shine On,
Mary Katherine

UPCOMING EVENTS and AVALON UPDATES

Sat 02/03 (11 AM–2 PM)

Imbolc: Making an Altar to Brigid at the Sacred Waters
AT CAPACITY for this event! Pls join me and Kristi for future ceremonies, like Lughnasa on 08/03

Sun 02/11 (1 PM- 2:30 PM)

_Wise Women Talking (on Zoom this month)
Join the Zoom room by 12:45 PM ; our focus will be on acknowledging our gifts (God-given and those we’ve worked darn hard for-); Email me for Zoom link (I will send out to regular attendees the day before)
If you so chose, here’s a little journal prompt to enhance your circle time:

How does anyone know what their gifts are? How committed are you to seeing your “superpowers” uplift others and your community? What conditions need to be in place in order to have your natural-born gifts and talents thrive?

Sat 04/20 (10 AM- 5 PM):

Drum Workshop with JaneE King, Elder, Story-teller and Wise Woman

Make a Drum using Deer hide: teaching, ceremony, construction and all materials (and lunch!) will be provided.
FMI: Check out the webpage link above for more info or to sign up!
FMI on JaneE: visit https://www.janeekinghearthealer.com/

Sun 05/19 (10 AM- 5 PM):

Woe Is Me Nevermore Workshop with Kat Beaudoin
Come explore ways we can transcend the energy of victim archetype – one of the 4 universal survival archetypes. Despite the baggage that accompanies the word, the victim archetype, like all the other archetypes, is neutral – neither good or bad; and it can be a resource when we learn to navigate its energy as it shows up in our lives. This workshop will utilize the Work That Reconnects, designed by Joanna Macy and incorporate nature and mirroring exercises
Cost $111, location: Avalon Acres; please MARK YOUR CALENDAR for this special day-long, deep-dive event! Kat and I will be putting together a more formal event page soon! Stay Tuned!

AVALON NEWS & UPDATES

__Sweet Suite

We’re oiling the walls (who knew you had to treat pine?) and fashioning a cabinet around the fridge. Bed, sink, and comfy wingback chair are installed!
To my Beta-Testers: Please be patient! Probably looking at over-night bookings by early March 2024

__CSA’s! Are Available for the 2024 season

Don’t you want to support delicious, Maine-grown food? If you are wondering how you can enjoy nutrient-dense local food and support our efforts here at Avalon, please consider buying your CSA from Avalon. We thank you!
Delivery options available! We know everyone who supports us doesn’t all live in Hollis! I’m in town three days a week for my job, and am happy to drop off your box
AMAZING! The Sweet Suite looks fantastic! Thanks to the Re-Store, it has a few pieces of comfy furniture too! Stay tuned for booking availability
STILL WITH ME?!

__Snow Shoe at Avalon: Trails are always open, always free!

We even have a rudimentary map! Send us a quick email at avalonacresofhollis@gmail.com if you’d like to experience our winter wonderland or just stop by!

__ If you’d like to support Avalon Acres another way…

Kindly like our FB page, subscribe to our Youtube channel and follow on Insta-G!

Uncategorized

HAPPY IMBOLC: Just Do YOU

February 1, 2022 Mary Katherine Spain

Happy Imbolc! We celebrate the Celtic Goddess Brigid on the 2nd of February. This “Celtic Mary” is associated with healing, smithcraft, poetry, hearth and home and all acts of creativity. Brigid also ushers in the very first signs of Spring, bringing us a sense of hope and warmer days.

My wreath dedicated to Brigid. It hangs above our mantle, a natural spot for Brigid as she tends the hearth and home!

As I write this, on Saturday January 29th, my part of the world here in Hollis, Maine, is experiencing the first Nor’easter of 2022! By all measures, the “old crone of Winter” aka Cailleach, is still ruling the roost. Some Celtic folklore blend the Cailleach and Brigid together, asserting that the Cailleach transforms herself anew as the maiden of Brigid at Spring.

This year, we have the serendipitous occurrence of Imbolc and the New Moon in Aquarius overlapping one another! The New Moon occurs at 12:46 AM EST on FEB 1st; the Imbolc festivities are generally celebrated on February 2nd (some say that Groundhog Day got swept up into the tales of the Cailleach–that it was the Hag of Winter out looking for more sticks to burn, not a furry rodent wondering about his shadow).

But wait! My calendar also denotes that the Chinese Lunar New Year also falls on February 1st. 2022 is the year of the Water Tiger, a symbol of strength, perseverance and self-confidence. Tigers are single-minded in their pursuits, not easily distracted and have few if any predators.

I love this image. As someone who regularly contemplates how my actions might affect others, this assertion of bold self-confidence stationed in the regal posture of the hunteress, her stunning orange and black stripes shimmering against a golden sunset in India is magnificent. (‘Water Tiger’, to my way of thinking, means tigers who can swim. The Bengal Tiger, a native of India and Southeast Asia and also a phenomenal swimmer, comes to mind.)

So I hope you have all your rituals planned out, ready to go. You don’t want to miss this opportunity to blend the powers of Brigid, the New Moon and the power of Bengal Tiger! I’m looking forward to the online seminar I signed up for with Tara Wild, who will be presenting ways to connect more deeply with Brigid and discussing the resurgence and reclamation of the Divine Feminine. Mostly, though, I’m excited to hear about the extensive Celtic wisdom Tara brings to her circles. To read more about Tara and her work, click here.

Also, the best rituals are ones YOU feel inspired to carry out! Since the New Moon is in the sign of Aquarius, working in groups, co-facilitating, and any discussions of social justice would be great ideas and lend a sense of power to your ritual.

One overused expression around ritual and ceremony is the activity of “releasing what no longer serves you.” No doubt, it is crucial to regularly “own your s***” and then dispense with old ways, beliefs and habits that are not aligning with your high self. I’ve probably used that turn-of-phrase 500 times over the last ten years! However, I feel there is an opportunity to deconstruct the idea and maybe replace it with a new intention.

“Release” signifies that we are absentmindedly holding onto nefarious ways and behaviors, that it is up to us to do the action of ‘release’ and then all will be well. I have recently had an enormous revelation about how disempowering this language is! First of all, whether you want to believe it or not, the insinuation that we need to ‘release what does not serve’ sends the ego structure that we are somehow sullied inside, and probably from our own doing. If only we could release the trauma we’ve been attached to. The action is around removal but I’d like to suggest that the action, ie.intention, ought to be around BECOMING.

I’d like to share a little anecdote to show you what I’m talking about. I am in the midst of prepping for a ceremony here at Avalon that was–until this big storm came along–scheduled for Sunday, January 30th. Most of us can get pretty worked up in the planning stage of anything that holds some significance for us. Could be a first date, an interview, or an event that you’re hosting. We all can “get in our head” about trying to surmise how it’s going to go.

I call this extending energy into the realm of What If. For example, I knew this huge blizzard was coming and so I started wondering: Will people not want to drive out to Hollis, even though the roads will likely be ok by Sunday? What about Covid protocols? How much shoveling and sanding should I do before they get here? I’d hate to have someone slip and fall! What if it is really cold, as in teeth-chattering cold? What if…what if…what if.

I emailed my co-leader, Gul, the one who was to teach us the Water Song and who had participated in this annual tradition before. Her reply, quite eloquently, was ‘It’s ceremony. It will be what it is.’

Although we DID reschedule the ceremony to Saturday February 5th (please come!) , something clicked awake inside of me with Gul’s matter-of-fact pronouncement: It will be what it is. WHAT IS is so much better than What IF! This simple distinction did more than help me get out of my anticipating-the-needs-of-others mode: It helped me realize that my precious energy was wafting through the ether of impossible-to-predict situations and a more appropriate response would be to power up, drum, make something, listen to some music I like. In other words, take care of ME so I can feel my power.

As a side note: when we spend too much time anticipating the needs of others, hoping they will be provided for, that their physical and psychic needs are taken care of, we actually are stealing the opportunity for them to practice sovereignty: the sense that their actions are right for them, end o’story.

At the New Moon in Aquarius, instead of ‘releasing what does not serve,’ try out this new (active) language as a way to refine your personal power. It is simple and takes a single, solitary act:

JUST DO YOU.

My suspicion is that when we tend our garden, when we stay on our side of the fence, the NEED to ‘RELEASE what does not serve’ ain’t even a thing anymore.

Why? Because fortifying the Self with Sovereignty greatly reduces the chances of self-sabotaging behavior, of associating with the victim-stories or flirting with co-dependency. Also, it’s a lot of work to ‘Just Do You.’ Doing You will keep you plenty busy! Plus, Spirit wants a vessel in which it can cast its expression. If we’re too wrapped up in over-extending in service to others, the probability of you-as-vessel decreases.

And believe me: IT IS TIME to Hold the Light. Yup, I said it! Another overused expression of this Age of Awakening. Be the light, hold the light, light workers–it’s all about what you do with “the light.” But this trope I will not disown. Because it really is time to rise up and DO YOU, to inherit the agency you need to radiate the LIGHT of conscious action– as opposed to flipping projections onto others or recovering from your triggers all the time.

Another anecdote to consider: I had a client last week who disclosed to me how irritated she’d been feeling lately. Everyone was making her on edge, things were “setting her off.” After some probing questions, and an invitation to self-reflect, we discovered she had been way, way, way over-extending in her service to others. She’d “been there” for so many people in her life but they hadn’t reciprocated. Some of us (myself included) don’t know how to ask for our needs to be met. Givers will always find Takers, and the dance is well-practiced.

Doing for others is exhausting; a common reaction is to start building up resentment, as my client was doing. Overextending can result in victimhood [“What about me”] and anger [or its cousin, resentment]. There’s nothing wrong with caring for people in our lives or even doing special little things for folks. It brightens their day! The critical word here is overextend. And the gesture must be done while we are in our sovereignty–which just means when our heart is open.

The Universe will match whatever you’re transmitting so you want the gesture to come from a place of radiance, of joy, and lightness. You want the gesture, the word, the conversation to come also from the Water Tiger. Fierce and beautiful, not wasteful but truly necessary. I think a lot of people might think “living with an open heart” means always giving or being a martyr in some effort to sacrifice yourself or your energy for the “greater good.” But there is no truer act of altruism than living in the sovereignty of Self, in living with your own truth front and center.

As for my client, my guides and helpers got her sorted out and returned her to the aperture of the heart. I received some “spiritual homework” for her during the session, as I often do, that I strongly encouraged her to perform in the days following our session. This “post-participation” helps to 1) lock in the healing energy of the session, reminding the body, mind and spirit they all work together , and 2)enhance the client’s own understanding of the messages I’m bringing back.

With permission, I want to share the exercise Spirit offered this client. I think it is a fantastic exercise!! One we ALL could benefit from in cultivating a sense of self-possession and agency, to avoid overextending.

It’s quite simple. Write out the following sentences, filling in the blank with YOUR truth.

___When I am ________[an action], I am in my power.

(For example, if I was filling in this blank, my sentence would read: When I am speaking from a vulnerable place, I am in my power.)

___When I am ________[a response], I am in my power.

(Again, if this was me, my sentence would look like this–just to give you an idea: When I am responding with non-judgement, I am in my power.

Here’s the rest of the sentences. How would YOU fill in the blanks?

___When I am ________[a belief], I am in my power.

___When I am ________[ a habit], I am in my power.

___When I am ________[ a self-care practice], I am in my power.

___When I am ________[a spiritual practice], I am in my power.

___When I am ________[language, speaking], I am in my power.

I so loved this idea. Thank you Spirit! It’s always the simplest exercises that prove to be the most potent. This exercise also points the way to understanding what, exactly, your sovereignty is made of. It’s incongruent with the wisdom of the heart to try and “do” anyone but you. So, instead of ‘releasing what does not serve’ challenge your enlightenment jargon with the lens of the Water Tiger. Align your energy, your new moon seeds with the energy of sovereignty and stop worrying about how people are experiencing you, your work, your language, your beliefs. After 50 years of anticipating the needs of others, of exhausting myself trying to please everyone, I feel a call to tend my garden with a loving vigilance, working to create the conditions I NEED to be my best self in a world full of artifice and projections, and in no short supply of takers and martyrs.

I want to Do Me.

As it turns out, the world soul (animus mundi) is actually hungry for my best self, not all of those other things I spend time perseverating over.

Just Do You.

Love and Blessings of Brigid-

Mary Katherine

UPCOMING OFFERINGS

Singing the Water Song: A Gathering Of Women to Bless the Waters

Are you a woman who is missing the feeling of being in community with other women? Are you hungry to learn, share, commune with the sacred element of water? Does your heart need the jolt of love and joy that only ceremony can bring? Join Laurie Babineau (aka ‘Gul’) and Mary Katherine this Saturday, Feb 5th from 1 pm-4 PM at Avalon Acres to join other women in circle in singing The Water Song. For more details, click here

A NEW CLASS STARTS in 3 WEEKS! Introducing CLICK MY HEALS

(class runs every Thurs evening from 7-8 PM, 02/24 thru 03/31 and will culminate in an activation rite on Friday April 1st)

Are you a light worker, shamanic practitioner, change agent, or star seeder who is certain that your gifts of healing, intuition, teaching and guidance are needed now more than ever?

Do you feel that your gifts are getting stronger, stranger, more erratic but also more magical and surprisingly more efficient? Are you sensing that refining your methods, practice or devotion is imperative in anchoring the immense changes we’re experiencing right now?

Folks with the gifts of the Awakener who decided to come to Earth School at this time are getting upgrades in 2022–the great dismemberment is well underway! If you came here to awaken yourself as well as others, how will your special medicine and wisdom be dispersed in the years to come?

CLICK MY HEALS will give you a place to 1)Be a Witness to others on this path, 2) Be more “fit” for the velocity at which change is happening, 3) Be Seen, Supported and Encouraged by those like you

COST: $10 per class (suggested donation) *I am very purposeful in making this offering affordable as I think the continuing “break-down to break through” may turn very swift in 2022; I am committed to supporting the work of Light Workers on their respective paths

__For FULL CLASS description, click here

__To sign up or hold your spot, email Mary Katherine here

DRUMMING CIRCLE AND BONFIRE

Please join Mary Katherine and Michael for a Bonfire and Drumming session on Saturday, 02/26/22 at Avalon Acres! 6PM-until

There will be a potluck set up in the Barn; this event is All Ages and not just for shaman-types! Although any drumming by anyone is sacred in my opinion…

Bring a drum, some food for yourself or to share, a comfy chair to set up in front of the fire. Unless you intend to dance, which will be highly encouraged! February is LOOONG; let’s get outside and burn something!

And finally…

Valentine’s Day is a great day to show someone how much you care about them, how much they mean to you, and how thankful you are that they are in the world! Nine Pillars Gift Certificates make soulful gifts, and a session with me has long-lasting effects! Here’s what one of my recent clients had to say:

“I wanted to share with you how much our session together has helped me. I was able to shift out of a state of almost despair. I was so ungrounded, sad and needing of a break. Having [my power animal]by my side has helped to support and nourish and protect my spirit. Thank you so much!”

Uncategorized

The Shining One

May 6, 2020 Mary Katherine Spain

Happy Beltane! Bel-Who?

Belenos (“The Shining One” ) is a Sun God of Celtic mythology. Beltane, the Fire Festival that commences on May 1^st and ushers in the season of Summer in the Celtic Wheel, is believed to have come from Belenos. We saw the first stirrings of Spring at Imbolc with Brigid and her healing fire; now, the Crone of Winter, Cailleach Beara, is driven fully underground. Beltane is the half-way point between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice.

I celebrated the Beltane fire (also known as the “green fire”) on the cross-quarter day this year, which was May 4^th, by tending a ceremonial fire for several hours on my friends Paul and Janet’s land. Another friend, Karen, joined me. We sang, cried, drummed, burned prayer bundles and just talked. Because of the Covid-19 restrictions, I actually had not seen her with my eye balls in some time. We, like a lot of folks right now, have been limited to Zoom or FaceTime chats but it’s just not the same as spending real-time with someone.

I arrived around 9:30 in the morning to this pristine piece of land, built my fire, and held the sacred space with Karen until about 3 PM, with a few bio-breaks and to do some reiki on Paul and Janet’s dog, Sage. It was windy, with a few gray clouds but mostly sunny. We listened to the call of Redwing Blackbirds, watched a gigantic Great Blue Heron circle the house, and witnessed a Coopers Hawk chase down one of those territorial Blackbirds. Paul divided up a few of his day lilies for Karen, who had brought bulbs for his garden and a bag of black oyster mushrooms for me. They were delectable later that evening with my lime-cilantro-tamari baked Haddock. I sautéed them in white wine and butter, with fresh kale and garlic.

There is one more thing we did: We offered prayers to the fire for the collective healing of the planet and asked that the fear around this virus to be transmuted. I tend to be sensitive to what the collective is feeling and have to be careful about where and how I expend my energy. It’s easy to pick up on fear and anxiety these days that isn’t yours! But, we all have a choice in where we direct our precious energy.

In times of crisis, and especially in such an unprecedented event like we are in now, it is critical that we remember we can control how we respond to stimuli, people, and society in general. When so much feels out of control, just knowing that you have a choice in how you react can quell some of the fear. Not only that, bringing consciousness around your response re-sets your parasympathetic nervous system and allows your executive function center to do what it’s supposed to: make clear, rational decisions from a place of flexibility, curiosity and creativity.

I know what you’re thinking: There doesn’t appear to be a whole lot of flexibility, curiosity and creativity going on right now. But you do have a choice. It’s not selfish to take care of yourself. Whether you agree or disagree with the mask-wearers or the mask-deniers, it’s okay. Just know that at the end of the day, your vitality will keep you healthy and your connection to what is truly important to you will keep you sane.

You are the only one who can decide what is best for you.