Emily of Wise Woman Witchery

In this episode I'm talking to Emily of Wise Woman Witchery.  We talked about impostor syndrome, how rigidity affects your practice, and how community helps grow your magic.

wisewomanwitchery.com

Transcript

Welcome back to Your Average Witch, where every Tuesday we talk about witch life, witch stories, and sometimes a little witchcraft. Your Average Witch is brought to you by Clever Kim's Curios.  In this episode I'm talking to Emily of Wise Woman Witchery.  We talked about impostor syndrome, how rigidity affects your practice, and how community helps grow your magic. 
Now let's get to the stories! 
Kim: Hi, Emily. Welcome to the show.

Emily: Hi. Thanks, Kim. Thanks for having me on.

Kim: Thanks for being here. Can you please let everybody know who you are and what you do and where they can find you?

Emily: Of course. Hey, everyone. I'm Emily Morrison of Wise Woman Witchery. I am a full-time psychotherapist, and I also run Wise Woman Witchery, which is a business that offers all kinds of classes, workshops, conferences, and experiences for folks out there to help connect them to their empowerment, their inner voice, inner wisdom, through witchcraft and earth-based practices. You can find me at wisewomanwitchery.com and on social media at Wise Woman Witchery.

Kim: Awesome. And can you please tell me what it means to you when you call yourself a witch?

Emily: Sure. That is such a big question. I guess the first thing I would say is that the word witch feels like home to me and I didn't know it until I found it. So when I think about the word witch, it really to me is about connecting with the natural environment, connecting with the energies that exist all around. I believe there's energy in everything. And practicing witchcraft or witchery, however you want to say it, or however it resonates for you, is really about, to me, connecting with those energies and learning how to work with them, live in harmony with them, understand and connect with natural cycles, and the world both seen and unseen.

Kim: Do you have any family history with witchcraft or magic, or do you, even if your family might say absolutely not, they still did like really witchy things like smoke cleansing the house on Sundays or something?

Emily: Right, that's such a cool question. You know, yes and no. So I would say that nobody in my family would ever identify as a witch, like ever. However, that being said, my maternal grandmother was very, very much just a lover of nature. And I remember her saying on multiple occasions while I was growing up that nature was her church. She's like, I don't need to go to church. Nature is my church. I was very close to my maternal grandmother and we used to have this relationship with the moon where we would talk on the phone, we would go find the moon. She lived in Seattle and I live in Northern California. I would go find the moon out my window and she would go find the moon out her window and then we'd be together watching the moon.

Kim: I love that.

Emily: I know, I love that too. My grandma was so rad. Anyway, when she moved down here in the final years of her life, we would go on moon drives. So we would go out to find the moon together. And she was always totally open to anything. At first, she was like, witchcraft? What do you mean you're a witch? What does that mean? And we would talk about it. And then she really like got it and totally supported and respected me and my practices and was curious about it. So I think some of her influence came from growing up in the mountains in Utah and there were some indigenous tribes there and she was always fascinated by just all the indigenous peoples that were in the southwestern United States. She thought their practices were really cool and fascinating in their connection with the earth. And so I think that she was more open-minded partially because of that and partially just because of who she is or was.

Kim: That's awesome.

Emily: Yeah, that's very cool.

Kim: Well, can you introduce us to your practice? Do you have any regular or consistent rituals that you'll tell us about?

Emily: Sure. So, well, it's interesting because I was in a women's circle for 19 years and for the first 16 of those, we met every week. And then COVID hit and we ended up on Zoom and we ended up meeting every other week. But I had a very consistent regular practice of meeting with this circle of women. And it was really the inspiration for me to start Wise Woman Witchery because there was something about having that anchor point in my life of like, even if I got busy and I wasn't doing any magic, I wasn't practicing ritual, there was this way that coming, I was kind of coming back to it every week with these, with these women. And every week we would do some type of ritual or practice together. So when I started Wise Woman Witchery, it was sort of another anchor point in my life. And now I do full and new moon rituals every month that I host for the community, but like they're kind of for me too. So it's not just, it's for everybody who's in the community, but it's also really for me to have that anchor point. So I practice that twice a month. I often use divination practices. I would say I do a divination practice almost every day, usually pulling a card, but sometimes it's using my pendulum. It just depends. I am constantly using clearing practices, whether it's my breath or smoke clearing or using hydrosol or essential oils. Because I'm a therapist, one of the practices that I started early on was sort of this cleansing practice in between clients. So I do that every day as well. I feel like my magic is really just a thread that runs through my day-to-day life. It's not this big, you know, there are big rituals, there are theatrical rituals, all of that as well. But the core part is just these little practices that show up in my day-to-day. So it's not outside your life, it is part of your life. It is totally part of my life. It's completely woven in.

Kim: I love it.

Emily: Yeah.

Kim: Would you say that witchcraft has changed your life?

Emily: Yeah, I would say that witchcraft has changed my life.I think it's made me a lot more aware of the natural world around me. I think that it has also tuned me in. I've always been really empathic, but I feel like it has given me some tools to be able to protect myself empathically so that I'm not picking up everybody's energy everywhere I go, although I still do sometimes. But it's given me those tools to sort of guard myself and then open myself as desired. It's also just deepened my relationship with myself, I would say, not just the natural world, but the way that I move through it and my self-awareness and my willingness to look at all of my different parts. And I think, of course, that's also a byproduct of a lot of therapy. But I think that my witchcraft has also lent a very strong helping hand in that department.

Kim: What do you feel like the, what would you say is the biggest motivator in your practice? And has it changed since you first started out calling yourself a witch?

Emily: Hmmm. The biggest motivator. So, when you ask that question, are you meaning like, what gets me going? 

Kim: Yeah, what makes you keep doing it? 

Emily: Ah, got it. Well, I would say that when I first started out, so I'll start there. When I first started out intentionally practicing, I think I've been practicing magic and witchcraft my entire life, but I didn't really recognize that it was a recognizable practice that other people were doing until I was a little older. I think I started realizing that when I was about 18. And then somewhere around 22, 23, I really started like going, oh, okay, like, you know, I'm interested. I want to know more. I went to a public ritual. It really opened my mind and changed my perspective and brought me into a deeper desire to learn. So at that time, it was very much like, oh my gosh, I found something that resonates for me. I found something that speaks to all these beliefs I already have and all of these ways of being I'm curious about. So I think there was a drive there to just deepen into it and be like, oh, I want to know all the things, like an excitement to learn because I'm kind of a perpetual student. I love learning. And I would say that now my motivation really comes from the fact that it is a part of who I am. It's not like I have to work really hard to practice. I might have to work hard to put together a big elaborate ritual, you know, or to find some inspiration to try something new. I might need a little extra oomph for help from a friend in that department. But for the most part, my witchcraft is so much a part of me that it's not necessarily motivation to practice as much as it is just getting up and breathing through my day.

Kim: What would you say is your biggest struggle when it comes to your practice?

Emily: I would say consistency and not getting stuck. Like yes, magic is how I live. It is a way I see it as kind of a philosophy of how I move through the world. And if we're talking about like practices and, you know, staying on top of things, I'll be honest, friends, I am definitely somebody who's got a few unfinished spells sitting on my desk, like things that I started and then never took out and released or forgot that, oh crap, the moon just got full and I do this thing with it, right?

Kim: Yeah.

Emily: So I think for me, I happen to be somebody who is very busy. I am a little bit of a workaholic. So that's my constant edge I'm working. And as a result of that, things fall by the wayside. And my brain is always going. I'm always thinking about creating this idea. And hey, this sounds like a neat thing and, oh, I need to call this person. And, like, I'm sort of all over the place, which is amazing how much I get done for being all over the place. But it does hinder my practice at times, and that becomes probably my greatest challenge in being consistent. 

Kim: What brings you the most joy in your practice? 

Emily: I think the moments where I feel like a really clear channel, like when I can really root myself and feel my connection to the earth and the sky, I think those are moments where I feel most open to awe and wonder, and that brings me a lot of joy. The other thing I would say is being in community. So being in circle with other people and co-creating energetically that ritual, whatever that ritual is. And then getting to hear from people their experiences of like, if we did a ritual together and then having the opportunity to share, getting to really drop in and be with people and their vulnerability and their experience, that is like a huge joy for me in my practice. Yeah.

Kim: That is, that sounds nice.

Emily: That's why I don't think I'd ever be a very good like only solitary practitioner. I practice solitary, you know, magic, but I don't, I couldn't just do that. I mean, it could, I just don't think I'd be as happy.

Kim: (laughs) Do you feel like you have imposter syndrome about your practice?  And if you do, what do you do about it?

Emily: Yeah, you know, I think I had that a lot more in the beginning, because I wanted to do everything quote, right. And I think there are moments where I even look back on these last few years when I've been creating more, you know, more experiences for other people, where I look at the framework from which I was operating and I recognize the ways that I've grown in my own practice. And I think, oh, wow, I really had no idea what I was talking about there, or I thought things were a certain way and I maybe hadn't inquired deep enough to find out the origins of things. And I have since. moments where I, I discover myself changed. I feel like, Ooh, I was being an imposter and now everybody's going to find out and nobody's going to listen to me anymore. Um, and then I just go, Hey man, I'm human. And I'm just growing along with the rest of us. And I'm always up to admit when I'm wrong. I'm never going to like stand my, I'm never going to die on that hill, uh, without taking in what other people are saying and looking at where the origins of things are and the historical facts of things are. And I think that's where I can anchor myself in stepping out of imposter syndrome. It's like, okay, like I can hold space for people. I know that about myself. I can hold a ritual down. I can create the framework for all of that. And sometimes it's going to go really well and sometimes it's not. And I might beat myself up a little bit if it doesn't. But at the end of the day, it's really about every person having their own experience. And, you know, that's sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad. And sometimes it has nothing to do with me or how I held space. So...

Kim: What the hell? 

Emily: Right. Well, and all of that being said, I should also just really healthy and noisy inner critic, which does fuel that imposter syndrome. I just feel like I have a better relationship with my inner critic around, at least around my magical practice than I did in the past. 

Kim: How... how did you get that? Therapy probably, right? 

Emily: (laughs) Therapy and just a lot of, a lot of it is really shame, right? I mean, imposter syndrome really is born of shame. And I have a whole theory, and I know other people have theories about shame as well, and I'm sure my theory comes from that. But I always think about shame as like a fungus, right? Like it grows awesome in the dark. If we don't talk about it, shame wants us to be small. So it's like, oh, I'm bad, I'm bad, I'm gonna be small about it, and I'm gonna shrink, and I'm gonna be horrible, and I'm not gonna tell anybody, and I'm never doing that again. But if you just come out and go, wow, I feel so embarrassed and ashamed about what just happened here. And I noticed that what's happening in my head is my critic is telling me I'm really bad right now. That just by giving it a voice, the critic gets a little bit quieter because fungus cannot grow in the sunlight in the same way. So. 

Kim: Oooooh. I like that.

Emily: (laughs) Again, not perfect. Not perfect, but, but it helps.

Kim: What is something you did early on in your practice that you no longer do, and why did you stop doing it?

Emily: Let's see. Well, early on I did everything by the book. So I had lots of books. I still have lots of books because I have a little bit of a book addiction. And I, early on, was trying to, I didn't discern between witchcraft and Wicca. I didn't understand the origins of witchcraft and the origins of Wicca and all of that. So to me, it was all lumped together. And so I tried to do all of my practices exactly by different books. Like I'd find a book and follow it. Okay, I have to have my altar set up like this. Okay, I have to create my ritual like this. And I really let go of that. I still have a framework that I work from. Um, and I, I mean, I would say that I probably do similar things just out of habit over and over again, but I am not so rigid in my practice to think that everything has to be a certain way, or the heart of a ritual has to be a certain way, or a spell has to be a certain way, or this herb can only be used for this, or this stone can only be used for this. I really let go of all of that because I realized everything I'm doing is coming from my energy's relationship with the energy of things around me. And I have to figure out what's right for my energy. And that's really what I teach people too is, you know, if something, if you read a book and it tells you to do this thing and you're like, this is not resonating for me, don't do it. Like, who cares what that book says? If it's not speaking to your energetic self, then that's actually not your magic. So it might be time to figure out what does speak to your energetic self. So I'd say that's the thing, the biggest thing that I do differently and have let go of from my first foray into the magical kingdom that is not Disneyland.

Kim: You, in a roundabout way, just made me wonder something.

Emily: Okay, well... (laughs)

Kim: About the world, not necessarily about you.

Emily: Oh, okay. (laughs)

Kim: About the world. And I want your input on it, just because you're the one I'm talking to right now.

Emily: Yeah.

Kim: I wonder if, um, class, like, like depending on how much money you grew up with, and how much need you grew up with, if you, if you think about things like that differently, like if you grow up in Appalachia, and you don't have very much stuff regularly, so you grow up with the use what you got mentality. I wonder if they practice and feel differently than someone who grew up in New York City, like comfortably well off, didn't worry about whether they were housed next month. I wonder if their practices vary because of that, and how much.

Emily: Well, I would imagine, yeah, I mean, I would imagine that we could all, we are all influenced by our history and our socioeconomic status and our...

Kim: Socioeconomic, that's the word I wanted.

Emily: Yes, and our familial culture too, right? Because there are people who grew up wealthy whose family are very tight on the purse strings and they might have a different viewpoint than somebody who grew up wealthy and could have whatever they wanted. And then there are people who are in lower socioeconomic status who are in massive credit card debt because they're just like, I want the thing, so I'm going to buy it. And then there's the ones who really have to, who really budget and are careful. And, you know, so it's a lot of it has to do with value as well. Like what are your familial values and your cultural values that you grew up with? And I'm sure that does play a role and have an influence on how people practice as well as how did you learn to practice, right?

Kim: I'm actually, I didn't, I don't think I expressed it well.

Emily: Oh, okay, okay...

Kim: I mean like the strictness of following the rules or is that just a weird other thing? 

Emily: Oh, I see.

Kim: Like you have to have each of the four elements and it has to go north, south, east, west, however you set it up. Or if you grow up with less, are you more open, or does that make you even more strict? I'm just curious. I just wonder. 

Emily: Yeah. 

Kim: Something... I don't know how I would even study that.

Emily: But yeah, I think it might not be the easiest thing to quantify. But I imagine that you could you could formulate some type of study, (laughs) like a poll at the very least.

Kim: I want to know, but I never want to do research, so if anybody likes to do research, somebody do that. (both laugh)

Emily: (laughs) Yeah, there's that.

Kim: I absolutely do not want to use the word quantify in my life. (laughs)

Emily: (laughing) Okay, fair enough, fair enough.

Kim: Somebody do it and tell me. (both laugh)

Emily: Nice.

Kim: What is your favorite tool in your practice? It does not have to be a physical object. Why is it your favorite and how do you use it?

Emily: My body. My body is my favorite tool in my practice because it is always, always here and it knows more than my brain does half the time. And I use it by altering my own consciousness through breath and meditation. I use it to connect and give me information to the world around me, both seen and unseen, the physical world, but also the emotional energetic world. And so that's, I mean, I use it every single minute of every day in some way or another.

Kim: I love when people say things that are not just like my crucible. 

Emily: Right? Well, I mean, I thought about that. Like, is it something, I mean, I love my tarot cards. I use them all the time but I can absolutely practice magic without them and I do all the time. So there's that.

Kim:  I like... anyway, I like hearing everybody's, how it people interpret things like that.

Emily: Yeah, yeah.

Kim: If you could only recommend one source of info to a new witch what would it be and why? Please don't just say the internet.

Emily: No, no, no, no, I wouldn't. I'm just thinking about, I mean, like I said, I'm a book addict, so I'm thinking about books that I have. You know, in my women's circle, we always told new people to please read Spiral Damps by Starhawk. And I think the thing I like about that book is it gives kind of a comprehensive overview to Wicca, witchcraft, but it also has some practices and exercises in it that are great foundational pieces from when you're first starting out. So I guess that's, I would say, start there and see if it speaks to you. 

Kim: That is one of the things, I think when I found that, it did change my practice quite a bit.

Emily: Yeah, that book?

Kim: Yeah. I don't remember why. I can't tell you why at this point because it was a long time ago, but I do think that it did.

Emily: Yeah. Well, the reclaiming tradition was the first actual public experience that I had of witchcraft. I had read Spiral Damps prior to that, and then it made me curious and I realized that where I live in Sonoma County, California, there is a pretty big reclaiming foundation. And I knew someone who was involved and she took me to a public ritual. And it just, it's very accessible and very community oriented. And yeah, I just, I think it's a, it was a great, it was a great way to begin for me. It might not be for everyone, but for me it was. And that book really speaks to a lot of that.

Kim: Okay, I'm not sure where you are, but...

Emily: Like in the world?

Kim: Yeah.

Emily: I'm in Santa Rosa, California, which is about 50 miles north of San Francisco. 

Kim: Okay, so it sounds like based on what you said about your grandmother living in Seattle and you live in California, that that's mostly where you've lived?

Emily: I have lived in Seattle when I was a kid, as well as Anchorage, Alaska, when I was a kid. 

Kim: Holy moly.

Emily: Yeah, I did a semester in London. So I've been, I've been some places, but this has been really the my rooted home base. This is my land.

Kim: Okay. So since you have lived in other places, do you think if you moved to a different place that your practice would be different? You think it has shaped your practice in any way?

Emily: I think it has because I live in a place where it's really easy to get outside almost every month of the year. So my hunch would be, you know, get outside like comfortably. Like, you know, it's pretty temperate here. Even on cold days, it's not like it's like below zero ever. So I think if I lived somewhere else, I might spend less time outside or I might find different ways to connect with nature than I do here. And that's a really central piece of my practice for me. And I also, I'm sure, would have something to do with the community that's around. I mean, honestly, where I live is super liberal and pretty darn woo. It's a pretty, it's a pretty, yeah, I mean, it's lovely. There's a lot of pagan folks around here and, you know, it's, it's a pocket. It's one of those pockets. And so other places I live might feel really different and I might feel really surprised at, you know, the politics or the values that different communities have. And I might feel like I don't fit or can, like I might not be able to be as open as I am. So, yeah, I think it would change my practice, but I don't know exactly how. It would depend on where I ended up.

Kim: So, nature has active periods and not so much not so active periods and I feel like we do too even in our practice. If you feel like you experience low periods or slumps in your practice, how do you pull yourself out of it?

Emily: Well, part of that is the fact that I am constantly creating ritual for other people and I think that's one of the ways I pull myself out of it.

Kim: Oh, yeah, I agree.

Emily: You know, it's like, oh, well, I have to show up for this, right? I have to, I also have a podcast. And so I have to show up to make the podcast. I have to show up to create this new moon or full moon ritual. Oh, look, it's another holiday on the wheel of the year. Got to got to create a ritual for that. Or I've got to teach this class on this day. So I feel like that has really pulled me out of my slump when I find it. But even within that I can find a slump and the way that I get out of that is to take a class, create ritual with a friend, let my creativity do something else for a little bit, like not so much focused on witchcraft, but sometimes just letting my creativity start to shape something else, doing a craft or writing something that has nothing to do with witchery. Those types of things can sometimes rekindle that spark for me in my practice.

Kim: What a good idea!

Emily: Thanks.

Kim: I need to probably do that.

Emily: There's many cool things to do out there, so I bet you can find something. Something that piques your interest.

Kim: Well maybe that's why I have so many facets to the business... because I have to.

Emily: Right, right.

Kim: How insightful. Of me. (laughs) That's obnoxious. But I'm glad I... that's good.

Emily: No, it's not obnoxious, it's just finding things out about yourself.

Kim: Stop doing the thing that is making you frustrated and do a different thing. Hello.

Emily: Take a break. Take a brain break.

Kim: Brain breaks are foreign. And sounds dangerous. So.

Emily: Well, it's a brain break from one pathway. It's just switching to a different pathway in the brain.

Kim: But will you ever find your way back?

Emily: Oh, you'll find your way back. That's why you have post-it notes. Didn't you know?

Kim: Yeah, actually yes.

Emily: Yeah, that's the paper trail. That's the paper trail back to the heart of your brain.

Kim: What is something you wish was discussed more in the witch community?

Emily: The toxicity of love and light. (laughs)

Kim: Wow. Yeah.

Emily: Spiritual bypass. That is a bone in my craw. I get really fired up talking about spiritual bypass because that is something, and I don't know if it's as much witch community as more the new age community, and it just feels so toxic and dangerous to me. And irresponsible. Like, it's just not taking responsibility for yourself. So I don't like. Thumbs down. I wish we talked more about it.

Kim: Ditto.

Emily: Yeah. Thank you.

Kim: I would like you to consider the three biggest influences on your practice, whether it be people, objects, ideas, TV shows, books, whatever. Please thank them for the influence they had on your life.

Emily: Okay, so shall I just like act like I'm talking to them? Is that what we're doing here?

Kim: Sure, or you can just, yeah, however you want.

Emily: All right, so if they were listening, this is what they would hear me say. To Veronica Wades Lewis, who is my best friend and also just partner in crime in all things magic. Thank you for guiding me to reclaiming in the first place, and helping hold my hand during all my anxiety about stepping into new roles and trying new things, and being willing to explore just about anything in the magic realm with me. Yeah, thank you.

Kim: What a good friend, that sounds so good!

Emily: BFF, just so good. She's, yeah, she's my best friend. But she is, she's the one that like held my hand and took me to my first ritual. And we have been making magic together ever since.

Kim: Yay!

Emily: Yeah. So I would say her, and then I would say just like collectively to my women's circle, although we have disbanded, I learned more about the craft, my practice, myself, and had more healing and growth within the container of that circle in 19 years than I probably had any other place in my life. It forever changed the way that I view magic, and and the I would say just the realms that we traveled to together. I can't imagine ever having that experience somewhere else. It was really powerful and just so formative. So thank you to every woman who was a part of that circle over that time. Whew, wow, I just felt a little emotional with that one.

Kim: I know, my heart! Me too!

Emily: Oh my goodness. Yeah. And then actually I would say to the Wise Woman Witchery community. So to every person who's been a part of my community, who's come to classes, who has shared their experience, practiced along with me, been a part of any of it, I have learned so much from sitting in the role of teacher, and then also holding that role of student, learning from them. So I feel, I also feel like my practice is deeply changed and influenced by that community and the ever-changing landscape of that community, whether it's my membership group or my priestess path,  year long journey, or even just the Facebook community where I show up and read cards every week for folks. There's definitely been a lot that I have learned and grown through that experience. So, yeah, that would be the top three. 

Kim: That makes me think of my people and how much I love them. 

Emily: Right? It's like such an honor, right, to be able to have a community that you have helped facilitate, crafted, and held space for, but really that all those people in it are the ones that make it what it is.

Kim: Yes. It's definitely the group.

Emily: Yeah.

Kim: Aw, Hive House, I love you!

Emily: (laughs) Yes.

Kim:  What advice do you have for someone just starting out, figuring out if they're a witch, how to do it, et cetera?

Emily: Trust yourself above all else. Yes, it's so good to look at different resources and to try different things and maybe even find different teachers, but if something in your gut says no, listen to it. And if something in your gut says, hell yeah, go for it. But don't discriminate against what your body and your inner wisdom is telling you because somebody else says, no, you have to do it this way. That is the number one thing I would say. Trust yourself. And find an ally. That would be the other thing I would say. Find somebody you can bounce ideas off of and check things out with and practice with because it really does help to have, to not be on your own, I guess.

Kim: That's what I was going to say. You hear us talking about these groups that we are partnered with. Find you a good group.

Emily: Yep. Yeah. And that group might just be one other person at first, but being in community, it does make a difference.

Kim: And if your group is like, oh, everything you do is wrong and you have to do it this prescribed way, that might not be the right group.

Emily: That doesn't sound like a great group. I say boo to that group. 

Kim: After answering these questions, who do you think I should have on the show to also answer these questions? 

Emily: Oh, okay. Um, I would say Sarah Walker at the Sisters Enchanted, who is a really good friend of mine and also just an incredible human. Let's see, who else? Tanae Stewart, the Witch of Lupine Hollow. 

Kim: What a good name.

Emily: I know, right? She also just makes things so beautiful. She's got great aesthetics and, I mean, content as well, but like just really good at making things beautiful. Some people have that skill set. I wish I did. I do not. Let's see, who else? Well, you already had Irisanya Moon on, so thinking about her. I don't know. I'll have to think about that. Maybe I'll shoot you an email later.

Kim: Okay, yeah, actually, I welcome that.

Emily: Awesome.

Kim: Okay, as an experiment, we're going to pull a card, a question card...

Emily: Okay, let's see what it says.

Kim: ...from a game called Let's Get Deep. Have you ever missed a flight at the airport and what happened? 

Emily: No.

Kim: Oh.

Emily:  I don't think I have. 

Kim: The end.

Emily:  (laughs) That's what happened. It never happened. I never missed a flight. I think I've been close, but I've never missed one. I always thought it would be exciting to miss one, though, right? 

Kim: I'd find it terrifying.

Emily:  Do you? I find it's so dramatic! It's like oh my god, now I'm trapped at the airport with my luggage, what a story this is going to make.  I wish... no, I'm flying next month, I don't wish that to happen. 

Kim: Knock wood, knock wood!

Emily:  Right? Let me rephrase that. If I were by myself when that happened, I think that would be amazing. But if I were traveling with my husband or my mother? I don't think that would be ideal.

Kim: Oh, can you imagine the stress fights? Oh my god.

Emily:  Yes. No, it would be very stressful. So I do not prefer that, Universe. Please don't make that happen.

Kim: Well, is there anything else that I didn't ask you that you wanted to talk about or did you have any questions for me? 

Emily: No, I think we covered a lot of bases. I would just say, you know, if anyone is curious in checking out Wise Woman Witchery and maybe learning more about some of the classes I offer, I also have some free offerings on my website in case you want to just like dip in and learn a little more about divination and whatnot. And moon magic, moon magic, see I can speak really well. Anyway, you can hop over to wisewomanwitchery.com. And to you, Kim, I just want to say a resounding thank you for all your lovely and super thoughtful questions. I mean, this has been really, really fun.

Kim: Oh, thank you. And so everybody should go, and if you're looking for a group of people like you hear me talk about a lot with Hive House and you hear her talking about with her group, go join it.

Emily: Yeah.

Kim: Go join her Facebook group and become part of that group.

Emily: There you go.  There you go. Come hang out. Let's make some magic, peeps.

Kim: Yes! So, at the end of the show, I ask two things of my guests. I keep saying listeners. This is the second time I've said listeners, but I mean guests. Thing number one is, please recommend something to the listeners. It doesn't have to be witch or magic related at all. It can be anything.

Emily: Therapy. No, I'm just kidding. (laughs)  I'm totally kidding. 

Kim: Um. I recommend that. (laughs)

Emily:  Well, I mean, I do recommend that to everyone. But, um, you know what I actually recommend to everybody is to dance at least once a day. 

Kim: Hell yes!

Emily: Make yourself a playlist that makes you want to shake your ass. And then every day, play at least one song off that playlist and just let it go. Let your body move however it wants to move and just let that energy get out and through.

Kim: Plus all the, I can't remember the real word. There's the movie that said dorfmins, all the dorfmins.

Emily: Oh, the endorphins?

Kim: (laughing) Yes. Yeah.

Emily: Yeah.

Kim: Kissing Jessica Stein. That is forever in my head, the dorfmins.

Emiily: (laughs) It's a much sweeter version of that word. 

Kim: And finally, would you please tell me a story?

Emily: What kind of story?

Kim: Whatever you want to tell.

Emily:  Like from my life?

Kim: Those are preferable, but if you just want to tell a story story, that's cool too. I just like being told stories. That's the whole reason I did this podcast.

Emily: Wow. I wish I had been more, I like didn't really prepare for that question for some reason. And so I'm sitting here going, uh, uh, uh.

Kim: What's the funniest thing you've ever seen?

Emily: Oh the funniest thing I've ever seen... (laughs) oh my god. You know, that's really hard because sometimes shit that makes me laugh the hardest is probably not even that funny. I'm just cracking up because my husband, when he starts to tell a story and he's really passionate about it, it makes me laugh so hard because he like gets up and starts doing all the movements to the story.

Kim: Yes, I love physical storytelling.

Emily: Right? He's like replaying the whole thing and I'm just like dying because it's so funny. So that is pretty funny just in and of itself. But I don't know what the absolute funniest thing I've ever seen was. Because like I said, I get rolling pretty hard about things that probably people don't think are that funny.

Kim: Or your favorite memory.

Emily: My favorite memory is my wedding day.

Kim: Awww! 

Emily: It was so windy. And the night before, we were out at the ocean and we were getting married in a campground that was adjacent to the ocean. We had a big pagan ceremony. My best friend Veronica, who I did a shout out to, she married us. And the night before the wedding, it was so windy and we had our rehearsal thing going on and everybody was bundled up and freezing. It was June, but it was super cold. I had a knit cap on. And I started crying and I was like, my dad was there and he passed away five weeks later. But at that night he was there and I was crying to him and I was like, nobody's going to come to our wedding. It was freezing, horrible.

Kim: Aw, I knew that's what you were crying about.

Emily: I was just like, everybody's going to be miserable, it's horrible! And he's like, honey, people love you. They are going to come no matter what. If it's pouring down rain, they're going to be here because it was all outside, you know. And anyway, so the next day, I was super anxious and I went for a run with one of my girlfriends in the morning and listened to Tori Amos, which is the music that helps calm me down the best. And it was just perfect, the whole thing. It was super windy and people were in fact bundled up. And I was running so much energy. I had my sleeveless wedding dress on and no shoes and was hot the whole day. But there was, it was so beautiful to be surrounded by all of these people that really love us and our, our, our community. And then I get to share a ritual with all of them and everybody participated and we did a big spiral dance and there was singing and it was so beautiful. And my grandmother was there and my dad was there, which at the time I didn't know he was going to be dead in five weeks. But it was like just this really perfect moment in my, it was my favorite day. My absolute favorite day. I've never felt so loved and cherished in all of my life.

Kim: Oh my heart!

Emily:  I know, I know. Oh, and there's the other lovely thing that happened that day that I, okay, so this is really important to me, but you might be like, okay. But at the end of the whole thing, you know, we, because it was at the beach and we did it all ourselves and it was a potluck, I was cleaning up and I was carrying this big, like, crate. I was still in my wedding dress, no shoes, carrying this, and my hair was like a tangled mess because it's so windy.

Kim: Okay, that is a great mental picture for me. I love it. Very sweet. 

Emily:  Right? And so I'm carrying this crate of glass to the recycle and dumpster, and as I'm walking over there, there's this family, and it's a husband, I'm assuming a husband and wife or partners, and they had a little girl with them who I'm guessing was probably four, maybe four. And she was wearing a unicorn shirt. I'll always remember this. And I walked up and her mom said, congratulations. And I was like, thank you so much. It's been such a great day. And her daughter whispered something and I was like, what was that? And she goes, where are your glass slippers? 
Kim: OOHHHHHH...
Emily:  I died a little inside with the such cuteness and then the enormity of being mistaken for Cinderella was like, oh my God, I'm going to be imprinted in this little girl's memory forever. And I was like, you know what? I took them off so I wouldn't break them. And then I asked her her name, which was Emma. And I told her how much I loved her unicorn shirt and she was all proud. And I think I even gave her a hug, but that was such a highlight of that day too. Even though it had nothing to do with my wedding itself. It was still just like so sweet. And I think about that little girl now who's probably 15 or 16 and I wonder, like, does she remember that?

Kim: Yes, of course she does! She met Cinderella! 

Emily:  (laughing) Right?

Kim: (laughing) At the beach, carrying stuff recycling. (both laugh) 

Emily: I mean princesses gotta work too.

Kim: I, oh, I love it so much. I'm like tearing up. (both laugh) I love that for that kid and for you. And for me, since I got to hear it. I love everything about it.

Emily: It's so special. It's just one of those sweet moments in life where you connect with someone and it's random, but it's like it does something to your heart and you just carry that with you for always... yeah.

Kim: Delight. Thank you for sharing both of those, I love it!

Emily: Yeah, yeah. 

Kim: Love it.

Emily: Yeah, thanks for asking and helping me get there because I was like, I don't know what story to tell, but yeah, that's a pretty good one. 

Kim: All right, well, thank you so much for being on the show and sharing your stories and everybody go follow her on Instagram immediately. 

Emily: (laughs) Thank you Kim, I appreciate that. 
Kim: (laughs) Okay well thanks for talking to me bye!
Emily: Bye. 

Kim: Emily... 

Emily: Kim. 

Kim: Welcome to Hive House. 

Emily: Thank you. 

Kim: Can you please tell the bees what your favorite quote is? (fades out)

Emily: (fades in) Oh dear. Um, a deer, a bear, and a cat. 

Kim: In that order? 

Emily: No. Yes. Yes. In that order, actually. Yes. (Kim laughs)  Yeah, I don't know. That's just what came to me. I can't even talk about it more in depth. I mean you can ask, but I don't know if I can answer. (both laugh)

Kim: Then that means it's true. That's how you know the true you; this question. I will take no questions. (both laugh)

Emily: I feel exposed. (fades out) 

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