Rituals of Returning

In the heat of summer, I pause at the crossroads,lighting a candle in the sacred cauldron of my heart.I listen to the whispers of my soul,as dreams coalesce and possibilities take form.I stand in the center of my own life,where I extend my hands to touch the infinite fieldthat carries and holds me in each moment.I breathe in the ordinarygifts of life,the bright sky above me, the solid earth beneath me,the squirrel’s dance, the fox’s crossing,the falling star’s blazing message.Grant me the courage to show up,the willingness to notice and see,to love the ordinary and trust itas my pathway to the sacred.In this living practice of presence,magic, mystery, and meaningcoalesce.
Happy June and welcome to this week’s Rituals of Returning newsletter with our allies for summer! We also have some delicate “Prairie Rose” goddesses in the shop.
This week's magic:
18 minute mini ritual video: Back to the Roots: Tara, White Willow & Clear Quartz
scroll all the way down to the bottom for your free companion card set!
Back to the Roots kit with free printables!
and, Back to the Roots collection with more free resources unfolding throughout the month.
New essay on Feminism and Religion: Earthprayer
June’s practice update for #30DaysofGoddess!
We’ve started a new newsletter for Gaea Goddess Gathering! Coming up in September right here in Missouri.
Back to the Roots!
Back to the Roots is underway FREE for everyone as part of the Goddess Magic Mystery School, I’m so pleased to offer this Back to the Roots series in celebration of our 2000th day of #30DaysofGoddess. If you’re brand new to daily practice, this is for you—you are here on the 2000th day and it is a perfect day to begin! If you have been here since the beginning, this is for you—lets celebrate the life-changing power of daily practice and how devotion has changed, inspired, and nurtured you! If you have been here for any days in between, this is for you—I’m so glad you’ve shared your days with this community!
Make sure to check out the collection where all of the free posts will be unfolding throughout the month.
And, grab your welcome kit with beautiful journals and customizable covers.
During this series, we are revisiting the roots and purpose of #30DaysofGoddess and daily practice and we will also explore 7 days of guided practices, all with a roots-related theme. Our primary celebration will take place June 17-24, but I have background support resources sprinkled throughout the entire month as well.
To date:
welcome kit
kickoff replay
daily practice essentials kit
spiritual practices while traveling
reminders for daily practice
building a daily practice
root and reach yoga class (guest offering from Kimberly Pollack)
Life’s Bits and Pieces:
Go back to the roots,sliding past performanceand pleasingand back into center,into what holds and nourishes you. From this place of power,contemplate your choices,learning what isessential and true.
reading:
(to self) Ordinary Mysticism—I absolutely love this book! I started it in the airport on the way home and it is perfect for me.
(to kids) Into Battle, book five in the Seventh Tower series—I took a break from reading while we were gone to Nevada and so we’ve just started this one. I’m a little disappointed that they are now prepping for this big battle and solving the problems of their unraveling society and worldview with a fight.
(listening to with Tanner): How to Trap a Tiger—a story about a girl and her mother and sister who go to live with their grandmother in a small town and there is a mysterious, elusive tiger that she keeps glimpsing. Rooted in Korean folklore, but set in modern times.
(listening to by self): Mila 2.0—contemporary YA fiction about an android girl who doesn’t originally know she is an android super solider and is now on the run from the government.
Finished the Saint of Steel (Paladin) series by T. Kingfisher and they were all so good. Loved them. My favorite series this year! I also finished reading The Magic of Us.
Note: I am on Fable if you want to follow along with what I read there!
Resource Reminders:
Intro audio about the Goddess Magic Mystery School
I’ve started to add our monthly activation replay videos for this year’s #30DaysofGoddess practice to the homepage! Scroll past the “2026 Practice Updates” section to access the videos. Note: Live monthly activations are available to any member of the Goddess Magic Mystery School Patreon community free and paid both!
FREE class:
forty week Intro to Goddess Studies class!
Gift a Goddess Magic membership to a friend!
Tara, White Willow, and Clear Quartz: June’s Allies
Happy June!
Willow and Linden are our herbal allies for June—rooted, wise, and healing.
Welcome to our June and our allies for this month! This month we journey into the heat of summer, creativity, and the energy of Litha (the summer solstice) guided by Goddess Tara, White Willow, Linden, Clear Quartz, and the Mouse as our animal ally.
Thank you for being here! May you go back to your roots, let your feelings move like water, and welcome a clear, joyful reset this summer season.
Reminder: I do create monthly handbooks for members of our Goddess Magic Mystery School community and June’s handbook is available here.
Expanded post available here.
Questions to explore:
What would it feel like to let yourself be surrounded by love—right now, as you are?
Can you have a feeling without putting it into words?
What is stagnant in your life right now?
Where in your life are you repeating the same emotional script instead of letting it move?
Do you feel yanked hither and yon by the pull of your feelings or by other people’s needs?
What would it look like to let emotions flow through you and then go, rather than damming them up?
If you could return one aspect of your life to the “factory settings,” what would it be?
What are your own deep roots right now—what actually nourishes you?
When you go back to the roots, what do you discover you truly want to keep, and what is ready to be released?
Where in your life are you choosing what is convenient or comfortable over what might be deeply true or needed?
Affirmations:
I listen to the child within.
I am surrounded by love.
I nourish wholeness by going within.
I dance with what life has to offer.
I create my life with joy.
I dip my feet into the current of the sacred.
My emotions flow through me with ease.
I listen to the ways of water.
I stay open to what is.
I stay open to what’s unfolding.
I welcome a clear, loving reset in my life.
I return to my roots and open to new possibilities.
A gift to be here…
I treasure my place on this earth, the power of connection, the roots of inspiration, the softness of settling in, the certainty and grace of belonging. It is a gift to be here, watching it all spin.
Sending love to all of you.
Keep living your magic,
Molly, Mark, + Family


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goddessmagic.substack.com/subscribe

When we scramble too sharplyout of steeping,we may stumble.It takes patienceto refresh ourselves.Let us committo moving at our own pace,to treating ourselves with love.Let our devotionforge a compassionate path forward,one that nourishes and restores,one that inspires and transforms.
Happy Beltane and welcome to this week’s Rituals of Returning newsletter! Today is the official publication date of my newest book, Thunder and Roses, which becomes available worldwide today on Amazon! Orders from the Etsy shop also include special bonuses only available directly from us.
And, for the first time ever, we also have one-of-a-kind (OOAK) Bast goddesses in the shop!
This week's magic:
18 minute mini ritual video: Beltane ritual and May’s allies
Additional video: letting your heart be your compass
Two minute video: unboxing March’s Magic Mail
Free mini zine: A Festival of Wonder
May’s practice update for #30DaysofGoddess!
Live activation ritual for May is on May 4th at 3:00!
Book party for Thunder and Roses is on May 11!
We’ve started a new newsletter for Gaea Goddess Gathering! Coming up in September right here in Missouri.
Earthprayer!
My special offering for May is an Earthprayer series unfolding via the Goddess Magic Mystery School. This series includes weekly live practices, daily posts, inspiring rituals, and FOUR printable card decks for exploring our daily themes.
Life’s Bits and Pieces:
May I remember I am not here to watch from the edges, but to co‑create in the ceremony of life's unfolding.May I choose with wise discernment what I will tend in my cauldron of creation.May I return, again and again, to my own sacred center.And, may I trust that some wishes are meant to wander on the wind,carrying my magic farther than I can see.
reading:
(to self) Living in Process—while I have a couple of complaints about this book in terms of what feels like missing information/explanation, I am really enjoying the exploration of living in process, remembering the this earth, this world, this life is not static, it is an unfolding and each of us has a process to live and explore.
(to kids) Aenir, book three in the Seventh Tower series—I actually finished the second book, The Castle, in between April’s newsletter and this one. I’m still enjoying this series, in which everything the main character has thought to be true about his life and world unravels as he discovered how much more lies outside the shadowy boundaries of his life.
(listening to with Tanner): Brian’s Hunt—the final book in the survival classic series that developed after Hatchet. Since I last wrote, we also listened to The River, Brian’s Winter, and Brian’s Return. We also continued our Gary Paulsen festival by listening to Northwind, which is about a Viking-era type of boy who has to survive alone on the sea.
(listening to by self): Sisters in the Wind—I’ve barely begun this one, as I only recently finished listening to Warrior Girl, Unearthed. This is the third book following Firekeeper’s Daughter, but it actually takes place temporally between the events of Firekeeper and Warrior Girl. I actually liked Warrior Girl, Unearthed more than Firekeeper’s Daughter overall, but I was really left frustrated by the many holes in the ending. Each of these books is a 12+ hour listen, so be prepared!
Note: I am on Fable if you want to follow along with what I read there!
Resource Reminders:
Intro audio about the Goddess Magic Mystery School
I’ve started to add our monthly activation replay videos for this year’s #30DaysofGoddess practice to the homepage! Scroll past the “2026 Practice Updates” section to access the videos. Note: Live monthly activations are available to any member of the Goddess Magic Mystery School Patreon community free and paid both!
Free Everyday Magic series!
6. Awe and Ecstasy
5. Freedom
4. Innerstanding
3. Sacred Yes and Holy No
2. Storied Realities, Magical Awareness, and Goddess Creation
1. Awakening Beauty
Past Resources:
Womanrunes Immersion series
Journeying with Inanna
FREE class:
forty week Intro to Goddess Studies class!
Gift a Goddess Magic membership to a friend!
Playfulness, Sweetness, and Heart-Healing
Happy May!
Marshmallow and Raspberry are our herbal allies for May—soft, spiky, sweet, and resilient.
In this month's video, we embark on an exploration of Beltane, centered on the Egyptian cat goddess Bast (Bastet). We weave together goddess wisdom, plant medicine, crystal allies, and animal guidance to support a season of love, playfulness, and heart-healing.
May you be playful this month. May you pause to listen to your heart. And, may you savor sweetness in the ordinary moments
Reminder: I do create monthly handbooks for members of our Goddess Magic Mystery School community and May’s handbook is available here.
Expanded post available here. And, bonus affirmation set for paid subscribers is included at the bottom of this newsletter (scroll down).
Questions to explore:
Do you know how to play as you are now (at this age, in this season of life)? What does play mean to you today?
Where might you be trying to “straighten” what is meant to be delightfully cattywampus? What would it feel like to bless the imperfect instead of fixing it?
Where can you soften in your life—physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually?
What rough edges are currently rubbing at your spirit, and how might you soften them?
Where do you feel “thin,” leaky, or drained in your life or energy body right now?
What fears or resentments are hurting you from the inside out? What would it look like to begin releasing even a little of that today?
If your heart could speak freely, what would it say it needs in order to remember how to be whole?
What idea, project, or dream are you ready to make manifest in this season?
Affirmations:
I allow playfulness to enrich my life.
I find pleasure in the small moments.
I follow what pleases me.
I am rich in so many ways.
I understand the sacred nature of the cattywampus way.
I embrace the tender beauty in imperfection.
I am playful.
I dance in the love light of a benevolent Mother Goddess.
I am rooted in love.
I pause and return to center.
I breathe deep and listen.
I allow myself to delight in the sweetness of life.
I am open to ease in the present.
I soften and rediscover sweetness.
I remember I am already whole.
I am fierce and wild.
Inhabiting the crossroads…
I watch the orioles,orange and black embersagainst a backdrop of green.They do not know what is on my lists.Standing under this sky,this day,I remember:when we let the litany of the undonerun away with us,we forget to inhabit the real.The orioles are here today.Tomorrow is still only a rumor.
Sometimes I feel like I’ve been “camping out” at a long, extended crossroads—combination of midlife re-evaluation, changing family constellations and needs, and simply living in the in‑between on a changing earth.Midlife invites us to recognize and hold the reality that we can’t live every possible life and can’t say yes to every shimmering door.But you can:+Listen for your own full yes from the wise guide within. +Make peace with the paths that must pass you by.+Trust that new doors appear because you let others close.A mini blessing for today:“May I choose with wise discernment, even when it means letting good things go.”
Embodying the Goddess: Guest Video about Beauty
So pleased to share this guest video from Cynthia Abulafia, the author of Embodying the Goddess with you as a special subscriber bonus this month!
Where the magic is…
This is where the magic is, right where we are, where we touchthe mighty mystery,step into the sacred, and ease into the boundless, right where it touches us.Gently, now, we invite ourselves to remember.Bravely, now, we invite ourselves to reclaim.Firmly, now, we invite ourselves to return.We need not seek the absolute or long for the holy,we need only to open our eyes and reach out our hands, right here,right now, we have already arrived.
Sending love to all of you.
Keep living your magic,
Molly, Mark, + Family


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goddessmagic.substack.com/subscribe

When we scramble too sharplyout of steeping,we may stumble.It takes patienceto refresh ourselves.Let us committo moving at our own pace,to treating ourselves with love.Let our devotionforge a compassionate path forward,one that nourishes and restores,one that inspires and transforms.
Happy Beltane and welcome to this week’s Rituals of Returning newsletter! Today is the official publication date of my newest book, Thunder and Roses, which becomes available worldwide today on Amazon! Orders from the Etsy shop also include special bonuses only available directly from us.
And, for the first time ever, we also have one-of-a-kind (OOAK) Bast goddesses in the shop!
This week's magic:
18 minute mini ritual video: Beltane ritual and May’s allies
Additional video: letting your heart be your compass
Two minute video: unboxing March’s Magic Mail
Free mini zine: A Festival of Wonder
May’s practice update for #30DaysofGoddess!
Live activation ritual for May is on May 4th at 3:00!
Book party for Thunder and Roses is on May 11!
We’ve started a new newsletter for Gaea Goddess Gathering! Coming up in September right here in Missouri.
Earthprayer!
My special offering for May is an Earthprayer series unfolding via the Goddess Magic Mystery School. This series includes weekly live practices, daily posts, inspiring rituals, and FOUR printable card decks for exploring our daily themes.
Life’s Bits and Pieces:
May I remember I am not here to watch from the edges, but to co‑create in the ceremony of life's unfolding.May I choose with wise discernment what I will tend in my cauldron of creation.May I return, again and again, to my own sacred center.And, may I trust that some wishes are meant to wander on the wind,carrying my magic farther than I can see.
reading:
(to self) Living in Process—while I have a couple of complaints about this book in terms of what feels like missing information/explanation, I am really enjoying the exploration of living in process, remembering the this earth, this world, this life is not static, it is an unfolding and each of us has a process to live and explore.
(to kids) Aenir, book three in the Seventh Tower series—I actually finished the second book, The Castle, in between April’s newsletter and this one. I’m still enjoying this series, in which everything the main character has thought to be true about his life and world unravels as he discovered how much more lies outside the shadowy boundaries of his life.
(listening to with Tanner): Brian’s Hunt—the final book in the survival classic series that developed after Hatchet. Since I last wrote, we also listened to The River, Brian’s Winter, and Brian’s Return. We also continued our Gary Paulsen festival by listening to Northwind, which is about a Viking-era type of boy who has to survive alone on the sea.
(listening to by self): Sisters in the Wind—I’ve barely begun this one, as I only recently finished listening to Warrior Girl, Unearthed. This is the third book following Firekeeper’s Daughter, but it actually takes place temporally between the events of Firekeeper and Warrior Girl. I actually liked Warrior Girl, Unearthed more than Firekeeper’s Daughter overall, but I was really left frustrated by the many holes in the ending. Each of these books is a 12+ hour listen, so be prepared!
Note: I am on Fable if you want to follow along with what I read there!
Resource Reminders:
Intro audio about the Goddess Magic Mystery School
I’ve started to add our monthly activation replay videos for this year’s #30DaysofGoddess practice to the homepage! Scroll past the “2026 Practice Updates” section to access the videos. Note: Live monthly activations are available to any member of the Goddess Magic Mystery School Patreon community free and paid both!
Free Everyday Magic series!
6. Awe and Ecstasy
5. Freedom
4. Innerstanding
3. Sacred Yes and Holy No
2. Storied Realities, Magical Awareness, and Goddess Creation
1. Awakening Beauty
Past Resources:
Womanrunes Immersion series
Journeying with Inanna
FREE class:
forty week Intro to Goddess Studies class!
Gift a Goddess Magic membership to a friend!
Playfulness, Sweetness, and Heart-Healing
Happy May!
Marshmallow and Raspberry are our herbal allies for May—soft, spiky, sweet, and resilient.
In this month's video, we embark on an exploration of Beltane, centered on the Egyptian cat goddess Bast (Bastet). We weave together goddess wisdom, plant medicine, crystal allies, and animal guidance to support a season of love, playfulness, and heart-healing.
May you be playful this month. May you pause to listen to your heart. And, may you savor sweetness in the ordinary moments
Reminder: I do create monthly handbooks for members of our Goddess Magic Mystery School community and May’s handbook is available here.
Expanded post available here. And, bonus affirmation set for paid subscribers is included at the bottom of this newsletter (scroll down).
Questions to explore:
Do you know how to play as you are now (at this age, in this season of life)? What does play mean to you today?
Where might you be trying to “straighten” what is meant to be delightfully cattywampus? What would it feel like to bless the imperfect instead of fixing it?
Where can you soften in your life—physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually?
What rough edges are currently rubbing at your spirit, and how might you soften them?
Where do you feel “thin,” leaky, or drained in your life or energy body right now?
What fears or resentments are hurting you from the inside out? What would it look like to begin releasing even a little of that today?
If your heart could speak freely, what would it say it needs in order to remember how to be whole?
What idea, project, or dream are you ready to make manifest in this season?
Affirmations:
I allow playfulness to enrich my life.
I find pleasure in the small moments.
I follow what pleases me.
I am rich in so many ways.
I understand the sacred nature of the cattywampus way.
I embrace the tender beauty in imperfection.
I am playful.
I dance in the love light of a benevolent Mother Goddess.
I am rooted in love.
I pause and return to center.
I breathe deep and listen.
I allow myself to delight in the sweetness of life.
I am open to ease in the present.
I soften and rediscover sweetness.
I remember I am already whole.
I am fierce and wild.
Inhabiting the crossroads…
I watch the orioles,orange and black embersagainst a backdrop of green.They do not know what is on my lists.Standing under this sky,this day,I remember:when we let the litany of the undonerun away with us,we forget to inhabit the real.The orioles are here today.Tomorrow is still only a rumor.
Sometimes I feel like I’ve been “camping out” at a long, extended crossroads—combination of midlife re-evaluation, changing family constellations and needs, and simply living in the in‑between on a changing earth.Midlife invites us to recognize and hold the reality that we can’t live every possible life and can’t say yes to every shimmering door.But you can:+Listen for your own full yes from the wise guide within. +Make peace with the paths that must pass you by.+Trust that new doors appear because you let others close.A mini blessing for today:“May I choose with wise discernment, even when it means letting good things go.”
Embodying the Goddess: Guest Video about Beauty
So pleased to share this guest video from Cynthia Abulafia, the author of Embodying the Goddess with you as a special subscriber bonus this month!
Where the magic is…
This is where the magic is, right where we are, where we touchthe mighty mystery,step into the sacred, and ease into the boundless, right where it touches us.Gently, now, we invite ourselves to remember.Bravely, now, we invite ourselves to reclaim.Firmly, now, we invite ourselves to return.We need not seek the absolute or long for the holy,we need only to open our eyes and reach out our hands, right here,right now, we have already arrived.
Sending love to all of you.
Keep living your magic,
Molly, Mark, + Family


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goddessmagic.substack.com/subscribe

When we scramble too sharplyout of steeping,we may stumble.It takes patienceto refresh ourselves.Let us committo moving at our own pace,to treating ourselves with love.Let our devotionforge a compassionate path forward,one that nourishes and restores,one that inspires and transforms.
Happy Beltane and welcome to this week’s Rituals of Returning newsletter! Today is the official publication date of my newest book, Thunder and Roses, which becomes available worldwide today on Amazon! Orders from the Etsy shop also include special bonuses only available directly from us.
And, for the first time ever, we also have one-of-a-kind (OOAK) Bast goddesses in the shop!
This week's magic:
18 minute mini ritual video: Beltane ritual and May’s allies
Additional video: letting your heart be your compass
Two minute video: unboxing March’s Magic Mail
Free mini zine: A Festival of Wonder
May’s practice update for #30DaysofGoddess!
Live activation ritual for May is on May 4th at 3:00!
Book party for Thunder and Roses is on May 11!
We’ve started a new newsletter for Gaea Goddess Gathering! Coming up in September right here in Missouri.
Earthprayer!
My special offering for May is an Earthprayer series unfolding via the Goddess Magic Mystery School. This series includes weekly live practices, daily posts, inspiring rituals, and FOUR printable card decks for exploring our daily themes.
Life’s Bits and Pieces:
May I remember I am not here to watch from the edges, but to co‑create in the ceremony of life's unfolding.May I choose with wise discernment what I will tend in my cauldron of creation.May I return, again and again, to my own sacred center.And, may I trust that some wishes are meant to wander on the wind,carrying my magic farther than I can see.
reading:
(to self) Living in Process—while I have a couple of complaints about this book in terms of what feels like missing information/explanation, I am really enjoying the exploration of living in process, remembering the this earth, this world, this life is not static, it is an unfolding and each of us has a process to live and explore.
(to kids) Aenir, book three in the Seventh Tower series—I actually finished the second book, The Castle, in between April’s newsletter and this one. I’m still enjoying this series, in which everything the main character has thought to be true about his life and world unravels as he discovered how much more lies outside the shadowy boundaries of his life.
(listening to with Tanner): Brian’s Hunt—the final book in the survival classic series that developed after Hatchet. Since I last wrote, we also listened to The River, Brian’s Winter, and Brian’s Return. We also continued our Gary Paulsen festival by listening to Northwind, which is about a Viking-era type of boy who has to survive alone on the sea.
(listening to by self): Sisters in the Wind—I’ve barely begun this one, as I only recently finished listening to Warrior Girl, Unearthed. This is the third book following Firekeeper’s Daughter, but it actually takes place temporally between the events of Firekeeper and Warrior Girl. I actually liked Warrior Girl, Unearthed more than Firekeeper’s Daughter overall, but I was really left frustrated by the many holes in the ending. Each of these books is a 12+ hour listen, so be prepared!
Note: I am on Fable if you want to follow along with what I read there!
Resource Reminders:
Intro audio about the Goddess Magic Mystery School
I’ve started to add our monthly activation replay videos for this year’s #30DaysofGoddess practice to the homepage! Scroll past the “2026 Practice Updates” section to access the videos. Note: Live monthly activations are available to any member of the Goddess Magic Mystery School Patreon community free and paid both!
Free Everyday Magic series!
6. Awe and Ecstasy
5. Freedom
4. Innerstanding
3. Sacred Yes and Holy No
2. Storied Realities, Magical Awareness, and Goddess Creation
1. Awakening Beauty
Past Resources:
Womanrunes Immersion series
Journeying with Inanna
FREE class:
forty week Intro to Goddess Studies class!
Gift a Goddess Magic membership to a friend!
Playfulness, Sweetness, and Heart-Healing
Happy May!
Marshmallow and Raspberry are our herbal allies for May—soft, spiky, sweet, and resilient.
In this month's video, we embark on an exploration of Beltane, centered on the Egyptian cat goddess Bast (Bastet). We weave together goddess wisdom, plant medicine, crystal allies, and animal guidance to support a season of love, playfulness, and heart-healing.
May you be playful this month. May you pause to listen to your heart. And, may you savor sweetness in the ordinary moments
Reminder: I do create monthly handbooks for members of our Goddess Magic Mystery School community and May’s handbook is available here.
Expanded post available here. And, bonus affirmation set for paid subscribers is included at the bottom of this newsletter (scroll down).
Questions to explore:
Do you know how to play as you are now (at this age, in this season of life)? What does play mean to you today?
Where might you be trying to “straighten” what is meant to be delightfully cattywampus? What would it feel like to bless the imperfect instead of fixing it?
Where can you soften in your life—physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually?
What rough edges are currently rubbing at your spirit, and how might you soften them?
Where do you feel “thin,” leaky, or drained in your life or energy body right now?
What fears or resentments are hurting you from the inside out? What would it look like to begin releasing even a little of that today?
If your heart could speak freely, what would it say it needs in order to remember how to be whole?
What idea, project, or dream are you ready to make manifest in this season?
Affirmations:
I allow playfulness to enrich my life.
I find pleasure in the small moments.
I follow what pleases me.
I am rich in so many ways.
I understand the sacred nature of the cattywampus way.
I embrace the tender beauty in imperfection.
I am playful.
I dance in the love light of a benevolent Mother Goddess.
I am rooted in love.
I pause and return to center.
I breathe deep and listen.
I allow myself to delight in the sweetness of life.
I am open to ease in the present.
I soften and rediscover sweetness.
I remember I am already whole.
I am fierce and wild.
Inhabiting the crossroads…
I watch the orioles,orange and black embersagainst a backdrop of green.They do not know what is on my lists.Standing under this sky,this day,I remember:when we let the litany of the undonerun away with us,we forget to inhabit the real.The orioles are here today.Tomorrow is still only a rumor.
Sometimes I feel like I’ve been “camping out” at a long, extended crossroads—combination of midlife re-evaluation, changing family constellations and needs, and simply living in the in‑between on a changing earth.Midlife invites us to recognize and hold the reality that we can’t live every possible life and can’t say yes to every shimmering door.But you can:+Listen for your own full yes from the wise guide within. +Make peace with the paths that must pass you by.+Trust that new doors appear because you let others close.A mini blessing for today:“May I choose with wise discernment, even when it means letting good things go.”
Embodying the Goddess: Guest Video about Beauty
So pleased to share this guest video from Cynthia Abulafia, the author of Embodying the Goddess with you as a special subscriber bonus this month!
Where the magic is…
This is where the magic is, right where we are, where we touchthe mighty mystery,step into the sacred, and ease into the boundless, right where it touches us.Gently, now, we invite ourselves to remember.Bravely, now, we invite ourselves to reclaim.Firmly, now, we invite ourselves to return.We need not seek the absolute or long for the holy,we need only to open our eyes and reach out our hands, right here,right now, we have already arrived.
Sending love to all of you.
Keep living your magic,
Molly, Mark, + Family


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goddessmagic.substack.com/subscribe

And so, March slides easily away between the trees, whispering of storm clouds, sudden frost, and sunshine on new bloomed wild plums.She leaves stars of chickweed in the grass and dandelions lifting bright and eager faces to the sky.She holds the door for April, who is nudging her way in, skirts wide and capable, dotted with dogwood blossoms and redbud flowers.There are lilacs in her hair and violets on her shoes and lilies in her hands.We rise to greet her, hands outstretched in welcome, turning briefly to wave to March as she backs away,having done what she could with what she had to bless the land, to remind us of the bond between body and soil,between root and bone, between bloom and blood.Thank you,we wave,blowing a kiss as April sweeps across the threshold and catches us up in her danceof emerging.
Welcome to this week’s Rituals of Returning newsletter! I am so pleased to announce that pre-orders for print copies of my new book, Thunder and Roses, are now open! Orders from the Etsy shop include special bonuses only available directly from us. The book becomes available worldwide in print on May 1 and is also available for pre-order on Kindle.
This week's magic:
14 minute mini ritual video: wisdom in the weeds.
Extra video: what is in my (magic) bag!
My newest essay at Feminism and Religion shares 13 lessons from the spring.
Fiddlehead goddesses! When we were searching for morels this past weekend, I was delighted to discover how well the Shakti I had with me matched the unfurling fiddlehead ferns! So, we made some more!
Where fiddleheads
are tightly furled,
you know there’s magic
in the world.
Stepping into the Cauldron of Creation
Within the bubbling depths,I honor my story and trust my process.I am not behind.I am not too late.I am in process, and my process is sacred.I am a woman unleashed.I am a person unleashed.I am a cauldron of creation.
My special offering for April is a Cauldron of Creation series unfolding via the Goddess Magic Mystery School. A brief overview video is here. This series includes weekly live practices, rituals, and a printable card deck!
Life’s Bits and Pieces:
Today is a ritual of sky and skin, of bare branches and possibility. Today is a ritual of reclamation and recovery. Today is a new opportunity to forgive ourselves, to wrap ourselves in a cloak of graceand to come back home to ourselves with love.
reading:
(to self) The First Witches Club—one of the free Kindle reads for March, I believe, this book is about three very different woman whose marriages abruptly come to an end and they team up, working at a little apothecary shop with a wise Crone who owns it.
(to kids) The Fall, book one in the Seventh Tower series—I have these books for ages and finally decided to read them. This one is about a boy who lives in a tower in a world of darkness except for the light that comes from “Sunstones” that they have to charge with light beyond the “veil” that surrounded their world. He falls off the tower into another land of ice and snow and has to try to get back to the tower. So far, it is pretty interesting, though my daughter doesn’t really like it.
(listening to with Tanner): Hatchet—the survival classic for pre-teen boys, we’ve already listened to this one before and Tanner has read it to himself (and I’ve also read it to myself as a kid). About a boy who gets in a plane crash on his way to Alaska and has to survive with only a hatchet to keep him company.
(listen to self): Warrior Girl Unearthed—I’ve just barely begun this one, it is the second book following Firekeeper’s Daughter and is about the twin nieces of the main character in the first book. It might a little much for me right on the heels of the other one, so I might take a break from listening to it.
Thinking about:
Doing more local events—I’m reading at PoetSpeak in town again next weekend and was invited to come to a local authors event at the library in a neighboring county for this month as well. I’ve joined several Missouri writers organizations this year. I’m also considering submitting to the Missouri Writers’ Guild contest and going to their conference in St. Louis in September. I also joined the Academy of American Poets!
How much I enjoyed going to a sound bath meditation/ritual in town this week!
Making a couple of revisions to Return—I discovered a big error in the final section of it this week (no #3 in my “Extras” section. HOW DID I MISS THIS?!). I had a couple of other small notes of minor changes to make, so I’m trying to make space to fix those all at once. This isn’t a book revision or second edition, just minor corrections.
Looking forward to: Simple and Sacred Open Mic night tonight! We have a live circle every month. For notices, make sure you are on the #30DaysofGoddess email list.
Sharing:
Karen Tate’s new book, The Divine Feminine! I’ve always loved Karen’s articulation of Goddess as “deity, archetype, and ideal” (which leaves space for everyone to connect with her in some way) and I was pleased to endorse her new book!
Daily goddess texts! From Caryn at the Divine Feminine App, you can sign up for daily Goddess 101 texts simply by texting ‘Join’ to 256-815-0760 to get your free daily dose of inspiration. (*text Stop to stop at any time. Note: US only at this time.)
Resource Reminders:
Intro audio about the Goddess Magic Mystery School
I’ve started to add our monthly activation replay videos for this year’s #30DaysofGoddess practice to the homepage! Scroll past the “2026 Practice Updates” section to access the videos. Note: Live monthly activations are available to any member of the Goddess Magic Mystery School Patreon community free and paid both!
Free Everyday Magic series!
6. Awe and Ecstasy
5. Freedom
4. Innerstanding
3. Sacred Yes and Holy No
2. Storied Realities, Magical Awareness, and Goddess Creation
1. Awakening Beauty
Past Resources:
Womanrunes Immersion series
Journeying with Inanna
FREE class:
forty week Intro to Goddess Studies class!
Gift a Goddess Magic membership to a friend!
Wisdom in the Weeds: Dandelion
Double click to interact with video
Happy April!
Reminder: I do create monthly handbooks for members of our Goddess Magic Mystery School community and April’s handbook is available here.
Dandelion is our herbal ally for April—bright, persistent, resilient.
They offer us this invitation: Keep turning your bright little face and your bright little hopes, to the sun, despite what comes.
Hope is a practice. Persistence is a practice. Faith is a practice.
This month, may we draw courage and inspiration from dandelions, resilient and radiant, even in challenging conditions and rocky, rough terrain What helps you keep turning toward the light? How are you navigating the rocky landscape of living?
You will also enjoy the free booklet “Recipes and Rituals of The Herb Crafter’s Tarot” by Joanna Powell Colbert and Letisha Guthrie, which inspired some of the dandelion practices mentioned in this video. Joanna’s nourishing Substack may also be found here: Messages from Sea & Cedar with Joanna Powell Colbert.
Remember: You already know the kind of nourishment you need—trust yourself, let your environment nourish you, and seek the wisdom in the weeds and overlooked places of your life as you step into the Cauldron of Creation.
Questions to consider:
Where are the “weeds” in your life that might actually be medicine or teachers?
What overlooked or ordinary thing in your environment might be quietly supporting you?
What “dream seeds” have you been holding in the dark that might be ready for light and warmth?
If you stepped forward like The Fool, what new path or project would you begin—even if you don’t feel ready?
What old stories or baggage are weighing you down that you’re ready to set aside?
Where in your life are you willing to be a beginner again?
What ideas, projects, or desires are currently bubbling and brewing in your inner cauldron?
What small daily practice helps you realign with the sacred and restore yourself to wholeness?
Affirmations to consider:
I follow my dream seeds.
I am audacious in my adventuring.
I seek the wisdom in weeds.
I keep my mind open.
I am willing to experience life as a beginner.
I give myself time and space to bubble and brew, to let new ideas and possibilities emerge.
I know the kind of nourishment I need.
I am a wildly complex human, perfect in my imperfection (from Amanda at The Phoenix Soul, Messy Affirmations)
May you be well nourished this month.May you trust that you know the kind of nourishment you need.May you honor your wild complexity and seek the wisdom in the weeds.
Today…
We have felt the yearning stirring beneath the surface, beckoning us to stretch, to reach, to root, to rise.Now, we sense sunlight above the surface, feel the urge to crack open, to emerge into the wonder of day.It is now when we leap together in the direction of our dreams, leaving worry and fear behind us as we rememberwe can fly.
Sending love to all of you.
Keep living your magic,
Molly, Mark, + Family


This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit goddessmagic.substack.com/subscribe