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Goddess Speak Sanctuary of Solace Newsletter - November 2023

“October extinguished itself in a rush of howling winds and driving rain and November arrived, cold as frozen iron, with hard frosts every morning and icy drafts that bit at exposed hands and faces.” - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

November Dates of Interest:

Hearty harvest time, Enjoy bounty while it lasts. Winter is coming. ~ Jezibell Anat

Musings from the Desk of...Priestess Laurelinn

A Witchy Soiree!

We attended the Sin City Witch's Samhain Soiree....

Image by Laurelinn

Sin City's HWIC (Head Witch in Charge!), is Marissa DiAradia, and she is a master event planner! I hadn't had the pleasure of attending one of Sin City's previous events, however I will make a point of attending at least one or two a year from now on. To be perfectly honest I may not have made it this time if Marissa hadn't asked Sanctuary of Solace to provide the Samhain Ritual for the event. It's not that I don't want to go, I just usually have a lot going on with SoS events. Anyway, we accepted the invitation, and we couldn't be more thrilled about the experience!

The Magical Teapot - image by Laurelinn

The event was held in the Las Vegas Arts District, taking over the interior and parking lot of ARTIFICE, which is a great venue! The entertainment line-up was extensive, especially when you consider there was no entry fee. There were some impressive acts, as well as our own Samhain Ritual centered on The Fates. Most memorable for me were, Musical Teapot & her Magickal Flute, Karma Steele, Mari Fusion Belly Dance, the comedy of Magic Krystal and the dancing witch troop, Wolfshager Hexenbrut. There were several others that I unfortunately didn't see - I'm old and can only stand so much excitement!

Karma Steele - image by Laurelinn

Outside there was a witchy shopping mecca! A parking lot full of pagan vendors. I didn't get to shop very many of the tables, but I did purchase an amazing painting - can't wait to feature it on my Winter Solstice altar.

Wolfshager Hexenbrut - Image by Laurelinn

As a group, Sanctuary of Solace is making plans to attend the Sin City Witch's Yule event in December - Hope to see y'all there!

Bright Blessings!

Priestess Laurelinn

Killers of The Flower Moon:

Missed Opportunities and Unheard Voices

Originally published in PowWows.com:

by Jeanette Centeno

Photographs by:

In “Killers of The Flower Moon,” Martin Scorsese's adaptation of David Grann's 2017 book, a dark chapter in American history is brought to life on the silver screen. The film delves into the gruesome murders of wealthy Osage people in 1920s Oklahoma, triggered by the discovery of oil on their land. Despite its financial success and the star power of actors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone, the movie falls short in representing the Native American perspective, leaving their stories overshadowed by yet another Hollywood tale told through the lens of white protagonists.

The opinion below by Jeanette Centeno delves into the missed opportunities in the film, highlighting the importance of centering Native voices and experiences in narratives about their own history. By examining the film's focus on white characters and government involvement, the piece raises crucial questions about the portrayal of Native people and the historical injustices they endured.

The article also sheds light on the film's portrayal of violence against Native women, a haunting reflection of the systemic issues that persist in modern times. Centeno argues that “Killers of The Flower Moon” could have been a platform to address ongoing challenges faced by Native communities, particularly Native women who remain disproportionately vulnerable to violence.

As Scorsese and DiCaprio's movie receives accolades and attention, Jeanette calls for a broader dialogue on contemporary Native issues, emphasizing that Native stories are an integral part of American history and deserve to be told with authenticity and responsibility.

Killers of the Flower Moon Review and Opinion

Native American stories always miss the mark in Hollywood, where tales are seen through whitewash rose-colored glasses and Martin Scorsese's adaptation is no different.

The film, Killers of The Flower Moon from David Grann's 2017 book, tells the story of how white Oklahoma settlers targeted wealthy Osage people in the 1920's. The Osage Nation suffered a series of unresolved murders, committed after oil was discovered on the land. The three-an-a-half hour western, has already made $44 million dollars and is expected to be one of the biggest winners come Oscar time.

However, the movie may have missed a huge opportunity to include a Native perspective and examine the effects it had on the Osage Nation.

The movie focuses on the Burkhart family while the book focuses on the FBI investigation. Although beautifully shot, and actors like Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone give outstanding performances, the story is told through the perspective of white men.

It's a perspective we have seen many times before and doesn't really add anything new to the native story. The Osage people were just a backdrop for another Hollywood tale. If you're able to watch the movie, you can clearly see some parallels between white men and the government and its treatment and views of native people.

Robert De Niro plays William “King” Hale who poses as a friend and confidant to the Osage only to later learn he has been scheming to steal their wealth. It's modern colonialism to take the native land and wealth by any means necessary. Furthermore, it highlights the violence and disregard of native women but gives little resolve to the continual issues Native women face today. If the story were told through the eyes of Mollie Burkhart, it would have given The Killers of the Flower Moon a native voice. The story would have made a bigger impact on the Native Community and provided a chance for other issues to be discussed in the media.

One scene in particular where Ernest Burkhart, played by DiCaprio, arrives at Osage County, and he's struck by the beauty and wealth of the land. He asks, “Who's land is this?” and Henry Roan, played by William Belleau, responds, “It's mine.” This sets the tone of how many people in society refuse to believe this is Native Land and that under the hands of native people it can flourish. There's an undertone to Osage County set by the white settlers, much like our own government, that Native people can't possibly take care of themselves or the land. The Osage were not just wealthy, they were wealthy in a reservation, where the law required white guardians to manage their money. Colonizers dictated the laws, stole the land and wealth, killed the women and unfortunately, they are now telling our stories.

Women in The Killers of The Flower Moon were targeted simply for being Native. They were commodities – a means to an end, to gain wealth and prestige. Osage women deserved to feel safe in their community but the justice system failed them.FBI was in its infancy in the 1920s and although the Osage community was wealthy (They raised 20k to look into a Burkhart murder.)They had no real power in the judicial system. Violence and murder against women were never investigated, thus creating a cycle we still see today. Native women are 10 times more likely to be murdered or experience violence and even in the wealthiest Native communities, there is a lack of justice.

Scorsese and DiCaprio missed the opportunity to bring awareness to this issue and so many others. Violence is very real to many Native American families and Flowers of the Killer Moon is an example of generational trauma against indigenous people. Scorsese and DiCaprio will likely win awards for the movie, but will they use this opportunity to create a dialogue to discuss current issues facing Native people?

Hollywood can no longer sit idle and tell our stories having some responsibility to the people. Society has to realize that Native stories are American stories that are movie-worthy. Flowers of The Killer Moon provided Scorsese with an Oscar-winning epic tale, but he failed to see there's a responsibility to the people and their real experiences. Killers of The Flower Moon is not just a tale made for the movies, but a wound that continues to affect the Native Community.

Perhaps as consumers and as a community, we should not employ actors to tell our stories, but we live in an age where even some tales need partial visibility. Scorsese opened the door, we must use this to our advantage and keep telling our stories until they heal the wounds of the past.

Tread lightly upon the Earth. Share what you can. But most of all, remember. Paul Salopek - NatGeo

~ November Spotlight ~

~ November New Moon in Scorpio ~

Excerpts from The Dark Pixie Astrology

brittneycarmichael.com

Scorpio is an intense, passionate water sign, so Scorpio new moons usually have us passionately focused on something, intense in our approach, wanting to get to the heart of the matter. We can be serious and determined, and we can uncover everything we need to. This helps us solve problems that have been vexing us, and transform in beneficial ways that empower us.

Scorpio loves empowerment, so we can pursue opportunities that give us more power and control in our lives. The transformations we make now can help us become more dedicated to our passions, to come back from defeat, and to feel stronger and bolder.

Scorpio is the sign of sharing as well as other people's money, so Scorpio new moons can be excellent for mutually-beneficial projects and ventures, business and financial partnerships, and investments involving other people. We can focus on our legacies as well.

Scorpio rules the darker side of life, and we can be more comfortable with this with the Scorpio new moon. We can venture into the taboo, and explore decay and destruction. We find things fascinating and want to know more about them instead of getting scared by them. This makes Scorpio one of the science rulers (along with Aquarius), so we can also see some important scientific news.

This new moon is conjunct (aligned with) transit (moving) Mars in Scorpio and opposite transit Uranus in Taurus. The conjunction to Mars brings more energy and drive to this new moon, and we can be more enthusiastic with whatever we're passionately pouring ourselves into. Mars is also the traditional ruler of Scorpio, so we can feel more connected to the energy.

The opposition to Uranus might make us more unpredictable though, and we may be more impulsive, impatient, and irrational with anything we feel isn't moving as quickly as we want it to. We need to have more patience, and let things unfold. Work on small changes that can build up over time.

Edgy Scorpio, Born in the season of death, Seizing, squeezing life....Jezibel Anat
© Vito Technology, Inc.

November Full 'Beaver' Moon

Adapted From The Farmer's Almanac

“As the chill air of late fog descends, animals begin to prepare their dens for the deep freeze of winter."

When to see the Full Moon in November 2023:

The Beaver Moon reaches peak illumination in the morning hours of Monday, November 27, at 1:16 A.M. PST. Of course, it will be very close to full the night before, so plan to look for it on Sunday, November 26, just after sunset!

Why is it called the Beaver Moon?

Beavers can be seen along the banks of rivers and streams, collecting wood to shore up their lodges and dams before the ice sets in. This was also the time Native American tribes and later European settlers set beaver traps to ensure a supply of warm furs for winter. Thus November’s full Moon is most commonly known as the Beaver Moon, in honor of these industrious semi-aquatic rodents.

Because November also signals the time when bitter hard frosts become more frequent, this month’s Moon is also sometimes called the Frost Moon.

November’s Moon names highlight the actions of animals preparing for winter and the onset of the colder days ahead. Digging (or Scratching) Moon, a Tlingit name, evokes the image of animals foraging for fallen nuts and shoots of green foliage, and of bears digging their winter dens. The Dakota and Lakota term Deer Rutting Moon refers to the time when deer are seeking out mates and the Algonquin Whitefish Moon describes the spawning time for this fish.

Image from Farmers Almanac

ALTERNATIVE NOVEMBER MOON NAMES:

  • Frost Moon
  • Freezing Moon
  • Deer Rutting Moon
  • Digging/Scratching Moon
  • Whitefish Moon
  • Ivy Moon
  • Snow Moon

BEST DAYS IN NOVEMBER 2023:

Below are the best days for certain activities, based on the Moon’s sign and phase in November.

  • For Harvesting Aboveground crops: 25 & 26
  • For Harvesting Belowground crops: 4 & 5
  • For Setting Eggs: 1, 27 & 28
  • For Fishing: 13–27

MOON FACTS:

Did you know: The spin-time of the Moon on its own axis is identical to the time it takes the Moon to revolve around Earth, which is why the Moon always keeps almost exactly the same face toward us.

How much would you weigh on the Moon? Just multiply your weight (it doesn’t matter if it’s in pounds or kilograms) by 0.165. You’d weigh about 80 percent less!

Image by: secretserendipity.com

November Full Moon Magic:

Wigington, Patti. "November Full Moon: Mourning Moon Magic." Learn Religions.com

In some of the early Celtic societies, November was considered the beginning of the new year, since it followed Samhain. Why not use this month to shed your bad habits and toxic relationships, and get a fresh start? Work on developing and strengthening your connection with the Divine as well.

Key Takeaways: November Full Moon

  • This is a great month to set aside the baggage of your past, and do workings that focus on developing new skills and mindsets.
  • Work with goddesses of mystery and magic during this moon phase.
  • Also known as the Snow Moon or the Beaver Moon, this moon phase reminds us that the nights are growing colder and longer.

In November, the Mourning Moon is upon us. It's also known as the Fog Moon, Beaver Moon, or Snow Moon, depending on where you live. Some Native American tribes referred to it simply as The Moon When Deer Shed Antlers (although in most regions it's more accurate to say they're shedding their velvet—a buck doesn't usually lose antlers until later in the winter, unless you're very far north). If you see this month as the beginning of the new year, use the magic of this moon phase to celebrate new beginnings.

When November's full moon rolls around, the nights are getting longer and colder, and in some years, this may be the last full moon before the winter solstice. For early settlers in North America, this was the time of year when beaver pelts were harvested, in order to make warm clothing, hats, and blankets to help them survive the cold winter.

October ending, But months of darkness remain. Samhain season lasts… ~ Jezibell Anat

Correspondences:

  • Colors: Use seasonally appropriate shades like gray, dark blues, and deep purples to reflect the colors of the season. Look to nature for inspiration, and draw color ideas from the darkening skies and the changing landscape around you.
  • Gemstones: use lapis lazuli, turquoise, and topaz in magical workings for the Mourning Moon.
  • Trees: cypress, alder, and hazel are associated with this time of year in many areas, so find a way to incorporate them into your workings as needed.
  • Gods: Bastet, Isis, Kali, Hecate, and Astarte are all deities connected to the darker half of the year, and the realms beyond those of the living. Work with these goddesses of mystery and magic during November's full moon.
  • Herbs: as the gardens wind down for the year, thistle, betony, verbena, and fennel can often be found during this season, depending on where you live.
  • Element: Water is the element most closely associated with the Mourning Moon—in many places, November skies are dark, gloomy, and filled with thunderstorms.
https://themoonlightshop.com/

Mourning Moon Magic:

This is a time of washing away the baggage of the past and shedding that which no longer serves us. Once you've done that, you'll be able to focus on the joys of the future. During the Mourning Moon phase, say goodbye to bad habits and toxic relationships, and get a fresh start for the new year. Work on developing and strengthening your connection with Deity. Coming on the heels of Samhain, use this month to embrace the darkness, and to mourn or grieve in your own fashion for things you have lost this year. Allow yourself to let go.

  • Do a ritual working to help eliminate a bad habit or to end relationships that no longer make your heart sing and soar.
  • Take advantage of this month's illuminating energy and ramp up your communication skills. Is there someone you really need to be honest and open with? Share how you feel, from the heart, with a loved one or friend. Don't overlook those who have already crossed over—write a letter to someone who's passed away. This can be particularly powerful if there was something left unsaid between you when they died.
  • Perform a new beginnings ritual, and think about all of the possibilities that the future can bring.
  • Think of this month's full moon as a spotlight pointing right at you. Use this month to focus on self-care and restore your emotions, clearing away all of the stress before the holidays arrive and the nights get long.
  • Do a house cleansing ritual, sweeping unnecessary, unwanted, or toxic things and people out of your home and your life.
  • Are you dealing with fears and worries? Are they holding you back and preventing you from reaching success and happiness? Get rid of them before they negatively impact your physical, mental, and emotional well being. Write them on a piece of paper, and then burn, bury, or banish them under the full moon to purge them from your life.
Some ancient cultures looked at a Full Moon as a resting time. She is not waxing and she is not waning. She just is. If need be, follow suit. It could be a relationship Moon, a party Moon, a uniting Moon. It could be a cold Moon, a questioning Moon, a shadow work Moon. Sometimes we do the work. Sometimes we just witness. ~ Monica Sjöö & Barbara Mor, The Great Cosmic Mother

~ Crafty Corner ~

Heat Activated Spell Sachets

As posted by Moody Moons

Today, I’ll show you how to create your own “heat-activated” customized spell sachet step-by-step, including plenty of ideas on how to infuse your sachet with intentional energy and carry it out into the world with you!

You will need:

  • scrap fabric (see selection ideas below)
  • *needle & thread
  • *filler (rice, buckwheat, flaxseed, ect)
  • *appropriate essential oils (more on this below)
  • *appropriate herbs (more on this below)

Step 1: Decide on your intention.

Of course, the first step to any spell involves the basic presumption that you have something you want to accomplish. Do you want to carry your spell sachet to calm stage fright, assist with a court case, attract love or help you dream peacefully?

Your intention informs the remaining steps, so have a clear goal in mind before you begin.

Step 2: Select a fabric.

To begin with, not all fabrics are microwave safe. Choose a natural fabric, like 100% cotton, hemp or linen to avoid a messy meltdown in your microwave oven.

Beyond that, fabric offers an excellent opportunity to choose something that fits with your intention. Choose a color (like red for love, or blue for healing) that suites the goal.

Alternatively, use the pattern itself to convey your meaning. For example, I chose the foxes below to symbolize a “courageous heart” and give a friend a much-needed confidence boost during a job hunt. Cherry prints work for love and attraction. Perhaps use a dollar sign print for financial success or maybe pick something printed with images of your spirit animal for an empowerment sachet. You get the idea. Use your creative ingenuity to pick something uniquely you.

Step 3: Choose a Pattern or Shape.

Similarly, make a simple pattern out of sturdy card stock or even an old cereal box and draw/cut out a shape that conveys meaning. Shapes get less attention in modern witchcraft than colors and numbers, but briefly:

  • Circles: Healing, friendship, cycles
  • Squares: Emotional stability, protection, financial success, balance
  • Hearts: Love, friendship, attraction, family matters
  • Triangles: Triple goddess, pyramid magick, moon magick
  • Pentagon or Star: All-purpose (symbolizes the pentacle)

Trace your pattern on the fabric and cut it out.

Step 4: Pick a stitch.

Don’t worry! If you’re new to sewing (or if you’ve never sewed) this project is an easy one to begin with. This article touches on some basic hand stitches for beginners.

Personally, I like the whip stitch because it creates a spiral, which has meaning to me in my practice.

I strongly recommend hand stitching your sachet rather than using a machine. The concentration lends power to your intentions. You can even repeat a chant with every stitch or simply allow your mind to fall into the meditative trance of the repeated motion.

Step 5: Pick a filler.

The Pinterest rumor insists that flaxseed makes the most cost effective and heat-retaining option, but I had good luck with plain old jasmine rice.

Step 6: Select Essential Oils & Herbs–BE CAREFUL!

Include a few drops of essential oil or a pinch of herbs to kick your magick into high gear usually poses little risk, however: some herbs flare in the microwave no matter what, too much of any herb definitely will and essential oils may as well.

Go light with the herbs and oils, and only microwave in 20-30 second intervals, especially in the beginning. Watch your sachet carefully until you know what works.

Once you fill your sachet and stitch it up, it’s time to use it!

Heating it up before you use it—whether for a big job interview or simply to sooth your mind during meditation—-makes a lovely, heartwarming way to “activate” the energy you used to create it.

Wear your sachet on the inside of a coat close to your heart, in your pockets or gloves, or anywhere it will “warm up” your soul and create positive energy in your life.

Blessed Be!

The Kitchen Witch's Cauldron

~ Jiffy Corn Casserole ~

"We sing the old seed songs, we tell the creation story with Corn Mother, we learn about how corn is important to people all over the world. We go into the kitchen and we cook with the corn. The blessing of the Corn Mother is with us in these cooler days of fall. She fills our table with her nutty richness, with her hearty sustaining kernels turning into bread, tortillas, tamales and soup. The children are learning in a way that brings wholeness and peace to their hearts." ~ From Rowan and Sieraseed.com

"And where corn is, the Corn-Mother is also. ‘This thing they call corn is I'." Marilou Awiakta
Recipe as published by On Sutton Place
Savory harvest, Pumpkin spice and apple crisp, Sweet taste of autumn. ~Jezibell Anat
Darktime transitions, Fading green, shivery frost, Embrace the somber. ~Jezibell Anat

Corn Mother’s Blessing

from Cherokee poet, Marilou Awiakta:

What gift should I offer to my grandchildren?

What will help them to survive the teetering of the world?

Looking at my basket, I see what it should be—

Selu, the Corn Mother’s heart,

the sweet heart of the corn,

so fragile that it is cut out of store bought meal,

so good that meal is dross without it,

My grandchildren must have the whole corn—

the grain and its story.

They will be corn-fed,

just like all their mountain ancestors have been.

In the beginning, the Creator made our Mother Earth.

Then came Selu, Grandmother Corn.

Her children circled round her, like the kernels of her body—

touch them—

red, black, white, yellow, brown,

round and round and round

no one first or last

all in harmony.

Each one different

each one good—just like you.

When the children did their part,

When they helped her and remembered their manners,

Selu fed them.

When the children forgot their part,

Selu says,

“when you take, always give back.”

Lead Artwork by: David Joaquin

Echoes of the past - We are of ancient bloodlines. Origins run deep. ~ Jezibell Anat

Monthly Book Review

Iwigara:

American Indian Ethnobotanical Traditions and Science

By: Enrique Salmón

"A beautiful catalogue of 80 plants, revered by indigenous people for their nourishing, healing, and symbolic properties." —Gardens Illustrated

Synopsis - The belief that all life-forms are interconnected and share the same breath—known in the Rarámuri tribe as iwígara—has resulted in a treasury of knowledge about the natural world, passed down for millennia by native cultures. Ethnobotanist Enrique Salmón builds on this concept of connection and highlights 80 plants revered by North America’s indigenous peoples. Salmón teaches us the ways plants are used as food and medicine, the details of their identification and harvest, their important health benefits, plus their role in traditional stories and myths. Discover in these pages how the timeless wisdom of iwígara can enhance your own kinship with the natural world.

Editorial Reviews:

  • “A beautifully illustrated and philosophically uplifting guide to indigenous North American plant use… this lovely compendium will strike a chord with many a nature-loving reader.” —Publishers Weekly
  • “Rich information about uses and traditional significance. Color photos of the plants and examples of the ways they are used bring the information to life.” —Booklist
  • “Iwígara is a rich compendium of 80 native North American plants that shines a light on their role in history, storytelling, food, and medicine.” —Martha Stewart Living
  • "A beautiful catalogue of 80 North American plants, revered by indigenous people for thousands of years for their nourishing, healing, and symbolic properties." —Gardens Illustrated
  • “I appreciate all of the practical information and lore contained in these descriptions, which will cause me to look at familiar plants such as the stinging nettle and the staghorn sumac in new ways.” —Hudson Valley 360
  • “Eighty humble plants and the wisdom of North American indigenous people add up to simple yet magnificent insights in Enrique Salmón's new book, Iwígara.” —East Bay Express
  • “Salmón explains the integral relationship between people and plants… He reveals the ways in which we are more tied to the natural world surrounding us than we may realize.” —Constant Wonder BYU Radio
  • “The Raramuri concept of iwígara, that all life is interconnected, shapes this accessible plant guide in which Native ethnobotanical scholar Salmon extends his advocacy for ethnobotanical justice and Indigenous rights.” —Booklist
  • “A wonderful resource.” —The Ecological Landscape Alliance

About the author:

Enrique Salmón is a Rarámuri (Tarahumara). He is head of the American Indian Studies Program at Cal State University East Bay, in Hayward, California. He holds a BS from Western New Mexico University, an MAT in Southwest studies from Colorado College, and a PhD in anthropology from Arizona State University. He has been a scholar in residence at the Heard Museum and has served as a board member for the Society of Ethnobiology. He has published many articles on indigenous ethnobotany, agriculture, nutrition, and traditional ecological knowledge. He has also spoken at numerous conferences and symposia on the topics of cultivating resilience, indigenous solutions to climate change, the ethnobotany of Native North America, the ethnobotany of the Greater Southwest, poisonous plants that heal, bioculturally diverse regions as refuges of hope and resilience, and the language and library of indigenous cultural knowledge.

November Laughs:

Cartoon by Scott Metzger Cartoons

Write for Goddess Speak!

Goddess Speak accepts submissions for articles, stories, poetry, recipes, guided meditations, creative fiction, chants, artwork, photography and more. Please send submissions to Laurelinn, in care of  goddessspeakeditor@gmail.com. If your submission is selected you will be notified by email.

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