Morrigan’s Call Retreat

Another Kind of Update for my Crow Folks

December 15, 2023
by Alexandra

This month I have been sick and overwhelmed and battling severe fatigue, and when I went to see Na Morrigna, I asked - what would you have me to this month? Can I just rest?

No, not only rest. They wanted me to finally start a piece of devotional fiber craft, and to share a small, happy update. One of my workshop proposals was accepted to the Morrigan's Call Retreat 2024! So it looks like I'll be going back to Connecticut this coming June! Perhaps I'll have finished the shawl by then and will be able to dedicate it - or pass it along to the person it's meant for. I'm not entirely sure I'm meant to be making it for myself.

But I hope to see some of ya'll at the retreat this summer! Tickets should be live on their website soon.

My workshop is titled "Sovereignty and Otherness", and here's my abstract:

This workshop begins with a discussion of what sovereignty means, and a few examples from lore of how the Morrigan, Macha, and Badb wield their own sovereignty, and how we can strive to follow the examples they set. We’ll talk about the importance of self-sovereignty, and the ways in which our modern society attempts to undermine it, and then I’ll open up into a brief discussion of the ways in which we are othered – as pagans, as witches, as queer folx or people of color or neurodivergent or disabled people or as any other demonized minority group – and how we can use the insight those experiences give us, and turn it into power.

The second half of the workshop is then a guided journey, based on the same themes as the first half, where I will lead the attendees on a path through the woods to a clearing where we will meet Na Tri Morrigna around a fulacht fiadh, an outdoor cooking pit associated with Na Morrigna and the fianna, the warrior-bands. Each person will add one item representing their personal Otherness to the cauldron of stew, to add sustenance to the pot, and then after speaking with Na Morrigna, will be instructed to ladle out a bowl to eat, returning their Otherness to themselves as the power and strength of personal sovereignty supported by a diverse community.

Fairy Witching in Connecticut

June 16, 2023
by Alexandra

My packing list for the Morrigan’s Call Retreat, among the usual camping and witching bits and bobs, also included a completely metal-free drinking vessel that could lock shut and stay shut tossed around in a bag. So I brought that I bought shortly before the trip, because I was gently reminded by some of my allies that all of my usual travel mugs were stainless steel! I was not about to spend a whole weekend without tea, and I needed the ability to share it in case that was requested – a lot of spirits appreciate a small pour of your beverage, the Fair Folk included. It’s also better for me – if I’m in too close contact with Otherworldly beings averse to iron, touching it can cause sudden painful grounding. Which is why I also tend to travel with some titanium-coated tableware! It’s a thin layer but it seems to be enough to blunt the effect, at least for me. Though at this retreat, the tableware was mostly plastic so that was a non-issue.

In addition, I made sure to pack a variety of offerings so that I’d have something suitable for the local Fair Folk when I arrived and did my check in. I brought mead and whiskey and honey candies this time, as I didn’t really have a way to keep any dairy products cool, nor did I have the time to make baked goods. I usually have to “check in at customs & immigration” whenever I’m in a new area, especially if I’m spending the night or planning to do any magic or ritual, and that check-in always requires at least a gift and a formal introduction, including an explanation of my relationship to the fairy court I serve. But in order to introduce myself, first I have to find a suitable place!

My general approach to finding the Fair Folk in a new place is to send out a sort of notice of intent, and then to wander about with no particular destination in mind, just letting myself move where I feel drawn to, and trying to observe the area around me very deeply. Often I find myself feeling like I’m being led by a bird or insect, and then as I follow, I find a place that feels otherworldly. I stop, and open my subtle senses, and reach out, to see if this is what I sought. If it is, I then inquire about preferred offerings, and give those and do my introduction. Usually I also ask for a name for their group that I can use to identify them, and ask what type of being they are (or are closest to) so that I have a general idea of their likes, dislikes, and expectations. After that I’m free to do what magic I see fit, so long as it doesn’t interfere with or harm the Locals in any way – I strive for peace between their Folk and mine.

In these wanderings, I’ve been building a sort of network of friendly-inclined groups, with my understanding of (or best guess about) their territorial boundaries. In my home region, I’ve been finding that a lot of the territories seem to be tied to watersheds: the Chesapeake Bay watershed being something like a High Court, with the smaller streams being smaller territories, and the rivers being a sort of in-between space, belonging to the river deities themselves and home to all the indigenous spirit beings of that river’s watershed. This kind of overlap confused me at first, but then again – the Otherworlds and Spirit Worlds are plural, so maybe it makes sense that they’d be enmeshed and yet distinct.

This network-building, particularly within the Chesapeake Bay watershed, is a huge part of my personal practice, but it’s hard to talk about openly. Both because it’s Very Woo and unsubstantiated UPG, and because there’s a lot of stuff I’m just plain forbidden to share! But I’ve been trying to share more of what isn’t explicitly forbidden, in what will hopefully become a semi regular blog series!

The Morrigan’s Call Retreat 2023

This past weekend, I attended the Morrigan’s Call Retreat in person for the first time. (Blog followers with a keen memory may remember that I had a presentation slated for the 2020 retreat, but that one ended up being virtual, for good reason!) It was also the first time I’d ever really been to New England (at least I assume Manhattan doesn’t count?), and the first time I ever met Morgan Daimler in person, so it was a weekend of firsts in a lot of ways, for me.

I had two presentations, and I’ll be uploading the notes from those to my Patreon for supporters as soon as I manage to find the time to finish editing them (but my time is a bit constrained now that my child is out of school for the summer, so patience is appreciated!) Anyone who was at the retreat but didn’t make my workshop is also welcome to email me to ask for the handouts or notes for either “Working with Deities of Battle” or “When the Morrigan Goes Quiet”.

I hadn’t been sure how I was going to get to the retreat itself as I don’t drive, but I trusted in Na Morrigna and it worked out — one of my sorta-local friends was also going and we rode up together, which was a really nice way to start the weekend. (Getting stuck on the train between DC and Baltimore was less nice, but all’s well that ends well.) We arrived on Friday during orientation, but the nice folks at registration and the regulars we ran into at lunch all helped us get oriented properly. I also first ran into Morgan at lunch, and met the whole crew in one pass! I got unpacked and prepped for my first workshop, “Deities of Battle”, made my introductions to the local Fair Folk, and then wandered over to the pavilion.

Way more people showed up than I expected, and it turned out that I hadn’t brought enough handouts. Whoops! People were pretty accommodating, though, sharing with neighbors and taking pictures on their phones, and I handed out a lot of business cards for folks to email me afterwards. It seemed to go over pretty well – even when I took a Deep Dive into UPG with a side dish of Extreme Woo, including the discussion of the Otherworldly War I mentioned here previously. I was really nervous about its reception, but when I later walked in on a conversation on how to use some of the types of battle sorcery I’d mentioned against A Certain Florida Man currently playing at Governator, I knew I’d found my people. Na Morrigna might not pick political parties, but They do stand for sovereignty, and right relationship, and I find most devotees take a stand against oppression and bigotry. After dinner I went to the first ritual, despite feeling a bit like my energies were tapped out. (Shout out to a tylwyth teg ally of mine for helping me actually stay upright through that!) It was pretty good, but I was focused a little too much on staying upright to get much of anything out of it. And, to my extreme disgrace, my attempt to turn off my phone earlier had apparently not taken — it was still on the “shut down or restart?” screen when the alarm went off at the very end of the ritual. Not the best omen! At least it was a pretty tinkly musical alarm and not blaring beeps…

On Saturday, I went to Morgan Daimler’s workshop “Offerings 101” and then Sionnain McLean’s workshop on “Spiritual Self-Care” and thoroughly enjoyed both. Morgan’s was a little oriented towards beginners but also had some fun anecdotes and a few things I hadn’t thought of. I think Sionnain’s flowed nicely into mine, on the topic of fallow times, and there were certainly some common themes. That workshop I’ve done a couple times before, and it opened up nicely into a discussion and sharing session where attendees were addressing each other and it really felt like we were building community. After lunch I went to “Pagan Priest/ess Work” also by Morgan, and got some great advice and also a little bit of validation for my own path, which is more spirit-focused than human-community-focused, though I still do work for the human community around me. Then my friend Katie and I just… stayed. We talked to Morgan and Mel for probably the next two hours, missing the ritual and instead going in deeply into some personal practice stuff and also veering into the weeds on a fair few other topics! It was probably more what I needed — sitting still, for one, as my spoons still weren’t quite full.

There had been a Kindred Crow concert planned for that night, but with Caine in the hospital and Irene deep in grief, that was not to be. (I share the grief, but our friend was not so central to my life, nor I so central to hers, though I miss her sorely and will be at the memorial service tomorrow.) I did attend the bonfire circle that night, though, and so was there to witness and take part in a raising of energy for the members of Kindred Crow, and managed to capture a small clip of it to send on. I also managed to finally connect with the land deeply that evening, and received a profoundly personal message — including the awareness that I was about an hour too far west to be on the land of my indigenous ancestors.

The next day, partly because of my intense experience leading to not-great sleep (and the suddenly chilly weather didn’t help) and partly just due to my energy expenditure, I spent most of the day just chatting with folks in the dining hall. I was a little disappointed at not feeling up to the ritual and workshops, but I wanted to be able to make it back to my friend’s house without fainting and that was already a tall ask. It was nice to connect with folks, though, and I managed to bond with people over my chronic illness, and over butterfly raising!

When we left, my friend graciously agreed to take me an hour east for me to greet the land my ancestors lived on when the first colonists arrived, and that was a complicated and powerful experience — one that I will probably be processing for a while. It is enough to say here: I was recognized, even as diluted and as distanced as I am. In so many ways, the Morrigan’s Call Retreat was a homecoming for me.

Hello from Connecticut!

No blog this week because I’m up at the Morrigan’s Call Retreat, presenting two workshops! I’m copying in the abstracts below, and reminder that I’ll be uploading the notes and/or handouts for these to my Patreon for supporters at any level after I get back!

1. Working with Deities of Battle During Tumultuous Times

Na Morrigna are multifaceted goddesses, but one thing they all share is an association with the battlefield. Many people have been hearing the call to service, but what does it mean to serve a deity of Battle or War? I’ll start by describing the roles Na Morrigna play in battles described in the lore, and then discuss my personal work with them, and how it relates to the tumultuous times we’re living in. We’ll discuss the idea of battle both literally and in the abstract, and how the chaos of the battlefield can clear out stagnation and bring change and justice. We’ll examine the different ways to take part: from front line activism, to support staff and healers, with specific attention paid to supporting types of magic and ritual – and modern-day battle sorcery. This is meant to open up into a facilitated discussion, so come prepared to speak about your own deities and your own work, and to ask insightful questions!

2. When the Morrigan Goes Quiet: Fallow Times

Sometimes The Morrigan seems to be loud, front and center in our lives, and giving clear guidance – and then, it suddenly stops. No communication, confusing divination, no sense of direction or purpose: we hit a Fallow Time. Or perhaps it was us: we were doing daily devotionals, we felt incredibly connected, and then life happened, and we fell off our practice, and aren’t sure how to get back on track. Many of us find places along our paths where we feel less magical, and more disconnected from our deities, ancestors, and other spirits. We’ll discuss these situations together, first from a personal perspective, sharing our individual stories of the loss and the long journey back. Then we’ll talk about community: how to hold space for those experiencing Fallow Times, and how to help others find their way back. Fallow Times can be tricky to navigate, but with a little help they can reinvigorate stagnant practices and bring new energy into our spiritual lives. This is meant to be a guided discussion, so please share your own stories of Fallow Times, the journey back, or assisting others!