SageWoman #97
The Wonder of Earth
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"Every single part and atom of our body came from this earth -- and when we no longer need it, it returns to the earth. So we could say we are not separate from the earth at all, just walking, talking, dancing, thinking -- self-aware -- pieces of it." Jane Meredith, "Grounding into the Body"

Join our visionary writers and artists as they find the many glorious ways of connecting with the wonder of Earth.

Our feature articles include:

Grounding into the Body by Jane Meredith, with artwork by Laura Tempest Zakroff
When grounding we can imagine ourselves as trees, sending roots down into the earth, and branches up to the sky. Or we might drop into a deep awareness of our breath -- for the space of at least two or three breaths -- as it enters and leaves our body.

Going to Earth by Anne Wennhold, artwork by Lauren Foster MacLeod
I imagined myself relaxing somewhere outdoors in a pool of natural water, savoring its sun-warmed touch. Then I sank, still breathing gently, beneath the surface of the water. I sank down through the sand below and still lower. As I descended my body melted, dispersing itself among the surrounding molecules and eventually disappeared altogether.

Hel, Handwork, and the Orb Weaver by Alena Sullivan, artwork by Maryancilla Martinez
We spend our whole lives getting to know our brains. We spend years learning our mind's patterns, its tricks, its strengths and weaknesses. It becomes the vehicle through which the spirit and the body communicate with one another. But what happens when that mind, our mind, changes in ways we cannot predict or control?

Into the Earth with La Madeleine, by Nane Jordan, PhD, artwork by Aurora May
The spirited arrival of la Madeleine (Mary Magdalene) in my life was perhaps no surprise: yet I did not anticipate her. I knew of feminist colleagues who studied Mary Magdalene's stories and led pilgrimages to her sacred sites in France. Yet, I do not follow a Christian-identified path myself but am firmly planted in Goddess- and Earth-centric spirituality. I was thus intrigued, but not led, by these stories. Until one day ...

Plant Sisters: a Visit with 4 Female Herbalists article and photos by Jaime Della
We know the plant world is a community of sentient beings who teach us humans the profound reciprocal nature of service. Indeed, the farmers, medicine makers, community builders and teachers I interviewed for this article all agreed that plants and herbs crave to be used for the benefit of all Life.

Motherland: the Many Goddesses of Ukraine by Diana Paxson
Join us on a journey to the land of sun-warmed flowers and goddess statues of mythic proportion, protecting an ancient land with deep roots in Pagan Europe: Ukraine. This 12 page article includes a full Pagan/Goddess ritual for supporting the people of Ukraine.

Our columnists share their wisdom:

Wise Woman tradition herbalist Sarah Elisabeth introduces her new column "Children of Earth;"
Alison Leigh Lilly describes the revolutionary practice of nature journaling;
Janet Callahan describes her recent journey back to her ancestral lands;
and Stephanie Sellers asks "Can We Return to Our Mothers?"
H. Byron Ballard proposes rites for moving beyond menopause;
Leslie Linder welcomes us to her new column "Spinstress" on magic for self-empowerment;
Holli Emore travels into the depths of the literal earth in a famous American cavern;
Jen McConnel ponders the work of teaching in our turbulent world as an act of priestessing;
and Rebecca Bailey shares "How to Wallow in Your Garden."

Plus poetry, reviews of Goddess-inspired books, and our reader's stories in the Rattle.

88 pages, published in Autumn of 2022