Hello all,
I am landing at home after my adventures teaching with Kenn in Utah, followed by time in Portland, Oregon connecting with heart-family.
The Gather, Glean, and Grow workshop feels like a huge success. We were not entirely sure what the weekend would bring, since there were so many new moving parts (teaching together, new material, new venue) and it came together in ways that we couldn’t have predicted. Turns out that we didn’t need to be worried about filling 2 ½ days, all of our heads felt stuffed to the brim afterwards, teacher and student alike. Shout out to the Cat and Cauldron (https://www.catncauldron.com/) for being such amazing hosts!
In an effort to doomscroll less, I am working on getting back into needlework and fiber arts after being mostly burned out from it for the last several years. I flamed out with sewing in 2011 after my body called it quits and I had to stop working on professional theatre productions. Then again in 2020 when my artisan dye business got taken out at the knees by a combined supply chain collapse and global pandemic. I am starting small, working on folk embroidery patterns, and turning my sigil designs into embroidery bands, some of which are destined for my sacred garb.
While in Portland I got to finally go to the Portland Art Museum, and spend the afternoon wandering through the exhibits with a loved one. Since it was the first Thursday, we were able to sit in on several lectures and story sessions about the collections.
I was particularly entranced by Green Star Quilt (2019) by Wally Dion, a Yellow Quill First Nations/Salteaux and Canadian artist. From across the gallery I thought it was a quilt, then maybe a tile mosaic, then I got close and saw that it was indeed a quilt, but made of computer motherboards and wire. You can see the quilt here: https://portlandartmuseum.org/the-poster-project/green-star-quilt/
Life feels very “one day at a time” right now. I am continuing to write, develop classes, teach, and make things. Some days trying to continue with daily life feels like a huge ask, because this shouldn’t be normal. I am turning to all of my coping tools, turning to community, to heart-family. To beauty, relationship, and connection. Looking for the Helpers (thank you Mr. Rodgers). Remember to breathe friends.
Upcoming Events
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February 15th Conversations with the Runes In Person at Keys to Manifestation in Lansing, MI from 3-5pm
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February 25th Spicy Tarot: Introduction to Tarot for Kinksters with Wicked Grounds. Tickets available here:
- Month eight of the Introduction to the Northern Tradition: Finding Your Fire is live! Kenn (https://www.patreon.com/c/RuneWalker) and I are learning so much as we make the recordings for this course. The course is set up as a series of videos, readings, and guided prompts with opportunities for feedback and interaction. Enrollment is available in an ongoing manner at: https://payhip.com/b/c3jRF. We are currently recording month 9 and we are in awe that the first iteration of this project has come this far.
- I am currently in the process of turning two classes into workbooks and they are coming along nicely. One is about working with your root values, and the other is on boundary setting. Stay tuned for those to come out in the next few months.
Inspirations this Month
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Article: Building a Community of Love: bell hooks and Thich Nhat Hanh in Conversation. This article from January of last year has continued to sit with me. I am working with multiple groups to align action with intents and vision, in this process we are unearthing so many places where connection can grow.
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Book: Old Norse Mythology: An Introduction to the Poetic and Prose Edda by Mathias Nordvig, 2025. In an effort to continue learning more about my spirits I am digging into this new volume by Mathias Nordvig, whose perspective and work as a scholar I have come to deeply appreciate over the last few years.
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Fiction: Betrothed to the Emperor by Kai Butler. Let’s be honest, the world is a lot right now, and delightful high fantasy queer romance is what I have been wanting, and this one delivered, much to my delight. (Happily the 4th book in the series will be coming out in March, so I don’t have to wait too long for more)
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Music: the album Soundtrack 2 Life by Rebekah Reid. I stumbbled across this on a recommended listening list last month and it has become a soundtrack for my travels and writing since. The multilayered string compositions with violin and looper pedal are glorious and lush.
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Shop: Acorn & Threads in Portland, Oregon. I have a weakness for beautiful hand dyed threads and unique patterns. Boy, did I spend several blissful hours wandering around this place. And came out with the makings for a couple of projects.
May your roads be kind, and your landings soft.
Warmly,
HG
