This week the great labour of winter has begun for us: shoveling the driveway and the roof, hauling wood, drawing on deep reserves of patience for goopy sick kids. We see the months of darkness stretching out ahead of us. On the lake, ice and snow take shifting shapes, not fully committed yet to the great freeze.
Our conversation in today's Rx. episode is sprawling and angry and sad and laughing, a little unmoored like the season. Quebec is mourning the loss of Karl Tremblay of Les Cowboys Fringants, a loss made all the more strange in Risa's household by the fact that our family had started listening to their haunting song, Les Étoiles Filantes, on repeat just days before Karl died. Maybe it's a reminder to keep our eyes uplifted, our ears open for what's on the wind.
There are shooting stars and bits of magic whispering past, lightning fast, even in the deepest, coldest dark. Here's a video that has the lyrics in English in the captions. Find an opportunity to hold up a light in the dark this week. Walk with a lantern after sunset or turn out all the lights and sit with a birthday candle. Honour how brief and bright we are.
Amy brings the new Andre 3000 album to the altar of this week's prescription. New Blue Sun isn't a rap album, instead, it's in a genre we've seen loving described as 'devotional' which feels right. One track, the meditative "I swear, I Really Wanted To Make A "Rap" Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time" is the heart of what we prescribe ourselves right now: notice all the things you've tried so hard to be, and then close your eyes and feel which way the wind is blowing.
The final rec this week is for Season 3 of The Dream Podcast. We're thinking a lot these days about the shapes communications and identities take, about how information gets bent by distortion, about how prosperity gospel logic infiltrates self-help and spiritual communities and perpetuates patterns of extraction, dominance, and control. Season 1 of The Dream, from Peabody-award-winning This American Life producer Jane Marie, is one of Risa's favourite pieces of podcasting ever because of the incisive research and big heart. Season 3 brings that same devastating combination into a much-needed conversation about the coaching industry.
With this in mind, we invite you to visit or revisit the story of The Emperor's New Clothes (and then gesticulate wildly to the Sinead O'Connor song of the same name). Notice the difference between those who coach, support, and help with honesty about systemic inequality and care for what actually happens in our bodies and our diverse communities, versus those who want to blame your mindset, your lack of bootstraps, who always have a solution to sell. May we dispel the illusions of trickery and shame with the radical magic of our messy truths and all our relations.
Coven Invites
Weavers Full Moon Nov: Praxis of Liberation
Let's talk about what works. Let's talk about times when collaboration, community-building, and relationality have been successful in our lives and see what we can learn.
Magic for undoing the mania of rugged individualism. Magic for collective creation.
Mon, Nov 27 20230 | 8:00 PM - 09:30 PM EST
Writing Circle - Sharing and Workshop
The world is heavy; let's do our best to hold it in our words and share it with our voices. As always, bring a piece of writing: poetry, story, essay, spell, joke, musing, prayer, anything! (Please don't feel like you need to bring something to share if you'd rather just participate as an audience and give feedback. However, the more the merrier! We'd love to hear what you've written!)
Wed, Nov 29 2023 | 07:00 PM - 09:00 PM EST
Dec New Moon Yule Party! Bring Your Gifts to the Altar, it's time for the Coven Talent Show!
There are so many kinds of magic out there. Whatever they are, whatever state they are in after this year, we invite you to bring your talents to the Missing Witches Yule Altar. And let's party!
Tue, Dec 12 20230 | 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM EST
Collaborative Open Book Tarot Course
Join us for a communal divination for the new year, rooted in a cozy ethos of learning together.
Sun, Jan 7 2024 | 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM EST
Updates
Every day we are adding new transcripts to our website AND making past episodes of our podcast available on YouTube!
Check out the Transcripts section on our site to see the latest.
Check out our YouTube Channel.
Mutual Aid
41% of trans people have attempted suicide at some point in their lives. Research shows that trans youth with supportive families have a 52% decrease in recent suicidal thoughts.
Transanta exists to show trans youth that they are loved and supported and that they have a family of people around the world who care for them, believe in them, and want them to succeed.
With Thanks and Hope
To be held in community with all of you loving, caring, powerful people all over the world is the wildest gift and gentlest balm. We love you so much.
BFB!
R+A
PS. If something you see or listen to makes you think of someone you know who might like what we do, please send us along to them. Huge thanks for helping us find each other. ❤️❤️
PPS. If by chance you are gearing up for some gift-giving this season, we invite you to check out our Missing Witches Bookshop.org storefront where we've gathered a ton of the books and tarot and oracle decks mentioned on our podcast over the years. Shopping at Bookshop.org supports independent booksellers, and helps us out too, and they're doing free shipping until Monday.
