Today I filled my lil sacred pouch with fresh prayers and herbs and seeds and crystals and a half dollar coin that mysteriously appeared in my pocket. I needle pointed this last year and since then it has stayed in the pocket that rests on top of my heart in the jean jacket I bring everywhere. It feels good to have a potent collection of things that remind me to stay grounded and remember who I really am when I’m out in the world getting overstimulated and overwhelmed.
Life can be hard and things seem to be especially difficult for everyone lately. I wish I had more to offer but the words “be kind” are all that come to mind.

Earlier today I placed this little Milarepa statue at the base of my nettle patch, which seemed to really please the nettles.

Milarepa, considered one of the more important figures in Tibetan Buddhism, was said to have sustained himself solely on the nettles growing outside of his cave, which eventually turned his skin green. That green skin is an easy way to identify him in thankga paintings.

“All meditation must begin with arousing deep compassion. Whatever one does must emerge from an attitude of love and benefitting others.”

“Strong and healthy, who thinks of sickness until it strikes like lightning? Preoccupied with the world, who thinks of death until it arrives like thunder?

“One should see that all appearance is like mist and fog.”
— Milarepa

Datura, a most magical plant whose flowers cover almost every continent in various forms. Globally it has been used medicinally, shamanically, and as a sacrament.
:::
Datura is used to treat anxiety, depression, and insomnia. Used properly it is a powerful pain killer, muscle relaxer and can have a strong aphrodisiac and euphoric quality. Out of all the poisonous plants I’ve worked with, I’ve found Datura to have the most balanced energy - she not only reaches down to the Underworld but also up to the Heavens. When approached in reverence it is as though you are being hugged with all the infinite wisdom of your grandmother. Yet, when communed with carelessly, she can result in insanity or death.

Last night I dreamt that I was standing behind the counter at a coffee shop where my friend was working, keeping her company until her shift was over. A different friend came up, ordered her drink, and asked me if I was working there now. I said “No, just visiting.” Then woke up.

Upon waking I immediately understood the correlation between “just visiting” in the dream and “just visiting” in my waking life. We’re all ultimately just visiting here.

Earlier this week, hellebore, my dearest plant guide, told me I was taking *this* too seriously, getting too attached to the storylines and outcomes. A few days later I sat under a holly tree during a very stressed out moment and the holly reminded me that *this* isn’t really where my work is.

*This* in these instances refers to my personal life and identity structures. I try to remember as much as possible that Kathryn is just visiting, and while what I’m doing here is important in certain ways, getting attached to that importance is an unnecessary pain. We can be passionate and excited and invested while doing our work here in this world yet still remember that we are just visiting.

Earlier this week I got to meditate with a sweet beach dwelling yarrow. I had visions of her filling the cracks in my energetic field with her flowers. She protectively placed her flowers and some black obsidian over my third eye and clearly pointed out the boundaries that exist between self and other. I asked her 3 different times if I could take some of her leaves with me to carry in my medicine pouch and every time she easily, directly said No.

Boundaries.

This has been one of the biggest struggles in my life - knowing what is mine and what is others, being able to really feel my autonomous self, feeling grounded, safe, and solid in my body... I am truly grateful for the gifts that come with being so open and permeable, but I know that it’s time to really do this work. 

thank you yarrow 🙏

Harvesting beachy mugwort for a friend ✨ her aura in this photo occurred naturally 👸
I generally don’t work with mugwort because I find her SO opening to the upper chakras that I get overstimulated, but the past few weeks she has been calling to me 💕

Rosa Rugosa Strawberry Jam
✨🍓✨💓🌹💓✨🍓✨

Yesterday I used the @moonjuicecookbook recipe for strawberry rose geranium jam and altered it slightly to use fresh rose petals instead of essential oil... it’s pure heart opening magic in a jar.

1 cup fresh strawberries
10 dates soaked in water for 30 minutes
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean
1/2 cup fresh wild beach rose petals

Combine all ingredients in blender until smooth, transfer to mason jar and dehydrate at 118 degrees for 2 hours.

In the Vamana Purana it is said that the datura flower appeared from the chest of Shiva after he drank the poison created by the cosmic ocean. Shiva literally takes in all the poison of the universe and from it a beautiful flower is born from his heart.

We too can do this when we allow ourselves to fully feel the difficulties and pain in our lives and in the world. By doing so we often find that the pain is mostly in avoiding the “poison”. By surrendering to our pain we find healing, the ability to take necessary actions, and a sense of relaxation. Of course, this only comes after crossing the barrier, which can be a painful and difficult process... The only way out is through.

Pictured here are some recently acquired datura seeds atop a Shiva lingam on my bedroom altar. Garlands of datura flowers are often found outside of Shiva temples to be given as offerings and his devotees are known to smoke the leaves and seeds of this magical, witchy plant.

What a miracle to have made it as far as we have. We all endure many traumas, painful experiences, and collective sufferings starting the moment we are born.
Sometimes I become aware of this as I watch people walking down the street. Everyone holds many stories beneath their controlled exteriors. Many people we pass by on the street, at the coffee shop, in line at the grocery store are currently experiencing deep pain but have become skilled in keeping it hidden. Life is hard and yet we are resilient. Everyone of us has lived through suffering.
Congratulate yourself on making it this far and be kind.

Yesterday I ended up visiting the most beautiful graveyard. I now find myself wanting to write something about how graveyards should be designed to be places of peaceful contemplation instead of rows and rows of headstones. I want to write about grieving the end of my 5 year relationship. I want to write about meeting a yew tree in the cemetery. I want to write about how contemplating death almost every day of my life helps me prepare for the difficult times. But the Underworld Journey I have been traveling the last 7 months has me feeling exhausted today, so this is all I have the energy to say:

Be kind, be kind, be kind. Think about a very difficult time in your life. Remember that many people you meet in your day are going through a very difficult time. Be kind. 🖤

👋I’ve never done a post introducing myself before, so I thought I’d say a brief hello!

🙏I’m Kathryn, a 29 year old artist and teacher living in Rhode Island. I grew up in southern Connecticut, moved to Boulder, Colorado when I was 18 and lived there for ten years. Since the age of 17, I’ve been dedicated to studying non-duality and engaging in deep inner work. While in Colorado I went to Naropa University, a Buddhist school where I studied painting and permaculture. I started studying kriya yoga, non-duality, metaphysics, and mysticism with my teacher when I was 19. I’ve been teaching kriya yoga meditation and various workshops on topics such as mindfulness, dream interpretation, intuition building, the Bhagavad Gita, finding and working with spirit guides, and self-care since 2009. I currently teach meditation every Saturday morning at 8am at @thenestri

📚I wrote and illustrated a lil book called “Here You Are”, which is a collection of original minimalist tantric paintings and straightforward non-dual writings designed to help bring you into the present moment, into your body, and into your heart. You can purchase a copy through my website. I am working on my second book now, titled “Persephone’s Path”. It will be a meditation on the journey we take when we allow ourselves to fully feel difficulties, traumas, and our shadow selves. There will be a brief introduction to the Persephone myth, my understanding of its meaning, a meditation designed to recreate the cyclical journey to the Underworld, and a section about poisonous plant allies.

🔮I am deeply in love with the symbolic language of the subconscious. I believe tarot is a beautiful tool we can use to clearly hear this subconscious language. I offer tarot readings over Skype. You can read some reviews of my readings and schedule one through my website or DM me :)

🌿I recently completed one year of a sacred plant medicine apprenticeship with @thegaiaschoolofhealinggaiaschoolofhealing where I got to meet hellebore, my initiator into the world of poisonous plants, my most sacred teachers. I have a few copies left of a mini-zine I wrote about 4 of these plants - hellebore, henbane, datura, and belladonna available. DM me to purchase one.

🌑Last year I began having dreams where I would suddenly be holding a staff, and would miraculously know how to use it as a weapon to protect myself and loved ones. I eventually found my irl staff under an oak tree with a group of crows perched in its branches. I immediately “remembered” how to use it as a tool for ceremonies in service to uncovering the Authentic Self. I have started to lead these ceremonies for friends and will soon be offering them publicly in Providence. I will share more information about these ceremonies in the coming weeks!

💎I sell high vibrational crystals and artwork through my etsy shop, Persephone Collective

✨It’s hard to summarize myself in just a few paragraphs but this feels like a good start. Nice to meet you :)

I have been frequently pulling The Moon for the last 6 month. Over this period of time I have been experiencing just about every major life transition that you can imagine... all at once! Home, career, relationship, health (myself and multiple loved ones) are all in transition. On top of that I have been excavating so many of my childhood imprints that I can’t keep track of them all. 🌑 This is The Moon.

The Moon is the card for Underworld journeying, something I feel is my life’s work. When I’m able to step back and see the bigger picture, the Moon is a sweet blessing, an opportunity to examine hidden aspects of myself, a chance to see what is possible beyond my narrow definitions of reality. Much like Mercury retrograde, it gives the gift of reevaluating those things that are ready to be let go of. What needs to die so that new possibilities can be born? What would happen if you released that tight grip on how things are supposed to work out? Are there things in your life that seem “right”, but are actually holding you back from realizing a higher expression of self?

Consciously being able to see and stay present to an Underworld journey is the only way I know to get through it without doing harm to myself. It’s like when you stub your toe - the impulse might be to tighten and clamp down on your injury, but when we can relax and give breadth to our pain, it doesn’t seem so bad.

This is hard work. I keep telling myself, how can I expect to help others through their own Underworld before I am fluent in the terrain of my own? Even with that knowledge and the intention to stay conscious, it’s still *really* hard. I am currently residing in the dark part of Persephone's journey. But I’ll never forget that in the darkness is where Persephone is Queen. There is so much power to be found in our own Underworlds.

Persephone’s Plants is a mini-zine I wrote and illustrated for my herbalism apprenticeship final project about four of my closest poisonous plant allies. I printed a few extra copies in case anybody wanted to purchase it ($12 including shipping - email me if interested)

The information in these zines will be also be included in my larger book about Persephone’s journey, called Persephone’s Path. Persephone’s Path will include: a short retelling of the Persephone myth, a meditation designed to bring you through Persephone’s journey, write-ups about the four poisonous plant allies included in this mini-zine but perhaps I will include a few more friends - I can’t help myself! There will also be a section of suggested deities, animal spirits, crystals, and other allies to call upon to help you when you are going through your own Underworld journey… and probably more as this project just keeps growing.

I’m not sure when Persephone’s Path will be complete, but I am definitely getting close. I have never felt so sure of and simultaneously so nervous about a body of work I’ve produced before. I can’t wait to share it with you all! 🖤🧙🏼‍♀️✨🥀

My heart is racing as I get closer to finishing my second book, currently titled Persephone’s Path. It’s a meditation on the journey we take when we allow ourselves to fully feel difficulties, traumas, and our shadow selves. There will be a brief introduction to the Persephone myth, my understanding of its meaning, a meditation designed to recreate the cyclical journey to the Underworld (pictured above), and a section about poisonous plant allies.

It’s both similar and different from Here You Are. Persephone’s Path feels a lot scarier to put out there - it’s about the Underworld, which isn’t most folks’ favorite topic. When I tell people that I’m studying poisonous plants and the Persephone myth, the general responses I get are confusion, discomfort, and being disturbed by the topic (unless they are doing this type of work already).

Underworld work is deeply important to me. I’ve spent most of my adult life on the periphery of spiritual communities where it’s all light and love, namaste, positive vibes, if you’re positive you’ll attract positive, if something negative happens then you’re bad. There’s truth in those teachings, but I’ve found that light and love does not work longterm when we ignore our shadows and traumas, and we are FAR less powerful if those “dark” parts are unintegrated.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic as I have been in a bubble with this work for the past few months.

There’s so much more I have to say around this subject and I can’t wait to share more soon! 

Remember:
✨take deep breaths
✨relax your jaw, shoulders, and belly
✨be kind and gentle with yourself
✨it’s ok to say no, even if saying yes seems like the nice thing to do
✨only you know what’s best for you!
✨take some more deep breaths

"...there is the story of the terrible demon Raktabija (Blood-seed). This demon was, like most demons, causing a great deal of trouble with people and gods alike but even worse was his ability to produce more demons every time a drop of his blood spilt to the ground. Therefore, each time Raktabija was attacked, the only result was more demons to deal with. The gods decided to work together and combine all of their shakti or divine energy and produce one super being that could destroy Raktabija; the result was Kali. Given all the divine weapons of the gods, Kali swiftly sought out Raktabija and his demons and proceeded to swallow them all whole so as not to spill anymore blood in the process. Raktabija himself was killed when Kali lopped off his head with a sword and then drank all of his blood, making sure none fell to the ground and thereby ensuring no more demons could menace the world."

Prints of this Kali painting are available at my etsy

Think about a very difficult time in your life. Remember that many people you meet in your day are going through a very difficult time. Be kind.

I have been (consciously) working with Kali's medicine for the last six years. There are times when she is quiet and times when she calls loudly - It is time for us to work together again. Last week she told me to draw her. Right now. And within an hour this little painting had emerged onto the paper.

I've found myself over these last six years going back and forth between working with her and dispassionately attempting to work with the more gentle goddesses. I think to myself, isn't this enough of this wrathful, dark energy? Shouldn't I be balancing this out with some White Tara? But a recent encounter with a hellebore told me that no, the gentle goddesses are not your path, at least not now. Go back to Kali. Stop trying to be the nice, good, neat, pretty girl that bites her tongue and asks for permission before she does anything out of the ordinary. You haven't been that girl for some time. Now is the time to embrace your wild witch, the old crone that cackles naked in the void. Caring whether or not she makes people uncomfortable isn't even on her radar.

Remember! For the most part everybody is doing the best they can. And their best might not look like your best. Most people didn't have the same childhood as you, the same life experiences, the same learnings. We're all experiencing the world through different lenses and we're all navigating the world in ways that we believe will ultimately bring us happiness. 

Set boundaries. Be patient. Be kind.