It is my incredible honour and pleasure to interview the powerhouse behind The Nephilim Rising, Witch, Author, Magical Creatrix - a shining beacon of hope and resilience in the community who I am honoured to call a friend as well as an inspiration.
You can find all the links to Her work including her Courses on Luciferian Witchcraft, Her Essays for The House of Twigs, and her physical store at the above link. You can also follow her on Facebook.
Onto the interview! <3
1) As a daughter of Hekate, could you, in your own words describe some of what She means to you?
Hekate is everything to me.
She is a Guide, a Mother, a Teacher, a Source of Gnosis, Keeper of Keys and Queen of the Crossroads all while She tends the Sacred Flame. Hekate is Liminal Space, She is the embodiment of Shadow, She is a Death Priestess and I am honored to be Her Daughter.
Hekate’s most important role in my life, in my opinion, was teaching me how to become a Pyschopomp. Since I was a child I could see and commune with the dead, and on occasion would find a wandering Soul; I never knew what to do with them, or how to help them until Hekate.
It was through working with Hekate that I was able to face my Shadow time and time again until I was able to begin the integration process; this led to me teaching a Course on the subject.
It was also through working with Hekate that I came to terms with death and moved beyond existential crisis and into existential acceptance; this acceptance allowed me to hear more clearly a call I had been ignoring for some time: La Santisima Muerte. I am now in a fully devotional, working relationship with Her.
Hekate opened doors, roads, paths and forced me to walk them, and now I not only sing Her praises, I teach Her lessons to the world.
Hail Hekate!
2) In these unprecedented times of social upheaval those who walk a spiritual path, especially those aligned with ‘dark’ God/dess often feel these events very acutely. What messages do you think are pivotal for people to hear from source right now?
Well, the first piece of advice was given to me by my Masonic Great, Great Grandfather, whom I never met, but he left a note inside one of his ritual books that I inherited, and it said:
Ordo Ab Chao = Order from Chaos
The term itself is use by many circles, groups, covens and organizations, though its roots are in Masonry. I find an odd comfort, and profound truth in the fact that order does follow chaos; it is the natural balance of things after all.
It is how change works; it is how change begins.
And, are we not currently living in times of great change?
I know that many of us are scared—change is scary, facing a giant unknown is scary, there are lots of things occurring right now that test the human condition.
Secondly, I believe we need to honor our fears, and honor them fully.
We have little to no control over anything right now, so part of the advice I want everyone to hear is SURRENDER AND ALLOW.
However and whatever that looks like FOR YOU; don’t worry about what others are doing, or how productive or unproductive they are, focus on your world, focus on the small things you do have control over: your actions, your words, your routine, your self-care, etc.
Let go and surrender to everything else you cannot control, and trust me, I know that is a big ask, but do it.
Just…be.
The last piece of comfort I would offer is something that came up in therapy: we must be aware and conscious of how we phrase our thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
I found that I was using the word ‘but’ a lot…
Someone would say, “Ah, there is so much beauty…”
And, I would begrudgingly say, “But, there is so much ugly, too.”
Switch the but to and.
“Ah, there is so much beauty, and there is so much ugly, too.”
Not super positive, but not dreadfully negative either.
You see?
“I am going live, but I am going to die!”
“I am going to live, and I am going to die.”
“I am going to love, but I am going to suffer.”
“I am going to love, and I am going to suffer.”
Do you energetically feel how different those sentences are?
Just like nature, our thoughts must be balanced as well.
This tiny tweak, one tiny change shifted my entire perspective and allowed me to understand that the opportunity for huge, massive change is here and it’s beautiful and scary and a defining moment in human history and people are going to die—people are dying, and people are living.
There’s power in realizing that opposites do not have to be mutually exclusive; they should, and do, exist together.
Pain, loss, grief, fear, isolation, darkness are teachers; painful, painful teachers, but nonetheless…
Let go and surrender (while taking necessary health precautions, obviously) and watch the shift occur.
We will get through this.
We will be better because of this.
I say this as someone in New York who has recovered from CoViD19.
Keep pushing.
And, hold the line.
3) One of the most beautiful descriptions you give of yourself is of a ‘torch bearer’ – How has that role changed for you in difficult times if at all?
I have always struggled with BEING a Torchbearer, let alone using the title, or being a guiding light during a pandemic.
Anyone who works with Hekate knows that She doesn’t really give you much of a choice; when you are to be anointed, She will anoint you in a baptism of flame and Shadow.
For me, personally, the biggest struggles have been balancing my time and energy between the cries I am hearing from the collective, the need for Torchbearers & Lightbringers like us and being a human who is simply trying to survive the days.
I am experiencing all the same fears, emotions, anxieties, and uncertainties as everyone else.
Last week sometime, I had a bit of a public meltdown where I said I was walking away, that I could not do it anymore, I could not carry the torch anymore.
Immediately it felt wrong.
Immediately Hekate came through to remind me that with or without that torch in my hand, I am a Torchbearer because I am the Light.
Lux in Tenebris Lucet
4) Have you felt called to fulfil a different role by the God/desses in these unusual times? Or perhaps when this pandemic is over?
I love this question! Yes, I absolutely feel called to different roles!
This halt of the world has given humanity a time to collectively re-evaluate how we approach *everything* and that absolutely includes Spiritual paths.
Right now, I know that I am needed to help guide the tremendous amount of wandering Souls to the other side. I know many Psychpomps and Death Walkers that are being called to put all other work to the side so that we can help.
The Spirit World has put out a call to arms of sorts.
Before the pandemic, I was really struggling with my career.
It has been made clear to me during these trying times that my voice is necessary. I am not speaking from a place of ego, either; I have received dozens and dozens of messages from people begging me to come back, to start writing again.
I will begin to separate myself from being synonymous with Luciferianism and expand my brand.
As my path evolves, it is only fair that my writing and topics do, too. Otherwise, it’s all just a lie.
Through these dark times, I have found my calling again.
Maybe I needed the silence of the world to realize how much I desire to be out in the middle of chatter.
An introvert in the crowd taking notes.
As soon as we are set free, nothing is holding me back, not even myself or my agoraphobia.
Life is to be lived.
Magick is to be spread.
I plan on doing both at the same time.
5) You frequently touch on topics which touches on the energy of shadow work, and that can cause many different reactions in people. How do you think this path-working relates to current events?
The current events are collective Shadow Work.
How we got here is collective denial of Shadow Work.
People really do hate Shadow Work, whether just talking about it, or facing the reality that it is a requirement for being human.
Mother Nature essentially sat us all down in separate corners and put us in timeout.
In most cases we are completely socially isolated aka completely by ourselves; if that is not a recipe for forced Shadow Work, I do not know what is.
We are being forced to sit with ourselves, our thoughts, our emotions and for a whole bunch of folks, they are seeing a sobering reflection.
It is an uncomfortable feeling to look in the mirror of the Soul, your Soul and hate what you see.
For this reason, I encourage people who are not accustomed to Shadow Work, and even those who are, to please be gentle with themselves.
I keep seeing super toxic memes and such about how you should pick up a new hobby, or read 10 books, etc etc etc—I am sure you have seen them, too.
I think the most important thing right now is surviving this with our sanity, at this point.
I mean, yes, we want to be healthy and stay home, and not contract the virus (I am one step ahead of many of you on this one), but we need to focus on what feels right for us.
You want to cook comfort food? Do it. You want to sleep until Noon? Do it. You want to start a diet? Do it. You want to go off your diet? Do it. You want to take a Magickal Course you never had time for before? Do it. You want to be super productive and check everything off your spring, summer and fall to-do list? Do it.
You want to do nothing? Do it.
Stop telling others what they should be doing, and just applaud them for showing up to life and facing another day full of unknowns, and fear mongering from all angles.
Support each other…from a safe distance.
This is not easy, even for an introvert like me who only left the house once a week before this mess. My trauma is on high alert because I am being told to stay home; the lack of control is extremely triggering. Another tid bit from therapy.
My point?
Keep pushing.
6) In times of Socio-political upheaval it can be increasingly difficult – and perhaps even more vital – to have a spiritual touch stone for a Witch. What do you recommend to people who are having difficulty with their spiritual path right now?
Do what you can and don’t overextend yourself.
But, also, don’t be lazy.
Your Spirits are not going to get mad at your for being human, and anyone who tells you different should be ignored.
As Witches we feel more alive and, as you said, Joey, connected, when we are in touch with our Spirits and have some sort of daily practice going.
But, we have to leave room for unexpected things, like a pandemic to throw us off course; we also have to allow ourselves the patience to go through all the emotions that come with that.
If you want to and have the energy for a full ritual every day, do it. If that is what makes you feel better, do it.
If you can only commit to refreshing offerings (if you keep an Altar) and/or lighting a candle, do it.
If all you can do mentally and emotionally is simply talk to your Spirits, do it.
This is not the time for Witch Sin #1: Comparing Thyself
Throw that shit right out the window.
Honor Thyself.
7) How do you think the world will be changed following the pandemic?
I have thought about this a lot, and I don’t know, but I am hoping and have faith that humanity will be better.
I would like to see those in power realize that the working poor are the ones who truly rule the world. I would like to see universal healthcare become a basic right and no longer a political talking point. I would like a living wage to not be a foreign concept for most folks. I would like people to return to their roots, and maybe incorporate a simpler life while still having modern conveniences.
I do not know what the world will look like after, all I know is it can’t and won’t be the same.