Goddess Speak Sanctuary of Solace Newsletter - December 2023

Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat, Please put a penny in the old man's hat; If you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do, If you haven't got a ha'penny, God bless you! —Beggar's rhyme.

December Dates of Interest:

• Dec. 1 - World AIDS Day
• Dec. 8 - Pagan Movie Night - Krampus Night!**
• Dec. 10 - A DECEMBER TRASH CLEANUP**
• Dec. 12 @ 3:32 pm - New Moon in Sagittarius
• Dec. 13/14 - Geminids Meteor Shower**
• Dec. 16 - UUCLV Food Pantry**
• Dec. 18 – First Day of Hanukkah
• Dec. 21 - Witchmas Party - Sin City Witches**
• Dec. 21 – Yule/Jul/First Day of Winter/Winter Solstice
• Dec. 22 - Winterfest - Celebrating the Return of the Light (ZOOM)
• Dec. 23 - Winterfest - Celebrating the Return of the Light (in person)
• Dec. 24 - Christmas Eve, National Egg Nog Day
• Dec. 25 – Christmas Day
• Dec. 26 @ 4:33 pm - Full Cold Moon
• Dec. 31 - New Year's Eve

Click on days w/ bold type and ** for more information!

~ Pagan Pride Day 2023 ~

Paradise Park in Las Vegas, NV

The following excepts are from Las Vegas' own local published author, Erin Lale! Erin attended and graciously presided over several rituals for our 2023 Pagan Pride Day. Afterwards she penned a fantastic report of the day - I highly recommend reading her entire reflection on the event. Simply follow this link to her website to read her full report - thank you Erin!

After 4 years, Las Vegas Pagan Pride Day returned! Just like last time in 2019, it was held on Veterans' Day in Paradise Park, and included a Veterans' Blessing. Last time the Rev. Selena Fox did the blessing. This time it was me. I am deeply honored to have been asked to do this. It was very fulfilling, and I had a great time at the ritual.

Veterans' Day is an important holiday to some American Heathen groups, including some Asatru groups. Some Asatru groups call it Einherjars' Day, but some groups use that name for Memorial Day. The two days are often observed with elements of each other in American culture, and the same is sometimes true within Heathen and Asatru groups in the USA as well. Veterans' Day is about the living, or at least those who survived the war, and Memorial Day is about the war dead. But since Veterans' Day is in what is traditionally considered dying time of the year, when leaves fall, and Memorial Day is in the growing time of the year, when the leaves return, the general feeling of each of those holidays borrows from each other. Also, when a living veteran dies, he can be remembered as one of the dead.

Las Vegas PPD was held in Paradise Park, which has a large lawn area surrounded by walkways and trees. The weather was perfect. Most places hold PPD in September but Las Vegas does ours later because it's too hot in September for an outdoor event in the daytime. It was a fine, warm, still afternoon. Closing ritual took place during sunset so it was dark and getting chilly by the end but I had on my lovely Shieldmaiden shawl that Ingrid made for me so I didn't get cold.

I did a short talk about Asatru. As it happened, a lost and then found ritual object proved serendipitous. The pine branch I had cut from my sacred pine tree with which to perform the blessing didn't make it to the table with the other ritual stuff, and my housemate found it and handed it to me right before I was about to talk, so I ended up gesturing with it during my talk. The photos that another kindred member took of my speech ended up looking a lot like ritual photos, so I am able to use those for Heathen Visibility Project photos.

At the end of my talk, I invited people to come to my booksigning for my book Asatru: A Beginners' Guide to the Heathen Path. My book is a longer, updated version of my out-of-print book Asatru For Beginners. I've been wanting to sign it at my local Pagan Pride Day since it came out in summer of 2020 and this was my first opportunity to do that, so I was really excited.

Jason Mankey generously let me share his table for my booksigning. I had met Jason before but this time I got to meet his famous photo subject, the stuffed goat Black Phillip, and we got a selfie for my social media. My kindred member Anne had just adopted a wolfhound puppy and Jason and I enjoyed seeing the photos of him. Anne and her family had lost a puppy dedicated to Tyr young, and the new one was their rainbow puppy dedicated to Heimdall.

As the circle started forming for closing ritual, and I was gathering my ritual objects to bring over to the ritual, a tall Asian man with a very serious expression approached me. He asked if this was public and if he could join in. I replied, "Yes, you can join in." He went over and joined the circle.

This is what Pagan Pride Day is all about. This is why it's Pagan PRIDE Day and not just Pagan Day. This is why we have it in a public park. To show the public who we are and what we do. So the public will know about us and have a positive view of us.

Pagan Pride Day is also a charity event. In previous years it was a benefit for Three Square, a local food bank. Some years it benefitted both a food bank and a local animal shelter. This year it was a benefit for Street Teens, a charity for homeless youth.

The closing ritual was great and many groups participated. Different groups or individual priestesses performed different parts of the ritual. I felt the power of the various ritual elements, especially the blowing of the shell. And I felt empowered. Sunset happened during the closing ritual, so one of the ritual attendees was a large pink cloud.

I did a Rainbow Season offering. I explained what the Rainbow Season offering is: the autumn rainbow comes after the summer rain, since we live in the Mojave Desert where we get summer monsoon. I also said my late companion's patron had been Heimdall who is the guardian of Rainbow Bridge, gatekeeper of Asgard. I mentioned that my kindred member had just dedicated a dog to Heimdall by naming him Heimdall.

I poured into the horn, letting foam run off the top as the Faeries' Portion. Then I made a sumbel toast with the horn, to Heimdall, and to Odin and Freya. I made a second toast, raising the horn and calling, "To the Veterans!" The people in the circle responded, "To the Veterans!" Then I poured the horn into the blotbolli. Then I did the Veteran Blessing.

I did the Veteran Blessing using an asperger I had cut from my sacred pine tree earlier that day, to sprinkle blessings from the blotbolli. There were too many people there to bless everyone individually, so I cast the liquid from the bowl as far as I could toward the people standing in the circle. I noticed the member of the public who had spoken to me before the ritual, who still had a very serious expression. I blessed him along with everyone else who was standing in the circle.

Then I poured out the blotbolli for the landwight, the spirit of the land on which we were performing the ritual, and returned the pine branch to the earth. My part of the ritual was done and I sat down with some of the other ritual leaders as others started doing their parts of the ritual.

Pagan Pride Day was wonderful, and I'm already looking forward to next year.

"It's Christmas Eve. It's the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer, we smile a little easier, we cheer a little more. For a couple of hours out of the whole year we are the people that we always hoped we would be." ~ Frank Cross (Scrooged)

"Ebenezer Scrooge, the sins of man are huge! A neverending symphony, of villainy and infamy duplicity, deceit, and subtefuge. And no one's worse, than Ebenezer Scrooge source!" ~ Ghost of Christmas Present

December's Lunar Spotlight

New Moon in Sagittarius

Sagittarius is the happy sign, the sign of opportunity and expansion, and wants to get out into the world and have new experiences. This means Sagittarius New Moons are excellent for pursuing big new opportunities, getting out there, traveling, learning, teaching, writing, speaking, promoting, marketing, and mentoring.

Sagittarius doesn't want to be serious, and New Moons are enthusiastic and excited, so combined, we tend to look at the bright side and not want to deal with anything heavy. We can work on enjoying ourselves and being open to the new.

Sagittarius rules space, so we may push to get more space to do what we want. We can crave more freedom and independence. We can also be invested in our beliefs, passionate about where we stand, and can defend. This can be good for not being a doormat, however we need to be more mindful of listening to others instead of preaching.

There is a challenge though: Mercury retrograde begins the day after this New Moon, so we can struggle with communication and clear expression. We might be second-guessing something, rethinking out plans, and unsure of what we should be doing.

It can be a good time to pick back up an old idea, an old big plan, or to reconnect with the big picture in ways we have before. This can be a good time to redo and revise.

Mercury retrograde starts in Capricorn but moves to Sagittarius on December 23rd. So, try to use the New Moon to set yourself up for Mercury going back to Sagittarius. It's an excellent time for a second chance, but may not be great for anything brand new. There can be issues with travel, learning, or the law around this time.

“As the winter solstice approaches the chill in the air deepens, and the frosty grip of winter begins to tighten. Days grow ever shorter, and the nights are at their longest and darkest."

December Full 'Cold' Moon

Excerpts from The Farmer's Almanac

December’s full Moon rises around sunset for several nights in a row: December 25, 26, and 27. How perfect for Christmastime! The winter solstice Moon also takes the highest, longest path along the sky. Learn why the full Cold Moon (also called the Long Night Moon) is special.

When to see the Full Moon in December 2023:

The full Moon for December is 100% illuminated on December 26, 4:33 P.M. (PST). This is the first full Moon after the winter solstice, and it falls right during Christmastime this year!

To our eyes, the Moon’s disk will appear fully illuminated a couple of days before a full Moon, so start looking on December 24 and 25 towards the east after sunset as it peaks over the horizon.

If you look up during the December full Moon, notice how it’s nearly at the top of the sky, tracing a long path through the night, akin to Santa’s sleigh! It’s above the horizon longer than any Moon—hence, it’s the longest night! Conversely, near the summer solstice in June, the Sun is highest in the sky while the Moon has the lowest arc—hence, it’s the longest day!

The image of Santa’s sleigh and reindeer flying across the night sky, backlit by a full Moon, is familiar to all of us, thanks to many Christmas cards, as well as holiday cartoons and shows.

We all know the classic poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” (often called “The Night Before Christmas”), which was first published in 1823. The narrator looks out his bedroom window for St. Nick, proclaiming, “The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow gave the luster of mid-day to objects below.”

Technically, a full Moon happens every 19 years or so. This happened in 2015 and will next happen in 2034. However, a full Moon on December 24 and December 26 will also appear full to the naked eye.

If you have snow on the ground this year, a full Moon shining against snow is indeed a picturesque sight for the holidays!

Why is it called the Cold Moon?

December’s full Moon is most commonly known as the Cold Moon—a Mohawk name that conveys the frigid conditions of this time of year, when cold weather truly begins to grip us.

This full Moon has also been called the Long Night Moon (Mohican), as it rises during the “longest” nights of the year, which are near the December winter solstice. This name is doubly fitting because December’s full Moon shines above the horizon for a longer period of time than most full Moons.

ALTERNATIVE DECEMBER MOON NAMES:

• Drift Clearing Moon (Cree)
• Frost Exploding Trees Moon (Cree)
• Moon of the Popping Trees (Oglala)
• Hoar Frost Moon (Cree)
• Snow Moon (Haida, Cherokee)
• Winter Maker Moon (Western Abenaki)
• Long Night Moon (Mohican)
• Mid-Winter Moon (Lakota and Northern Ojibwe)
• Moon When the Deer Shed Their [Antlers] (Dakota)
• Little Spirit Moon (Anishinaabe)

In Europe, ancient pagans called the December full Moon the “Moon Before Yule,” in honor of the Yuletide festival celebrating the return of the sun heralded by winter solstice.

MOON FOLKLORE

• If a snowstorm begins when the Moon is young, it will cease at moonrise.
• December changeable and mild, the whole winter will remain a child.
• Thunder in December presages fine weather.
• Frost on the shortest day is said to indicate a severe winter.
• December cold, with snow, brings rye everywhere.

December Full Moon Magic:

Wigington, Patti. "Long Nights Moon." Learn Religions, Aug. 28, 2020

The last moon phase of the year is the Long Nights Moon in December, also called the Cold Moon or Big Winter Moon, depending on where you live. This is often a time of introspection and self discovery, as you evaluate the trials and tribulations that you've endured over the past year. However, this self analysis has a definite benefit — it gives you a chance to re-evaluate where you want to go and who you want to be in the coming twelve months. This is a season of adaptation and change. In many magical traditions, and certainly owing to its proximity to Yule and Christmas, this is also a time of sharing one's blessings with those less fortunate.

Correspondences:

• Colors: White, red, and black are associated with December's full moon, in part due to the darkness of the season
• Gemstones: Obsidian, ruby, and serpentine
• Trees: Pine, holly, and fir are connected to the winter solstice, and also to the full moon this month
• Gods: Minerva, Osiris, Athena, Persephone, and Hades are tied to the darker half of the year and the season of long nights
• Herbs: Ivy, mistletoe, holly and berries, and cinnamon
• Element: Even though this is a season of darkness, with Yule, the winter solstice, comes the return of the light, so this full moon is often connected to the element of fire

As the days get shorter and Yule approaches with the longest night of the year, we force ourselves to get through the darkness, because eventually we will see the sunlight and warmth again. Think about the things in your life that you've had to endure. Sometimes, a part of us must die in order to be reborn. Now is the perfect time for spiritual alchemy — time to evaluate your life, and know that you'll survive the dark times. Get rid of that excess baggage you've been toting around.

If you've already put the darkness behind you, take your good fortune and share it with others. When it's cold outside, open your heart and home to friends and family. Reach out to people who might be suffering from the chill of winter, either spiritually or physically.

Long Nights Moon Magic:

Because this is, for many of us, a fallow time of year, often the magic of December focuses on self-discovery and change. As we evaluate who and what we have become — and wish to be — we allow ourselves to share our blessings with those around us, and spread our good fortune and well wishes.

• Take some time to examine the relationships you've had in your life over the past year — and not just romantic ones. Are you doing everything in your power to maintain healthy, happy connections? If not, what can you do differently?
• If there's something you need to let go of — something that's been dragging you down for the past year — now's the chance to release your baggage. Write your problem on a piece of paper, sit outside under the full moon, and burn the paper, scattering the ashes into the breeze. Alternatively, tear it up and throw it into a moving body of water. Either way, once it's gone, you can start thinking about how to move forward with your life.
• Set up an outdoor altar with seasonal items like holly branches and pinecones and burn some cinnamon or winter solstice incense. Go outdoors at night with a bowl or cauldron full of water and do some moonlight scrying. This is particularly helpful if you know you need to make some changes but aren't sure how to get started.
• Go through all of your old stuff that you don't use anymore. Some people take an approach in which anything that (a) doesn't fit, (b) hasn't been used in six months, or (c) no longer brings you happiness should be eliminated from your life. Clear out the physical clutter, donate it to an organization or individual that will repurpose it, and help someone else out in the process. You may want to include a blessing of donations ritual as well.

As the calendar year draws to a close, this is also a good time to start planning ahead. Think about what changes you're going to want to make in the coming months. You know all those New Year's resolutions you always make? Put some planning and forethought into them this time around, and you'll be far more likely to keep them. Get ready to break your bad habits, and start forming some good ones, to become a new and improved version of yourself in the new year.

MEDITATION TO HONOR DECEMBER’S FULL MOON

Excerpt from: The Outdoor Apothecary

As December’s Full Moon rises, casting a silvery glow across the quiet winter landscape, take a moment to settle into a comfortable space where the moonlight can touch you, or imagine its presence if you are indoors.

Close your eyes and take three deep breaths, inhaling, and exhaling any tension or worries. Visualize the moon’s rays as a gentle, cleansing light, bathing you in a silvery glow.

With each breath in, draw in the moon’s energy, feeling it fill you with calm and peace. As you breathe out, release thoughts and feelings that no longer serve you, letting them dissipate into the night.

Now, picture yourself standing in a snow-covered landscape, the Full Cold Moon bright above you. Reflect on the cycle of the year gone by – the growth, the harvest, and now the quiet and rest of winter. Contemplate the lessons you’ve learned and the wisdom you’ve gained.

As you stand under December’s Full Moon, think about your hopes and dreams for the coming year. What intentions would you like to set? What do you wish to bring into your life? Imagine these desires as seeds, planting them in the fertile ground beneath the moonlight.

Spend a few moments basking in the moon’s glow, feeling its strength and stability. Know that just like the moon, you have phases and cycles, and each has its own beauty and purpose.

When you are ready, take three deep breaths, bringing your awareness back to the present. Open your eyes, carrying the peace and clarity of the moon’s light with you into the days ahead.

This beautiful 2024 Moon Phase Calendar is available for free from The Outdoor Apothecary, simply subscribe by following the link below!

Craft Corner...

Cold Moon Cedar & Peppermint Ritual Bath Salts

As published on MoodyMoons.com

Make these cedar & peppermint bath salts during the Cold Moon to use during a ritual bath or to give away at Yule.

Sometimes called The Moon Before Yule, the Cold Moon embodies inward reflection, quiet stillness and the light of hope as the coldest season of the year approaches.

Add cedar and peppermint bath salts to your ritual bath and steep yourself in the snowy, meditative silence of the Winter Solstice moon.

Cedar, Peppermint & the Winter Solstice

• Cedar wood comes from over a dozen kinds of trees in many parts of the world.
• All cedars fall in the evergreen family. As the name implies, evergreens keep their deep, bluish-emerald color even when all else is brown and gray.
• Their persistent color splashes an otherwise barren landscape, reminding us life springs eternal even at the darkest hour of the year.
• Peppermint’s cooling sensation symbolizes the sharp chill of winter.
• Among many other metaphysical properties, peppermint refreshes the mind and heightens psychic awareness.
• This makes it an ideal choice for inclusion in your winter self-care routine.
• Winter is an especially crucial time for divination and introspection. Use the long days and time spent indoors to deepen your sacred knowledge of divination.
• Peppermint aids in these pursuits beautifully.

When to Use Cold Moon Ritual Bath Salts

• Make a small batch for single use, or triple it and use it all winter long. Here are some ideas:
• Put them in fancy glass apothecary jars (try looking for them on a witchy shopping trip to the thrift store) and then give them away at Yule.
• Add them to your ritual bath for all the winter moons (Cold Moon, Wolf Moon, Snow Moon).
• Scatter them around the perimeter of your home as a blessing.
• Add them to a hot foot soak after a winter nature walk. This feels especially indulgent on tired, worn-out feet!

Please note: Even natural essential oils can provoke allergic reactions. Know your body, and always use self-care products with caution.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sea salt or Epsom’s salt
• 14 drops cedarwood essential oil
• 6 drops peppermint essential oil
• Optional: For dry skin, include 1-2 tablespoons high quality olive oil

Directions:

• Add sea or Epsom’s salt to a large mixing bowl. Break up any chunks or clumps.
• One drop at a time, add cedarwood essential oil, allowing each drop to plop on a different spot (this helps avoid too high a concentration in any one area).
• Then, add peppermint essential oil in the same way.
• Mix thoroughly with a wood spoon or fork.
• Divide into decorative jars or small canning jars.

Be sure to clean bowl and utensils thoroughly. Especially if they came from the kitchen and you intend to put them back there. Essential oils should never be consumed unless prescribed by a qualified holistic healthcare professional.

The Kitchen Witch's Cauldron

~ La Befana Cake ~

Honouring the Old Witch of Winter....

"This Befana Cake recipe is inspired by the Venetian traditions of Pinza Cake which contain cornmeal, dried fruit, fennel seeds and Grappa. Before ovens, it was wrapped in leaves of cabbage and cooked under the hearth! I kept the traditional elements of cornmeal (so the cake would be golden as the sun) the “fruits of the earth” (currants, candied ginger & orange peel) and the wild fennel seeds for their sunny aromatic spice. " ~Danielle Prohom Olson

Here comes, here comes the Befana She comes from the mountains in the deep of the night Look how tired she is! All wrapped up In snow and frost and the north wind! Here comes, here comes the Befana! ~ Giovanni Pascoli

Magical music for your Winter Solstice! Song by The Wyrd Sisters, cover by Merrigan

December Book Review

The Sacred Herbs of Yule and Christmas:

Remedies, Recipes, Magic, and Brews for the Winter Season

Synopsis:

An around-the-world tour of ancient Christmas celebrations, Pagan Solstice customs, and magical seasonal plants

• Explores in depth the medicinal and magical properties of the many herbs, barks, and berries associated with the Christmas and Yuletide season

• Looks at the origins of the Christmas tree and Santa Claus, as well as female gift bringers, holiday Spirits, and Yuletide animals

• Shares crafts such as how to make a Yule Log, practices such as Winter Solstice divinations, and recipes for traditional foods and drinks

For millennia cultures have taken time out to honor the darkest days of the year with lights, foods, and festivities.

In ancient Egypt, people decorated their homes with greenery at the festival of the rebirth of the God Horus. The ancient Romans shared gifts, especially candles, at the midwinter festival of Saturnalia. In Scandinavian and Germanic cultures, the Yule Log was burned in the hearth, fruit orchards were wassailed, and sheaves of wheat were displayed to carry luck into the New Year. In Celtic cultures, mummers and guisers went door to door, and European mistletoe (Viscum album) was gathered by Druids as a medicinal and magical aid.

Ellen Evert Hopman shares folklore, recipes, rituals, and crafts to enliven your Yuletide observance. She explores the origins of the Christmas tree and Santa Claus as well as holiday Spirits and Yuletide animals. She explains how to perform Winter Solstice divinations and make traditional foods and drinks such as Elizabethan gingerbread cookies and Wassail. And she looks in depth at the medicinal and magical properties of the many herbs, barks, and berries associated with the Christmas and Yuletide season such as Frankincense and Myrrh, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Hibiscus, Bayberry, and many more. This guide offers practical and magical ways to celebrate and honor the darkest days of the year.

Editorial Reviews:

• “This is so much more than an herbal book. Ellen has covered origins and meanings for this most wonderful time of year as well as including practical workings. Packed full with fascinating myth busters and a festive hamper brimming over with magical and medicinal herbs found and used at Yule. A comprehensive guide to working magic and connecting with the energy of the season. Highly recommended.” ― Rachel Patterson, author of A Witch for Every Season
• “Amid the swirl of seasonal tastes, smells, and colors, Ellen Evert Hopman sprinkles elves and international lore in abundance. This is a delightful culinary and medicinal reference with Pagan sensibilities. Hopman’s culinary recipes call for unusual herbs blended with humor and cautions in equal measure. My personal favorite is Fallen Oak Leaf Broth. What a treat!” ― Lyrion ApTower, author of Musings & Miscellany
• “Winter Solstice, Yule, the longest night, shortest day; it has for centuries been held by many as a central sacred point in time. Within it is the shared experience of coming together to share in the warmth of family and community, all yearning for the return of the light. Ellen’s book The Sacred Herbs of Yule and Christmas is stuffed full with bits of seasonal wisdom. It is a delightful gift to take with you into the dark and cold, to help warm the heart with stories and traditions, garnishing the anticipation and participation in the joy of the holiday.” ― Laura Wildman, author of What’s Your Wicca IQ?
• “A mystical journey through a magical time of year, delving into traditions of old and magical rituals and rites to enrich the wonders of the winter season. The Sacred Herbs of Yule and Christmas is a highly recommended book that adds an extra sprinkling of magic and a depth of meaning to any Yuletide celebration, gathering, or personal observance.” ― Roxie J. Zwicker, author of Haunted Portsmouth and Maine Book of the Dead
• “With beautiful illustrations and many recipes, The Sacred Herbs of Yule and Christmas is packed full of historical information about the origins of these traditions. It would be a fun project to work through this book, especially with children, being at the same time educational without the boredom or misery often associated with learning.” ― Luke Eastwood, author of The Druid’s Primer and coauthor of Kerry Folk Tales
• “This is a very interesting book, and Ellen Evert Hopman sure knows her stuff. I recommend The Sacred Herbs of Yule and Christmas to anyone interested in the Yuletide traditions. I have a number of her books and am looking to add this one to my collection.” ― T. Sibley, Ph.D., traditional Norse practitioner and author of The Way of the Wise
• “A well-developed, comprehensive, and logical presentation on the subject of herbs and seasonal celebrations for Yule and Christmas. The information is accessible for a beginner and insightful for the advanced practitioner. A well-illustrated book that can be used for both instructional and referential purposes.” ― Amoric, Third-Degree Alexandrian High Priest with more than 30 years of activity in the craft community.

About the Author:

Ellen Evert Hopman is a master herbalist and lay homeopath, who has been a Druidic initiate since 1984. She is a founding member of the Order of the White Oak, the Archdruidess and founder of Tribe of the Oak, a former professor at the Grey School of Wizardry, and a member of the Grey Council of Mages and Sages. She is the author of Celtic herbals and Druid novels, including Secret Medicines from Your Garden, The Sacred Herbs of Samhain, and Once Around the Sun: Stories, Crafts, and Recipes to Celebrate the Sacred Earth Year. She lives in Massachusetts.

Few are altogether deaf to the preaching of pine trees. Their sermons on the mountains go to our hearts; and if people in general could be got into the woods, even for once, to hear the trees speak for themselves, all difficulties in the way of forest preservation would vanish. ~ John Muir - The National Parks and Forest Reservations, 1895

December Laughs:

Write for Goddess Speak!

Goddess Speak accepts submissions for articles, stories, poetry, recipes, guided meditations, creative fiction, chants, artwork, photography and more. Please send submissions to Laurelinn, in care of  goddessspeakeditor@gmail.com. If your submission is selected you will be notified by email.