Missing Witches Risa Dickens + Amy Torok

It's just me this week, but I'm not alone, because you're with me. xoAmy

Amy's first prescription is an instagram post from Austin Channing Brown, who acknowledges that This Is A Lot:
"You're not imagining it. You're not overreacting. You're not being melodramatic. Your body isn't lying to you about how heavy it all feels. It can be helpful to see how systems of violence are all connected but it can also be overwhelming. It can feel like you exist under a weighted blanket- it's hard to move, hard to breathe. I wish I could offer you relief and organize it all into nice, neat boxes roughly the size of an Instagram post and issue some orders that would have us solve all of this. But I cannot. We need a revolution. And then another one. And then another one. And then another one. Because the backlash to our revolutions is real. We are living through one right now. And your survival. And your art. And your voice.
And your writing. And your passion. And your joy. And your beauty all matter for getting to the other side- so you can enjoy and experience the next revolution. Remember the goodness that you want in the world. Remember the human dignity you want for Black people, Palestinian people, queer people, disabled people, poor people, women people, children people, houseless people, incarcerated people, marginalized people and all the intersections thereof. Remember the goodness you're working toward. Because the backlash of hate is impossible to carry if you do not remember what it is to love. And as silly is it feels we must remember love."
And while we weep for the world, Amy brings Northern Lights (the Canadian equivalent of USA For Africa, We Are The World) to remind us that Tears Are Not Enough.

If we can pull together
We could change the world forever
Heaven knows that tears are not enough

As Angela Davis famously said, "Freedom is a constant struggle."

Now is the time to figure out our roles in the revolution, and Amy takes inspiration from the cucumber plants in her garden. Each cucumber grows at it's own pace, in it's own shape: some are curved, some are straight, some are round, some are flat, some are slim and some are bulbous. Amy is struck by the fact that we’ve all been conditioned into a false sense of Uniformity - at the grocery store and in our human lives - that everything and everyone needs to look the same, act the same, be the same - but that's NOT how Nature works. Nature both celebrates and requires difference and diversity.

To underscore the point, Amy brings a scene from one her favourite movies, Harold And Maude, where Maude points out that what appears to be a field of uniform daisies is made up of thousands of individuals with all kinds of observable differences. And Matt Baume's video essay The Rowdy Queer Rebels Who Turned Television Gay which reminds us that true reformation requires all different types of activists, working together toward a common goal.

And last, Amy adds Garden Party by Rick Nelson. Rick's fans didn't want him to mature and grow - they wanted the Little Ricky Nelson that they knew and loved, to the point where Rick would get booed when debuting new material. So he wrote this song:

Well it’s alright now
I’ve learned my lesson well
See you can’t please everyone
so you gotta please yourself

You are allowed to grow and change into whatever shape pleases you. You can make the world into a shape that pleases you too - one cucumber, one garden party, one revolution at a time.

Blessed f*****g be. We must remember love.

This week's prescription begins with a surprise drop in from Risa who delivers some great news - she finally got results from a barrage of tests that show 1. her cancer is the curable kind and 2. it doesn't live in her DNA so it won't be passed to her daughter. BLESSED F*****G BE. While she waited for this call, Risa has been bingeing British mysteries, soothed by stories where questions are always answered, mysteries are solved and everything works out in the end. She recommends Vera who, in one episode, declares herself a Witch, so we'll add Vera to our pantheon of Witches we've been missing.
Amy is then joined by Heather Darby-DeMarco, founder of Wild Moon Charm School. Heather's prescription begins by surrendering to and embracing nostalgia and reminding us that it's not even about memories, but the feelings that those memories conjure in us. Having passed the Summer Solstice, Heather feels her world slipping back into drooping vines, shorter days and longer nights. We're still in summertime but we can sense a time when we'll have to kiss it goodbye to make way for autumn.
It's bittersweet.
Heather brings two songs to evoke the sounds of summer nights. First is REM's You Are The Everything:
Here's a scene
You're in the backseat laying down, the windows wrap around (say, say, the light)
To the sound of the travel and the engine (say, say, the light)
All you hear is time stand still in travel
And feel such peace and absolute
The stillness still that doesn't end
But slowly drifts into sleep
The greatest thing you've ever seen
And they're there for you
For you alone, you are the everything
Heather listens to this REM song to connect to the spirit of Right Now, feeling like stars shine for us alone. And taking her all the way through time, she brings John Prine's Knockin' On Your Screen Door:
I can see your back porch if I close my eyes now
I can hear the train tracks through the laundry on the line
I'm thinking it's your business, but you don't got to answer
I'm knocking on your screen door in the summertime
Heather reminds us that cultivating a screen door in our lives is part of a Witch's work - every day we build a sieve for and of ourselves - allowing in the good and keeping out the bad. As we drive through this life, glance back into the rear-view mirror - see where we're going and where we've been.
If you're in Ohio, Heather is doing an in-person pop up doing readings at Brewing Intuition on Sunday the 14th from noon to five pm. If you're not in Ohio, find Heather at Wild Moon Charm School where she teaches psychic development, medium-ship development, spellwork, tarot and tools for folks who are longing for a more magical life and to increase their personal power.
Amy's prescription is to spend a whole day with Tyler the Creator's album Flower Boy. This week, be a flower boy - walk in the woods, bloom, grow, glow, drop seeds, look at all that joy.
Having a hard time narrowing it down to just one song, Amy brings a rapid fire of Tyler's personal experience and the advice we can take:
Where This Flower Blooms: I rock I roll I bloom I grow I glow
Foreword: See, I was in the woods with flowers, rainbows, and posies
fallin' outta my pocket.
Droppin Seeds: I'm droppin' seeds, got this garden, flowers poppin' of course
I'm droppin' seeds, m**********r
Glitter: I feel like glitter. They ain't build me up so I block 'em like Lego...Feelin' glitter, feelin' good and great...They ain't build me up so I block 'em like Lego. Look at my face, look at that joy

Keep your windows open and the screen-door closed, sweet Coven. Hear the sounds of night breezes and memories past. Feel like glitter. Look at joy. You are the everything.
We love you. Blessed fucking be.

www.missingwitches.com/rx-i-rock-i-roll-i-bloom-i-grow-i-glow

As always, the first prescription this week is to send beams of radiant light to Risa. Her surgery is coming up, and she needs all the love we can send.

Amy is joined by Holly, founder of Entrepreneur Outliers, who comes armed with a song to uplift all of us feeling fucked up over a barrage of baffling choices from SCOTUS and beyond. Holly's prescription is All You Fascists Bound To Lose - originally written by classic protest folkie Woody Guthrie - as performed by the Resistance Revival Chorus.

When you're feeling anger and sorrow, pick yourself up with this number that reminds us that sooner or later the fascists WILL lose. Sing it at the top of your lungs.

I’m gonna tell you fascists
You may be surprised
The people in this world
Are getting organized
You’re bound to lose
You fascists bound to lose

Amy's prescription also rings out with the power of people organizing against the wrongs they see in the world. She's been thinking a lot about Mia Zapata, marking the July 7th anniversary of her murder.

When Mia, lead singer of Seattle grunge band The Gits, was killed in 1993, her community rallied, and in response to their rage, fear and grief created Home Alive, an anti-violence organization that provided people with training in self-defence, and held concerts to raise money to give resources to victims of sexual violence.

In Second Skin, Mia sang:

I need that second skin
something to hold me tough
can't do it on my own
sometimes I need just a little more help

Because the thing is, we CAN'T do it on our own, and we all need just a little more help. Joan Jett and Kathleen Hanna dealt with the death of their friend by collaborating on a song called Go Home.

Give me a reason to fight
When there's nowhere to run to

Some of our favourite Drag Queens are pushing back against drag bans and their attempted silencing of queer culture and have started DragPac - a political action group whose mission is to empower LGBTQ+ voices to vote.

One of the programs run by the Black Panther Party was free breakfasts for children. Resistance comes in many forms. There are many kinds of kindness.

We are a collective, and we need to make it our job to fight those that seek to knock us down with violence and greed. Let's respond to our anger by organizing, by looking out for each other, lifting each other up, and doing whatever we can to see to it that the fascists lose until we are all safe, happy and free. Hold tough.

Blessed f*****g be. We love you.


https://www.missingwitches.com/rx-all-you-fascists-bound-to-lose/

Risa is awaiting more test results so, as always, the first prescription this week is to send good energy her way. She has said that she feels these golden strands of love surrounding her - let's keep weaving this web of protection.

Amy is joined by coven mate Killian (they/them), founder of Death Tinted Glasses - check out their website and instagram - who's first prescription this week is to bathe ourselves in the spirit of rebellion. Think on your favourite rebels past and present, and if you need some extra inspiration, Killian recommends the TV show We Are Lady Parts, the fictional story of an all-girl Muslim punk band in London.

Amy LOVED season one and is elated to hear that there's now a second season. If you don't have time for TV, Killian suggests punk-rocking out to the Lady Parts' song Glass Ceiling Feeling and know that you're f*****g great.

Maybe we're just actually shit
No, you know we’re fucking great
But we didn't pray this morning
Or even yesterday
Maybe we're a novelty act
The token black and browns
Please, shut up
I’ve had enough of you putting us down

Supercalifraga-racist sexist-xenophobic
Is it us or is it them? Why they trying to own us?
Supercalifraga-racist sexist-xenophobic
Is it us or is it them?
Overwhelmed and nominal, living in slow-motion
Glass ceiling feeling

Amy's prescription this week comes from a 2009 discovery in space exploration: A giant dust cloud at the heart of the Milky Way tastes like Raspberries! Having just harvested some raspberries from a wild bush in her yard, Amy is super emotional to discover that tasting them connects her tongue to outer space. Her prescription is to get some raspberries, look up at the night sky and taste them while listening to Sun Ra's Space Is The Place.

Outer Space is a pleasant place
A place where you can be free
There's no limit to the things that you can do
There's no limit to the things that you can be
Space is the place.

If cosmic dust clouds can taste like berries, then there's no limit to what we and our rebellious nature can be. Blessed Fucking Be. We love you. xo

www.missingwitches.com/rx-outer-space-is-a-pleasant-place

Risa is doing doctor's appointments but sent a prescription that might sound a bit niche: sing Hallelujah with clowns playing ukuleles. It happened to her in a hospital waiting room and we both agree that the experience was a good omen for her recovery!
To help out with this week's prescription, Amy is joined by a special guest Witch, Brienne AKA Molten Hot Cosmic Witch.
Bri is harvesting the magical fruits of compassion so her prescription is: Love Always, Never Revenge. Bri has had to accept what she can't control and let the anger fall away, discovering that when she finds compassion in her heart and allows it to lead her, karma takes care of the rest. Motivation and inspiration come from the words of MLK jr:
"Forgiveness does not mean ignoring what has been done or putting a false label on an evil act ... Forgiveness is a catalyst creating the atmosphere necessary for a fresh start and a new beginning."
Let your new beginning be to make your life so amazing that anyone who looks down on you is forced to look up to you. Living and loving well is the best revenge.
Amy brings Pride month and a heatwave together with Demi Lovato's message: Kiss one another, we're cool for the summer. The prescription: Find someone to kiss.
Bri and Amy spiral into the perils of making out with strangers in a post-lockdown world and come to the suggestion that we all have the option to start a summer fling with ourselves! The prescription shifts to self-love via self-pleasure.
Stay cool, stay compassionate, we love you. Kisses.

www.missingwitches.com/rx55/

It's a double occasion party! Amy is joined by Sonia Fernández LeBlanc, Zoe Flowers, and the MW Coven to celebrate Litha the Summer Solstice and an early birthday party for the Missing Witches Deck Of Oracles.
We talk about the whys and ways or cartomancy and open the floor to pull cards and do readings to answer questions from the Coven.

Sonia Fernández LeBlanc is a medicinal storyteller, contemplative futurist, an esoteric interfaith scholar at the intersection of personal sovereignty and community care. She is a tarot reader, and a contributor to the new book Dreaming with Bees.

Zoe flowers is a mystic, poet, teacher, a candle-maker, a tarot reader, and author of From Ashes To Angel’s Dust and In Praise of the Wytch.

The Missing Witches Deck Of Oracles is available for pre-order now!

www.missingwitches.com/litha2024/