#1 Welcome to the Mystery Cult, Witches.

My introductory message telling you what Mystery Cult is all about.

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Dear Witch,

Eleven days into 2022 – my Hanged One year – my beloved cat Pagan died. I fell into a serious depression. I could barely talk and I cried every day for months. In addition to going on anti-depressants (I love them by the way, highly recommend), I eventually decided to swallow the medicine of the Hanged One and surrender. Surrender to what though? That’s what I had to find out. 

The Hanged One from the Wanderer’s Tarot Deck

Turns out that what the Hanged One is teaching us to do is to surrender to ourselves, to who we truly are, to whomever we have been resisting becoming.

For me that meant truly listening to my heart, my longings, my desires. To finally sitting down and giving my heart the floor and not beginning the whole conversation with, “Well, we can’t do that because…” or, “that’s not practical,” “how will we survive,” “what if your followers don’t like it,” “what if you fail…” etc.

My inner witch didn’t want to hear any of that, instead, I poured myself some coffee, sat down and let her sing her little heart out, this is what she told me:

“We need to go where it feels good. We need to create. We need to set ourselves free.”

Depression has a way of taking you down into the dark cave, and once the voices of shame and self-criticism settle down, if you get really quiet, your muse, your inner witch, can come out. I’ve been down in the underworld enough times to know that if I follow my muse, she sets me free. Even if it scares me.

Here’s what it means to be free.

I’ve grown so frustrated with Instagram. I feel like I’m constantly dancing to the tune of its pied piper leading me away from my true work. It wants me to focus on trying to figure out what it wants from me, to make it shorter, quipy-er, prettier, more photogenic. I’ve learned that one of the most insidious aspects of capitalism is how it limits our imagination. Capitalist culture says:

Do it like this, and you’ll be rewarded. If you don’t, you’ll be punished. 

Do it like this, make it about a celebrity. If not, it won’t get shared.

Do it like this, make sure you look hot. If you don’t, your engagement will go down.

Do it like this, compete, compare, consume, repeat. If not, you’ll fail.

The Crone says…

…the tides of capitalism, consumerism, and colonialism are so strong, they’re always trying to pull us out, away from ourselves. I have to remind myself of my witchcraft over and over again. I have to come to the Crone in her cottage in the woods over and over and over again, because otherwise the poppies of capitalism make me sleep and forget. The medicine of the Crone is to listen to your true desires and follow them, no matter where they lead. Your desires are the light you’re bringing to the world.

Here’s what I desire, here’s what THIS PLACE I’m creating on Substack is. I desire to be real about witchcraft, the questions of it, the complexity of it, its uses and its mysteries. I desire to focus on my creativity, my writing, my relationships with the people (you) who really get me and get what I’m doing, and to leave the rest of it to rot. 

What I want is this to be a place where we can go into the depths, where we don’t have to make it pretty, where we can just be ourselves. I want this to be our clearing in the center of the woods where we gather beneath the full moon. I want to call the spirits in, the Horned Ones, the Shining Ones, the Old Ones, the ancestors. I wish to give them the offerings of my authenticity, my voice, my blood.

Magic card from the Supra Oracle by UUSI.

I want to talk about…

…what it is to be a witch with ADHD, my love of the fairy Melusine, and Hecate, Robin Goodfellow, and the legend of the Holy Grail. I want to be able to talk about the New Animism, and medieval mystics, Silvia Federici, and post-colonial theory without having to tie it into a celebrity wedding, or make sure that no one on the Internet could ever be offended, or make sure that it also tells you how to improve your love life and get you $100k in three months. 

I tried to start this gathering space on another platform, but it felt so complicated and corporate, I couldn’t make my Heart Muse get on the horse…

…Then a woman, Sophia, a Greek Libra with red nails and a passion for poems about Persephone, reached out to me from Substack. And I really liked her. And I felt like we got each other: the energy felt warm, a good incubator for the creative golden goose egg, and even though this wasn’t necessarily the most practical platform for my needs, I want to go with what relationships feel right. I want to go where my enthusiasm takes me. I want to trust my heart even when capitalism encourages me to do otherwise.

And so, that’s what I hope this space offers you, dear reader: Mystery Cult is a place where we set ourselves free.

This is a space where we learn to trust our hearts. Where we help each other gather the courage to be our most authentic selves, to cut the path the Mysteries – the Life Force itself – has invited us to forge.

Here’s what I offer if you decide to stay with me:

• Free subscribers will get access to musings like this one, it will be a bit different from my past newsletters, less oriented towards quick tips, more oriented towards depth and complexity.

• Paid subscribers will get access to my monthly Full Moon ceremonies, New Moon PDF downloads (with simple ways ADHD witch friendly ways to stay connected to your practices), audio versions of the posts (almost like a personal podcast), bi-weekly chat groups, the ability to leave comments and chat, plus community connection throughout the month.

• Founder subscribers get all of the above PLUS 10% off 1-1 sessions with me and all my Mystery Cult group workshops; monthly group candle service blessings (!!); AND the deep satisfaction of knowing that you’re in reciprocity with my work.

• Tax Write Off: If you have a witchy biz, or an art biz, this newsletter is a subscription… and an important tax write off! Woot!

Note 1: Moon Ceremony People, Join Me!

If you’ve already been attending my moon ceremonies and paying the recommended price (about the same price as an L.A. yoga class), you’ll essentially be paying the same amount here, only now you’ll also get the New Moon downloads (NOTE: Next one is going out tomorrow!), AND you’ll be helping me have a steady stream of income I don’t have to worry about so I can focus instead on helping us find a way to devote our lives to beauty, creativity, and enchantment. If my work nourishes you, subscribing is the way to go!

Note 2: Broke People, Join Me!

If you’ve been attending my Moon Ceremonies (or even if you haven’t) but can’t afford to pay full price, just email me and we’ll work something out. I want everyone to be able to participate regardless of level of income. Whatever state your finances are in, you are welcome here.

So I’ve said what I offer, here’s what I ask of you:

I ask that you show up with your full brave self, that you have a sense of humor, that you remember and celebrate my humanity and the humanity of our fellow witches, that if you decide to stay you consent to letting the mycelium of magic work its way into and transform your life, that however long it takes, together we find a way to re-enchant the world. 

Witches of Mystery Cult, Hail and Welcome!

Love,

Amanda