Check out the archive of the show on blog talk radio or on itunes.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/michaelbrazell/2013/04/09/the-psychic-and-the-witch-with-crystal-blanton

Often people have to switch into production mode in their lives, especially when things are overwhelmingly time consuming, there is little time left to take care of self. This is often a natural response to finding time to accomplish what is before us but it is actually one of the worst things we can do….. yet I do it all the time. Life doesn’t seem to slow down for me on the regular, so I have to rebalance in the pace of life as it is.

I am often the person that will sacrifice my own need for self care in lieu of production. If feels counterproductive to stop and take tie out for me when there is so much to do. But then I find that I am agitated more, unable to sleep, frustrated easier and feeling a bit depressed in the hustle and bustle of life. That does not suit me in the moment or long term.

So I have been focusing on releasing some of the energy, tasks, and ideas of perfection that I continue to hold onto so that I can find some sanity in the chaos. And so far it is really freeing. I have had several conversations, rejoined a gym, and started making decisions about scheduling housework and writing. I have also started to use the dish washer and the most important of all? I have started to meditate again….. nightly.

I found a nice 7 minute chakra tuning audio (also on youtube) that I am listening to nightly. I have realized that it makes a large difference in my sleep, in my thoughts and in my ability to reduce my stress. So I am going to continue.

And with that, I plan to bring more attention back to the website and write a little more as time allows. I have several writing projects and announcements coming up that are very exciting and I am looking forward to sharing….. right after I regain homeostasis.

Blessed Be

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/pagan-musings/2013/03/17/pmp-crystal-blanton

Being a guest on this show and being a guest on Modern Witch Podcast with Devin Hunter (along with T. Thorn Coyle) within the last month has been a real blessing for me, and I am grateful.

So I am sharing them both here. Enjoy and I would love to hear your feedback!

Crystal

http://modernwitch.podbean.com/2013/03/04/modernwitchs4e16-pagans-and-privilege/

Credit: Greg Harder

This year’s con I got the change to be on a panel called Pagan’s and Privilege, moderated by T. Thorn Coyle. I had an incredible experience and will be announcing the release of the audio when it becomes available through Solar Cross Temple.

In the meantime, here is an article done by Pagan Newswire Collective Minnesota on impressions from the event. And a link to a interview on the Modern Witch Podcast with Thorn and I.

Enjoy!!

Pagans and Privilege panel packs them in at PantheaCon

http://pncminnesota.com/2013/02/26/pagans-and-privilege-panel-packs-them-in-at-pantheacon/

MODERNWITCHS4E16: PAGANS AND PRIVILEGE

http://modernwitch.podbean.com/2013/03/04/modernwitchs4e16-pagans-and-privilege/

Email for inquiries and submissions: 

Megalithica Books, an imprint of Immanion Press (Stafford, U.K./Portland, OR, U.S.A) is seeking submissions for a the follow up anthology to Shades of Faith, released in August of 2011.  This anthology will focus on people of color working in magical communities and their spiritual practices.  This anthology will provide another opportunity to get the voices and experiences of minorities within the Pagan community out to the world and address some of the challenges, stereotyping, frustrations and the beauty of being different within the racial construct of typical Pagan or Wiccan groups. These communities include (but are not limited to) groups and individuals working in Wicca, Voodoo, Umbanda, Shaman, and other Pagan paths.

As many of the roots of Paganism come from the lands of people of color, much of the color of Paganism is often forgotten in the cultural mainstreaming that often happens to ethnic cultures. Many people of color within Paganism walk between the worlds of their birth ancestry and culture, and that of their spiritual culture.  This anthology is meant to show how that might look within the spiritual practice of one’s home.

Here are some suggested topics to give you an idea of the focus of this anthology.

• Rituals
• Poetry
• Your experience of integration into the Pagan community and how that might correlate with your practice

• Magical work
• Ancestor work
• Deity specific practices and relationships
• Integrating your birth culture with your spiritual workings
• What magical work are you doing now? How do you describe it? Do you work alone, in a group, or in several ttings?
•  Your birth culture and spiritual workings
• Stereotypes and prejudice and the impact on spiritual or magic workings.
• Being the only person of color in a coven, group or community
• Sharing your culture and history with other Pagans
• Cultural history and how that plays a role in your spiritual practice today
• Family culture and how that plays a role in your spiritual practice
• Cultural appropriations and how that works in your practice.

Rough drafts are due August 15, 2013. These drafts will be edited in a back-and-forth process with the editor. Essays should be 1500-4000 words, although if your work falls outside those limits, do submit it – we can discuss this during the editing process. Drop us an email if you are unsure whether your idea fits into the content. The sooner you start the communication process the better, as after the deadline we won’t be considering additional ideas.

Essay requirements:
• Citations for all quoted, paraphrased, or otherwise unoriginal material
• Bibliography of works cited
• Prefer APA format

Do write in your voice! If you’re academically inclined or trained, feel free to be as intelligent and technical as you like. If your work entirely talks in the first person about your own experience, please include this also. There is a wide range of voices, and we are interested in being as inclusive of style as possible.

Accepted contributors will receive a free copy of the anthology when it is published and additional copies sold at 40% off the cover price to contributors. All contributors will be provided with a contract upon final acceptance of their essays, not when they are accepted for editing. If your essay is not accepted for the anthology, we will tell you after the first round of edits.

The anthology will be edited by Crystal Blanton. She is the author of two books with Immanion press; Bridging the Gap; Working Within the Dynamics of Pagan Groups and Society, and Pain and Faith in a Wiccan World.  She is also the editor of the first anthology, Shades of Faith; Minority Voices in Paganism. She may be found online at http://www.crystalblanton.org and her email address for this anthology is crystal@crystalblanton.com .

Immanion Press is a small independent press based in the United Kingdom. Founded by author Storm Constantine, it expanded into occult nonfiction in 2004 with the publication of Taylor Ellwood’s Pop Culture Magick. Today, Immanion’s nonfiction line, under the Megalithica Books imprint, has a growing reputation for edgy, experimental texts on primarily intermediate and advanced pagan and occult topics. Find out more at http://www.immanion-press.com.

Currently the book is available at Amazon, the Immanion press website, Barnes and Nobles and through my website. (books through my site can be signed). I am very excited about this piece and grateful to those who helped me get it done.

Pain and Faith in a Wiccan World: Spirituality, Ethics and Transformation fuses spirituality and counseling concepts to add a deeper layer of personal growth and connection to living the Wiccan path. This book looks beyond the concepts of ritual and reaches into previously untouched territory within the Pagan book market to address thriving as a Pagan.

How important will it be for us to identify coping skills that aid in living as a Pagan while surviving the traumas that can be debilitating? How do we support a fellow Pagan in growing beyond circumstances in a way that maintains spiritual values and integrity? What are spiritual values and integrity? These are all questions that are crucial in the path of self discovery, growing as a spiritual being, identifying with living as a Pagan and using our pain as a stepping stone to true enlightenment and connection with the Gods.

This book gives personal insight into spiritual development and building tools to support others who are experiencing similar circumstances as well. This is a human issue book that addresses the needs of all levels of training. Too often we focus on the actions of Wicca or Paganism and not the actual living as a Pagan through various pains of life.

Pantheacon 2013 is approaching fast and I am growing more anxious and yet excited with the upcoming event.  I have been notified that I will be participating in four workshops this year and that is truly a blessing!  I will be doing one restorative justice circle for community love, compassion and healing.  I will be participating in a ritual with several of the ladies from Shades of Faith, collaborating on a mulit-faceted approach to diversity.  I will also be one two panels this year, one with Immanion Press and one with the Pathoes Pagan portal authors.  It is going to be a busy year.

This year is shaping up to have a nice line up of events and rituals to attend as well.  I am excited about the schedule and the opportunity to spend time with incredible Pagans.

I am anxious about the continuous issue that has become the “hotel disaster”.  I am booked at an off site hotel room and split from the rest of my coven.  This is very challenging since we share food, transportation and resources every year.  We also planned to share daycare support for my coven sister’s baby and I was hoping to bring my son this year but can’t have him in a hotel room in another location while I am at the con late night.  That wouldn’t work.

So it leaves me frustrated and concerned with how to make this year fluid with all that I have to do and the additional complication of the Con.  Supplies for reporting and for my events will all be off site without easy access for effective teaching or reporting.  It is complex at best.

So while the date gets closer, the obstacles of coordinating leave me more anxious and overwhelmed.  I am hoping for a streamlined solution to the complicated planning and for a favorable outcome at the end. 

None the less, I am very excited for the chance to share my craft with others and to learn from others.  It is an amazing blessing to have an event every year where I can walk away feeling like I have gained just that.

And may it be so.

Too often we forget to think about the people who have been our teachers throughout our lives.  This can be easy to do since we are constantly learning and growing based on those we run across and those we interact with.  But sometimes there are the mentors that come into our lives, teach us something specific and then move on to their next adventure.  A recent event has me thinking about the impact of people when they imprint on another person, making a soul connection that moves with them into the fabric of a person’s life.

I found out last night that one of my teachers from high school passed away this weekend.  That statement would be misleading if I left it as just that because Roger Anderson was more than a teacher.  He was my theater teacher, coach, director and supporter in school.  He was this incredibly moving individual that would take in kids, act as if he didn’t like them and then shower them with love in his own way.  He would tell us we sucked and then chuckle under his breath.  He would crack jokes at us and would laugh when we tried to poke fun back at him.  He had the highest of expectations of his students and treated us like we were professionals that were new to the business.  He saw in me what I didn’t see in myself but was silently hoping someone could.  He did.

I remember the first play to the last.  I remember standing on stage and listening to him coach me and the anxiety that I had in the pit of my stomach.  I remember sitting on the edge of the stage and listening to him talk about how we were better than the average high school theater.  It is those very memories that have served me so much in my life.

High school was one of the best times in my life.  I found much of who I was to become in that little theater on that campus.  I got to be a part of a vision, and learn how to make it become reality.  I got to go to Ashland and sit in theaters to watch professional do their craft and learn.  I got to be a part of something larger than myself and learn how to be a part of a real team.

Today I think of who I am and what I have become.  I think about my ability to think in frames, like a play, that helps me to write my visions out.  I also see my interactions with the kids I counsel the same way, like a improve session that has a framework and a projected outcome.  One of the frequent comments I have gotten in my 16 year career in this field is that I think quick, am very good with my words and creative in my approach.  Makes sense, doesn’t it?

And I have gotten to fulfill one of my passions and become an author.  I got to become a published author, travel and speak to people…. Teach people some of the skills that I write about.  It has been an incredible adventure. 

Learning how to harness confidence and speak with conviction is a skill I learned from my high school experience.  I never took public speaking classes, I took to the stage and listened to a tall, bald headed white guy tell me how to be authentic in my presentation.  It served me well.

Part of being a spiritual person comes with the realization that all things are about the cycle of life, about growth, about the lessons and that divinity runs through all of us.  We are of the Gods and therefore we are Gods and Goddesses.  Today I know this to be true. 

When I think about Mr. Anderson, I think about the incredible spiritual message he gave to me.  He was one of the trainers of my future, bringing me into my own and helping me to find confidence when I was so removed from it.  He made the world my stage.

Mr. Anderson was divine in his mission, in his approach, in his flesh and in his spirit.  He shared what he had with those who came seeking it, and sometimes with those who did not.  He took no excuses, he did not accept anything lower than the best and he demanded a respect for the art of the theater and of life.  He was an example of what it means to motivate people to be their best self.  I wasn’t the best actress, but that was OK because I had heart.

I think I was a Junior in this picture, or maybe a senior

So today is a reminder not to forget those people that help to build you into your best self.  It might be a family member, friend, co-worker, mentor or teacher.  It could be the person you least expect to have an impact on your life, forever changing your ideas about the world.  It could be the middle aged teacher in a little, under funded theater inside of a regular school… teaching life lessons behind a clip board. 

Take a moment to thank those people.  Tell those people the impact they have had on your life if you can.  Honor their memory.  Share the sacredness that was given to you with others.

And I will add Mr. Anderson onto my list of ancestors that impacted my life greatly.  I will send a special prayer to my mother to make him some of her fried chicken that he loved.  And I will remind her that he needs a “chicken bone bag” to go with it.  I hope he tells her some of his lame jokes to make her laugh and they can keep each other company.

Thank you Mr. Anderson for helping me manifest my life today.

Kathleen (mom), Marian (bestie) and I in the theater. Typical Crystal look, even back then.

This year has been full of travel and fun.  I have been honored as a presenter at several places, including Pantheacon, Pagan Spirit Gathering and Sacred Harvest Festival.  It amazes me how lucky I have been in meeting such incredible Pagans and seeing such awesomeness in this adventure.

The holiday season has reminded me, yet again, that gratefulness is a means to acknowledging the Gods for what I have and what I have yet to achieve.  I do feel like I have continued to walk a path that the God and Goddess have put before me, although I have not always known where it was headed.

The end of this year is closing and I have completed my travels for the year, finishing my last semester in my grad program and finishing the final production items before the release of the new book.  It is slated to come out in either late January or February.  I am very excited for this book.

Like with all the books, I get to explore different aspects of myself, my experience and my training.  This book that is about to come out really allowed me to explore the challenges of life and ways to move through those as a Pagan.  While I work with grief all day long in my job as a counselor, I also got to explore my personal process after losing my mother and put that into the writing.  I am very excited about the book and hope that it is a gift that helps someone else in his or her own process of transition.

Moving forward into the new year is bound to bring about new challenges, new adventures, new lessons and more opportunities for all of us, myself included.  I look forward to the many different ways that I can continue to grow and to also be a part of the Pagan community.

The coming year brings some travel.  Recently I was informed that the trip to South Africa was cancelled.  This is a huge disappointment for me but I know that the ways of the universe are mysterious and there must be a reason that I am not going to go.  I am comfortable with that.  The only anticipated travel on the calendar currently is a return trip to Minnesota and a potential trip to Salem for the COG Merry Meet in August.

Much attention will be focused this year on my Grad program in school at California State East Bay and finding a new balance that includes the demands that a master’s program can put on a person.  So far I am enjoying school, even with the lack of sleep and the high expectations.

So as the dark half of the year continues to become for prevalent, I will continue to reflect on the changes within my life and the balance I am searching for so that I can continue to pursue my dreams in the coming year.  I plan to write more for this site and be more present for many other things as well.  More to come.

I have submitted several workshops, including a Restorative Justice circle and a Shades of Faith ritual.  I am also tentatively involved in two potential other panel type workshops.

As soon as a schedule is solidified and we are free to advertise our workshops, I will post here what I might be doing at this year’s Con.

While I know there is a lot of frustration circling this year’s event due to the hotel changes, I am hoping to spend Pagan quality time with those who make their way to this magical festival!  Stay tuned for more information.