Witchlight And Pawprints

growth doesn’t always mean constant striving. We live in a world that tells us we have to keep one-upping ourselves.

Get fitter. Get richer. Get wiser. Heal faster. Climb higher. Even when we finally reach a place we’ve worked so hard to arrive at, whether that is peace, joy, or self-acceptance, the pressure doesn’t stop. Society whispers, “Is that all? Shouldn’t you be doing more by now?”

But the plateau teaches otherwise.

It doesn’t keep climbing forever like a mountain does, and yet no one looks at it and thinks, “Well, that’s disappointing.” It is breathtaking in its own right. Its growth ended long ago, but its presence hasn’t stopped. It still stands. It still holds beauty. It still commands reverence.

That is what it means to plateau in life. Not to be stuck, but to integrate. To learn how to love yourself right where you are. To settle into your own power without apology.

Yes, we will never stop growing. We will keep learning lessons, shedding skins, deepening our healing. But that does not mean we have to keep “improving” in the way society demands. Healing is not about becoming someone else’s idea of perfect. It is about becoming your own perfect.

And here is the truth: even when you reach that place where you finally feel aligned with yourself, you will still have bad days. You will still stumble. You will still doubt. And that is okay. The plateau has rainstorms and erosion too, but it doesn’t stop being magnificent.

So let Castle Rock remind you, as it reminded me:

You don’t have to keep climbing higher to be worthy. Your life is not a ladder to the sky. Sometimes the deepest magic is found in resting on your plateau. Not society’s perfect, but your own.

Recently, after talking with my therapist about feeling overstimulated by the endless noise of social media and video content, I decided to finally give it a home in something quiet and low pressure. Because I tend to be a perfectionist with my art, I didn’t want this relaxing practice to become stressful. So I started a no erase art challenge: drawing with art pencils that have no erasers and coloring only with the few markers I still have, as I had to throw away my others. They were all dried up, which limits me to a small palette. No erasing, no perfecting just letting the lines be, mistakes and all. It’s imperfect in the best way.

So far, I’ve drawn:

• A lantern carrying a piece of the sun

• A wooden teacup filled with galaxies

• A rope of magical bells

• A crystal held gently by curling vines

Each drawing gets its own tiny, one sentence story not part of a bigger fantasy world, but each living in its own little pocket of magic. I draw while listening to a Christmas jazz ambiance video, complete with the sound of a purring cat and a tiny dog sitting by the tree. I don’t know why I find that relaxing but I do. Somehow, this has become my perfect little ritual: a handmade journal, imperfect lines, small worlds on each page, and soft music in the background. Here’s what I’ve made so far.

• When you wake up, whatever time that is. Morning is a flexible concept. If you work night shifts and your “morning” is at like 8 p.m., this still works.

• Before a stressful day

• As part of a larger daily practice

• Or just when you want to feel more in charge of your vibe

What You’ll Need:

• Coffee or tea (whatever kind you like instant is totally fine too!)

• Optional: creamer, milk, sugar, etc.

• A rune (or symbol/emotion) you want to embody

• A spoon, fork, wand, finger—something to stir

How to Do the Spell:

1. Brew your coffee or tea.

How you make it doesn’t matter instant, press, machine, whatever. What matters is the intention.

2. If you use creamer/sugar, pour it in with purpose.

Think about your intention. Maybe it’s:

• “Let me have a peaceful day.”

• “Let me stay grounded when that co-worker acts up.”

• “Let me feel good in my body today.”

Whatever it is, pour it in slowly, like you’re feeding the drink with your goal.

3. Choose a rune (or emotion) for your intention.

This can be an actual Norse rune, a symbol you make up, or even just the feeling you want to draw in (like calm, focus, energy, protection).

4. Draw the rune above the drink with your hand.

Picture the symbol glowing above the cup. Then, imagine it sinking into the drink, like you’re charging it with energy.

5. Stir the drink clockwise to activate.

As you stir, repeat your intention in your mind.

(Clockwise = casting. Counterclockwise = releasing, so avoid stirring the wrong way unless you’re trying to dispel.)

6. Drink it with awareness.

Every sip is part of the spell. Keep your focus on what you called in. Let it settle into your body with the warmth of the drink.

They’ve been used for centuries to demonize femininity, sensuality, and nonconformity to punish women and queer people for existing outside the lines. But what happens when we reclaim that? When we say yes, I am that voice you tried to silence?

For me, it’s also a trans story. I released an album a few months ago, a whole one, that’s an allegory for my trans experience within religion and leaving religion and becoming myself, centered on a siren. I didn’t even fully realize at the time how deeply that symbolism runs in our community. But it does. And now I see why.

The voice that was taken or twisted I reclaimed it through music. The in-betweenness between land and sea, human and other that’s me. The fear people have of our beauty, our rage, our softness that’s queerness. And sirens carry all of it.

I know that if I said this to most people, they’d call me delusional. But I think the otherkin and alterkin and sirenkin etc communities would understand. You might understand. You know what it means to carry something that the world says isn’t real but you know it is. You feel it. You are it.

So… this is me. Elf. Siren. And if anyone’s curious, yes the album exists. The music is the myth. I’ll gladly share it with anyone who wants to hear it.

I’m disabled. I deal with chronic fatigue, severe back pain, and limited mobility. I want to work, but I physically can’t do most jobs and even the ones I could get in the past either underpaid me or didn’t last. (And legally, I’m only allowed to work part-time on SSI anyway.)The only reason I’ve survived is:

Medicaid, which covers the physical therapy that helped me with severe back pain that made it imposible to sleep for several days.

Harmones, which help me stay mentally sane. (also covered by medicaid)

My SSI and section8. I make less than $1,000 a month on SSI in a state where the average rent is between $2,000-$3,000 a month. I'd be back on the streets if it wasn't for section8.

This new bill doesn’t just go after immigrants. It puts people like me at risk by pushing work requirements on Medicaid. Colorado (thankfully) isn’t enforcing those requirements, yet. But nothing is guaranteed after the next election. One change in state leadership, and I could lose everything.

To make it worse:

My mom and stepmom were just laid off. My dad’s side voted for the guy who pushed this bill and now they’re struggling too. They used to be my safety net. But now? If I lose my benefits, I’ve got no one to fall back on.

This bill will strip millions of healthcare, food access, and housing. It gives nothing to us but everything to billionaires and defense contractors.

And they called it “beautiful.”

That elven part of me has come and gone in different ways throughout my life. Later, as an adult, I learned more about my ancestry, about my Celtic roots and the belief systems many of my ancestors likely followed. Some of them, especially the Druidic ones, believed in forest guardians. And my ancestors as well as some other people's that I've heard about, called them elves. Some said the elves were shapeshifters, able to take human or animal form. Others said the animals themselves were the elves.This connected so deeply with things I’d felt since childhood that I felt… seen. Remembered.

After leaving Christianity, the faith my adoptive parents raised me in (and which my adoptive mother eventually left too) I began reconnecting to my ancestral beliefs. At first, I turned to modern Druidism. But as I grew, I realized that I couldn’t follow any organized path completely. Most organized religions come with a “do it our way or it’s wrong” mentality and that never sat right with me. I don’t believe the Earth, or the spirits, or the universe demands strict adherence to someone else’s rules. I believe in respect, in intent, and in relationship.So I became eclectic. My path is a blend of ancestral magic, elemental work, spiritual intuition, and the lessons I learn from the living world around me.

The title "Elven Priest of the Unseen" isn’t about hierarchy or ego. I don't think I'm above anyone. I simply feel called to work deeply with the Earth, with nature, with the spiritual world. To speak and listen in the spaces most people ignore, the quiet ones, the hidden ones, the unseen ones. And yes, I suppose you could call me otherkin, I’ve heard that term before. It fits, in its own way.

As for “meowgic”, it’s a pun, yes, but it’s more than just a cute twist. In recent years, I’ve become deeply connected with cats. The way they teach boundaries and consent, their quiet wisdom. They’ve taught me so much about energy, about respect, and about magic. My connection to animals has always been strong (wolves especially when I was younger), but cats have played a big role in shaping who I am now. So I use “meowgic” to honor that. It’s whimsical, but also intentional.

I’ve worked with forest spirits, some of whom appear in animal form. Whether or not they can shapeshift doesn’t matter to me, what matters is that the truth of them resonates. I’ve felt the deep energy of the Earth before. It’s not always loud. It doesn’t always show itself unless you're looking to work with it. That’s why I call it the Unseen.