Readings By Whitney

11/02/2026

10/30/2026

Some say the Cailleach is the oldest Ancestor of Ireland.

She pre-dates even the Tuatha Dé Daanan – also known as the Sidhe, who fill much of Irish mythology and inhabited Éire before human beings – and then agreed to move into the Otherworld/Sidhe Realm when the Milesians defeated them in battle.

Some stories say that Cailleach created Ireland, and then shaped the landscape by dropping stones from her skirt/womb as she leaped across the land.

She is the Bringer of Storms – the Old Woman of the North. She commonly shapeshifts into Hare, Owl and other animals. She is known as Mother of Deer and can shift into a female Hind to disappear into the mountains.

She wears the Caille – the veil, and her skin is blue like the ice she brings to the land. Her time is Samhain (November) – when she brings storms to the land and spreads her cloak of ice and snow.

Each wrinkle on her ancient face is said to contain the joy of a life well lived, as she has been alive since before time itself. The tales say she has been wed to many Kings, born many children, and thus entire peoples come from her. Renewing herself every hundred years to her youthful state – she is the Great Mother Goddess of Ireland.

But being an Old Woman, she is also dangerous, like the weather.

Like a storm, she does not give a f* #! about your ego or why a person might have behaved badly or come unprepared.

She is pure natural consequence.

She will not bother to sugar coat her words so they can land more gently.

She is abrupt, straightforward and you will know immediately where you stand with her.

She’s not cruel – but her compassion will cut away all that is not helpful.

This necessarily brings a certain kind of safety, but not the appeasing keeps-you-comfortable kind. She is the nemesis of the patriarchy, which might be partly why there are less stories about her than some of the other gods and goddesses of the Tuatha De. She’s impossible to Christianize and even harder to appropriate.

Men behaving badly don’t want her in the room, and she likely won’t stay anyways for more than a minute, because she sees right through them.

She literally leaps across the land giving birth to mountains.

She ain’t got time for that.

Samhain marks the return to the underworld time - leaves falling to the ground and decaying – feeding the roots of the trees.

Life moves underground and along with it our psyches turn to our own, inner “underworld.”

It is a time for reckoning with grief, for deep reflection & releasing what no longer serves you. Cailleach's fierce compassion is here to walk with us through these Dark Woods.

THIS SAMHAIN, WALK WITH THE CAILLEACH.

Let the old things fall.
Let what is dead feed the roots.
Let the dark show you what the light could not.

You do not have to fear the wildness of becoming.

The Old Woman of the North knows the way through the Dark Woods.

~Art by Laura Tempest Zakroff

10/30/2026

A Connected Legacy: Uncovering Shirley L. Sandage’s Story 10/29/2026

Shirley L. Sandage May 5, 1927 — Jun 27, 2012 was a formidable American social activist, author, and public servant who dedicated more than four decades to championing the rights of marginalized farming & migrant communities.

Born in Iowa in 1927, she became a national force in the 1960s and 1970s, stepping onto the front lines to advocate for migrant farmworkers and agricultural labor families. Her fierce determination led to the passage of vital child labor laws and eventually brought her to Washington, D.C., where she served as a rural welfare expert and civil rights negotiator for the U.S. Department of Labor. Shirley was a woman who looked at broken systems and refused to back down, spending her life protecting those who had no one else in their corner.

In 1977, Shirley channeled her fierce advocacy into a groundbreaking initiative focused entirely on empowering women. She established "The Door Opener", a pioneering crisis and resource center designed specifically to support women navigating massive, difficult life transitions - similar to "The Women's Resource Center" in Scranton, PA that I fundraised for. Whether women were rebuilding their lives, reclaiming their independence, or seeking safe and secure paths forward, Shirley’s organization provided the tools, career guidance, and community support necessary to forge a new beginning. She believed deeply in removing barriers and creating spaces where women could discover their own resilience and rewrite their futures.

Later in her career, Shirley expanded her reach to advocate for people with disabilities, managing national campaigns to promote community inclusion alongside former presidential press secretary James Brady. When she passed away in 2012 at the age of 85, she left behind a profound blueprint for grassroots activism. Shirley’s life stood as a powerful testament to the impact of a single individual dedicated to helping others change their circumstances, making her story an enduring inspiration for advocates who continue the vital work of guiding people through transition and change today.

Today, decades later, this legacy of strength unexpectedly crossed paths with my own life right here in Morriston, Florida on my little farm. I am someone who has come through big challenges and continues to do so, and I am a huge advocate for women in transition and change, helping people as much as I can.

While I was out picking my pony's paddock today, I uncovered a physical belonging that once belonged to Shirley. Finding this personal artifact buried in the earth, completely out of context, was striking—but finding it today, exactly two days before Halloween when the veil between past and present feels thinnest, made the moment truly unforgettable. It felt less like a coincidence and more like a profound collision of two lives dedicated to the similar missions.

When Shirley passed away in 2012 at the age of 85, she left behind a powerful blueprint for grassroots activism. Today, her story serves as a visceral reminder that the work of guiding people through transition and change is a continuous, sacred torch.

Pulling her belonging from the ground stands as a powerful sign of alignment—a message from the universe that the path of helping myself and others reclaim their lives is exactly where I am meant to be.

🌌 My Takeaway and the Sign from this Find:
Finding this specific belonging, in that specific location, right before Halloween carries a beautiful symbolic meaning for my life and my work right now:

*The Ultimate Validation: I have fought through my own major life challenges, and I now spend my energy helping other people do the same through my professional work paths. Shirley’s life work was literally called "The Door Opener". Finding her item is a cosmic nod telling me: "You are an opener of doors, too. Keep going." I feel like a Lighthouse at times connecting people who need to meet. I wish I could spend an hour over coffee with Shirley - I have so many questions tonight.

*The Paddock Symbolism: A paddock is a place of safety, care, and tending to vulnerable creatures. Unearthing a piece of an advocate's soul while doing the grounded, everyday work of caring for my animals shows that my healing and my advocacy are rooted in real, everyday love and labor.

*The Timing (Two Days Before Halloween): This is the time of year for remembering ancestors, honoring those who came before us, and listening to the whispers of the past.

I feel like the universe waited for this exact atmospheric window to drop this artifact into my hands. It is a reminder that I am not walking this path alone. I have the spiritual backing of the fierce women who cleared the road before me.

This takeaway is my confirmation. I survived my challenges for a reason, I am here for a reason, and the universe just handed me a physical sign to prove that I am part of a long, unbroken line of protectors.

RIP Mrs. Shirley L. Sandage

10/27/2026

Druids Cutting the Mistletoe on the Sixth Day of the Moon (c. 1900) was painted by the French history painter Paul Henri Motte (1846-1922).

It shows a Celtic tradition that took place around the winter solstice (the shortest day of the year). This moment, also known as Mean Geimhridh, was celebrated to mark the beginning of longer days (when light would win from dark).

An important celebration among the Celts was that of the Druids (a class of wise people held in high standing in their society). This painting depicts one of their traditions that took place on the sixth day of the moon, the first day of the Celtic month. It is called the Yule time All-Heal ritual.

It shows the Druid priest on the top left cutting the mistletoe with a golden sickle. This mysterious evergreen plant was sacred to the Druids, and it was usually found in ancient oaks, apple trees, and poplars. As the mistletoe was often suspended mid-way between heaven and earth, it was seen as a symbolic gateway to another world. A spray was given to every family to hang in their homes to intensify spells and prayers, to protect the inhabitants, and induce beautiful dreams. And, beneath it, a kiss of peace was exchanged (a tradition that some of us may still be familiar with).