Kate Belew

Join us for a six-month creative coven with monthly gatherings, rituals, prompts, folklore, and stories about the Witches of the crossroads, their potent gardens, and sacred symbols. Explore the crossroads, the realm of these stories, the liminal where magic is made.

Welcome to The Crossroads: The Luminous Months

Gather under the dark moon during the luminous months of April-September.

During this six-month series and program, we will hold space with you at the creative cauldron. By the glow of the bonefire, and under the watch of the guardian oak tree, together we will explore and tell the tales of the Witches, Goddesses, potent plants, folklore, and myth. These stories are fodder for your creative work. They are rituals to hold you in the shifting of the seasons. Together we’ll celebrate the luminous months of the year, spring, which turns toward summer, and finally descends into autumn. The dark moon is the keeper of many messages, secrets, and stories. And at the crossroads, a few of her favorite stories will be shared. Each class will contain a meditation, a discussion of sacred symbols, an exploration of the crossroads, a story retelling from the Goddesses and Witches of the dark moon, and an opportunity to write an invocation with guidance for each of these mythic figures.

Our Schedule

Wednesday, April 15th, 7:00-8:30 pm EST, The Dark Moon of Pandora

Wednesday, May 15th, 7:00-8:30 pm EST, The Dark Moon of The Maenads

Wednesday, June 10th, 7:00-8:30pm EST, The Dark Moon of Ariadne

Wednesday, July 8th, 7:00-8:30pm EST, The Dark Moon of Artemis

Wednesday, August 12th, 7:00-8:30 pm EST, The Dark Moon of Psyche

Wednesday, September 9th, 7:00-8:30pm, The Dark Moon of Inanna

April: The Dark Moon of Pandora

In our first meeting at the Crossroads, we meet Pandora and her sacred vessel of curiosity.

A long time ago, Zeus held the reins of power. From his throne in the Above, Zeus pulled and tugged at the web of humanity. But when humans unexpectedly acquired fire, mortals became magicians. They brought the sun indoors, collected secrets from its crackling voice, and ousted shadows without a single prayer to the gods. Horrified by the thought of being forgotten, Zeus called on his fellow Olympians, and together, they crafted a curse. Hephaestus began with a handful of earth and forged a body with the face of a goddess. Athena taught the cursed woman how to weave, and Aphrodite offered her golden beauty and ‘scalding desire.’ The Graces showered the woman with flowers, Queen Hera crowned her with curiosity, and Hermes supplied a trickster’s mind and a name – Pandora.

May: The Dark Moon of The Maenads

Under the dark moon of May, we head to the forest to revel with the wild Maenads, following their pine-tipped wands of wildness.

Painted as lunatics and wicked women of the woods, the Maenads were followers of Dionysus, the Greek God of the Vine. In stories, this band of women possessed superhuman strength, fiery tresses, and lacked any stitch of self-control. The Maenads' frenzied dance both enticed and frightened uninitiated mortals, the people who’d never tasted the language of the moon. But to the outcasts, the wild ones, the people surrendering to their feral roots, the Maenads were not madwomen but messengers, sisters to witches, heathen guardians of the fairy tale forest. To them, movement was prayer, intoxicating and intuitive. In our first gathering at the Crossroads, a coven of dancing women beckons from a wooded haven. Dionysus prepares the harvest while his muses, the Maenads, writhe to the tune of madness. As the Maenads swirl in the forest with the madness of their dance and moon, their pine-tipped wands cast a spell. Pine is symbolically intertwined with the archetype of Peace, however, in the hands of the Maenads, Pine casts the spell of freedom. “We are most at peace when we are most ourselves,” they cackle. Pine is a wayfinding tree. Follow it’s tall stature to the center of the forest, where you’ll find shelter in the cathedral of their branches, held by the ancientness of dance and song.

June: THe Dark Moon of Ariadne

Come the buzzing of June, Ariadne gestures to her symbol of the sacred spool.

Ariadne reappears at the labyrinth’s threshold. With a spool of golden thread in her hands, the goddess leads us deep within the walls of the Minotaur’s lair. Her name translating to ‘holy’ Ariadne expertly navigates the maze of becoming. Tying together the threads of betrayal, redemption, and initiation, in our third gathering at the Crossroads, Ariadne unravels a story about monsters, mugwort, and harvesting mysteries from the lunar labyrinth. Mugwort is an expert traveler of the labyrinth and the underworld. Known for their intuitive properties, this Witching Herb and weedy and wild ally appears at the crossroads with messages from the other world. Put your ear to the earth of the Labyrinth, crowned in Mugwort, and connect with your wyrd and knowing self.

July: The Dark Moon of Artemis

In the shadows of the wildwood, Artemis tracks her prey and nocks a silver arrow. What lessons can we learn from the sacred bow?

The Huntress of the forest, the keeper of the wild wood, Artemis, arrives with her seeking arrow to teach us about the moon, wildness, cypress, and the hunt. This independent archetype, teacher of fiercess, this winter witch reminds us that the wildness that grows deep within our rib cages is longing to unfurl into the world and our work. Artemis strings her bow, and aims for the heavens, teaching us that we ever need exists already within us. Wherever Artemis walks, her hunting dogs by her side, Cypress  spring up behind her, teachers of wildness and magic at the edge of the forest. Gather around this bonfire, and listen to the tales of her potent and powerful path. 

August: The Dark Moon of Psyche

Psyche…

TBD

September: The Dark Moon of Inanna

September’s moon welcomes you to the door of the underworld guided by our lady, Inanna.

In all her winged forms – the dove, the goose, the vulture, Inanna circles the earth. Both a bringer of light and a harbinger of death, Inanna’s white plumage reflects her celestial status. She is, after all, the moon god’s eldest child. In her cosmic form, the planet Venus, Inanna is our Morning Star and nighttime compass, Hesperus. Fluid and sensual, ancient poetry describes our Lady of the Largest Heart as a vessel for alchemy and sacred partnership. People call her their Battle Planner and Foe Smasher, but Inanna also tends to the land. In her wild garden, she speaks to willow trees and Date Palm. She whispers to the rivers; their Underworld currents swell and deliver. Inanna and the ancient date palm are stories grown from the same seed, fertility. She is guardian of the harvest, the door between this world and the next.

Exchange: 

A single payment of $444

Two payments of $222

Three payments of $148

The cost of $444 for the six-month program includes six 90 minutes class, with recordings downloadable, six downloadable PDFs with rituals, altar suggestions, and prompts for extended study, a Slack Community & Coven to connect with other Witches around the tales, potent plants, magic, astrology, ritual, and storytelling (including Kristin & Kate). We prioritize making our offerings accessible. If you require assistance, please write us a message to explain your situation and we can work together to find a solution. Payment plan are available.

FAQ: 

DO I NEED TO ATTEND ALL WORKSHOPS LIVE?

No! This program is intended to support any schedule. Workshops can be listened to via recording. And you can tune into these workshops from any place as long as you have internet.

DO I HAVE ACCESS TO ALL MATERIALS FOREVER?

The Slack Channel will end with the program (2 weeks after closing), however, the prompts, exercises, and PDFs from workshops are yours to keep forever.

WHAT EXPERIENCE DO I NEED TO HAVE BEFORE JOINING? 

No experience needed! Just a love of stories and plant magic required. 

What will happen in each meeting?

There will be a guided meditation, education around the sacred symbols of each mythic character, a storytelling experience, guidance and prompts to create invocations and word witchery for each witch of the crossroads.

Testimonials from Previous Crossroads Classes

I love the Crossroads series. Every session is different for me. I love hearing the Goddess and plant stories and really enjoy the writing prompts. The Crossroads truly is a place of deep magic. It is very healing and revealing. Thank you Kate and Kristin for nurturing my witchy soul.

The Crossroads was and still is such a special hub for inspiration and creation. I have never written so many pieces of poetry in such a short time the way I did in each 90 minute session. So much magic resides in the stories and plants and Kate and Kristin know exactly how to bring you into that true space of the Crossroads where you can expand and travel into the realms of each. I have greeted the trees and the herbs, the Goddesses who tend them and have become entirely re-enchanted, I hope to do so again in the next one. I would recommend anyone remotely intrigued to run wild with the calling!

Kate and Kristin offer a tapestry of storytelling, the kind that our ancestors told long ago. The balance of ancient history with writing prompts truly helped me to overcome come hurdles and blocks within myself. I also appreciated the community that is built around the course, and being able to connect with others in the class to share their thoughts, stories and insights, made this feel extra special and deepened my overall experience. I look forward to future events, and continuing the journey.

My experience was just full of enchantment and I felt like I was just getting massive downloads of inspiration. It's so hard to pick a favorite but I really loved Kristen's stories. They were just crafted so well and I loved to hear her narrate them and feel the myth unfold in a new, special way. And also Kate introducing us to the plants - I'm not much of a plant witch, though I'd love to be and it was so cool to learn about plants and how they both have medicinal and magical correspondences but then weave into the story we've also heard. Those just worked so well together. And EVERY writing prompt was beautiful!!

After a few months of not writing a single word, The Crossroads reinvigorated my joy in writing. I came to The Crossroads to reconnect with my own voice and with the goddess archetypes that make up this inner voice. I left feeling optimistic and grateful about my writing, art, and life in general. Thank you for being so thoughtful and caring when creating this sacred, creative space for us! - A.

This course was a little bit of everything, and I cannot recommend it enough if you’re looking to connect with your creativity and the spirit of the changing seasons! There were beautifully told stories, primers on medicinal herbs, structured writing prompts that made the blank page far less daunting, a little bit of magic, and a really supportive community. I am walking away from this 5 week course with prompts and rituals that I can revisit anytime I want, some really powerful personal reflections & poems, and a fresh, creative spark. I can’t wait to sign up for the next one! - S.

Kate and Kristin use their incredible gifts of storytelling and wisdom to build a safe and loving container for beautiful things to be made and shared at the crossroads. The experience energized my creative life. Each week I felt inspired to create something as I integrated what I’d learned through writing and other art forms. Members of the online community were welcoming and supportive. There was just enough structure to the program to be organized and allow for creative expression. As someone who understands deities as metaphors only, I felt welcome to understand the characters being presented in the way that works for me without any pressure to see them in any other way. Highly recommend this experience! - D.

The way that Kate and Kristin wove elements of writing, magick, myth and herbalism into a sinuous experience was on a level all of its own; it was refreshing and definitely fuel for that creative flow we all need to keep life spicy and enjoyable. I am thrilled at the prospect of attending another. - T.

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