It’s time for the final Tending the Hedge feature in 2020, my series highlighting herbalists, artists, educators, and activists who engage in a practice of “magical stewardship,” all bravely sharing their magic with the world, living and working with intention. I see this as a form of mutual aid and raising each other up, as a rejection of competition and scarcity culture, and an opportunity to highlight ways in which folks are tending the hedges of their communities, so to speak!
As we approach both the Winter Solstice and the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn on December 21, it feels very apropos to feature the incredible tarot reader and astrologer Brady Waller of The Mythic Landscape! Brady’s work often reminds me of the great quote from Carl Sagan, “We are star stuff which has taken its destiny into its own hands.” As an astrologer, Brady demystifies the mystical, offering clarity to an often-confusing, “woo woo” subject, and I so appreciate their deeply-rooted and empathic perspective. Here they share some thoughts on navigating our experience of this universe, moving with intention and in harmony.
What are your pronouns and what is your sign?
They/them and my Sun/Moon/Rising are Sagittarius, Taurus, Cancer.
Are you a witch? If so, what does that word mean to you?
I don’t explicitly identify as a witch but I definitely could be described as one. I’m not really one for labels but I certainly would say that I practice magic and believe in an enchanted and living universe.
What drew you to your work? Why is it important?
I was drawn into this work by a desire to be seen and affirmed through a mystic spirituality. It has been a journey finding that even inside magical and “spiritual” communities but I do believe that I’ve found it. Astrology, Tarot – these are tools that I feel have aided me and continue to aid me in that being seen and seeing myself as I truly am. I hope that through my work, I can offer those same experiences to others. I genuinely believe that Astrology is a guidebook to our lives and whether we want to dedicate ourselves to reading that guidebook, or we work with others who can – it offers so much insight and guidance for navigating our incarnated existence.
How can others engage with this work and tend the hedge in their own communities?
On a broader scale, we can tend the hedge of our own lives and of our communities just by engaging with the world as a living thing and treating it with humility and awe. Further tending can look like noticing cycles and how time flows in on itself, developing a practice of noticing symbols whether they are numbers, animals, colors, or stars and planets. And rooting into my specific work, by learning to read the signs of the sky and telling stories about the deities and constellations dancing together each day and night, I feel that we can learn to move with more awareness, intention, and harmony with the universe that we exist in. As above, so below. As within, so without.
Did you enjoy this feature? Check out other magic-makers in the Tending the Hedge series!
