Witch’s Cancer Journey: Onwards to the Apple Isles

January 18, 2026 by Thistle in Avalon

Dear readers of The Parting the Mists blog, It is with a heavy heart that I, Thistles significant other, have to write to inform you that Thistle has passed beyond the veil into the mists. She has sailed toward the Apple Isles where there is surely a rainbow bridge where all her loved ones and departed fur babies await her.

Many of you have been following her 6 year long ovarian cancer journey which she would update occasionally. Well this last treatment completely wiped out her immune system and the cancer began attacking her aggressively. When I say to you that this woman, this witch, this priestess, is the strongest woman I have ever known I am not exaggerating. Shortly after Christmas, with a few trips to KU for her ascites, she was hospitalized for 11 days where they gave us the news of how long she had left. They also placed a plurex drain and a venting G-Tube to mitigate throwing up and give her comfort. Even during this time she never gave up and was consistently herself. She even got me watching “Bridgerton” in the Hospital. Her greatest wish was to go home and she fought to be there.

On January 7th we were able to return home, and we thought there would be more time together. Thistle wanted to leave things tidied and in order but as soon as we came back there was a decline in her health. Not very long after she passed peacefully without pain, surrounded by people who loved her on January 13th, 2026 at 13:48.

Thistle was one of the kindest people I have ever known and brought magic into my life. We had 11 wonderful years together. We had many adventures together. She loved to hike, read, walk her dogs, care for pets, and make jam for family & friends. She also enjoyed cooking, baking, playing board games and Dungeons & Dragons, and she was an incredible stepmother to my daughter.

She was also incredibly proud of this blog. Which is why I will keep the blog here for as long as I am able. I hope her words, guidance, and discussions bring you comfort in the coming months and years. Should you want to help with her Celebration of Life through donation please message the blog and I will provide the link.

Thank you all. Hail the traveler.

May good Brighid and whomever deities you worship or work with watch over you.

Always with magic,

Allen

Posted in News & Updates, Original blog post, witch's cancer journey | Tagged , , | 11 Comments »

Witch’s Cancer Journey: Conserving Energy

December 14, 2025 by Thistle in Avalon

It’s been several weeks since I posted a card of the day; while I certainly didn’t plan on abandoning the practice without even a note to all of you, I’m afraid that’s what happened. I do hope to return in January, as I’m allowing myself a couple more weeks break from it.

Honestly, the past two months have been challenging. My Stage 4 Ovarian cancer progressed as the old treatment was no longer holding it steady, so we changed to a different treatment that combined two chemo drugs I’ve had before – just not in combination together.

It floored me. Two days after the treatment, I started with the worst nausea I’ve ever experienced. So much so that I hardly held anything down for 4 or 5 days. After that began the worst acid reflux I’ve ever had, which made it hard to eat much. After about 1-1/2 weeks of that, I noticed I couldn’t eat much and that my abdomen felt distended. Ascites had arrived in my cancer journey after 6 years, which basically means I had fluid building up in my abdomen and pressing on things like the lungs, stomach, and bladder. Which made it difficult to eat much, breath well, and not wee myself. The procedure to drain the fluid is typically simple, but local doctors didn’t feel comfortable handling mine and getting the referrals was taking its sweet time.

A sunset view of downtown Kansas City near the KU hospital.
Our hospital view the day of Thanksgiving.

On the day before Thanksgiving, the ascites was making it hard to breathe and my heart race, so we went to the ER. After being transferred to KU Medical Center (where my specialists are), we had to wait there until Friday to have the fluid drained. The relief was immediate – but the fluid builds back up quickly. We’ve already returned this week to drain it again. I have another treatment on Monday (it was delayed three weeks due to being sick), and we are hoping it will start to get control of the situation.

Until then, this priestess and witch is conserving her energy and sticking to simple spiritual practices like chanting my Brighid’s charm and converting the altar from Samhain to Yule. Bear with me as I make it over this new hurdle, and I hope to return in January with some good stuff.

Blessings of Avalon and Happy Solstice!

Thistle

Posted in Original blog post, witch's cancer journey | Tagged , | 3 Comments »

Today’s Card: Being ‘stung’ is painful, but often bears lessons

November 21, 2025 by Thistle in Avalon

It’s hard to look at something painful and see it as beneficial. But sometimes we are being pushed away from something that ultimately isn’t good for us – even though we thought we desired it. When something like this comes along, allows yourself to feel the pain but then ask what did it teach you?

Blessings,

Thistle

We see a wasp looking face down at the entire body, small feathers trailing from its back legs. In the background is a circle of Celtic knot work in a creamy yellow, and beyond that is a blue glow at the to of the card. It reads, "Wasp Spirit - Sometimes, life stings."

Wasp Spirit – Sometimes, life stings

Message: Not all that Spirit creates in nature is easy to love, but when we look through the eyes of Wasp Spirit, we recognize that even though sometimes life stings, there is a purpose for pain just as there is a purpose for wasps in the natural world. Wasps keep insect populations down, supporting the growth of plants. So, too, the sting of life may hurt and you may feel deeply disappointed or even resentful that Wasp Spirit has shown up, but you will soon come to see that Spirit has something wonderful in store for you. You may come to realize that being stung led to something far better than you had envisioned for yourself. Perhaps, behind the scenes, Wasp was conspiring with Spirit to ensure that you could grow something of value to you. Spirit has a plan, and Wasp Spirit plays a part. 

Have you ever looked back and been glad your prayers weren’t answered because the path you took led to something far better? Wasp is a reminder to reflect on those times, for today’s sting may hurt, but something better awaits you.

Protection Message: Are you holding on to anger, jealousy, or resentment because you got stung? Or could you have just stung yourself by comparing yourself to others? There will always be someone else who is more successful, happier, thinner, riches, etc. Jealousy is the false belief that you can’t have what you want or someone could take away something that was supposed to be yours. Let it go and release all those feelings that are making the sting hurt long after the stinger has been removed. Wasp Spirit has woken you up, and now you are called to trust that this too shall pass and is already doing so, for the pain subsides when you stop telling the story of how much it hurt.

Spirit Animal Oracle by author Colette Baron-Reid and artists Jena DellaGrottaglia

Posted in daily card reading | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments »

Today’s Card: Connect with Nature, Sovereignty with Green Woman

November 20, 2025 by Thistle in Avalon

Today’s card is a reminder to reconnect not only to the Earth but also to your own sacred soul. Have you been busy with mundane things and ignored that connection? Time to slow down and let the Green Lady guide you to a more balanced approach.

Blessings,

Thistle

The Green Woman, disgorger of nature, crowned with ferns and wild roses, breaths the divine word of life. Her calm, serene expression is steady and full of graceful sovereignty. Around her neck is the golden Celtic gorget representing the sun throughout the year. The golden amber cup before her has within it the milk of love and nurturing and the sheela-na-gig on its side represents the life force of all women. The Green Woman symbolizes the forest at midsummer. Here, amid the luxuriant foliage, small animals and birds of the Wildwood live and build their homes, creating a whole ecosystem within the branches and a safe haven for the innocent and vulnerable beneath its roots.

The Green Woman

READING POINTS: Appearing at a time of rich nurturing and protection, of learning and initiation, when loving and fertile relationships (both human and universal) abound, the Green Woman mediates the sacred sovereignty of the Earth’s soul and can show the path to understanding and communion with nature. But with this blessing comes responsibility. Remember that this glorious, magnanimous and generous spirit can live through you, radiated by the sacred breath of life and given to others who need guidance and healing. Learn from the abundant and joyous spirit of the Earth and be at one with the world and your true self.

DESCRIPTION: The Green Woman, disgorger of nature, crowned with ferns and wild roses, breaths the divine word of life. Her calm, serene expression is steady and full of graceful sovereignty. Around her neck is the golden Celtic gorget representing the sun throughout the year. The golden amber cup before her has within it the milk of love and nurturing and the sheela-na-gig on its side represents the life force of all women. The Green Woman symbolizes the forest at midsummer. Here, amid the luxuriant foliage, small animals and birds of the Wildwood live and build their homes, creating a whole ecosystem within the branches and a safe haven for the innocent and vulnerable beneath its roots.

MEANING: The Green Woman encompasses the female archetype of wildness and green energy. Her presence balances that of the wild man and represents the earthly manifestation of female solar energy and the rich bounty of the Great Mother. She also represents the goddess of the land, sometimes expressed as Sovereignty, who challenges all comers to brave her tests and to offer to those who succeed the gifts of inner kingship and love and a deepening bond to the riches of the Earth. From her pours the glorious light of the midsummer sun, blessing everything it touches with life and boundless energy.

This figure is complex and subtle but highly dynamic in her interaction with anyone who seeks to understand the nature of the Wildwood mythos. She mediates the sacred blessing of earthly fertility and the beasts that inhabit it and forms a deep bond with the seeker who wishes to attune to the rhythm of the Wheel of the Year.

In the Arthurian tradition, she validates the kingship of Arthur by bringing him the sacred sword and establishes him as a guardian of the Hallows of Britain, sometimes appearing as the Lady of the Lake, who fosters both Arthur himself as well as the young hero Lancelot. In other stories she manifests as the Flower Bride, sought after by more than one of Arthur’s great knights and offering the deep bonds of matrimony and joy to those with whom she shares her bounty. At its heart, her sacred role is the initiator of the human individual into the realm of the Wildwood.

The Wildwood Tarot by authors Mark Ryan and John Matthews and artist Will Worthington

Posted in daily card reading | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

Today’s Card: Rest and listen to your own voice

November 18, 2025 by Thistle in Avalon

Now is the perfect time to be still for a bit and listen for your inner voice – the Halloween and Samhain festivities have passed, and the busy times of Thanksgiving and Yule and still a week or more away. Take time now before you don’t have time. Maybe go for a walk and collect things from your region to construct a meditative wreath/mandala.

Blessings!

Thistle

A wreath of usnea (a lichen that grows on trees) lies on a bed of fresh snow. Rose hips, cottonwood twigs, dandelion roots, pine cones, and crow and gull feathers are tucked inside the nest for safekeeping. Three quartz crystals lie above the nest pointing north, while a single owl feather lies beneath. A candle is lit in the center of the offering.

The Hermit – Usnea

Withdraw into sacred solitude; gather treasures from the darkness; emerge with the light.

A wreath of usnea lies on a bed of fresh snow. Rose hips, cottonwood twigs, dandelion roots, pine cones, and crow and gull feathers are tucked inside the nest for safekeeping. Three quartz crystals lie above the nest pointing north, while a single owl feather lies beneath. A candle is lit in the center of the offering.

Meaning: Rest and stillness are good medicine. Go within and listen for your own voice. Clarity is found in places empty of others’ thoughts and ideas. Usnea, also called “old man’s beard,” grows long and healthy on trees where the air is clean. Find your mountain. Ask for guidance from nature. There are many gifts to be gathered in dark times; rose hips, cottonwood, and pine cones among them. Seek understanding from the allies you encounter during your time alone. A reliable fire starter, Usnea may save a life on a cold night, just as the perfect insight can warm a dying soul. When you are ready, let wisdom glow. 

Crafting with the Hermit

• Keep Usnea on your dashboard to remind you to slow down.
• Create a wisdom nest. Add allies and symbols that guide your quest for understanding.
• Craft Usnea fire starters and light them before beginning council with a sacred circle. 

The Herbcrafter’s Tarot by author Latisha Guthrie and artist Joanna Powell Colbert

Posted in daily card reading | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Today’s Card: Balance cunning with humility with Wren

November 17, 2025 by Thistle in Avalon

Here we are with one of my favorite birds! Not only is the wren one of my spirit guides, but they also frequent my yard (indeed, I have dubbed our little home Wren’s Rest). Being resourceful and cunning are good things, so long as you are honest about who’s back you raised yourself up on. These traits can easily go dark side, so try to use them in a way to advance life for others as well as yourself. Also, this card could mean you’re hiding behind humility – don’t let others take all the glory for something of which you were part.

Blessings,

Thistle

The card shows a wren holding a feather in its beak, as it guards its nest filled with eggs. Tradition calls the wren’s nest the “Druid’s House.” A bolt of lighting represents Taranis, the bull-god of thunder and lightning, the oak tree, and the wren. The Ogham sign in the stone is of Duir, the oak.

Wren (Drui-en): Humility, Cunning, God/Goddess

The card shows a wren holding a feather in its beak, as it guards its nest filled with eggs. Tradition calls the wren’s nest the “Druid’s House.” A bolt of lighting represents Taranis, the bull-god of thunder and lightning, the oak tree, and the wren. The Ogham sign in the stone is of Duir, the oak.

Meaning: Wren allows us to glimpse the beauty of God or Goddess in all things. He tells us that “small is beautiful,” and that self-realization lies not in grandiosity or apparent power, but in humility, gentleness, and subtlety. Cunning, if tempered with humor and good intent, is a way of achieving great things with an economy of effort, and a rational and honest use of the achievements of others.

On the flip side, this card could mean that you need to look at whether your humility and gentleness actually render you invisible to others. Are they your way of defending yourself from life and from others, rather than facing life and its difficulties? Perhaps you also need to look at how you use your cunning, your native wit. It is easy for the habit of building on the work of others to become dishonest exploitation of others’ achievements, just as it is easy for the cunning to become malign rather than benign. Remember that the story of the wren and the eagle can also be interpreted in a way that sees the wren as a cheeky and dishonest “upstart” who naively believes he can fool others and win status for himself through his ruse. Cleverness and building on the work of others require wisdom and honest skill if they are to be of value.

The Druid Animal Oracle by author Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm and artist Will Worthington

Posted in daily card reading | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Today’s Card: Evaluate your own boundaries, demands on others

November 13, 2025 by Thistle in Avalon

I don’t know about you, kind reader, but I constantly have demands on my time. Part of the problem, of course, is having varied interests and things I like to support. Recently, I’ve decided I need to pull back a little and focus on my own health and spiritual wellness. It’s not an easy thing to do – but we must all learn to balance setting healthy boundaries for ourselves and not becoming an all-out recluse. Take some time today to evaluate if you are letting others have too much access – or if you perhaps are too demanding of others’ time.

Blessings,

Thistle

The Porcupine and Anemone – Boundaries

Meaning: You cannot help others unless you first help yourself. Maintain healthy boundaries around your time and energy, giving gernously only once you are sufficiently fed.

On the flip side, take care not to judge others who seem bristly or closed off. Consider that they may have good reason to protect themselves from harm. Respect their boundaries, allowing them time to open on their own terms.

How can I ensure my needs are met?
Have I established healthy boundaries around my time and energy?
Do I respect the boundaries of others?

About this Card: The porcupine, with its impressive quills, is a well-known symbol of self-defense. According to a legend common among Anishinaabe tribes, the porcupine got its quills by placing the branches of a hawthorn tree on its back, defending itself against the bear. Nanabozho – the trickster spirit in Ojibwa myth – saw the porcupine’s cleverness and fashioned it a coat of quills to wear from then on. Just as the porcupine curls into a ball to defend itself from predators, the anemone flower turns inward and down during rainstorms, protecting its delicate petals from damage.

Woodland Wardens oracle by Jennifer Roux

Posted in daily card reading | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Today’s Card: If things are at a halt, reevaluate

November 12, 2025 by Thistle in Avalon

Isn’t this card just beautiful? Notice the use of flowers and wings on a rhino – not exactly what we tend to associate with the animal. But it supports the notion that we can overcome obstacles in more than one way. My domestic partner likes to say some people’s “dominoes only fall one way,” and this isn’t a good thing. Be open to other ways to get where you want to be.

Blessings,

Thistle

A rhino head emerges from a dark green background with pink, red, and purple flowers around it and tiny wings emerging from above its front legs. Glowing spirals are on its horns and its forehead.

Rhino Spirit – Overcome Any Obstacle

Message: We always have the choice to press ahead, and Rhino Spirit’s strength offers you the power to break through stubborn obstacles. This animal spirit knows there is more than one way to open a path to what you seek. When Rhino appears, you are reminded that you have the ability to overcome obstacles in multiple ways – by going around them, shattering them with the force of clear deliberate intentions, or even transforming them into clouds that drift away by refusing to allow them to limit you. Apply your Rhino Spirit with creativity and no obstacle can stand, for you have magic to make and many ways in which to make it. Your power is awesome right now.

Rhino also wants to remind you that when an obstacle appears to prevent you from getting what you desire today, it means that something much better is coming. Keep this in mind when you consider the nature of the obstacle in front of you now. Great Spirit loves you so much and only wants the best for you.

Protection Message: The appearance of an obstacle in front of you offers you a choice – barrel into it and bang your head, or find your easiest way around it and don’t fight it. Are you exhausted by your efforts to break through an obstacle? Are you stubbornly insisting that there is only one way to remove it from your path? Rhino is here to tell you that sometimes the answer is “no,” sometimes “no, not yet,” and sometimes it is “no, not the way you think it should be.”

Be open to new possibilities, and you will find other options begin to appear. Not every conflict is worth engaging in and not every obstacle is worth resisting head-on. Don’t waste energy banging your head against the wall.

Animal Spirit Oracle by author Colette Baron-Reid and artist Jena DellaGrottaglia

Posted in daily card reading | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

Today’s Card: Seek wisdom from tradition, not restriction

November 10, 2025 by Thistle in Avalon

Whenever we look at things we view as tradition, we must balance that with the discernment to know what part of it serves us and what part of it binds us. Sometimes binding is a good thing – being bound with other kind, helpful humans is helpful. Being bound to outdated modes or the service of one person’s ego is not.

Today, look at what wisdom and traditions you might need to embrace.

Blessings,

Thistle

 In front of a circle of nine tall stones sits the cross-legged, horned figure of the shaman from the Gunderstrup Cauldron, hands raised, with the serpent of wisdom in one hand and the torque of lordship in the other. Above the scene, a full moon rises. 

Nine of Stone – Tradition

Meaning: Reverence for past wisdom and sacrifice. The ability to relate to ancient knowledge and pass on the lessons of ancestral memory and ritual. 

Description: In front of a circle of nine tall stones sits the cross-legged, horned figure of the shaman from the Gunderstrup Cauldron, hands raised, with the serpent of wisdom in one hand and the torque of lordship in the other. Above the scene, a full moon rises. 

Reading Points: Whenever we reach back into antiquity with sincere reverence and respect, seeking insight and wisdom, we commune directly with both the esoteric and practical memory of the human species. The myths, rituals, and traditions of past tribes remain imprinted on the human psyche. Whether you believe this to be the effect of morphic resonance or the spiritual echo of past lives dedicated to the reverence of the Otherworld, the mystical traditions have a real purpose and meaning that you can draw upon, even in our frantic modern world. Through the study of ancient mystical traditions, we see how closely linked we are with the past and how little we have changed as a species. We are still driven by the primal needs and fears that faced the first humans. We still look at the night sky with wonder and awe. We still look at the ocean and feel the pull of the unknown. To reach back and invite past traditions to enlighten and enrich your life is to draw on ancient strengths that are freely available to those seeking wisdom, sustenance and consolation. 

The Wildwood Tarot by authors Mark Ryan and John Matthews and artist Will Worthington

Posted in daily card reading | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

Today’s Card: Create safe space for magic, creativity

November 6, 2025 by Thistle in Avalon

Have you neglected your magic? Or your creative pursuits? Have you paid attention to the ancestors recently? It’s easy to let ourselves get too busy to pay attention to these things, but they help create the magic in our lives. Take time for them today.

Blessings,

Thistle

Four of Fire – Elder

Make a little magic, stir up a special ceremony; holy helpers guide you and lend you power; honor the beings who guard the liminal spaces.

A wand is being crafted on a table brimming with activity. Potions, plants, and yarn are scattered about. Berries spill out of a wooden bowl. A fire glows inside a wood stove, and an embroidered pillow of Guadalupe rests on a rocking chair draped in silk scarves. The room is cozy and full of light.

Meaning: Create a safe space to make a little magic. Elder provides protection from stormy weather to small creatures and tender plants. It is a striking hedgerow plant steeped in mystical lore. Invoke the aid of holy helpers, like the crone who lives within the elder tree, guarding the portal between the land of the living and the realm of the dead. She appears in the frothy white blossoms of summer and in the dark berries of fall. Practice magical arts and move between the worlds. Honor the Old Ones. Elderberry syrup is a sweet remedy that heals a body weakened by invaders. Build a foundation that will sustain your work so you can create the life you desire.

Crafting with the Four of Fire:

• Hang elder boughs above the door to your creative space to honor the threshold.
• Craft a wand of power; the creative process of making magical tools is transformative.
• Make elderberry elixir; offer it to your ancestors during a dark moon and ask for guidance.

The Herbcrafters Tarot by author Latisha Guthrie and artists Joanna Powell Colbert

Posted in daily card reading | Tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Older Posts »