{"id":15774,"date":"2020-03-30T15:30:52","date_gmt":"2020-03-30T20:30:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/blog1\/?p=15774"},"modified":"2020-03-30T15:30:52","modified_gmt":"2020-03-30T20:30:52","slug":"10-questions-with-danielle-dulsky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/blog1\/?p=15774","title":{"rendered":"10 Questions with Danielle Dulsky"},"content":{"rendered":"

Today we’re talking with author Danielle Dulsky about her books, hags, self-isolating, and more!<\/em><\/p>\n

1. Your latest book Seasons of Moon and Flame<\/em> focuses on hags. How do you define a hag, and why did you use this term in your book?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The hag archetype embodies the wildest and most generatively destructive aspects of feminine intuition. She is self-sufficient, sovereign, and strange. She lives on the fringes of what is socially acceptable \u2014 much like the Witch.<\/p>\n

2. Why do you think we have these words like \u201ccrone\u201d and \u201chag\u201d for women, but no real equivalent for men?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Simply put, because of the patriarchy. The word \u201chag\u201d comes from the old English \u201chagge\u201d which was rooted in the Germanic word \u201chexe\u201d meaning Witch. The word \u201cWitch\u201d is still being reclaimed, but it is being reclaimed. The reclamation of the terms \u201chag\u201d and \u201ccrone\u201d may be moving more slowly because of ageism in our society. In my work, I usually use the term \u201csage\u201d to describe the masculine counterpart to \u201ccrone,\u201d and, yes, \u201csage\u201d has positive and world-wise connotations ,while \u201ccrone\u201d immediately evokes images of the feared solitary woman of the woods. <\/p>\n

3. Your previous books are Woman Most Wild<\/em> and The Holy Wild<\/em>. Does Seasons of Moon and Flame<\/em> build on those earlier works?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My first book, Woman Most Wild<\/em> is an invitation to the Witch-curious to consider the path of the Witch. The Holy Wild<\/em> is about honoring the reader\u2019s story as holy, as well as an invitation to revision the stories of what history has called \u201cshamed women.\u201d Seasons of Moon and Flame<\/em> is a deep-dive into storytelling and rituals for each of the 13 moon cycles \u2014 in essence, a year-long witchcraft apprenticeship in a book.<\/p>\n

4. What inspired you to start writing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nature has always been my inspiration. I\u2019ve written for as long as I can remember, and I have countless childhood memories of being outside, usually at my grandparents\u2019 humble mountain cabin, sitting on a pile of slate, scribbling away. <\/p>\n

5. I find your writing style inspirational. What author\u2019s writing inspires you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thank you! I\u2019m inspired by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Est\u00e9s, Bayo Akomolafe, Adrienne Maree Brown, and John O\u2019Donohue, among many others.<\/p>\n

$\"\"$ 6. Your new book, Seasons of Moon and Flame<\/em> has 25 mini hag lessons scattered throughout. What\u2019s your favorite hag lesson?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s tough to choose! The lesson I am really feeling right now is \u201cWhat is Wild Must Always Change.\u201d Nature always adapts, and we are all being called to adapt to some very sudden shifts in the collective right now. But if we remember that we are creaturely, this transformation is exactly what we were born for. These shifts can be more like a homecoming instead of a source of fear.<\/p>\n

7. You also started an online coven called \u201cThe Hag Ways Collective<\/a>.\u201d Can you explain what that is?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Hag Ways Collective is the online coven through The Hag School<\/a>. We get together virtually once a month for storytelling and spellwork. It\u2019s a wonderful group, and I\u2019m absolutely in love with the work we are doing together.<\/p>\n

8. In the current climate of self-isolating, do you have any advice for readers looking to be spiritually in touch with nature without endangering their health or the health of others?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Good question! I believe this is a time of metamorphosis or cocooning. That being said, not everyone\u2019s cocoon looks the same. Many people are working harder than ever, such as healthcare workers, teachers, manufacturers, and more. But, regardless of what the cocoon looks like, everyone is experiencing a time of transformation. We all will emerge from this experience transformed in some way, and so I am asking that we look to the caterpillar in the cocoon who melts into a soup of imaginal cells before becoming reborn anew. That imaginal soup is nature \u2014 a primordial sort of nature that is the very essence of transformation. So, even though the caterpillar might feel removed from the world and from nature while in metamorphosis, it is in fact, embodying nature itself.<\/p>\n

9. What\u2019s next for you? Do you have any upcoming projects you\u2019d like to share with my readers?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes! I\u2019m launching two new online collectives through The Hag School: \u201cThe Hive of the Holy Wild Flesh\u201d which is a body-prayer and moving spell-work group, and the \u201cHeathens-in-Business\u201d which is sort of a support circle for healers, witches, shop-owners and anyone else who is feeling into this invitation to do our work differently. I also have the next round of my \u201cHag Ways Apprenticeship Program\u201d launching right around the Summer Solstice in June 2020. <\/p>\n

10. What is one question you have for The Magical Buffet?<\/strong><\/p>\n

What are you being invited toward in this moment of cocooning?<\/p>\n

Honestly, between my day job, The Magical Buffet, and my health issues, I’m already a bit of a homebody. So, this doesn’t feel much like cocooning. Over course, this is just starting for me and New York. My feelings may change as time goes on.<\/em><\/p>\n

$\"\"$ About Danielle Dulsky:<\/strong>
\nDanielle Dulsky is a heathen visionary, pagan poet, and word-witch. The author of “Seasons of Moon and Flame”, “The Holy Wild”, and “Woman Most Wild”, she teaches internationally and has facilitated circles, communal spell-work, and seasonal rituals since 2007. She is the founder of The Hag School and believes in the emerging power of wild collectives, cunning witches, and rebellious artists in healing our ailing world. Find her online at www.DanielleDulsky.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Shop your local indie bookstore<\/a> <---This is an affiliate link to IndieBound, which supports independent bookstores throughout the United States. If you use this link to purchase the book, I will make a small commission at no additional cost to you.<\/p>\n

Do you enjoy The Magical Buffet? Considering supporting The Magical Buffet on Patreon! For only $5 a month you\u2019ll receive monthly tarot\/oracle forecasts, classes, and behind the scenes updates! https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/magicalbuffet<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"