A Medicine Story: The Dead, Disasters + Power of Water

Today marks a rare convergence—both All Hallows’ Eve and Diwali, the festival of lights celebrated in the East. As we honor Halloween, a tradition rooted in my own ancestral ties to Scotland and Ireland, I’m reminded of the shared theme between these days: a reverence for what lies beyond, whether in the shadows or in the warmth of light. It’s a powerful reminder of memory, the cycles of release and renewal, and how time itself can be a gift—a current that both flows from the past and guides us forward.​

This episode explores these themes further, reflecting on memory, resilience, and the ways we’re called to tend to the deep waters of our past through a recent Natural disaster called "Helene." I’ll share thoughts on honoring our ancestors, navigating emotional currents, and the strength we find in community care during times of crisis.

Hurricane Helene:

Hurricane Helene, large, catastrophic tropical cyclone notable for its rapid intensification that ultimately produced a wide swath of damage and loss of life that extended from northwestern Florida, where the storm made landfall on September 26, 2024, in the mountain ranges of Western North Carolina.

Helene’s high winds and flooding killed more than 230 people, making it the deadliest hurricane to strike the U.S.

Some estimates put the economic impact of the storm, including property and infrastructure damage, as high as $200 billion, which would make Helene the costliest storm in U.S. history.

Helene’s metamorphosis from an area of scattered thunderstorms and rain to a category 4 hurricane in the span of a little more than two days was fueled by abnormally warm waters in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, which meteorologists have attributed to global warming.

The occult side of Helene:

• My dreams, most nights for 11 years (after I had my daughter): Were of floods, devastating flooding waters tearing through our towns, people trying to get away with roads crumbling all around them, landslides, tsunamis, etc.. As soon as we moved to California- I stopped dreaming.
• Ardra: Ardra Nakshatra is in the Gemini zodiac sign and is characterized by a Teardrop. Ardra Nakshatra means moist or wet and stands for transformation and destruction! The nakshatra also depicts unmet desires of the past life being carried forward to the present life embodied in our subconscious. The female gender Ardra nakshatra is governed by Rahu, whereas Rudra- the lord of storms is the Hindu deity of the nakshatra. 
• The 1,000 year or 30,000 year (depending on who you talk to) storm that is unprecedented in our modern history books, came during a time in the Vedic calendar known as Pitru Paksha. This is the time devoted to the ancestors, and what we were focusing on in ritual practices and research with our Wild Temple School. As I, alongside the thousands that emerged from being “in the dark” in SOS mode, cut off from civilization 3 days later, I noted that we were in the final days of this worship, heightened by the new moon also being in the constellation dedicated to the ancestros. This event, known as Magha Shraddha is powerfully auspicious.. as it amplifies the benefits of ancestor worship, resolving unfinished karma, fostering familial bonds, and inviting ancestral blessings. By honouring their heritage, devotees seek guidance, protection, and prosperity, making Magha Shradh a vital ritual for those seeking to reverence their ancestors.