Welcome to The Wild Mystics.
We are Hillary Rain + Mandy Steward, a duo of wild gypsy artists determined to create what we most need to find.
For us right now this is space for our spiritual sojourn through the dark place we are drawn to again and again: the Mystery, the womb where life begins, the earth which cradles roots and bones and secrets, the long dark night where we thrash about with God or our stories of God, wrestle in and out of soulskin and emerge, sometimes bleeding, limping, haggard, and exhausted, into daylight. And because we create what we most need to find, we have also made space for you to come alongside us as we continue our creative descent into the shadowlands of the soul.
“The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.”
— Jack Kerouac
We are honored to announce the premiere launch of an eCourse designed for the dark night of the soul.
We see ourselves as wild women of the wilderness. We have dreadlocks and feathers in our hair. We follow the seasons of the moon. The night air whips our skirts into chaos until they shiver like prayer flags in the wind. Love, consider this your invitation to join a gypsy tribe, a motley gathering of the poet and the prophetess, of artists, dancers, seers and mystics, earthen sisters unafraid to mine the seasons of life / death / life and seek the wanton truth packed in our bones.
the way is difficult
We warn you: it isn't an easy sojourn. Within our descent we explore the rough edges of rejection and the harrowing emptying-out of grief. We embrace the aching howl of lament, of the sorrow and loss and death encountered along the way. We press up against the hard questions, the uprooting, the ripping apart of all we have known.
It's uncomfortable. For some it's unbearable. Actually it's quite dangerous. It gets messy and painful and hard; harder still knowing that this isn't a linear path but one which spirals through unexpected caverns and mermaid caves and dark forests, hidden labyrinths and catacombs and even our own backyard. It can be incredibly lonely. It is dark and wild. And while each path is uniquely our own, for we can only walk the Way we're given for ourselves alone, we do find solace knowing that others are merely a breath away—trembly and ragged as it might be.
For the Shadowlands are always with us. And when our eyes adjust to its glimmering light we find secret soul messages whereby we become transformed. This is the work of uprooting: of cracking open and finding light—but also accepting that while our fire can draw others close for intimacy and warmth, it can rage, create discomfort, burn up, smolder, scorch, and burn away.
To come along with us you have to be a little bit mad.
about your gypsy guides
Mandy Steward is an artist and author of the book Thrashing About With God—Finding Faith on the Other Side of Everything. She blogs her messes regularly atMandySteward.com. She also creates custom painted and inked Secret Messages for individuals, self-publishes a subscription based ‘Zine of gypsy journalism, and is a passionate partner in a vision called TheArtJournaler.com. She finally has a Self and finds that breathtaking.
Hillary Rain is a gypsy mystic who sees her life as a shadowy bohemian tale of mystery and grace. She is a soul-doula who stands in holy-hush to witness the birth of new life, and along with her beloved creative partner Denise is co-mama of Soulsigh—A Sacred Blessingway. She spills dark prose for secretrebelclub.com and writes about life, spirituality and the healing arts at spiritsoulearth.com.
giveaway details
You may learn more about Into the Dark Night—A Guided, Creative Descent into the Shadowlands of the Soul by visiting our website, www.thewildmystics.com and liking us on Facebook.
- To enter, leave a comment sharing what draws you to this eCourse and why you would like to participate.
- Giveaway open until Saturday, November 23, 2013, 8 PM CST.
- Winner will be chosen on or after 11/23/2013. If we cannot confirm contact within 24 hours we reserve the right to select an alternate.
- Winner must be willing to disclose contact information. eCourse runs 6 weeks and begins December 1, 2013.