The Gymnastics of Motherhood: Relishing the Equinox Moment with pagan mama, Emily

Cawnawyn chats with her friend Emily, a longtime Pagan/Wiccan mama of a three-year-old and an eight-month-old who is currently a stay-at-home parent after years of coaching gymnastics. They discuss how motherhood reshapes spiritual practice, from seasonal altars and simple home-clearing rituals to adapting Sabbat timing to real-life seasons in the Pacific Northwest. Emily discusses how her Scottish and Irish heritage shapes her pagan journey. The mamas also talk about sleep deprivation, identity changes, postpartum anxiety, and redefining “balance” as continuous maintenance, and share plans for the equinox and autumn with kids, along with personal practices for the upcoming Venus retrograde on healing and honesty. 00:00 Podcast Welcome 00:58 Meet Emily, Pagan Mama and Competitive Gymnastics Coach 02:59 Kids And Sleep 06:24 Heritage And Pagan Practice 11:17 How Motherhood Changes Spirituality 15:36 Identity After Kids 18:57 Creative Play 22:28 How We Are Celebrating the Equinox 24:50 Maintenance Over Balance 29:03 Nostalgia and Impossible Standards 33:29 Upcoming Venus Retrograde Healing Work 38:16 Missing Meditation and Truth Telling 41:44 The Attachment to Intensity 49:13 The Gifts of the Equinox 51:52 Closing Reflections and Farewell   Resources Mentioned in this Episode: “Mill Dust and Dreaming Bread: Exploring Scottish Folk Belief and Folk Magic” by Scott Richardson-Read   Questions, comments, and suggestions can be addressed to starsandsproutspodcast@gmail.com.   Follow Cawnawyn on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok @cawnawynmor for more music, astrology, and witchcraft.   Astrology classes, new podcast episodes, the Dark Moon Chronicle Blog, and music releases on cawnawynmor.com.   Watch the Podcast Video version on youtube.com/@StarsandSprouts Music by C. A. Worden ©️ Smashing Ivory Productions LLC 2026 Violin - Jean-Philippe de Passos (via Musiversal)