Join us, for a lively conversation with Leilani Kahuna Birely! Leilani is a Native Hawaiian Kahuna and Dianic High Priestess who teaches ancient Hawaiian healing and Goddess wisdom. She is the founder/ritual director of Daughters of the Goddess Women’s Temple in the San Francisco Bay Area. Leilani has co-authored the book: “On Holy Ground: Commitment and Devotion to Sacred Lands” with Luisah Teish. *Stay tuned until the end when Leilani gives us a short Spring Goddess Invocation **

Leilani chats about her early magical beginnings in Hawaii and being influenced by her grandmother's stories about Pele who is the Goddess of volcanoes and fire. As early as she can remember there was a strong connection and respect for the indigenous deities of Hawaiian culture in her family despite her Catholic upbringing. And it was these stories that kept the Hawaiian spirit alive for Leilani. The “Mana” or spiritual energy of Hawaii is very strong and carries through Leiliani’s beliefs and teachings as a Dianic Priestess and Kahuna. She felt the spiritual energy of the islands and it has always felt powerful and natural to her.

Leilani went back to get her masters degree and studied Women’s Spirituality in the SF Bay area and was taught by such legendary women as Luisah Teish and Vickie Noble. Leilani took a class in Priestessing that was taught by the legendary Z. Budapest - the founder of Dianic Wicca. This matrifocal Goddess focused spirituality felt very real to Leilani and she eventually became ordained by Z. Budapest as a Dianic Priestess. Leilani started Daughters of the Goddess in 1996.

Leilani is also an ordained Kahuna which is a Hawaiian spiritual teacher and she weaves the Hawaiian Goddesses in with her Dianic spirituality. Since she also has European ancestry, Leilani brings a multicultural energy of the Goddesses as well as Hawaiian chants, prayers, and Hula into ceremony with her Dianic circle: The Daughters of the Goddess. Leilani and Loiuisa Teish also co-wrote a book together about sacred travels, honoring the Earth, indigenous people and nature from the African and Hawaiian spiritual traditions.

Interestingly, Leilani’s and my paths crossed a few times over the years and it's such a special privilege to be able to share her magic, Aloha energy and unique spirituality on this show with my listeners! More about Leilani at: www.daughtersofthegoddess.com Tune in and be enlightened!

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Join us, for an illuminating conversation with Lorraine Monteagut! Lorraine Monteagut, Ph.D., is a queer Latine Witch and author of BRUJAS: The Magic and Power of Witches of Color. Lorraine's scholarship in occult ancestral spiritualities traces the diverse traditions of contemporary magical practices. Lorraine's second book, Modern Witchcraft for Dummies is forthcoming in April 2025. She is the creator of Witchy Heights, a community space for practical magic and spiritual activism. *Stay tuned until the end when Lorraine gives us a short sacred ancestor invocation **

Lorraine chats about her early Witchcraft beginnings and being influenced by her great grandmother who was a spirit medium in Cuba who helped people connect with their lost loved ones who passed over. Lorraine speaks as a millennial being influenced by the pop cultural moments that were available to her with such TV shows as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and movies like :”The Craft”. As a young 12 year old she identified as a Witch.

Lorraine talks about how now in the modern moment there is a reclaiming of the word : Bruja. Bruja is the Spanish word for Witch. Its an identity that continues to evolve just like the word Witch does to encompass all the new things we are doing. And with all gendered versions of the word. While reclaiming the past. She sees Brujas emerging within the intersectional feminism where Witches of color are taking the lead. And bringing their own cultural mythologies and touchstones to the larger Witchcraft movement. Brujas are also creating communities centered around activism. She sees the Bruja as a nexus of all of the new pathways away from Witchcraft that was centered around European traditions or Greco- Roman mythologies.

Learning about the folk magic , customs and the rituals of indigenous folks who lived on the land that you or your family came from in different parts of the world is valuable investigative work that can enriches you as a Bruja or Witch. In her book BRUJAS: The Magic and Power of Witches of Color she also includes cultural ancestors in addition to blood ancestors that we can incorporate into our magic.

Also Lorraine suggests we can create a personal ancestor altar that can help us speak and connect with our ancestors even if they are land spirits, community elders, spiritual teachers, or cultural icons and remind us that we are not alone.

We also chat about magical activism and creating spiritual communities that can help each other. By centering our values, lifting each other up and try to make the world a better place for all especially during the tense political landscape we are in now. We are all complex and come from different perspectives. and there is no simple narrative and Witchcraft needs to reflect this. This is the power of Brujas and the modern Witchcraft moment. To learn more about Lorraine visit: witchyheights.com. Tune in and be enlightened!

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In this short episode, I celebrate the publishing of the 75th podcast episode of the Oracle of Luna Podcast!! This is a HUGE milestone and a big deal to me as the host and producer of this podcast show. I am especially grateful to all the incredible Goddess guests that have been on my show in the last few years!!
All of these Women are elevating the divine feminine in the world and amplifying the voice of the Goddess for a planet in need of wholeness, harmony, balance, justice and peace. Thank you for your support and listening to the Oracle of Luna Podcast with Bridget Engels. Finally, if you love this podcast; please leave a 5 star review on Apple Podcasts. It means alot! Tune in and be enlightened!

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Join us with the 75th episode of The Oracle of Luna for a captivating conversation with Dr. Carla Ionescu PhD! Carla is a historian and leading expert on Artemis, specializing in the study of Goddess worship, sacred rituals, and female-led religious traditions. She is the author of She Who Hunts, an in-depth exploration of Artemis as a powerful and complex deity across cultures. Through The Artemis Mapping Project, Dr. Ionescu is documenting ancient Artemis temples using non-invasive archaeological methods, reconnecting sacred landscapes to their historical and spiritual significance. As the founder of The Artemis Research Centre, she teaches online courses and hosts The Goddess Project podcast, where she delves into Goddess mythology and history. Her work brings ancient wisdom into modern discourse, inspiring a deeper understanding of the divine feminine. She lives in Ontario, Canada. *Stay tuned until the end when Carla gives us a short Artemis Invocation! **

Carla has spent many years as a scholar in academia, researching and teaching in the field of ancient history and Women's Studies. Like a detective, she works on putting the pieces of puzzle together about the historical knowledge of Greek Artemis. Carla tells us that Artemis has many different interpretations of her such as Ephesus – the great mother Goddess, protector of Women and Goddess of childbirth. There are many facets of Artemis throughout the ages in many cultures which fascinates Carla. We chat about why Artemis was so well loved and worshipped for so long and her breadth and nuances.

Carla started a mapping project of all the Artemis temples in the world beginning in Greece last year. Through research and translation of international archaeological reports and museum maps; she says there are over 300-400 Artemis temples throughout the world. She believes that Artemis has more temples than any other God or Goddess in the Greek pantheon! Carla’s ambitious goal in the next 5 years is to travel, rediscover and document all the Artemis temples and sacred sites and put them all on a map for us.

Unapologetic, independent, a warrior and huntress; Artemis is as powerful and relevant in 2025 as she was in ancient Greece as a perfect symbol of female sovereignty, fulfillment and justification. Carla is driven to uncover Artemis’ truth and her real story. More about Dr. Carla Ionescu at: https://artemisresearchcentre.com/about-dr-ionescu/
Tune in and be enligh

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Join us in this episode, for a delightful conversation with Lacey Burbage! Lacey is a fourth-generation folk healer and Witch who follows a Pagan/Animist path. As an ordained Priestess of the Goddess, she practices a nature-based tradition that has its roots in modern Wicca. Lacey specializes in domestic magic, including hearth, cottage, hedge, green, and kitchen magic. Her accessible spells, invocations, and charms, provide solutions to everyday situations to activate your Witchery and harness the divine energy of Nature. *Stay tuned until the end when Lacey gives us a short Elemental grounding meditation *

We begin chatting about Lacey’s early magical beginnings when she was involved in the Sophia Center for Goddess Study in Las Vegas and was inspired by mentors such as Dr. Candice Kant. She loved learning about the history and mythology of Goddesses and Goddess Spirituality. She also comes from a long family line of Folk Healers where herbal remedies, prayers and sayings were used in everyday life for ailments. After her Divine Feminine based studies, Lacey started to learn about plant magick, herb folk magic and the therapeutic properties of plants/herbs. From there she evolved her magick into Green Witchery. Lacey enjoys writing incantations and spells for everyday situations to provide solutions. Her writing evolved into a book geared towards especially to people who are not experienced in Witchcraft.

Her first book: “Naturally Modern Magick” is crafted to amplify our connection with nature and infuse our intentions with the divine energy of the Earth. This is a practical guide for making life more magickal by applying the power of the natural world and offering gratifying practices for any Witch. The pages are filled with everyday charms, spells, rituals, and everyday solutions, using natural objects and elements like herbs, crystals, flowers, earth, and water. Lacey tells us that each ingredient in her book is meant to stack the odds in your favor to attune to the vibration you want for your spell work.

Lacey has an online coven on Patreon which is all about developing a personal Witchcraft practice that flows with everyday life and her spells and incantations are easy enough for beginners to start putting into practice without prior research/reading. Lacey's website: https://naturallymodernlife.com/
Tune in and be enlightened!

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Join us in this episode, for a fascinating conversation with Evelyn Rysdyk! Evelyn is an internationally recognized, Shamanic Teacher and Author of several best selling books including, The Norse Shaman, Spirit Walking a Course in Shamanic Power, The Nepalese Shamanic Path: Practices for Negotiating the Spirit World and her latest book: Shamanic Creativity. She is also the founder of Spirit Passages Academy and the New Humans• New Earth Summit.

We chat about how Evelyn was drawn to Shamanism as an alternative to psychotherapy for her depression and how journeying did more for her than standard therapy and medication. It opened a door to a more fuller version of herself. She then dove deeper into Shamanism and journeying and then eventually shared with other people what she had learned. Through her many years of training with teachers from places like Peru and Nepal - Evelyn began teaching others the value of opening their minds to their creative potential and to experience the expansive world of spirit and healing for themselves.

Evelyn was then drawn to write step by step manuscripts for her students of how to do journeying. Over the decades she has written and published several books and she believes that there is no threshold on how far your creativity can go. Creativity is innate in us but the way we are schooled and how society doesn't place value on creativity can deaden our capability. Creativity is also a powerful part of our well being as we engage our different brain waves that open our capacity for inspiration and connection to spirit and the larger universal energy that can transcend space and time.

Shamanistic methods and journeying are powerful tools for sharpening our capacity for new ideas and finding new solutions to obstacles and challenges.Evelyn loves supporting people to remember their sacred place in All That Is and uses her humor and passion to open people’s hearts and inspire them to live more joyful, fulfilling and purposeful lives in harmony with Nature. Link to sign up for Evelyn’s blog:
https://www.spiritpassagesacademy.com/shamansbag

Tune in and be enlightened!

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Join us in this episode, for a spellbinding conversation with Pauline Breen! Pauline is a Priestess of Brigid and the Author of several books including: “Brigid: Goddess and Saint of Ireland”, “Maman Brigitte: Dark Goddess of Africa and Ireland” and "Brigantia- War Goddess” . Pauline is passionate about researching and sharing all the various faces of Goddess Brigid. She lives in Ireland. *And Pauline gives us a short invocation to Maman Brigitte at the end of the episode-so stay tuned!

We chat about Pauline's early years as a Catholic and her connection with Saint Brigid and then later in life she discovered the Pagan Brigid. Pauline had an epiphany moment while in meditation with Marion Brigantia, her teacher, in Glastonbury, England. She then had another 'aha' moment when she traveled to Portugal to a church in Lumiar where part of St Brigid’s skull is enshrined. From then on Pauline was hooked and she became immersed in the many aspects of Brigid. While researching her first book, Pauline began her fascination on how the Saint Brigid travelled with the Irish to the Caribbean and onto the Americas.

Pauline tells us about Maman Brigitte’s emergence in Haiti during the slave trade, tracing her development into a prominent figure for both Haitian and Irish immigrants who experienced similar social and economic circumstances in Haiti and in New Orleans, Louisiana. A unique blend of Afro-Haitian Lwa religion of VouDou (or VooDoo) and Catholic Irish Brigid; Maman Brigitte emerges as the Dark Goddess and Great Mother that guides and protects the forgotten, the outcasts and the marginalized in life through their our darkest times and ultimately in death. But death takes many forms. Parts of us die all the time with changes in jobs, relationships, situations, homes, projects, health, life circumstances…etc. We are always shedding. Sometimes these “deaths” are very difficult and Maman Brigitte is there to hold space for those feelings, that grief process and to bridge that past into our future.

Pauline is not a VouDou practitioner or initiated in VouDou religion nor is she familiar with the Yoruban system of spirituality but when writing her book she was looking at Maman Brigitte through the lens of the Irish and how far Goddess Brigid traveled, morphed and was incorporated into other religious practices. Pauline believes we need the Dark Goddesses such as Maman Brigitte now because they can guide us and show us the root cause of our suffering and teach us that our darkest nights are our ultimate power. And to take this deep journey is where Maman Brigitte’s wisdom and healing comes in.

Brigid in all her aspects is as relevant in 2025 as in the pre-Christian Ireland. As Pauline tells us; “There is room for everyone under Brigid’s mantle”. And Brigid continues to shine her flame in her many variations such as Maman Brigitte to all who are open to her in this very moment in time and beyond with her eternal love and power. Tune in and be enlightened!

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In this episode of the Oracle of Luna; we will go on a January Wolf Full Moon meditation journey with the Norse Goddess Skadi. I will be your guide, as we align with the current cosmic energies with the Full Moon in Cancer and take a transformative inner journey to the snowy/icy mountains to meet with Goddess Skadi and your inner Wolf.

Skadi, also named Skade, Skadhi or Skathi is a fierce Warrior Queen, Giantess, Goddess of Winter, and a skilled hunter-who walks between the worlds of untamed wildness in the icy snowy mountains and the magical realm of the Gods.

Skadi was married to Njord the ocean God, but she wanted to live in Thrymheim her father’s hall in the mountains which she loved where she could hear the howling of the wolves. Njord wanted to live in Noatun, his seaside hall and so it didn’t work between Njord and Skadi and eventually they got a divorce.

Skadi reminds us of the power of courage and resilience in the face of life’s many harsh storms and being true to our primal nature. Call upon Skadi when you need help traversing an icy path moving on from life’s dark and challenging times into the light. Howl, Howl, Howl on…Sister!!!

Tune in and be enlightened!

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