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Cindy Johns's avatar

Thanks Dea, lots of cackle out loud moments and pause to consider ones. Iโ€™d welcome Baba Jaga as my life coach, I think Iโ€™d enjoy all the scared faces and sharp breath intakes living that sort of life would create!

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Dea Devidas's avatar

Haha yesss, scared faces and sharp breaths: the unofficial soundtrack of a life well hexed ๐Ÿ’€โœจ Baba Jaga would totally take you under her wing (after making you sweep the forest blindfolded, of course). Youโ€™ve clearly got the fire for it, coachโ€™s favorite kind ๐Ÿ”ฅ๐ŸŒ€๐Ÿช„

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Trudi Nicola's avatar

So many laugh out loud moments in this one, Dea! I love the story of Baba Jaga. I only read it for the first time last year in Women who run with the wolves. Youโ€™ve turned it into a great source of inspiration for not giving any further fucks and revelling in pure witchiness. Fantastic advice! โœจ

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Dea Devidas's avatar

Trudi, thank you beloved โ€“

Babaโ€™s out here reclaiming her PR, and weโ€™re just along for the broom ride!

And YES โ€“ Women Who Run with the Wolves is pure spellwork.

That book has been my personal therapist more times than I can count,

Clarissa is an ancient goddess in disguise, whispering feral truths straight into the bone marrow.

So welcome to the coven of the Unbothered, Unapologetic and Wildly Magical.

We give zero ceremonial fucks, dance barefoot through the forest of Not-My-Problem, and revel in unfiltered, full-body witchiness.

Sending you a howl, a cackle, and a glitter-dusted axe.

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Trudi Nicola's avatar

So glad I joined this club! โœจ

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Dea Devidas's avatar

So honored youโ€™re here, Trudi... truly. โœจ

Your vibe didnโ€™t just join the club, it sparked it into being. ๐Ÿ’ซ

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Alicia Kwon's avatar

Truly fascinating. Some aspects remind me of the wrathful Dakinis who protect us from our own self-sabotage. I admit I am uncomfortable with the eating children stories, as this is something actual dark folks do - not like people unwinding their trauma but people actually giving their lives to false light/distorted darkness and raping/eating children.

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Dea Devidas's avatar

Thank you for sharing that, yes, the wrathful Dakinis are very much in the same frequency band as Baba Yaga, fierce, wild, and surgical in their devotion to cutting through illusion.

And absolutely, your discomfort is valid.

The mythic eating-of-children motif is symbolic, archetypal death of innocence, ego, or outdated self-concepts, not a reflection of literal horror.

Baba Yaga devours the false self so the soul can grow strong bones.

But you're right to call out the danger of glamorizing real-world darkness.

This is where discernment is key.

Myths are maps of transformation, not justifications for the grotesque.

So yes, wrathful, yes, protective, but never a mask for true evil.

Thank you for walking with eyes wide open.

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Alicia Kwon's avatar

And what a perfect response. It turns out Baba Jaga isnโ€™t just swinging her ax choppipng off fingers used to point to make us wrong for authenticity - sheโ€™s got surgical PRECISION - at least when yielded by Ascended Masters like Dea :)

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Dea Devidas's avatar

Awww ๐Ÿ’› careful now โ€“ call me an Ascended Master one more time and I will start levitating just to reach the cookies on the top shelf without effort.

But yes โ€“ Babaโ€™s axe doesnโ€™t just chop,

she carves truth into bone when held right.

And some of us came here exactly for that โ€“

for precision over prettiness,

for integrity over applause,

and for the kind of magic that leaves scars shaped like stars.

Your words are a dance offering,

and my response?

A wink from the cauldron, a nod from the moon,

and an echo that whispers:

โ€œYou remembered. And that changes everything.โ€

Now letโ€™s go sharpen some myth.๐ŸŒ€

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Alicia Kwon's avatar

Dea, AM - is that your station? Or would you rather A.MD? . And yes 100% itโ€™s nice when weโ€™re seen but itโ€™s about seeing and bearing witness and creating with our vision so that others can SEE. Not about applause which sounds a lot like apple sauce. Either way. you rock as you float. Levitate on, Sis. Iโ€™m so annoyed I canโ€™t do it in this lifeโ€ฆyet. Also here is a funny baba story for you: I have these neighbors with small dogs who are unskillful on several measures, including that although I have communicated my sensitivities six million times and seven hundred different ways ranging from extreme kindness, bringing soup after they yelled at me for their dogs barking and told me I should stay inside, to singing mantra VERY loudly and saying bless you in the same tone as Whoopi Goldberg but doing my absolute best to mean (and deep down I do,) although the way to yelling NO at the top of my voice. Their dogs bark at a pitch that was intended to protect from polar bears, not to be a nonstop alert that they are alive. The tone has probably been studied for possible use in human torture, at least it is torture for me. Well on Motherโ€™s day they were about to let their little dogs out and I yelled, โ€œDonโ€™t let your dogs out.โ€ Later my husband found his drum. I told him loud enough for them to hear, โ€œIf they are okay about bringing their dogs in appropriate, great. But if they let them keep barking long after they know they should bring them in considering they KNOW how sensitive I amโ€ฆIโ€™m giving you permission to go full bongos. I enjoyed a quiet Mothers Day. Thank you Baba!

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Dea Devidas's avatar

Alicia, my frequency is somewhere between A.MD and just plain OMG โ€“

depends on the planetary weather and how charged my tea is.

But yes โ€“ levitating is optional, vision is not.

And you, my dear, see with precision that slices through illusion like Babaโ€™s axe through karmic spaghetti.

Also: your dog story is an epic tale of modern mysticism meets suburban war drums.

You embodied Baba perfectly โ€“ from sacred soup diplomacy to the final bongo decree.

May the dogs learn silence, or at least modulation.

May the neighbors be blessed (eventually).

And may your next Motherโ€™s Day be sponsored by cosmic noise-cancellation and ethically sourced peace.

Levitating hug incoming โ€“ with bells on.

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Alicia Kwon's avatar

A levitating hug - how perfect. Sacred soup to final bongo decree - that sounds like a chapter. You can use my story for your next book if you want. Lol. The dogs learning silence or modulation is 30% less likely than me levitating by next week. Iโ€™ll let you know, though. Ethically Sourced peace I LOVE THAT! Letโ€™s that get in the ME and throughout all time and space. I want the 8 or 9 or 12 or 13 part movie Star Peace. Seriously, I do. So Ethically Sourced StarPeace. Trademark Alicia & Dea A.MD, OMG.

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Alicia Kwon's avatar

A levitating hug - how perfect. Sacred soup to final bongo decree - that sounds like a chapter. You can use my story for your next book if you want. Lol. The dogs learning silence or modulation is 30% less likely than me levitating by next week. Iโ€™ll let you know, though. Ethically Sourced peace I LOVE THAT! Letโ€™s that get in the ME and throughout all time and space. I want the 8 or 9 or 12 or 13 part movie Star Peace. Seriously, I do. Iโ€™ve been down the G Lu rabbit hole and Iโ€™m not impressed with him or his friends. Like at all. Basically it's insidious. So Ethically Sourced StarPeace. Trademark Alicia & Dea A.MD, OMG.

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Josephine Sorciere's avatar

As always, a feast for the eyes, soul and witchiness in me, consumed over Sunday Brunch.

As u know from my book, being a free agent and housesitting in 11 places in 16 weeks last year was freedom. What Baba Jaba might do for her holiday.

And I would go so far as to say some of the pets could have been her reincarnatedโ€ฆ๐Ÿง™๐Ÿ”ฅโœจ๐Ÿ

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Sylvia Rose's avatar

This is the best thing I've read all month! You had me laughing the whole way throughโ€”your writing is always a delight. Reading through this made me realize I'm already pretty tight with Baba Jaga. I think we met at the winter solstice when I started dancing with my shadows. She's one-of-a-kind.

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Richard Smith's avatar

โค๏ธโ€๐Ÿฉน

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Lori Ann Bloomfield's avatar

Clearly I was so excited by this post the first time I read it that I just up and ran off with Baba Jaga, because there's no evidence that I was here. But she circled me back to rectify that (clever crone!). This got even juicer on its second read, Dea. I love the challenge and the wisdom in it, equally dealt out by you. Full confession: I think I may have dashed after the first reading of this wonder house of wisdom to purchase a "Live, Laugh, Love in Sanskrit" t-shirt. I'm easily distracted by things that make me laugh out loud. Oh wait - my crystal ball is starting to spark green. Perhaps there is a t-shirt business in your future? Fingers crossed that prediction turns into the next, more spiritual version, of H&M?

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