My Interview with Witch: Radiant & Rooted Now Available

I am delighted to announce that my interview with Kim from Witch: Radiant and Rooted is now available.

You can listen to it on podbean through this link

https://witchradiantandrooted.podbean.com/e/interview-with-frances-billinghurst-episode-9/

Alternatively, you can watch it on following You Tube video where I chat with Kim about my forthcoming book, Encountering the Dark Goddess: A Journey into the Shadow Realms, as well as why I consider working with the Dark Goddess important when it comes to shadow work, and also my second book with Moon Books due for release later in 2021:

Guest Appearance on Witch: Radiant + Rooted Podcast

Kim of Witch: Radiant + Rooted with her copy of
Encountering the Dark Goddess: A Journey
into the Shadow Realms

This morning I had the delightful pleasure of being interviewed by Kim, one of the co-hosts of the podcast Witch: Radiant + Rooted, a Southern Hemispheric seasonal podcast that celebrates the stars, the earth, and the in-between.

In the interview we talked about my forthcoming book, Encountering the Dark Goddess: A Journey into the Shadow Realms, which will be officially published by Moon Books in March 2021.  Kim had just finished reading a pre-release copy that can be ordered direct through me.

We also talk about my second book to be released through Moon Books next year, that being Contemporary Witchcraft: Foundational Practices for a Magical Life.

For non-Australian readers, pre-orders of Encountering the Dark Goddess: A Journey into the Shadow Realms can now be made through John Hunt Publishing as well as Amazon.com.

My interview is expected to be available on the Witch: Radiant + Rooted podcast round the Southern Imbolc, which will be taking place next weekend (1-2 August 2020).

Introduction to the Shadow and Shadow Work

In his On the Psychology of the Unconscious, psychologist Carl Jung stated:

“It is a frightening thought that man also has a shadow side to him, consisting not just of little weaknesses and foibles, but of a positively demonic dynamism. The individual seldom knows anything of this; to him, as an individual, it is incredible that he should ever in any circumstances go beyond himself. But let these harmless creatures form a mass, and there emerges a raging monster.”

In my forthcoming book, Encountering the Dark Goddess: A Journey into the Shadow Realm, i described the Shadow Self as:

"The Shadow Self is also seen as an archetype that represents the neglected side of our nature. It is this aspect of ourselves that can drag us down into a pit of despair. This “darker” side of our personality relates to the “reptilian”, or our more primitive, instinctive brain functions that we share with all reptiles and mammals. These most powerful functions form part of our oldest coping brain functions and without which, we would not be alive. These functions include emotions and impulses such as anger (often coupled with fear), sex drive (need to procreate) and selfishness (survival). If any of these functions are taken to the extreme or enacted upon in a less than desirable manner (dictated by society’s norms), then we may find ourselves shunned, our actions disproved of, and we end up being categorised as “undesirable”."

Author Snapshot Interview: Frances Billinghurst

This week I had the great honour of appearing in Rachel Patterson's Author Snapshot Interview.  Rachel is a well respected author on kitchen witchcraft, High Priestess of the Kitchen Witch Coven, and is an elder of the online Kitchen Witch School of Natural Witchcraft. 

Some of the questions Rachel asked me included:

:: what or who inspires me,

:: whether I had any daily spiritual practices and if so what they were,

:: what my favourite sacred or spiritual places are,

:: what were my favourite subjects to write about, and

:: what is the one article, book or talk that I am most proud of.

Rachel also kindly included a list of the books that I have published to date, both self published through TDM Publishing as well as the two that I have currently in various stages of publication with Moon Books.

If you are interested in what I told Rachel, you can read my Author Snapshot Interview here.

Death, Descent and the Dark Goddess

Artist Unknown

Working with the Dark Goddess often involves descending into the Underworld and undergoing a form a "death".  This "death" could relate to the releasing of unachievable expectations and beliefs of ourselves, including career or relationship goals, and even the removal of outdated idealisms and perceptions that we have often taken onboard from our social environment.

As such, it is important that these "deaths" are treated in the same way that a death of a loved one (or pet), the ending of a relationship, or some other milestone in our lives are dealt with.  By this I mean that regards of what the "death" is, we still find ourselves go through the five various stages of experiencing grief as identified by Swiss psychiatrist, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, even if we are not consciously aware of this.