We are Pleasant Gehman and Crystal Ravenwolf, a duo of divination divas, “spiritual sisters from another mister”. We’re life-long Tarotistas, obsessed with all things esoteric and paranormal. Look for our forthcoming book, “Walking The Tarot Path” coming soon!
We’ve created this blog to share our knowledge and to connect with the vibrant worldwide metaphysical and paranormal community. We hope it’s as fun for you to read as it is for us to write.
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| Kristen J. Sollee: badass witch & author |
Whether you’re
an occult aficionado, a modern witchlet or a pop culture maven, you probably already know who Kristen J. Sollée is. But
just in case you don’t, she is, to put it mildly, a Badass Modern Witch.
Multi-talented and insanely prolific, she’s practically super human. As a writer, teacher, curator, public figure…and as a head bangin’ wild rock’n’roll witch, she’s a magickal force to be reckoned with. Her first book, the critically acclaimed Witches, Sluts, Feminists: Conjuring the Sex
Positive, was published by Stone Bridge Press in 2017, to rave reviews.
It’s a highly intellectual, well-researched and provocative page-turner that’s also super
easy to read.
Over the years, Kristen has produced and
organized copious amounts of events, is a teacher at The New School, has lectured and taught workshops all over the world, and
can pretty much be classified as the High Priestess of occulture. Her seemingly endless fountain of knowledge
on all things metaphysical is tempered
by her salt of the earth, breezy personality, making her a delightful and accessible educator as opposed to an over stuffy academic. In short, she's
A prolific writer, her work has appeared in several notable mainstream publications including The Huffington Post, VICE, NYLON,
Time Out New York, and BUST, among many others. Recently, she’s appeared as a guest on on NPR,
Viceland’s Slutever, and Huffington Post Live.
Her second book, Cat
Call: Reclaiming the Feral Feminine published by Weiser Books, just dropped on September
first. Exploring the intersection of the feline archetype and women throughout
the ages, it’s an expansive, highly feminist work, tempered with her innate hip outlook as well as insight- and more than a touch of witchy, Crazy Cat Lady whimsy. Her signature stamp…er,
pawprint…is all over it. Cat Call looks at everything from ancient myth and legend to
pop culture, fine art and magick, tracing the lineage and various intersections between the feral feline and the feral femme from the Egyptian Goddess
Bastet to the pussy hats recently made
popular from Womens Marches and demonstrations. This book is thorough and so
fabulous, so intelligent and witty, we
guarantee that the second you start
reading it, you’ll be purring your ass off making the human version of kitty biscuits.
Here’s our interview
with Kristen…enjoy!
Divination Nation: What got
you interested in witchcraft-
How did you start, who did
you learn from-or did you study on your own?
Kristen J. Sollee: My mother is an intuitive, so I grew up with her teachings about
meditation, manifestation, dream interpretation, herbalism, and divination. That
said, I never considered it “witchcraft,” just “mom craft.” It really wasn’t
until my 20s that I had a witch friend take me to my first witch shop, and then
I slowly began exploring different practices more seriously—and a decade and a
half later the studies continue!
Divination Nation:
How do you prepare for your work,
is there anything specific that you do?
Kristen J. Sollee: Although I work
in all kinds of settings, I feel the most electric and open to channeling my
best work when I’ve woken up early, meditated, hydrated, slipped on a favorite
old band shirt (probably Motley Crüe or Whitesnake) and cracked open my laptop.
Somehow my cat always finds me at this point, and she’ll make a beeline for the
computer, sitting right next to it, her paws placed dangerously close to the
delete key.
Divination Nation: Tell us about your forthcoming book Cat Call: Reclaiming The Feral Feminine
Kristen J. Sollee: Cat Call is a
love letter to the untamed crossroads where ‘the feline’ and ‘the feminine’ mingle
and make magic. It explores why we have associated cats with women for
thousands of years, and why there is such a potent association between cats and
sexual and intellectual freedom. I delve into art, history, politics, and
popular culture in the book—everything from Ancient Egyptian feline goddesses
to kittenplay in kink communities to the pussy hat to feline-inspired tarot
spreads. In a way, it’s kind of a continuation of the subject matter of my
first book, Witches, Sluts, Feminists: Conjuring the Sex Positive—but
with cats!
DN: Witchcraft
is so trendy right now; what’s your
opinion on the importance and relevance of metaphysical practices, magick and divination these days?
Do you think this fascination with all things witchy will continue or is just
Fad of The Moment?
Kristen J. Sollee: There’s no turning back
in my opinion. Of course trends might shift and change, but I truly believe
these practices have the power to transform individual people and entire
communities, so now that they’ve infiltrated to this point, they can’t really
fade away, just shift shape.
DN: Tell us about Slutist and The Slutist
Tarot
KSJ: Slutist was an arts and culture
website I curated between 2013-2019 that basically became a mouthpiece for the unholy
trinity of witches, sluts, and feminists. We featured a variety of articles,
interviews, and original artwork from dozens of writers, educators, artists,
witches, sex workers, and creatrixes. My friend Morgan Claire Sirene create the
incredible Slutist Tarot two years ago, which centers sex workers and femme
identity and tells the story of the maiden’s journey instead of the fool’s. Although
I closed the website a few months ago to move on to new projects, the deck is
very much alive and well and still for sale over at slutist.bigcartel.com.
DN: Talk
about the (and/or your) relationship to witchcraft and rock’n’roll…
KSJ: Almost all of my inspiration comes from rock
‘n’ roll. I am unabashedly that fangirl who tears up when a band I love is
onstage. Music is my church: I feel the most magic, the most connection, when I’m
listening to music, playing music, or seeing live music. If I want to feel part
of something bigger than myself I just go to a show and I feel healed. Or go to
band practice! My witchcraft usually involves a musical component as well,
particularly my sex magic rituals.
DN: Who and what inspires you?
Kristen J. Sollee: A combination of
musicians, magicians, artists, writers and just travel and nature in general. David
Bowie, Louise Huebner, Jinx Dawson, Lydia Lunch, bell hooks, Oscar Wilde, Donna
Haraway, Murasaki Shikibu, Iggy Pop, Billy Idol, Leonor Fini…
DN: You teach, lecture, write… How do you
spend your time when you’re not working?
Kristen J. Sollee: My dad lives in the woods
of Wyoming so whenever I can get out there to visit him and go outside and ski
or hike and wear a ridiculous cowboy outfit I am the happiest. Really, any kind
of travel excites me, even if it’s to a part of New York City I haven’t
explored yet.
DN: Please share some of your
favorite metaphysical tips and advice for our readers.
Kristen J. Sollee: My favorite saying of my
mom’s has always been “today could be the day...” And however you finish that
sentence is up to you. It might sound twee, but it really helps me to wake up
believing that every day has some adventure to offer—whether mundane or
electrifying—that can be life-changing, inspiring, healing, or at the very
least interesting…to me that’s where real magic is, accessing the infinite in
the minutiae of the every day. From the split-second moments of inspiration
that can expand to become your life’s work or the passing interactions that can
be mined for a great story or the messages about the past/present/future you
get from the world around you when you stop to listen closely…
#
Purchase Cat Call on Amazon here:
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| Pleasant and Kristen witchin' it up at The Green Man Store, LA |
On Sunday, Sept. 29, Kristen and Pleasant are reading from their books and signing them at an event for Cat Call in Los Angeles. A Love Bizarre 3042 Glendale Boulevard,
Atwater Village. Local cat rescue organization
Luxe Paws will be there with
adoptable kittens, too!
A Love Bizarre
3042 Glendale Boulevard,
Atwater Village
Sunday, September 29, 7:00pm - FREE
We’d LOVE to connect with you!
Visit us to book metaphysical and occult workshops, Tarot readings and healings, or to have us come out for a paranormal investigation: https://www.facebook.com/TheDivinationNation?fref=ts
Connect with us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TarotAlimah
To find out more about Pleasant or request a reading or healing session, click here: http://pleasantgehman.com/tarot.html
For more on Crystal’s background, or request a reading or healing session, click here: http://crystalravenwolf.com
