Through the Portal: A Journey into Magic, Vulnerability, and Becoming
Magical Guest Series with Modern-Day Alchemist Sylvia Rose
Welcome to the Magical Guest Series here on Mystery, Magic & Mayhem!
While I’m wandering the wild landscapes of France, seeking codes and discovering historical mysteries… I’ve asked some of my favorite magical writers to fill my proverbial shoes with articles that invite you deeper into your own awakening.
Our very first guest is a woman who’s become one of my best friends since I met her two years ago. Sylvia Rose is a wild-crafting herbalist who’s been teaching my little one and I how to find medicinal plants in the wild.
On the one hand, she’s an everyday stay-at-home mom who sits on the board of our local playgroup… on the other hand, she’s a witch of old, a wise soul recovering her voice, and a powerful modern Mama re-membering the Magic of being alive.
Her writing is a sassy blend of magical geekery, natural wisdom, and all-out vulnerable sharing that I find utterly delightful.
DISCOVER SYLVIA’S SUBSTACK
SylviaRoseAlchemy.substack.com
Through the Portal: A Journey into Magic, Vulnerability, and Becoming
We’re all avatars in this existence, spinning through space, each having our own unique experience. But what happens when you stumble upon a magic portal—or an owl arrives with your Hogwarts letter?
Do you step forward, heart pounding, eager to discover the magic on the other side? Or do you close your heart and shut down, scared sh*tless of what you’ll find beyond?
The spiritual journey isn’t for the faint of heart, but as Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “God will not have his work made manifest by cowards.”
What lies behind the door is a thrilling adventure… but it comes at a price.
I’d always been intrigued by magic, but coming from a Christian background, a hurdle stood in my way: I was raised to believe it was evil—even though the Bible is full of magic, mystery, and mayhem. Despite being born into a lineage of wise women—they received messages in dreams and could see spirits—I never saw myself as magical. My mother blocked her gifts and I did the same.
My portal (or owl, if you prefer) arrived in the fall of 2023, when I was invited to one of Allysha’s sacred women’s circles. I stood around the fire, quiet and reverent, sharing the space with a beautiful patchwork quilt of women. I offered my vulnerability, willing to expose my shadows.
A year and a half later, I’m finally discovering my magic.
Every woman who has stood around that fire has craved the connection and alchemy of those nights—but not everyone returns.
I think I finally understand why.
Vulnerability is terrifying.
This past Ostara, an acquaintance joined in for her first circle. I had given her a ride there, and on the way back she marvelled at how fully I had let go. She knew me as a reserved playgroup mom, but there I was in the shadows of the fire, dancing with a flirtatious tree and moaning with pleasure because my inner goddess had come out to play. It was a stark contrast!
I didn’t know what to say—I rarely do in the moment.
How could I explain that every time I attend a circle, I metaphorically bleed and offer more than I have before?
That part of the process has been about trusting my intuition and weaving in the practices that call to me—like breathwork.
Breathwork taught me to let go.
Shadow work taught me how to reframe my past and deepen my compassion.
Now, I’m working with my inner child, and every time I show up for her, I cry.
There are a lot of tears on the spiritual path. No one warned me about that. But if we want to go anywhere worthwhile, we have to be willing to feel our pain.
I’ve been walking this path my whole life, but until the circles, I’d avoided anything that made me feel too exposed. I skirted around discomfort like it was a red hot coal.
But in my experience, when you stop resisting and fully feel the pain—when you surrender—something extraordinary happens:
Metamorphosis.
The night of the Ostara ritual, I awakened. For the first time, I fully sank into my body and felt every energy centre light up. It was surreal—something I once believed I needed weed to experience. Even high, I’ve never felt that full. That alive. That juicy.
Energy surged through me and I felt divinely blessed.
I don’t know where the path is leading, but I’ve learned that the most sacred thing I can do is to keep showing up and follow my intuition, one step at a time.
It’s just like Allysha writes in The Heretic:
“As you lift your foot, the Path rises beneath you.”
Thanks for walking a little of the path with me.
Love and gratitude,
Sylvia
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I loved this—it was so beautiful and touching. I can relate to metamorphosing into another creature during sacred rituals. I, too, am more of a reserved person, but during ceremony, the wild woman emerges! It can be so vulnerable and scary to express her in front of others, but also so freeing! And, I think it helps others step into their fullness, too, because it shows that it's safe to do so.