— Wicca is a Nature worship that assumes that duality is complementary—not adversarial. Like other opposites, evil and good coexist; they define each other. While there are such things as evil spirits, the more we focus on positive energies and build our alliances with the Spirit realm, the stronger and more protected we become. In wholism, evil is the Shadow Power of good. It is seen as wounded or misguided energy that expresses itself as negativity, cruelty, fear, greed, war, and ignorance, which harms the greater good, such as fouling the water or clear-cutting a forest. For the most part, energy is neutral by nature and guided by intention. In other words, the assumption in Wicca is that we empower what we focus on.
Valeria Teles interviews Suzy Peltier — the author of “Ancient Wisdom for Modern Needs: Discovering Taoist Wicca.”
Suzy Peltier, also known as Lady Red Hawk, has served the Lord and Lady as well as the principle of holism for over thirty years as a certified massage therapist, hypnotherapist, Reiki master teacher, shaman, Interfaith minister, auxiliary
chaplain for UCSF Medical Center, third-degree Wiccan high priestess, and founder of the neo-Wiccan tradition of Taoist Wicca.
With a background in medical anthropology and a degree in holistic health, Suzy was intrigued by the use of ritual as an ancient healing tool. She wondered, How does ritual work?
What makes this ancient art form so adaptable that it was used for healing, worldwide, for thousands of years—by cultures with very different belief systems? There had to be something practical about it, so why is it virtually absent from modern culture? She wondered how ritual works and if it could be used to address the epidemic of stress and other modern ills. Could ritual help restore the balance, belonging, and empowerment missing in our current cultural values?
Twenty-six years ago, she gathered a few friends together to run a unique spiritual and social experiment to explore these questions. This experiment evolved into the practice of Taoist Wicca, with practitioners and small covens across the U.S., and an email Circle list, offering an extended
Wiccan and Reiki community to people across the globe.
She has written and hosted two internet radio shows. Spiritually Speaking: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Needs can be found on voiceamerica.com/show/2033/spiritually-speaking and Hidden Connections: Exploring the Body/Mind/Spirit Complex produced by elevatedradiofm.com is archived on suzypeltier.com. Her videos discussing the sabbats and other exciting conversations can be found at www.youtube.com/user/mssuzypeltier.
To learn more about Suzy Peltier and her work and to subscribe to the email list and receive original writings, updates of events, meet our talented coven members, download individual rituals, packing lists, and other support materials, please visit: taoistwicca.com and suzypeltier.com
— This podcast is a quest for well-being, a quest for a meaningful life through the exploration of fundamental truths, enlightening ideas, insights on physical, mental, and spiritual health. The inspiration is Love. The aspiration is to awaken new ways of thinking that can lead us to a new way of being, being well.
