All are available on Amazon.
The Crone
I am made of magic and crocodile tears.
Of stardust and sticky stuff that clings to my feelings, and I hold on too long.
I am made of steel and cotton, never polyester.
I am filled with delicious foods and an abundance of chocolate and coffee.
I am made of dreams and nightmares; I am strong like Wonder Woman yet as meek as a mouse.
I am made of floating hearts and yet, I am rooted like an oak.
I am tendrils of gold and loads of silver, and just as ancient.
I have legs that dance in the moonlight and run across scalding sand.
I am made of daisies and thorny roses, and I know how to pierce a finger of two.
I am filled with eternity that always runs late and my internal clock beats loudly.
When I sing the birds join in and the breeze in the trees stops to listen. They know I am out of tune, but it doesn’t matter, it’s Joy.
I am made of earth and stone and water and air. I feast on ethereal guidance I am a woman, a goddess, a daughter of Spirit, the cunning Crone.
Of innocence and wisdom, I wander through thoughts.
I am here as I have always been, and I am made of timeless LOVE!
With feathers and fluff, I roam the planet and I bring with me the sun. I shine upon all that is golden and merry, and I liven-up the downtrodden with mirth.
I am inside of humanity, and I am forever healing. I am made of this good stuff for why would I be made of anything “other?”
I am the gauze packed in your wounds and the salve of healing herbs.
I will be on your shoulder or under your feet. I am made of that thing that is needed and what is desired. I am made of life, and I cherish it every day.
And when I am gone, I’ll still be nearby.
For ultimately, I am made of you.
Visit Folk Heart Press Blog to read Karen Pierce Gonzalez’s interview with me and also revisit Elbaroda’s Ostara Honey Mug Cake for Spring! Just click this link to get there!
https://folkheartpressblog.blogspot.com/2022/02/a-year-of-rituals-and-recipes.html
Have a good read and a great day! Also, check out the other fascinating and wonderful things happening at Folk Heart Press Blog.
The Path of the Priestess, The complete guide to the Goddess Wheel of the Year by Nancy Dew, edited by me, is now live and available on Amazon! A decade of organizing, writing, re-writing, and more laughter than tears! I had the treasured experience of assisting my HP, Nancy Dew, to put her Priestess Apprenticeship down on paper and bound into this beautiful full-color manual. For use as a solo practitioner or to lead and facilitate your own group. May the Goddess Bless!
Above is our latest handbook. Ritual and Recipes is filled with empowerment, joy, and a huge dose of Magic! Look for it on Amazon along with the Year of Meditations. Good Blessings from us, to you!
SEPTEMBER HARVEST MEDITATION
To realize all that has manifested
For this meditation, you may sit or lay in a comfortable position.
As you begin to take in a deep breath, the smell of tomatoes and fresh corn tickles your nose. The crisp smell of green beans, ripe cantaloupe, and sweet onions fills the air. You can’t wait to get to the field to see how your garden has grown!
You take your gathering basket from the nail on the porch and head outside. You admire the height of your crops, and you smile at the old scarecrow in the middle of its tangled vines. When you reach the garden, you set the basket down to grab the watering can. You fill the belly of it with water from the spicket at the garden’s gate. You unlatch the gate and with the basket in one hand and the watering can in the other you inspect your harvest….. You will have to invest in the booklet for more–Available on Amazon soon, or contact me directly.
In the works. . .
Vineyard Road is currently in the works for 2023 publication and
The Merriweather Witches in 2025
(I am looking for a cover artist for the Merriweather Witches)
Happy 2021! Here is the cover from Sage Woman, my story Campfire Goddesses is within these adoring pages! (I dig my fire goddess hair next to this awesome cover! Haha! xo)
This story tells about my experiences co-raising our kids with my campfire sisters every summer from Memorial Day to Labor Day camping in TENTS with a dozen kids and five moms. We spent those summer days along the Russian River near Guerneville, Ca. We are ever-so-blessed for this twenty-year experience and our lifelong friendships.
In November 2020 I wrote an article about my trip to The Lucky Mojo Curio Shop in Forestville. This magical place is one of my favored escapes and I look forward to post Covid-19 days to return. The article is called “Aim For the Moon.”
Issue #38
. . . Who thinks I might have a favorite “office sweater?” LOL
September 2020 Two stories, “Maeve’s Wild Back Garden,” the tale of an older woman who must relinquish her family home, and the other, “Spiraling.” the story of a woman who must believe in love again, are both published in the Redwood Writer’s Anthology, Sunset, Sunrise.
August 2020 My story “Going to Paradise,” my true experience of a message from beyond the veil was published in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Listen to your Dreams.
2019 California Redwood Writers Poetry Anthology CROW “My Familiar” & “Harvest Moon”
2019 Short Story Anthology ENDEAVOR “Primal Cure”
October 2018 –
I hope you will join me for more events on my newly published book – One’s Own Sweet Way
Here are some enticing reviews . . .
“Great insight on the stress that young people feel today and their unique reactions. Not only did it make me feel like I’m not alone but helped me look at alternative coping measures. love this book” – Chris
“I’m so thrilled to have stumbled upon this little gem. Written with an edge of humor, this book helps shine a light on anxiety disorder: a very real, yet invisible disease. C.M. Riddle whirls you through the day-to-day of a sweet family trying to keep it all together. If you or anyone you know suffers from anxiety, or you are interested in learning about anxiety, this is a wonderful resource.” – Elboroda
“This is an excellent book about anxiety disorder and how one family, a mother and a daughter never gave up hope. A must-read for patients and their families and others who want to learn more about facing the challenges of this gripping disease. C.M. Riddle really captured me with her writing and most of all, with her story. A real page-turner. A real gem. I highly recommend this book as a resource for patients, their families, caregivers, and therapists. A+ all the way!” – Sheryle
“A well-written tale of a family and how they and their friends deal with anxiety disorder. Told from the perspective of someone who lives with anxiety, it provides a great counterpart to clinical descriptions and dry textbook recitations of symptoms. Hopeful, intriguing, and richly woven. I highly recommend it” – Chris
“One’s Own Sweet Way is a must-read for anyone confronting the anguish of anxiety or those who care for a loved one with anxiety. This book is helpful for parents, teachers, students, and friends to understand difficulties and endeavors to attain hope while living with an anxiety disorder.” Lena Kibble, LMFT
One’s Own Sweet Way
Claire Byrnes is the advocate and confidant Neala turns to when her world flips upside-down. Anxiety and the havoc it wreaks are complex, but this mother and daughter stick together, teaming up to battle the disorder allowing Neala to graduate high school. Neala must conquer building fears as they evolve into severe anxiety disorders threatening to take over her everyday life.
One’s Own Sweet Way is a must-read for anyone confronting the anguish of anxiety or those who care for a loved one with anxiety. This book is helpful for parents, teachers, students, and friends to understand difficulties and endeavors to attain hope while living with an anxiety disorder.
– Lena Kibble, L. M.F.T.
https://www.amazon.com
Please remember to leave your five-star review on Amazon!
Thank you! CM Riddle
2018 Redwood Writer’s Anthologies
Redemption July 2018 (Short Stories)
“The Concordant”
Phoenix April 2018 (Poetry)
“Three Dogs” and “Change of Plans”
Lou McGrath published June 2018 in The Sitting Room
SageWoman
Issue 93 April/May/June 2018
Time For Myself page 21
common ground
The Holiday Issue, Dec/Jan 2015/16
The Myth of the Holly King and the Oak King, page 18
One’s Own Sweet Way
To visit CM Riddle’s (my pen name) Webpage, home of One’s Own Sweet Way click the link below
https://spark.adobe.com/page/hOJd9r6v18H9w/
Tina Riddle Deason, writing as CM Riddle
813 Santa Dorotea Circle
Rohnert Park, CA 94928
(707) 318-8902
Cmriddle55@gmail.com
Priestesstina.com http://priestesstina.com/?page_id=546
Rohnert Park, CA, February 24, 2019 – Discussion and Book Launch on Anxiety and School Refusal. Nearly everyone experiences some form of anxiety or another, but for some people, anxiety and panic attacks become debilitating and threaten opportunity and quality of life. Author and speaker, CM Riddle will host a discussion and book launch of her recently published book, One’s Own Sweet Way, A Novel About Anxiety Disorder on Sunday, February 24, 2019.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE ANXIETY PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION
A Discussion About Anxiety Disorders, February 2019
As many as 20 % of high school students have anxiety disorders. Undiagnosed or untreated anxiety in teens may lead to:
• Increased depression
• Increased suicide
• Increased self-medication
• Lack of opportunity
• Poor quality of life
• Poor self-esteem
• Underachieving
• Worsening mental illness health
“One’s Own Sweet Way is a must read for anyone confronting the anguish of anxiety or those who care for a loved one with anxiety. This book is helpful for parents, teachers, students, and friends to understand difficulties and endeavors to attain hope while living with an anxiety disorder.” Lena Kibble, L.F.M.T.
CM Riddle’s novel comes from both the parent and the student’s point of view. Student, Neala Byrnes, experiences a debilitating panic attack which threatens to take over her capacity to go to school. Neala and her mother, Claire, tackle the anxiety and set a course for Neala to complete high school. Though a novel of fiction, events, and tools used to work through anxiety and panic attacks are pulled from the author’s personal experience. Anyone with anxiety will benefit from CM Riddle ’s book as One’s Own Sweet Way offers support, humor, and practical tips.
One’s Own Sweet Way will be available for purchase at the discussion and book launch, on February 24, 2019, at the Marin Odd Fellow’s Hall located at 1525 Mission Blvd., San Rafael, CA 94901. The event is from 9:30 am to 11:30. One’s Own Sweet Way is also available on Amazon.
FREE tickets available at Eventbrite.com. Email the author at CMRiddle55@gmail.com for further details or visit http://priestesstina.com/?page_id=546
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CM Riddle Author Bio
# 1
Tina Riddle Deason, writing as CM Riddle, debut’s her first novel, One’s Own Sweet Way, A Novel About Anxiety Disorder this year. Tina raised her family in Novato where she provided quality home childcare. As her children grew, she continued her work in the child care field at the Marin Child Care Council and Community Action Marin. After moving to Sonoma County where her youngest was born, Tina worked as a CPR and First Aid instructor and training center coordinator. Tina was compelled to follow her love for writing when her daughter developed debilitating anxiety. Tina has additional work published in anthologies and magazines. With several more books on her horizon, Tina follows her passion for telling stories which touch the human heart and awaken the soul. Tina Riddle Deason is an Ordained Priestess, Women’ Circle, and Apprenticeship Facilitator, Anxiety Disorder Facilitator, Author, and Mother. She resides in Rohnert Park, with her husband, Brian.
#2
Tina Riddle Deason, writing as CM Riddle, debuts’ first novel, One’s Own Sweet Way, A Novel About Anxiety Disorder this year. Tina’s storytelling touches the heart and awakens the soul. Tina is an Ordained Priestess, Women’s Circle Facilitator, Author, and Mother. She resides in Rohnert Park, CA. priestesstina.com I have always been called to be a writer but was compelled to put pen to paper – or fingertips to keys – when my youngest daughter developed debilitating anxieties. Of the dramas I have lived through – divorce, financial ruin, single-parenting, chronic illness, near death of a child, and even the death of a parent, this journey with my daughter moved me in a way that I knew I had to share it. You see, for any of the ordeals listed there are social graces that let us move through those experiences, and with guidance, we hope to find our way to the light and move on- and, besides that nothing else I experienced scared me as much. When faced with the subject of mental illness there is still the slight stigma of keeping it hush-hush.
When confronted with a child’s mental health, at least for me, I was cautionary not to expose her. Parents want to protect their children. At the same time, there is a need to approach the subject to get the help needed –
Especially when the child is in school. Will this go on her permanent record? This was a difficult choice to make and to move forward.
I had to set my fears aside to understand that communication, willingness to experiment, and allowing time for therapeutic measures to take effect make success possible. In our case, that willingness made the difference for our child to earn her high school diploma with support from therapies and the resources from our public schools.
Most importantly, I have come to learn that my daughter is a capable, intelligent, and loving being. She is sensitive and kind to others, and she continues to grow daily just as I have become more patient while she makes strides in her Own Sweet Way.
Types of Stressors Eustress, or positive stress, has the following characteristics:
• Motivates, focuses energy
• Is short-term
• Is perceived as within our coping abilities
• Feels exciting
• Improves performance
In contrast, Distress, or negative stress, has the following characteristics:
• Causes anxiety or concern
• Can be short- or long-term
• Is perceived as outside of our coping abilities
• Feels unpleasant
• Decreases performance
• Can lead to mental and physical problems
With EUSTRESS:
For Neala that could mean holding herself accountable to turn in her homework on time, knowing she did quality work and followed the syllabus the best she could.
OR with DISTRESS:
Neala held on to completing homework and only turned it in when her teacher threatened to notify her parents of tardy assignments. Neala’s quality work should have earned an A+ but her reluctance to submit it, making it overdue, she received a D. This perpetuated the anxiety for the next round of homework, thus beginning the downward spiral. She was an A student who earned D grades.
Why is it important to recognize these disorders and reactions?
My first fear and greatest worry were that my daughter would fall behind and possibly even drop out of school. My goal was to help her accomplish her education and received her High School Diploma.
WHAT WE KNOW:
• Mental health issues can seriously impact high school children’s performance at school.
• There is a direct correlation between adolescent mental illness and scholastic performance. Mental illnesses cause students to perform poorly or drop out of school. (as mentioned about holding on to homework)
• Dropouts are more likely to experience ongoing mental health disorders like depression. Researchers claim that as many as 20 percent of adolescents had some form of mental disorder and that up to 50 percent of diagnosed mental disorders began during adolescence.
• Little research has been conducted to find out if the high school dropout rate is linked to mental health problems.
• After my experience with my daughter, I have little doubt that many factors for dropping out stem from un-diagnosed or untreated anxiety disorders
• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists many factors that play a role in the decision to drop out including low acceptance of authority, social and economic background, poor grades or test scores. The report does not refer to mental illness.
After concluding this, I met my second fear: Youth.gov reveals that 20-25 % of youth meet the criteria for a lifetime mental disorder. Mental health problems are often difficult to diagnose and can be masked by other issues. One of the most common co-occurring problems is substance use disorder.
• Anxious or depressed students may turn to legal or illegal substances to help them cope, and may possibly become dependent on them- PERHAPS for the rest of their lives
• Anxiety and substance abuse affects everyone in the family, sometimes for generations
• Addiction s itself a form of mental illness and is hard for doctors who are not familiar with substance use disorders, to detect other underlying mental health disorders
My message is to act, don’t wait when a student needs your help. IT could make a difference to them and the people they know. . . even the people they haven’t met yet. xo
Please read and share my book with anyone who may have an anxiety disorder or who lives with someone with an anxiety disorder.