“The Moon Doesn’t Judge Me”
An Original Poem by: Axton N.O. Mitchell
The moon doesn’t judge
the darkness I bring.
I can lay out everything
my tangled weeds
my gnarled bits
the strange mechanics
that make me tick.
Even when unseen
I feel her energy linger.
In the hush of a new moon
she shows me
how we’re in tune.
The moon doesn’t judge
the weight of my shadow.
She feels it all
through every phase
and still she stays.
Learning her rhythm
is learning myself.
Each cycle
an act of self-love.
Today marks the anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising.
Not a party.
Not a parade.
Not your corporate-backed, rainbow-branded nonsense.
A riot.
A breaking point.
A sacred rupture in the silence forced on queer people for generations.
June 28, 1969
They fought back.
Black and brown trans women, drag queens, queers with nothing left to lose.
They threw bricks because nobody would hand them dignity.
They lit fires because we were dying quietly.
They chose noise over erasure.
Marsha.
Sylvia.
Stormé.
Countless others whose names we never got to learn because this country didn’t think we needed to know them.
We carry their chaos, their refusal, their brilliant, protective rage.
We carry it when we come out.
We carry it when we take up space.
We carry it when we live anyway.
Pride isn’t just a celebration. It’s a warding spell.
A reclamation.
A reminder that we never asked to be beaten into silence
and we will not go back to whispering.
For me, Pride is survival.
It’s my middle finger to a world that tried to bury me in shame.
It’s the bruise that turned into a banner.
It’s my queerness as spell work, as scream, as soft altar.
So today, I remember.
Today, I say thank you.
And today, I rage, beautifully, queerly, loudly.
We are not done.
We are not docile.
We are not ashamed.
And we are not going anywhere.
Happy Pride, my sacred rebels.
Keep the fire lit.
I don’t do acrylics. Don’t do anything long or flashy. Just my own short nails, black on all of them. Sometimes, if I feel like it, the ring fingers get a pop of color. Just those two. Nothing loud. But it says enough.
I used to be scared to do even that. Painting my nails felt like asking for attention I didn’t want, the wrong kind. The “what are you trying to prove?” kind. The “that’s not what boys do” kind.
So I didn’t. I left my hands bare and acted like it didn’t matter. Like it wasn’t something I thought about every time I saw someone else pull it off without flinching.
But I wanted it. Always did.
And now I do it. Black polish on short, solid nails. Clean. Controlled. A little color, sometimes, just on the ring fingers because I can.
What did it cost to hide it?
Too many years of pretending I didn’t care.
What changed when I let it live?
Nothing dramatic. Just me, more me. More honest.
And that’s enough.
links goodreads Free Zine For Mental Health
Yes. Of course we love a thrifty witch 🧙♀️.
Long answer?
Listen, not all of us have room for a perfectly gridded, four-element altar setup. We may lack custom-carved deity statues and matching polished crystal spheres. Some of us are working with a coffee table, a windowsill, or the corner of a bookshelf. It also holds our overdue library books, pocket knives, and a worry stone we named Frank.
So when someone asked me,
“Can I use a different candle 🕯️ for the center and the right side of my altar?”
I laughed. Not at the question. I laughed at the memory of a time I used a single tea light. It represented all four elements and my ancestors. I even used it to represent the moon. I ran out of space and forgot to charge my crystals. 💎
Yes, you can use different candles.
You can also use the same candle twice.
You can use two different candles for the same thing, if that feels right.
You are the architect of your altar.
You can bend space and symbolism like it’s a game of magical Tetris.
I have one bowl that’s been:
A water💦vessel A salt holder A scrying dish A temporary ashtray 🚬 A place to put gauges I wanted to take out mid-ritual
I’ve used:
A cinnamon stick as both: incense and a wand. A string of rosemary as both protection charm and aesthetic filler. The same jar of eggshells for protection, circle casting, and once in a pinch, to prop up a leaning candle.
Yes. I have absolutely used one candle as both my “spirit” candle 🕯️ in the center and my “fire/masculine/right-side” energy. But I’ve also placed two candles 🕯️ on the right before when I needed extra firepower. No one came to revoke my witch card.
🕯 So, Can You Use a Different Candle for the Center and the Right?
Yes. And sometimes it even makes things easier.
Different candles 🕯️ let you split intention:
One to hold your core (center/spirit/you) One to charge forward (right/action/fire/sun energy)
You can dress them differently, color-code them, carve sigils into each one.
You can whisper your intentions separately.
You can even let one be tall and elegant, and the other short and angry.
Magic doesn’t care about symmetry. It cares about sincerity.
Whether you’re using one candle or a dozen, your altar doesn’t need to be Instagram-ready. It needs to be real. A little wild. A little weird. A little you.
So yes use two candles. Use one candle twice.
Use a flashlight in a mason jar if you’re out of matches.
Use what you have, love 🖤 what you build, and don’t let aesthetic pressure steal the magic from your practice.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go. I have to retrieve a rock that my cat knocked into a jar of moon water. Again.
Links Wattpad Submit to Current Quarterly
by Axton N. O. Mitchell
I was raised a girl. That’s how the world saw me. That’s what I was told to be. A little girl with crooked pigtails m, buck teeth, and scraped-up knees. She didn’t like being touched. She didn’t like being stared at. She never liked how the world made her feel.
She was taught to smile. Not because of happiness, it was just safer. She learned to laugh off the gross comments much before she could read chapter books. She learned how to keep a boy from following her home. How to hold keys and lighters in her balled up fist.I know that just existing in a body the world called “girl” comes with a constant background noise of threat.
I was assaulted, as a little girl, as a teen, and as a man. A few years after passing the awkward transition phases; I was years on hormones. A woman I was dating at the time liked to get me drunk enough to forget. Not that I want to but, it’s worth mentioning I never remembered one single time. She told me it was easier that way. Then the used up it’s me not you.
There’s this myth that once you transition, it all goes away. As if you can flip a switch, cut your hair, change your name, and suddenly be safe. As if I am suddenly respected. Erasing my trauma from living as a girl as if it doesn’t stick to me. My second skin. Even after the world starts seeing you differently, it doesn’t mean it treats you right. If you don’t “pass” all the time. Especially when you live in small-town maga country .
Now, I get called “sir” until certain people get told, because no they can’t tell. The people that claim they “are my friends” say “she” behind my back as soon as they get mad at me. However, the flip side is worse for me. Now these people assume I’m one of them. Racist comments. Sexist jokes. Homophobia. Trans baby conspiracies.Assuming I’m a good ol’ boy. I was never meant to become the enemy. When I out myself they stop treating like the man I am. The privilege stops when I defend someone. I won’t close my mouth to save my neck.
Remember not all men started the same. Some of us became men on purpose. With intention. With pain. With joy, too. But it wasn’t simple. And it wasn’t fast.
In my late teens and early twenty’s, I thought I was a lesbian. I wasn’t pretending. I wasn’t confused. That label made sense for a while. I liked girls. I never felt like one, I tried to. I didn’t have the words to explain, but I was a man. Not a phase, I just hadn’t fully found the truth. I have lesbian memories. I have lesbian trauma. I have lesbian experiences. That doesn’t go away just because I’m a man. Identity isn’t always a clean line. I’m a transgender man, and I lived as a lesbian. I survived as a girl. I became someone else and stayed alive.
I yearn to be read. I want my work to move people who’ve never been seen. People that never had a place at the table. I’m not wasting time trying to win over systems that ignore us. I’m going to carve us something new. Each project I curate is rooted in the belief that all minority stories deserve to be told in our own voices.
I want people to remember and know that minorities don’t just die. We live. We laugh. We have favorite songs. We have poetry in our blood and grief in our bones.
I write because I won’t be erased. I write because I’m still here. I want to make sure no one else feels like they have to disappear just to be seen.
Support the work that feeds, steadies, and teaches! Consider a donation via CashApp, PayPal, Ko-Fi, or Buy Me a Coffee. Thuis will keep the projects and community alive.
How do you practice self-care?
For me it’s a patchwork of moments stitched together with intention and grit.
Sometimes it’s chasing waterfalls, hiking until my lungs burn and my mind quiets. Other times it’s sitting still with dirt under my fingers. I dig out rocks. I feel the pulse of the earth in my hands. The grounding is real.
I reward myself with little treats. These treats are not just food but include coffee. Sometimes, I get a new stone for my collection. I might even buy something that helps my work move forward. It’s the small acts that remind me I’m worth the care.
Marijuana helps soften the sharp edges when life presses too hard. It’s part of the ritual, a moment to breathe deeper and slow down.
Face masks sneak in when I want to slow the world for a bit. They give my skin and spirit a break, sometimes I even get a manicure or pedicure. Thanks Stink!
Kayaking isn’t just exercise. It’s a ways I reclaim my body. I feel strong and say, “I am here, I am whole.” Losing weight is part of that journey because I want it to be.
My kitty boys? Those cuddles are medicine. So is time with my dog, the quiet companionship and sunlit walks keep me tethered.
Reading fills my mind with stories. These feed my soul. Spells, rituals, crystals, and oils wrap around me like armor. They also serve as a healing balm.
This isn’t neat or perfect. It’s my survival, my love letter to myself messy, real, and sacred.
Open calls for poems, essays, art, and prose: Voices for the Voiceless focuses on minority experiences since the 2025 US inauguration (deadline Dec 12, 2025). The Joy They Cannot Erase celebrates trans, gnc, and intersex voices (deadline TBD). Submit to poaxtry@gmail.com
“Yesterday”
A 2025 Original poem by Axton N.O. Mitchell
I found my old notebook yesterday
man I knew I should have throw it away.
reading over the words I’d only written and never say
somethings they never change
a gut punch from the past hitting me full blast
each and every emotion
I feel as if the day I wrote them was
yesterday
thinking about the fact that I know not one of these people anymore
is so surreal it brings me
chills
it is a different thrill
I’m sure you don’t get this but
those who know will
and the guardian does
Memo from the Author:
Stay tethered.
More stories and voices will come.
This is only the beginning.
How do you waste the most time every day?
I waste time doom scrolling. I open my phone intending to check one thing but end up trapped in endless feeds. It’s not just mindless scrolling. It’s soaking in the chaos and noise of a world that feels too loud. I scroll past headlines, heartbreaks, and chaos, feeling heavy and helpless but unable to stop. The minutes melt away while the weight in my chest grows.
I waste time fearing sending my work in for submissions. I waste time fearing interacting with poets who feel out of my league, poets who are more known or established. I do spend time reading their work. Learning and absorbing is never a waste. However, the fear of reaching out or stepping into that space sometimes freezes me. That hesitation keeps me stuck, holding back the chances I should have taken.
I waste time watching videos. You know tutorials, interviews, and streams. I am always hunting for the secret formula. How to get my work read more, how to grow a following, how to stand out without selling out. Ways to make sure you are inclusive of all needs when creating digital or printable work. I click one video after another, hoping to find a breakthrough or a new tip that will change everything. But each video only makes me feel more behind. I feel more lost in a sea of creators who seem to know the game better.
I waste time looking for ways to get my work seen. Steadily chasing algorithms and hashtags. While jumping between platforms. I draft posts and delete them. I refresh my Etsy shop stats hoping for a spike. I scour forums and groups for advice and opportunities, but never feel like I’m quite doing enough. The effort feels exhausting and endless, but I keep trying, caught between hope and frustration.
I waste time drowning in self-doubt. I wonder if my voice matters, or if anyone will ever truly hear me. Then start to question if I’m good enough, original enough, consistent enough. I convince myself that maybe I should give up, or that maybe I’m fooling myself. The self-doubt is loudest when I’m most vulnerable, whispering that failure is inevitable and success is for others, not me.
This is how I waste most time, not every day but, on bad days.
Harnessing lunar phases for spell work, intention, shadow work, and personal ritual
The moon is a mirror, a teacher, a timekeeper.
In witchcraft, we don’t just look at the sky. We move with it.
We listen, honor, and adapt the ebb as much as the flow.
Witchcraft is cyclical. So is healing.
And the moon, in all her shifting light, helps us shape our intentions to match the rhythm of nature.
Plan spells and rituals with intention Align with natural emotional tides Honor your energy rather than force it Deepen intuitive and psychic connection Understand shadow, surrender, release
This guide is your full breakdown of each moon phase. It explains how to work with it. It also highlights what kind of magic resonates best. A free, printable fill-in cheat sheet is included below.
The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days long. Each phase carries a unique magical energy. Most witches are familiar with the new moon and full moon. However, the in-between phases carry just as much sacred opportunity.
Magical Themes: beginnings, shadow work, silence, intention-setting
Elemental Vibe: Earth / Void
Good for: manifesting, cleansing, writing goals, resting before action
This is the womb of the moon cycle. A place of quiet potential. Your magic here is about seeds, not harvest.
Spell work ideas:
Write new moon intentions in your journal Cleanse your altar or home Banish old energy through smoke or salt Do low-energy shadow work or divination
Magical Themes: growth, curiosity, baby steps, beginnings
Elemental Vibe: Air
Good for: small spells, momentum, visualization, energy raising
This is the spark stage. Ideas take root. You’re not meant to leap, just stretch.
Spell work ideas:
Start a sigil activation Speak affirmations aloud Plant something (literal or symbolic) Choose one action toward a bigger dream
Magical Themes: decision-making, pressure, commitment, friction
Elemental Vibe: Fire
Good for: focus magic, inner conflict, obstacles, courage
This is the “choice” moon. The phase where resistance creeps in. Stay the course.
Spell work ideas:
Burn doubt in a fire-safe bowl Cast a spell for confidence or clarity Do physical movement to shake stuck energy Draw a boundary or cut off distractions
Magical Themes: refinement, momentum, adjustment, perfecting
Elemental Vibe: Fire/Water
Good for: abundance spells, attraction magic, improving results
This phase asks: Are you aligned? Are you prepared to receive? Tune your magic and your mindset.
Spell work ideas:
Abundance bowl or jar Gratitude journaling Spell bag for confidence or clarity Candle spell with fine-tuned intentions
Magical Themes: illumination, climax, power, deep emotion
Elemental Vibe: Water
Good for: charging tools, ritual work, manifesting, release
This is the height of lunar power. Intuition is sharp. Magic is amplified. Truth shines through.
Spell work ideas:
Full moon ritual for release Charging crystals and tools under moonlight Dance or howl to raise energy Perform high magic or deep ancestral work
Magical Themes: gratitude, wisdom, sharing, self-inquiry
Elemental Vibe: Water/Air
Good for: journaling, healing, teaching, dream work
This is the reception phase. You’ve cast your spell. What now? Reflect, integrate, rest.
Spell work ideas:
Gratitude altar Dream journaling Give an offering or teach someone Reflect on outcomes from your last spell
Magical Themes: release, endings, clarity, accountability
Elemental Vibe: Earth/Air
Good for: shadow work, cord cutting, clearing energy
This moon demands honesty. Time to let go of what’s not serving your path.
Spell work ideas:
Cut cords or bury written “goodbyes” Do heavy shadow work Banish toxic patterns with black salt Detox your space, altar, or habits
Magical Themes: rest, closure, surrender, ancestral guidance
Elemental Vibe: Spirit
Good for: sleep magic, healing, divination, dream work
The void returns. This is sacred rest, not failure. Reconnect with spirit, grief, truth.
Spell work ideas:
Divination with tarot or pendulum Sleep sachets or pillow spells Meditation with ancestors or deities Journaling on what still needs to soften
Want to track each moon phase in your own practice?
Download this moon phase cheat sheet for free:
👉Moon Chart Cheat Sheet👈 👉PayHip👈
Includes reminders for:
Multiple ways to celebrate and use each moon phase
✨ Keep it in your Book of Shadows, or keep it digitally.
The moon doesn’t demand perfection. She shifts, she darkens, she grows, she glows.
So do you.
You don’t have to be consistent to be powerful. You don’t have to track every phase to be valid.
But when you start moving with the moon, not just noticing her, but dancing with her you find rhythm. You find yourself. You remember.
And if nothing else, you remember this:
You’re not too late.
You’re right on time.
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