The Wild Hunt (https://wildhunt.org/author/clio)
Clio Ajana is a death midwife, lover of tarot, numerology, and astrology. A current practitioner of Baltic Heathenry and Hellenic Alexandrian Witchcraft & Spiritual Tradition, she is a member of the House of Our Lady of Celestial Fire, E.O.C.T.O. Her writings include contributions to the anthologies - Shades of Faith: Minority Voices in Paganism (2011) and Bringing Race to the Table: Exploring Racism in the Pagan Community (2015). A frequent presenter at Paganicon (https://tcpaganpride.org/) and Mystic South (https://mystic-south.com, she considers everything in her life to be touched by and guided by the Gods.
“As a nation,” writes Clio Ajana, “the bicentennial was the American attempt to enjoy a blissful harmonic period as emphasized in music with singles and albums that  praised our ability to reach two centuries of existence without killing each other.”
After surgery forced her to stop, rest, and reconsider what failure means, Clio Ajana reflects on listening to the body, accepting change, and finding grace when life refuses to follow our carefully made plans.
“250 years later, our nation struggles through an emotional morass that hovers like a low-hanging weather system,” writes Clio Ajana. “For those who were alive during 1976 bicentennial, the feel, the mood, and the execution of American’s birthday in 2026 is grim.”
“Sadly, as we are not even 30 years past the first acknowledgement of Pride Month by President Clinton,” writes Clio Ajana, “we are reverting. Certain states have passed state or local proclamations declaring June as anything but Pride Month.”
“Gardens replete with colorful blossoms,” writes Clio Ajana, “remind us that from the cold, hard, and fallow ground, something new arises in during this light half of the year.”
