A Magickal Weekend
I wanted to share some shots from the other weekend. It was classes, discussions, a guided journey, and group work using one of my truffles…It was a huge step for me as after some bitter experiences in the first couple of years with Emporium Black I had stopped putting myself out there anymore than needed. After what feels like a rebirth for me this last winter and yet another cycle of transformation and peeling off the layers of my most recent cocoon it now feels like time to…
Elevating the Ordinary
At Emporium Black, I am committed to weaving together the realms of gourmet indulgence with the profound depths of spiritual and occult practices. My Chocolate Nightshade Truffles, each carefully handcrafted from premium Belgian chocolate, offer more than just a sensory feast. They are powerful vessels for personal transformation, providing a direct pathway to engage with and understand the spirits of sacred plants.
The Journey Within
Sexuality can be so confusing, for me atleast. When I transitioned (at 50) I assumed I’d be gay after my lifelong love of men but I felt inadequate with the idea of me as a gay man when...
Journey to Authenticity
I’ve been giving my transition a lot of thought lately. I started transitioning 8 years ago at age 50 & yes, along with having my kids, it’s hands down the best thing I’ve ever done. On honest reflection I…
Winter Lessons from These Plants
As I get my hour walk in this morning I can’t help but reflect on these plants I use in my truffles. I was thinking about how well Mandrake, Belladonna and Datura grow…
Encouraging Trust
To me the best teachers are the ones we find upon reflection, looking back over our lives. Sometimes there were people who may not have even been in our lives very long but something they did or said managed to stick with us for a lifetime, forever influencing who we continue to be.
Sacred Plant Medicine as a Way of Life
Though they can be used for a singular healing session, for me I walk with them daily just as I walk daily with any and all of my other ancestors, family, helpers, and guides. This sacred plant medicine is a way of life. It is the road I walk. Daily they help me see things more clearly, and make connections more easily whether I ingest them or not. Ingestion is just a great way to get crash courses in doing this kind of work, and the more we understand what we are doing and why, the more dedicated that help and guidance becomes.
Drink from the Well
What does the world need right now? I asked this of plants and they answered that what so many people need right now is the permission to feel happiness and joy again. There is an important difference between the joy and happiness that start to emerge from shadow work, soul searching, and a willingness to confront one’s darkest truths vs the empty and false appearance of an assumed joy and happiness that is affected by sheer will, but absent of personal growth. The joy and happiness gained by pathwork may not be quick to come but they are as real as the pain and darkness that preceded them.
The Puzzle of Who We Are
I can deeply empathize with the feeling of having one or two extra puzzle pieces that no matter how hard we try to figure out where they belong, they just never seem to fit in. Consequently, we never seem to feel whole or complete. Perhaps the reason we can't find where they fit is because we assumed we had put the rest of the puzzle together correctly. Perhaps the finished image is supposed to look different from what we assumed.
Gentle Expansion Without Being Altered
As far as a fear of being ‘altered’, I have grown to having a very strong aversion to being altered myself. I don't drink or smoke pot and haven't for years. I no longer have any interest in using any entheogen that would make me 'trip' no matter how spiritual it supposedly is. That’s a big part of why I do love these truffles and these plants (nightshades). They really are that gentle. The amount is much more than a
The Humm of the Plants
The other day I happened to find this huge Shiva Lingam stone at Goodwill and have spent an awful lot of time holding it in my hands pondering dualities and balance and the like. I marvel at how different the stone’s energy feels in my left hand compared to my right and with all of this I keep coming back to my truffles and these plants I am using in them.
I put a truffle in my left hand, then in my right expecting something similar, but it felt the same. I held the truffle gently with both hands and placed it in front of my heart and then in front of my forehead...