About ED
ED has walked some form of Pagan path for over 20 years now. As a lover of variety, the fluidity of the Pagan path has suited her well. Her faith is very much community-centric and she honours her deities through her contributions to her local Pagan community. A Broom and A Spoon is the beginning of a new journey where ED is looking forward to serving a larger community of people. As ED’s chronic illnesses began to affect her ability to participate in community events, she started to discover a solitary path. This path is new and she isn’t quite sure where it is leading but she is putting her faith in herself and her gods that it is the right path.
As a long time Spoonie, ED has a lovely list of conditions but the primary one is Hidradenitis Suppurativa. She is no longer able to work and spends far too much time utilizing the Canadian medical system. She recently acquired a wheelchair to help her navigate the world easier. You can follow her adventures with Walter the Wheelchair where she often comments on the accessibility of the places they go.
ED likes to keep her hands and her mind busy by crafting. She is a lover of cross stitch, crochet, and sewing. She is often found curled up on the sofa with her stuffed moose, George, with a craft in her hands. She is also known for naming all of the important inanimate objects in her life as George, Walter, and Seaweed (her car) can attest.
About Melissa
Melissa has been some sort of Pagan for a couple of decades. She blogs about Paganism at We’re Made of Mud and Magic. On that website you can also find rituals she has written for a variety of sizes of groups for Sabbats and for other occasions.
After a rather rough 2017 – which included a retinal detachment, some nerve damage, and a bunch of weird symptoms – Melissa was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis early in 2018. She’s still trying to figure out how to be in a body that is not in her control and how to live an embodied religion with a frayed nervous system and disrupted brain.
Melissa loves to write, to walk (very slowly, these days), to exercise, to listen to podcasts, and to organize and plan. Despite being an introvert, she identifies as a community-centred Pagan. She is mostly non-theistic, though not very strict about it.
How we came together
Melissa and ED met in high school (no need to say how long ago that was…) and although Melissa is the introvert and ED the extrovert, ED swears that Melissa is the influencer. If it weren’t for Melissa, ED may never have found her Pagan path or the Vancouver Pagan community and would simply be a fundamentally different person today.
Melissa has always been a huge supporter of ED’s crazy ideas and A Broom and A Spoon is no exception! In the past, Melissa was more likely to be working hard in the background while ED was the loudmouth in the foreground but this time ED has somehow gotten Melissa to agree to co-host.
Both are lovers of lists, schedules, spreadsheets, and highlighters. And both struggle with the unpredictability of chronic illness. This podcast is a labour of love for both of them and they hope that it brightens your day and helps you feel a connection to community no matter where you are.