SELLEST OSAST
Welcome back to Fascia and Bones…
I have become her, or becoming her, that late 50’s invisible woman standing amongst the sagebrush of Taos, New Mexico, in the dark with a strand of solar Christmas lights, untangling the knots of the string as I drop the strands over the sagebrush in honor of the winter solstice nights. It is a period of time with longer nights, as we approach the time at that very moment on the winter solstice where the moments of darkness begin to be filled with new light.
This is the time of the ancient goddess, the Caillach Bheur of the Highlands, who shaped the mountains, protected wells and springs, and was a guardian of the deer. She is the daughter of the Winter Sun during these short days. So much lore surrounds her, and it seems she isn’t just from ancient Scotland and Ireland, but also possibly among the ancient Britons before the Celts over 4,000 years ago. The Caillach is woven in the invisible landscape of winter. If you have not been taught her mythology then you might not notice her influence and wrath as she throws rocks at you to wake you up.
I first heard the term “invisible woman” in reading my friend’s novel, The Invisible Women’s Club, by Dr. Helen Paris. I am not a big reader of fiction anymore, and somehow Dr. Helen’s book pulled me in with her sense of the body, humor, and character development. One of the lead characters had a way of knowing plants, their Latin terms, medicinal properties, and a heartfelt vigilante nature to help save the community garden, finding friendship and, dare I say, love. I am looking forward to interviewing Helen next week for the podcast.
My academic semester of teaching craniosacral therapy has just finished, and I will be taking the spring term off from teaching to continue working on my book entitled Somatic Touch:
An Integrative Approach to Healing from Physical and Psychosomatic Trauma. This book is a culmination of my teaching an osteopathic approach to the cranial field and sharing what I practice. I cover concepts from my second doctorate thesis in the art of listening, embodiment as an indigenous way of knowing, as well as specific craniosacral and visceral techniques, as well as osteopathic manual therapies of treatment. More importantly, I am offering a reframe of trauma theory and questioning some of the profound assumptions that are brought forth in narratives in our culture. Suffice it to say, it is a work in progress and I hope to have it completed by the end of 2026 for the publisher.
Another big change on the horizon is that I am in the process of reclaiming my mother’s maiden name as my own. The surname I carry now is shared with my daughter from my previous marriage and one that doesn’t belong to me. I would love to have a surname that is the first in my matriarchal line. With all the ancestry deep dives I have done, the names always belong to the husband. I filed the legal paperwork to change my surnames to MacDonald Scott today! This is a beautiful way to enter the new year and next chapter of my life.
I am wishing you and yours a beautiful Winter Solstice and see you soon on Fascia and Bones: Unpacking the Mystery. If you have been listening and would like to leave a review, that would be most appreciated.
Dr. Kirstie
