Ever-Pursuing Wisdom

Wes & Kate are the founders of Astarte's Temple and The Mystical Nomads, traveling full-time to bring magick and esoteric wisdom to everyone they meet along the way.

Together, they have been studying, teaching, and practicing in the esoteric wisdom space for 14+ years. Kate's love for mysticism and natural mediumship abilities and Wes's healing and psychic gifts began in childhood. Both vivid dreamers, divine storytellers, and spiritual practitioners, their love for Mother Nature and compassion for people is fundamental to who they are.

Since 2017, they have owned a marketing agency, and recently closed their doors to transition away from working with corporate brands to solely working with spiritual entrepreneurs and small businesses through the Sacred Strategies portion of Astarte's Temple. They also run a 501c3 nonprofit that provides resources to students and teachers.

Kate has magazine features in Witchology, Voyage Dallas, Canvas Rebel, ShoutoutHTX, Voyage Houston, and Bold Journey, and she is the author of The Book of Heresy, The Mother of the Gods, Sacred Flame, Ghosts, and Prism. She has multiple new titles coming soon including The Order of Woven Esoteric Beliefs and The Magick We Hide.

Astarte's Temple loves partnering with local brands, metaphysical shops, and spiritual folks for special occasions—whether you're hosting an event or looking to collaborate, let's bring the vision to life.

Rev. Kate Jade is ordained through Universal Life Church and is available for ceremonies, services, and rituals that appeal to many different spiritual paths and traditions, especially those of a pagan, witchy, or mystical nature. Kate can perform Hand Fasting Ceremonies, Wedding Ceremonies, and Funeral Services.

Additionally, Kate & Wes are open to opportunities to vend or consign with their handmade goods, guest speak at conferences, offer tarot readings and psychic mediumship sessions as a guest at local shops or events, and teach classes or workshops on esoteric wisdom.

Each piece in this issue provides a different aspect of working with the land, from connecting with land spirits, to the ethics of collecting graveyard dirt. Kate's article, "Recovering the Older Traditions of Goddess and Nature Worship", is featured in this edition.

"I am a firm believer that creativity is inextricably linked to divinity. Inspiration that comes from otherworldly realms feels different whether it is expressed through writing, music, art, or any other medium. Truly creative works give us chills, bring tears to our eyes, and move us in ways we can hardly articulate.

When people experience creative blocks, myself included, it seems to be caused by a lack of inspiration. A disconnect from the vastness of the cosmos. After all, how could one look at how dazzling the night skies are, the vibrancy of the aurora borealis, or the rhythm of the trees dancing in the breeze and not be moved to create?

Our modern world is designed to overstimulate and separate us from these beautiful glimpses of the universe. When I make my way back into Mother Nature, embracing her vastness and glory, creative blocks always dissolve in an instant."

As a High Priestess of Astarte and Hekate, who I also refer to as Lady Wisdom, my heart is to teach others about ancient esoteric wisdom. This temple has been over a decade in the making and brings to life the esoteric wisdom I've learned from my personal path and from working with Lady Wisdom, the many-named Goddess, or great divine feminine Holy Spirit.

A supernatural storyteller and esoteric educator at heart, my focus is always on getting back to the ancient origins of spiritual traditions, recovering the older path that has been swept away by modern religion, and finding balance in the extremes of what we're taught in life to bring about true rebirth and life through the release (death) of what's no longer serving us.

In the past, I would have deemed myself a workaholic. My energy was devoted to my career, accomplishments, and climbing the metaphoric ladder of society. Every day I was exhausted, energetically drained, and growing closer and closer to burnout. Of course, I justified the constant grinding as a necessity to not just survive but thrive in the workplace and financially. As I leaned into my spiritual beliefs and devotion to esoteric wisdom, I quickly found myself desperate for greater balance in my life. I needed time for rest, creativity, meditation, crafting, self-care, ritual, hobbies, enjoying nature, exercise, community, drinking water, healthy eating, doing nothing, and everything in between.

As soon as I let myself have this healthier balance throughout every area of my life, I could feel my body, mind, and spirit start to heal. I carry this balance with me in my work as an author, creative, metaphysical shop owner, and esoteric educator. Though there is still much work being achieved (because I do love working), it is carefully balanced based on my needs and priorities on any given day.

I’ve always been transparent about being against modern religion and instead have spent the last decade-plus actively pursuing esoteric wisdom studies. My primary focus has always been recovering the role of Lady Wisdom in sacred texts. My journey with this started in canonical writings and was expanded upon by countless scholarly works, sacred texts, and ancient mythologies who also knew Lady Wisdom by many different names. While I recognize much of the canon has been altered by humans, there are certain portions that do hold a great deal of wisdom and magick (as do countless other sacred texts which I respect and cherish as well).

Everything I create, whether it be the copy for my next book, a course to help others learn more about esoteric wisdom, or hand-crafted jewelry to connect individuals to the divine, is made with powerful energy and intentions. There are so many facets of divinity, and if I accomplish nothing else in my life except helping people understand those pieces in a meaningful way, I’ll be satisfied. This is a major reason why I am committed to everything in our shop being ethically-sourced, hand-crafted when possible, and sound-cleansed before being shipped or handed to the customer.

My passions truly are in storytelling and teaching specifically related to esoteric wisdom. The majority of our world is built on “exoteric wisdom, ” intended for the masses. This is the type of wisdom you might fight in churches, published online, or generally available for public consumption. Esoteric wisdom, on the other hand, is that which is often hidden, obscured from the masses, or reserved for a select few who are willing or capable of accepting things shrouded in mystery. This love of esotericism and mysticism is fundamental to who I am and has fueled the books I have published and the founding of our metaphysical shop and wisdom school, Astarte’s Temple.

When I first began taking my esoteric path seriously in 2011, I honestly had no idea what I was in for. Just like Frodo at the beginning of The Lord of the Rings, or any other magickal epic adventure story, I heard the call, I saw glimpses of wisdom and truth, and I embarked on what would become the journey of a lifetime for me (and spoiler alert: I’m still on it…).

My path started with an introduction to esoteric mysteries that revealed answers to questions I had asked since girlhood. They validated the paradoxical nature of our existence and brought a healing to my spirit that was incredibly freeing. This process and a near-death experience in 2018 are ultimately what brought where I am today.