June 2025 News from The Witch’s Therapist
Happy Spring, angels!
My name is Justine Barre and I’m the Sex Educator and Intimacy Coach for the Witch’s Therapist. I specialize in kink and BDSM, ethical non-monogamy, queer sex and relationships, and consent practices. Other than those, people come to me with wanting to add more spice to their lives, libido differences, and many other issues relating to sex and intimacy.
I’m so happy to be sharing my musings with you today!
Spring is Sensual…lean in!
Winter is a really hard time for our libidos. It’s cold. Getting naked feels unpleasant. We are slouching around in our three-day sweatpants battling seasonal depression and holiday stress. Many people start to feel a little more alive; a little more connected to their senses when Spring starts to arrive.
Where Winter is a shut down of our senses, Spring is a reigniting of them. Suddenly we can feel the sun on our skin; we can smell the leaves blooming on the trees. We are picking peonies and tulips for our dining room tables and staring at their beautiful blooms.
Spring is inherently sensual, and this can feel really, really enliven our libidos.
I invite you to start to practice the same mindfulness we experience when we are walking around, enjoying the gardens, the sunlight, the smells, and bring that into our sexual relationship with ourselves and our partners. Can you focus on how their touch feels on your exposed skin? Can you smell their body like a bloom? Can you taste them like a spring strawberry? Let Spring awaken your senses.
What I’m Reading
Like most practitioners, I’m always reading about my area of specialty to stay informed and updated, and to better my practice. Right now I’m digging into “Good Sex - stories, science, and strategies for sexual liberation”, by Candice Nicole Hargons. PhD. There are things I like a lot about this book, and things I don’t like so much. I bought this book because Hargons is a black women, and she primarily treats people of colour in her practice. She wanted to close a gap in the sex therapy field where so much of our literature is about the experiences of white people. As a white practitioner myself, it’s extremely important I am educating myself about the sex lives of people who exist in a different cultural context than myself. Hargons uses many case studies from her practice, and its fascinating how topics like masculinity and vulnerability mean different things to her clients than I have seen in work and studies that centre the white experience.
However, Hargon’s book is extremely crowded with advice, studies, dictionary definitions, musings, techniques and references to other author’s and practitioner’s theories, that it’s difficult to focus on one message. I feel I’m quickly jumping from one idea to another, when I think it would be more effective to stay on one thing and expand on it.
The erratic nature of her writing makes it challenging to take any good advice from her work. I do love what she states her introduction, though: “The goal is to practice good sex in a way that liberates you, not limits you to another set of recipes.”
My Spring Rituals
As a Sex Witch (see my advice column on the blog), I’ve centred my Spring rituals around my bedroom. I finally got rid of an old, lumpy mattress I’ve had for a decade, and I splurged on a fancy new one. That old mattress held a decade of energy, and it felt amazing getting it out of the house! In preparation for my new bed, I bought new Egyptian cotton sheets, a new mattress protector, and a new duvet. I really love mixing textures in decorating, so my pillow cases are silk, my sheets are a stiff cotton, and my duvet cover is linen, topped with a lush fake fur blanket.
I deep cleaned my room, put away laundry, and wiped down my side table (it was covered in coffee rings). My lover gave me pink and white peonies, and I put them on my bedside where I can smell them as I fall asleep. Finally, I threw out my old gross fan, and bought a fresh new one to get me through those hot summer nights.
The one thing left to do is clean my bedroom altar…it’s been painfully neglected. I made some moon water on the last full moon, so that’s a good way to clean my crystals, and I have some vinegar and lemon to clean all the other objects and the surface. Now I just have to do it!
I hope this inspires you to give yourself the princess treatment now that we are in Taurus Season. You deserve nice things and treating yourself is a spell.
Work Updates
All of our practitioners (excluding Maggie) are accepting new clients. If you are looking for spiritually-aligned support, check out our About Us page or you can book a free, 15-minute consultation here.
Honouring Grief and Nurturing Hope Through Art, Aisha's new group program, is coming. Are you yearning for a safe space to process the state of the world? We know the media is overwhelmingly full of information about violence toward other humans, destruction of ecosystems, and subjugation of the human spirit. This 8-week online, therapeutic group that aims to utilize art-making and creativity to support adults who are looking for support in navigating the depths of this grief together. No art-making experience necessary. Bookings open soon. Please email Aisha if you'd like to be put on the wait list.
The Inward Path retreat is now one quarter sold out. It is taking place in Brighton, ON from October 21-25, 2025. This community-based psychedelic healing retreat for helpers, healers and caregivers is offered in a unique setting: a group of participants with shared experiences, a beautiful retreat centre located close to nature, and a group of facilitators prepared to help you witness and honour your social, emotional, spiritual and physical needs as they arise throughout our time together. A Q&A will be held on July 14 (if spots remain avaliable) for anyone who would like to ask questions or get to know the team before booking. Learn more here.
Upcoming Spiritual & Aligned Events
June 7
Gathering on the Green
London, ON
Gathering on the Green is a free, fun day of activities and entertainment held on the first Saturday in June, rain or shine. You can expect family-friendly activities, local vendors to peruse, music to enjoy, and even an afternoon tea.
June 11-15
Wic-Can Midsummer Festival
Severn Bridge, ON
Discover the magic of WiccanFest: workshops, rituals, and live music await. Immerse yourself in nature, reconnect with old friends, or forge new bonds. Join in honouring our ancestors and land spirits alongside a vibrant community of witches, vikings, heathens, kindred spirits, and more.
June 14
Luna Night Market
Collingwood, ON
A magical night market that will feature 40 vendors and witchy themed drinks. If you're looking for an enchanting evening, consider bringing a few friends and head to the Georgian Bay Hotel.
June 18
Roots and Resistance
Online
Through teachings, practices, and Q&A, the gathering invites a more grounded and relational approach to change—with a recording available for those who cannot attend live.
As we become more aware of events, I will continue to post them on Instagram so please give us a follow.
And of course, we'd love to hear from you! So if you'd like to reply to this e-mail with thoughts on your favourite books and teas, the activism you're engaging in, or to let us know about an aligned spiritual event in Ontario, we would love that.
With love,
Your favourite witches
The Witch's Therapist
609 William St, #101
London, Ontario
Canada
N6B 3G1
1-226-977-1660
► London Ontario Holistic Psychotherapy
The Witch's Therapist is located in London, Ontario and offers holistic psychotherapy therapy throughout London and surrounding areas.
