Somatic Book Study for Pissed Off, Spooky Cat (and Dog) Ladies
Read Like a Witchᵀᴹ
A Relational, Bodily-Centered & Justice-Oriented Book Club to Heal Oppressive Relationship Patterns from the Inside Out
When you want a book club, but deeper.
If you’re social justice-oriented, a complete nerd that wants to learn literally everything, looking for deeper connection, interested in relationship repatterning, and if people think of you as deep, macabre, thoughtful or sensitive, Read Like a Witch™ is specifically designed for you.
Because we want actual change, not just talk
Body-based, slow & relational
Our book witches care about actual relationship pattern shift. From abuse to reciprocal relationships, from domination politics to liberation of all bodies, we know that real change happens when we move the conversation from our minds to our bodies. Also, when we create more capacity to handle differences, complexity, and diversity.
So we want to stay embodied as we read
Read Like a Witch™ is a somatically-held book club, to help us embody the change we want to see in the world. So we:
Read books that combine themes of embodied, relational healing + collective justice (macro healing)
Do somatic practices during each session to stay connected to ourselves and each other as we digest powerful, sometimes challenging material
Leave lots of room for slowness, connection, journaling, reflection, and discussion
Practice real-time relational skills of increasing our capacity for complexity, nuance, and knowing the difference between the discomfort of disagreement vs. being unsafe
Enjoy laughing, silliness, and BEing together
We keep the pace slow, the deconstruction high, & the laughs rolling.
Read Like a Witch™ is a space of deep connection AND deconstruction. Through reading, discussing, and returning to our bodies, we’re practicing what it takes to actually shift relationships and systems based in trauma & oppression.
To create a safe enough container for this level of connection and dismantling to flourish, we must be clear on our intentions and focus:
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RLW Intentions & Focus:
To connect more deeply with our bodies, as we believe that embodiment is the key to liberation + breaking trauma-based relational patterns
To deconstruct macro patterns of power and control by processing potentially challenging content together, while staying connected to ourselves, our bodies, and each other
To create space, within relationship and our bodies, for complexity, nuance, diversity, and the discomfort of potential disagreement / Growing somatic awareness of knowing “Am I unsafe, or just uncomfortable?”
Genuine human connection, belly laughs, compassion, play and silliness. To see and be seen.
Why “Witch?”
Keeping in mind that “witch” has different contexts depending on culture and lineage, “witch” to us could mean someone who:
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Questions the norm & calls bullshit on social structures that benefit the elite at the expense of the marginalized
Has probably been labeled as the black sheep of the family
Is drawn to darker waters, soul depth, and mystery
Has a fiery passion for standing for the oppressed
Highly values personal and collective healing
Is deeply compassionate and often feels misunderstood, maybe even lonely
And obviously.. who doesn’t like to light a candle, do a ritual, and have a tea party in a spooky graveyard ✨
*Important
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At Rose, Raven & Roar, we want to be crystal (ball 🔮) clear with you about what does and doesn’t constitute clinical therapy and/or somatic coaching.
We are guided by a therapeutic spectrum in our work. For example, clinical therapy and somatic coaching (1:1 and group) are our deepest therapeutic offerings, as we use specific techniques to help you heal and release trauma from your body and reorganize your relationship patterns.
Although Read Like a Witch is contained therapeutically, it is not clinical therapy or somatic coaching; the only therapeutic element used will be
invitations to connect with your body through somatic exercises, and
containment via group agreements and clear intentions
*I will of course be available to help if someone experiences highly distressing/flooding emotion.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you have questions about this or anything else!
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Group agreements keep our space safe and aligned with our intentions for the container. We want to create availability for deep connection and deconstruction, and laugh our bellies off, be silly, and find relief and deep exhales in each other’s company. We will go over these in our first group + see if any others should be added.
Members will keep in mind that Read Like a Witch is a vulnerable, intentional practice ground for deep connection and deconstruction of power-over relational themes, both micro and macro. So we will:
Create room for complexity, nuance, and diversity (aka, practicing feeling the difference between someone being different than us, and/or there being conflict vs. someone being truly unsafe and oppressive)
Create room for healthy conflict, if needed, in order to expand our capacity for a process of rupture and repair if unintentional harm happens
Know that there is zero tolerance for any power-over or abusive behavior
Keep this space safe and inclusive for all ethnicities, genders, sexual orientation, cultures, and varied levels of ability
Not talk about a member if they’re not present in the group
Abide by the rules of confidentiality, even though Read Like a Witch is not therapy or coaching. To keep our space safe, members will not disclose information about any other member to anyone outside of the container.
Members will raise our hand when we’d like to speak, and we will give space to the person speaking. *Group members agree that text chatting during discussion is allowed
Group members will signal when they are finished speaking by saying, “complete,” “done,” “thank you,” or the like.
*Group facilitator will abide by the same agreements when participating in active discussion, departing only when they shift into actively containing the group structure (opening and closing the group, intervening, providing somatic methods)
*Group facilitator will ask the group if any agreements should be added and/or amended at the beginning of each session
To keep our experience contained and consistent, group members will hold off on engaging with each other personally in between book sessions until the end of the container
All members agree to keep this space inclusive and safe, as outlined in our “What We Stand For” section below
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For our Spring/Queen Season round, 2026, we will meet on Sundays (via Zoom) from 12pm CDT - 2pm CDT, for 4 sessions total.
Dates:
3/29
4/12
5/3
5/17
5/31 (*rain date in case one needs to be cancelled)
Zoom link for all book sessions:
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We make every, every-evolving effort within Rose, Raven & Roar™ to be anti-racist, anti-ableist, anti-genocide, gender affirming, queer-allied, anti-purity culture, anti-fundamentalist, and anti-speciesist (vegan/cruelty-free).
We vehemently denounce systems of power and control, white supremacy, and all systems of oppression that commodify, exploit, and harm marginalized bodies. We strive to maintain a warm, welcoming, inclusive space for all bodies, sexual orientations, faith traditions, ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
We hold deep space for complexity, nuance, differences, and the relational process of rupture and repair, knowing that freeing ourselves from systems of oppression will not be clean or easy. However, any type of abusive, bullying, or oppressive behavior will never be tolerated within any program or container of Rose, Raven & Roar.
Please join us in doing everything possible to keep RR&R™ a safe, consensual, confidential, inclusive space for all.
Donation / Registration
Read Like a Witch™ is funded via donation, since it is a therapeutically-held container. And, we believe that reading in community should be fully accessible to everyone. To meet both of these needs, we utilize the liberation-centered practice of mutual aid.
The standard donation amount is $30 for each session ($120 total). If you have privilege, consider paying it forward to our marginalized witches. If you need assistance, please donate the amount that works for your budget, even if that is $0:
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*Donating means that you fully agree to all agreements, disclaimers, and terms listed on this page and on elizabethdevaughn.com
You also understand and agree that your donation is for the entire container, even if you miss any of the sessions. Refunds will not be given. *If you find yourself under extreme circumstance, contact me.
*If you need a budget-friendly amount from $80 - $0, please contact me at connect@elizabethdevaughn.com