Jessi Marino

Disembodied spirituality is eternally seeking something more intense, more out of body, more “of God” than the physicality of humanness. Embodiment as with most of the primary terms I’ve used to explain my work, has caught on as a buzzword. As with all buzzwords, anyone can say it whether or not it is integrated. After twenty years in this field, witnessing the full spectrum of WOO, my most spiritual moments have been the simplest ones; made meaningful by a quality of presence that only radical acceptance of both the infinity and impermanence of the human experience can offer. The pain. The beauty. All of it. Moving my body. In the creation of art and music. In connection with kin. Nothing has ever felt more significant. Nothing has ever made me believe in magick more. I hold no spiritual dogma. Each year, I find myself further from sectors of this field that seem to miss the things that matter most, including looking honestly at the realities of our flesh and bone world and community. I practice magick because it is a way of being more here, not less. One that infuses meaning and intentionality into my very human life, and keeps me rhythmically connected to a living earth. People recovering from the WOO often find me after, People who’ve sought embodiment in less than integrated spaces, Leaders who realize they require more than a ChatGPT Prompt and good marketing to carry the torch, Leaders who value the HUMAN experience as the most spiritual path there is. I’m just here HUMAN, Lifting weights, wiggling and humming, hitting my protein goals, honoring my ancestors, singing with my band, writing my songs, building a village in the jungle, enjoying great food, celebrating tiny moments with my friends, and shaking my ass for good measure For me - it’s the most enchanted life there is #wildessence PHOTOGRAPH BY @kimbuglycreations @kimbugly

A year ago my friends came to help me make this video for Wild Essence. What matters most has never been more apparent. We love you…. Now and always. 🍂We gather in the brilliance of turning leaves, the crisp air filling our lungs with renewal. We move as rivers and roots, breath weaving us back to presence. We share meals that carry the flavors of hearth and harvest, each bite an offering to life. We make art with our hands, giving form to what the heart longs to express. We laugh, rest, and create friendships that feel like constellations guiding us home. We walk in nature, remembering the pulse is both body and earth. Gatherings are poetry, circles of embodiment, expression, and belonging. Samhain Sanctum 2026 weekend New England retreat is OCT 30 - NOV 1 2026 Comment 🖤 or email me to come. #wildessence

Oh you sweet beautiful creature… you don’t even know what you can’t yet know. So here’s a little not-so-secret from a witch: You will be demolished. Devoured.Resurrected. Then ruined again a hundred little deaths before lunch, some days. The moment you believe you’ve figured anything out… The second you start preaching like you know things for sure… Life will tilt its head, grin wide, and crush your certainty with a cunning wink. You are just as much a wild stew of longing, laughter, and leftover dreams just as much sloshy concoction of maybes and missteps, as the rest of us. Your way isn’t better. It’s just yours. And every time you take your own knowledge too seriously, the Mystery will whisper-slap you on the bare ass and croon into your ear, Lovingly, Who the fuck do you think you are, sweetheart? I run this shit. I just let you ride the ride. Becoming is a spiraling, unfinishable thing. How dare we deflate it by pretending it can be met. Why claim a throne in a room that keeps spinning? You’re not done. You won’t be until you are and by then, most things wont matter how we thought they would. We will be thrown into the trenches again and again Maybe it’s better to be a skilled trench goblin mud-smeared and sharp-eyed wilding out with the ones by your side nodding at those who do it differently laughing at the whole damn game. Sometimes you’ll stick your nose up your own ass sniffing for certainty thinking you’ve finally caught the scent of some absolute truth. But eventually you’ll come up for air giggling, gagging, and humbled. So don’t shove your momentary truth into their teeth. Let them take their own bites. Let them find their own way. Or not. And remember only the most naive soul believes there’s only one way to kiss the mystery. You are cosmic soup In a flesh house unfinished and delightfully strange. Just how I like it. Photo by @nik.oli

I promise ALIVENESS to those truly ready for what it requires. I am not built for virality, this won’t be quick and easy or black and white. It will ask for every drop of your blood to be devoted. My promise : When you actually do the practices consistently, When you truly look at yourself honestly, When you are devoted to changing the trajectory, When you show all the way up with your whole heart, When you are actually open to feedback and counsel, When you’re done with the fucking excuses and blaming everything but your own choices. The quality of life you will experience, The relationships you will cultivate, The dreams you will step into, The suppleness you will access in your body, The awareness you will have in your life, The magnetism and gratitude that will become available Will absolutely surpass anything you have ever dared to want for yourself. You will not recognize the magick you become. What stops us from experiencing this ???? This depth of devotion is a life-long road, and it’s winding. We wobble in and out of commitment, We need more accountability and support than we are willing to invest in, We don’t accept that sacrifice is required for manifestation, We get derailed for too long when life hits, We expect way too much for way too little, or expect things of others we wouldn’t ourselves provide, We think we know better so we miss the magick available to us and produce the same old outcomes, We self-sabotage because we aren’t ready for what we say we want. Give me a year, give yourself the year, in FULL commitment, and watch every aspect of your life become something you once only dreamed was possible for other people.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ #wildessence #aliveness #empowerment #embodiment @nik.oli photography

Stop clawing for an answer and LISTEN. Witches become dangerous [in the best way] when we surrender to the mystery as much as we spell the spells that change the trajectory. Stop trying to force every door. Hold your unknown like a seed. The tendrils are alive… If you’re actually listening, none of it is “easy” But all of it is WORTH IT And we wouldn’t have it any other way. Photo by @kimbugly @kimbuglycreations

I have been asked many questions about the ORACLE Mentorship. Rather than a public livestream I have decided to host a private Q+A / info session for those seriously considering the mentorship. Since there are only a few spaces left in 2027 I decided on this! ORACLE is a 13-month initiatory path weaving embodiment, ritual arts, nervous system resilience, somatic facilitation, seasonal living, leadership, and Resonance Practitioner Training into one immersive experience. This session will be conversational and intimate. A chance to ask direct questions about the structure, investment, retreats, certification, community, and what this path actually asks of a person. If you’d like to attend this FREE LIVE Q+A Session, you can add your name to the guestlist the link is in WE group or comment ORACLE and I will [manually] send it to you 🥰 GUEST LIST FOR FREE Q+A June 1st 530PM EST Photo @nik.oli

Midsummer is coming for us. What matters most will be revealed. #wildessence Shoutout to @zipp____ for all the incredible ART she made for Wild Essence over all these years. I miss you every day and treasure our time working together 🫶🏼

Bubble bubble bish…. 🕯️ It’s our 6th annual Samhain Sanctum, which has evolved from an online virtual retreat into an annual gathering in the flesh in some spooky New England towns surrounded by lush fall foliage and the enchantment of the Samhain portal. This year I’m joined by my two besties Steph and Chrissy for a weekend that is sure to stir the cauldron. Think candlelit ritual, embodiment, ghost stories, depth, laughter until your stomach hurts, velvet darkness, delicious meals, witchery, autumn forests, whole body exhale, and the kind of conversations that alter the trajectory of your life long after the weekend is over. Samhain is one of my favorite turns of the wheel. A season where grief, gratitude, memory, desire, beauty, endings and becoming all sit at the silent supper table together. Every year this gathering is part ritual, part family reunion, part strange and beautiful fever dream. If your bones are craving an October weekend wrapped in beauty, magick, depth and New England autumn enchantment, claim a space while you can. Samhain Sanctum October 30-November 1 Location is TBA #wildessence

What can you do today ? #wildessence Throwback 🫶🏼 still true

In my practice ; Manifestation is Sacrifice Whenever a path is FULLY chosen another us goes unchosen. Manifestation is most effective when the desired outcome is fully chosen and the sacrifice required is fully accepted. In matters of the mindbodysoul, the sacrifice can often be patterns of thought - ways of relating - or habituals actions that sabotage the effectiveness of any manifestation spell. If the body is telling another story ; “this isn’t worth it” or “I shouldn’t have to do the hard thing” Or if actions are reinforcing “this doesn’t really matter that much to me” the lack of congruence in, yes, frequency/ alignment/ clarity will effectively sabotage the entire route to the desired state, making it even harder or impossible. (There are non-woo ways to say this too). This is IMO partially because the system is resisting acceptance of the cost of the semi-chosen desire, “I want it, but not enough to be uncomfortable”. Then baby, you don’t want it. Sometimes this requires refinement or reassessment of priorities, there are some costs that will never be worth paying. And some that just are not worth it TO YOU. All growth and desired outcomes will ask something of us. Time. Money. Comfort. Familiarity. Energy. Beliefs. Patterns. We must continuously assess our willingness to accept what is required and take full personal responsibility for the choices we make. For me #1 Health is never something I am willing to sacrifice. For your wildest dreams come true….. Would you sacrifice the exposure of all your fears ? Would you face parts of yourself you’ve been hiding from ? Would you forego another also beautiful path for the one you truly want ? I really want to know your thoughts in the comments. PS: obviously there are a million ways the world is nuts and things we can’t control, this is about what we CAN #manifestation #manifestationissacrifice

I’ve been too dirty, too rebellious, and too much of an anarchist for the spiritual sectors of the wellness field for quite a while. My why is quality of life. The how is anti-dogmatic. This doesn’t sit well with those who feel there is one right formula for a well lived life and it’s theirs. I have watched health and spiritual sectors sub out language to rebrand addiction, abuse, and avoidance since I began in this work. The purpose of this post is not to pick on those just beginning. No mature adult would, because we have all been there. There is a realm of spiritual kindergarten, a beginning when we think we can know absolute truths and find clean linear solutions to complex, eon-long human conundrums. It’s a sweet era of thinking we have figured out the great mystery (and sometimes pushing it on all our friends *compassionate cringe to my 18-26YO self*), Soon we see more. And more sees us. My own initiation into elderhood has begun. It requires me to be patient while they fall off things, make mistakes, find their way through the muck [as I do] trusting that what I can offer is best received when they find me after all this in the wild wood at the fringes of this weird soup of the wellness world. I must hold loosely my hope that all the nourishment sinks in the first time, expect them to storm off frustrated with what it all requires, and know how long it’s taken me to become so permeable to it all. When they finally do search for the intersection of science, soul, embodiment, myth, mystery, and a drizzle of magick because their quality of life matters enough now, and they are sick of their own bullshit. I am here. I can know nothing for sure. The trap was always in thinking I could. So I’ll stay dirty on the fringes, questioning everything, dissolving and resurging with the tides of my own life, collecting the treasures of fully lived embodied moments that point me toward what is a YES for now for me, knowing only that I can’t know and that the mystery is the point. And they, maybe YOU, will find me. Photo Natalie Harding Photography

A reason, a season, or a lifetime Relationship is the ultimate revelatory portal of self-awareness, which is funny, because you’d think “self” awareness is more of a solitary path. Alas, I have learned the most about myself through many relational doorways. It doesn’t feel productive to recount the many heartbreaks I have traversed along this path, but productive isn’t the point in this realm. The story is a teacher. I believe in a deep self, and that during various chapters of our lives, we peel back layers of half-truths in a quest to wear more and more of our deep self on the outside. I’ve tried on skins in the process of homecoming, because I thought I needed to choose from what already existed. The voyage home exposes that the unique energy signature of a whole, real human is excavated from the marrow, and also created by a life lived. During each page turn, as we try to fill a void, heal a wound, or avoid the original wound, I think we wander, ebbing and flowing toward and away from the blueprint of our deepest self. When I look back at all of the relationships that have faded out or been cut out of my life, I really see that who I was in those dynamics and with those people is not who I know myself to be, or who I want to be. So while at the time it may have seemed real, I see so clearly in hindsight that how I feel with people, and how I feel about myself with my people, has clarified in the greatest way. I have never in my life until now had intimate friendships that I have felt this safe and loved within. So while I am so grateful for all I’ve learned in knowing those who’ve been around for a reason or a season… even the assholes. My lifetime kin feel like the home and family of my wildest dreams and I would do it all over again because it’s lead me here. Ana Gracey - photography