It’s time for another festival recap! And this time? Turning the Tide 2026 in Miami, FL. The 19th incarnation of this event had a rather fiery theme: “Empowerment by Fire. Keeping the Hearth Fires Burning.” Sounds pretty cool, right?
As always, Tides is put on by the good folks of Everglades Moon Local Council. More information about EMLC and events can be found on their webpage.
Now, we humans might have decided that fire was the theme, but I don’t think the weather spirits received the memo. It was unseasonably cold for South Florida, with overnight temperatures feeling close to 30 degrees.
I don’t know how y’all in other regions of the world deal with these types of temperatures on a regular basis. To me, everything starts to get uncomfortable in the 60’s… and anything below that, well… you won’t be seeing much of me.
And for an outdoor camping event? Yeah, that’s going to seriously impact what I can tolerate—which… as you’ll read below… definitely did. But despite the brevity of my experience, Tides is cool and it still deserves a shoutout here.
Plans, right?
Selene and I had intentions to arrive on Friday night, set up our tent, and camp out for the entire weekend.
When we were originally forming this plan, the weather forecast was a typical one—something we would have been able to tolerate. As we got closer to the date, however, the expected temperature for Friday night dropped rather significantly. For 100 reasons (weather included, but also 99 other ones), we decided to only stay from Saturday to Sunday.
And when Saturday arrived, the temperatures were just so ridiculously beyond cold that… well, we reduced our stay to a short visit. Sad face.
But I took the time to trek around the park and capture some of the usual sights of Tides. Unfortunately, it was slightly raining at the time, so… well, no fire.
But you can see where a fire used to be!
Wood? Ashes? A circle of stone? Yep. Certainly a fire used to be there. If it was lit, I probably would have hung around there for a while to warm up. Have I mentioned yet that I was cold?
The Oleta river was as beautiful as always.
The bank of this shore pretty much looks exactly the same every time I walk down to it. You can compare to last year’s photo here.
So what Saturday events were going on? TONS! There were more workshops than usual this year (or at least it felt like it) with three scheduled during each time block.
If you’d like a complete list of the workshops, just scroll down toward the end of this post.
My workshop was called “Awakening the Astral Senses.” It was an open discussion about how to work on skills like clairvoyance. We had a great group of people sharing thoughts and ideas. At the end, we even tried a little fire scrying with candles.
Since my book is coming out next month, I decided it would be a great opportunity to make a fluid condenser. So in the weeks leading up to Tides, I did exactly that! And we used it during our scrying efforts.
The Great Hall is a popping location. It’s always decked out. Since the theme was fire, there were red tablecloths and red candles everywhere. The walls were full of little decorations.
And there was even a neon light of a fire glyph hanging near the bathrooms.
Tides has a raffle each year of donated items to help raise money. There’s usually pretty cool stuff: books, statues, divination tools, jewelry, crystals, decorations, and more.
If you want to participate, you buy some raffle tickets. Every item has a little bag attached to it. You “bid” on the item by placing one of your tickets in its bag. And then… it’s all just luck! One ticket is drawn for each item—the person with the matching half wins.
Selene and I only stayed for a few hours. We were really trying to tough it out, but once the sun started going down… I just couldn’t be outside anymore. We were really sad that we had to dip out before main ritual, but such is life.
There is an Eataly that opened up recently in Aventura. On the way home, we grabbed some pizzas to help alleviate our heavy emotions.
Workshops
Want to know what kind of workshops happen at Tides? Or who was teaching them? Here’s a full list. (I think it’s a full list)
Coven Conflict: How to Maintain the Sacred in your Spiritual Hearth with Oracle Hekataios
Workshop Description: Covens breaking apart. Drama. Politics. Burnout. We’ve all known or been a part of this at some point, experiencing a lot of toxicity. How do we avoid this? What does healthy conflict resolution look like? How do we preserve the egregore? And what can we individuals do to support our leaders?
Awakening the Astral Senses with Fire with Aerik Arkadian (hey, I know that guy)
Workshop Description: The so-called “clair” senses—clairvoyance, clairaudience, clairsentience, etc.—are often spoken of as mysterious gifts, but they are better understood as natural extensions of perception that can be cultivated through practice. In this workshop, we will explore how the astral senses align with the classical elements of Fire, Water, Air, and Earth, and how each element opens specific pathways of awareness.
Fumage: The Art of Painting with Fire with Martha Kirby Capo
Workshop Description: Learn how to create art using smoke and simple tools. All materials will be provided. Suitable for older teens -adults.
Crossed Sabbaths – A Spin on the Wheel of the Year with Opal Luna
Workshop Description: Looking at the Wheel of the Year as a color wheel, we see correlations between the Sabbaths across from each other. Opal Luna has assigned code words to each turn to use the wheel for energetic and spiritual growth. Principles outlined in the presentation will be used in the Main Ritual at Tides.
Crafting a Cork Worry Doll with Marla
Workshop Description: If 2025 taught me anything, it taught me that outside events created needless anxiety and worry for me. I cannot control those outside actions. For 2026, I chose to focus on dispersing that worry and anxiety by using something similar to worry dolls or worry stones. This workshop will offer craft supplies so that you can create what you will use in 2026 to help the worry and anxiety leave your internal focus and go outside of you. We will do this by using a wine cork and decorate it with items such as beads, herbs, glitter, etc. By using a cork, we can stab our worries and anxiety with needles during the year.
The Ogham: Wisdom of the Trees with Aislin Wolf
Workshop Description: This workshop is an introduction to the Ogham, the sacred Celtic tree alphabet, and how it can be used as a living system of divination. As we enter Brighid’s sacred season of Imbolc, a time of renewal, inspiration, and new beginnings, it is a beautiful moment to reconnect with ancestral wisdom and the voice of the trees. We will explore the spirit and symbolism of the Ogham and learn simple, practical ways to work with it for guidance and insight. The focus will be on developing a personal relationship with the Ogham so it can be used for divination for yourself and for others.
Astrology of 2026 and The Elements with Stars by Joseph
Workshop Description: All levels of astrology, beginners to advanced, are welcome to participate! There are some once-in-a-lifetime configurations happening in the skies, which have already begun in 2025, suggesting portents of things to come. We will look at these through the lens of the four elements, which are familiar to nearly all. Let’s review the major paradigm-shifting transits and compare them to our own natal charts, emphasizing elements. Volunteers from the audience can offer up their charts for delineation, and Joseph will provide additional astrological insights and engage with Q&A throughout the session.
Guided Visualization, How & Why It Works with Donna
Workshop Description: Explain the reason guided visualization works, examples of various applications, including physical & spiritual, how to write guided visualizations, then an actual guided visualization with an introduction/meeting of the fire element in a safe space to receive your individual message.
Fire Horse Energy in 2026 with Rev. Rayna Templebee
Workshop Description: On February 17, 2026, we enter into the Fire Horse year, according to Chinese astrology. The combination of five elements and 12 animals in this system means the Fire Horse combination was last present 60 years ago! Let’s talk about this particular combination of passion and freedom so we can best align with the natural energy present in the coming year.
Healing, Grounding, and Transforming with Fire with Phoenix
Workshop Description: Explore fire as transformation, healing, and grounding while giving participants practical tools for emotional regulation and meaning‑making. Participants will identify what to release, ground with fire scrying, and leave with practical tools they can implement in their own practice, all in a safe group environment.
Empower Your Health with Koni
Workshop Description: Health issues are unavoidable and can leave us feeling like our needs and desires are unimportant to our healthcare providers. Learn about empowerment and autonomy as the fires of health issues transmute us, and talk about some ways to incorporate the craft into our healthcare.
Divination with TCGs with Heaven
Workshop Description: Learn how to use trading cards from popular games for intuitive divination. No TCG experience is necessary.
Orishas of Fire: Flame, Justice, and Transformation with Qabal
Workshop Description: Drawing on the Lukumi tradition and related African spiritual practices, this workshop examines Orishas associated with fire, justice, and transformation. Through comparative reflection, we will explore flame as ethical force, social power, and catalyst for change, while honoring cultural boundaries and living religious traditions.
Tending the Sacred Fire with Lord Riekin
Workshop Description: You will learn how to make an easy, safe ritual fire, even if you live in an apartment, as well as how the Scouts do it.” Learn how to build a Sacred Fire for Ritual use and tending the Fire safely.
The Magic of Blacksmithing: Creating, Cursing, Healing, and Revolution with Canu
Workshop Description: Blacksmithing enacts practical and magical relationships that both form and protect community. The forge is a community hearth where the blacksmith uses the forge, anvil, and hammer to meet practical needs and bring the elements of air, fire, water, earth, and spirit meet to create and imbue items with purpose and respond to a community’s needs for healing, cursing, and, at times, revolution! This workshop will explore those themes, demonstrate blacksmithing, and offer an opportunity for a few participants to create an item themselves. Please wear shoes and practical cotton or denim materials if you want to create an item, although a leather apron will also be available to help protect your clothing.
Fire Within, Fire Around: Grounding Practices for Uncertain Times with Niurca Márquez
Workshop Description: This experiential workshop explores how we tend our inner and outer fires during times of unrest, drawing on community wisdom and practical approaches to wellbeing. Through gentle somatic integration, reflections on mini-rituals that keep the embers alive, and the hands-on creation of a personal “centering” tea blend, participants will ground abstract ideas into felt experience. Guided by the three pillars of centering, boundaries, and joy, we’ll explore how personal fire shows up through body, energy, and spirit. Together, we’ll consider what safety truly looks like, how we choose to engage with the world, and how to protect and nourish joy so our fire can keep burning bright.
Self-Reiki – Energy Balancing for Self-Care with Cheryl
Workshop Description: In this workshop, we will go over the growing field of energy psychology and the role of the biosphere, aka aura. We would learn the Reiki hand positions and how to balance our energy, reduce the effects of stress, and strengthen our immune systems. This technique of self-regulation can be especially valuable during the stressful climate we live in today.
Forging Your Path for the Year with Strix
Workshop Description: Create your path for the year ahead with this vision board workshop. We’ll work with the element of Fire as the source of clarity, courage, and transformation. You will choose your personal power word for the year and create a map that reflects your sparks, flames, and long-burning goals. Supplies are included, but you’re encouraged to bring printed images that reflect your goals, magazine clippings, stickers, and your favorite pens and markers to add even more fuel to the fire you’re igniting. You’ll gain renewed clarity on your priorities, a visual guide to keep you focused, and practical strategies to stay motivated. This workshop will also include a mini activation ritual to “light up” your intentions and help you tend the steady fire energy as you move into the year ahead.
Lots of great people talking about interesting things!
Conclusions
Tides will return next year!
We’ll be back, too! Unless… well… hopefully it’ll be a little warmer.
Aerik Arkadian 
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