It takes a lot to pay close attention today. With the buzz of media and constant input from humans, there are very few spaces of quiet. Even now, as you are sitting down to read, stop and look around at what calls for your attention. The outside? Your inside? The great noise of the past? The sharp inhale of the future? While it is celebrated to have your attention split and held in various directions, it can also be exhausting... Read more
I am not the best at keeping up with book reviews. I got on a roll with writing, so I went with that and got A LOT done. More on that when I know more about publication dates and the such. But this is not about me, this is about the books I was given to review. Midlife Magic: The Journey of Jo Ann Richards by Jo Ann Richards I’ve known Jo Ann for a bit (2012? 2013?) and I... Read more
A few weeks ago, I got to talk about love spells. In the world we’re in, love spells seem to be the last thing to think about or to ponder or to plan. After all, there are *most important* things. (Right?) I disagree. I want to return to love all the time. In every way. I want to conjure and call in something that smells like beauty — and hope. The thing that reminds me of longing, desire, and the... Read more
My life needs a bit more ritual. Sometimes, it feels like a room I haven’t cleaned up in a while. I look around and I know where things are to function, but I also know that if I organized a bit, threw a few things away, and/or rearranged the furniture, I would feel less overwhelmed. In the quiet spaces of my morning walks, I have heard the message: clear away the duff and you’ll have more space for what is... Read more
Sadly, I tested positive for COVID this week*, but even more upsetting (?) was the amount of time I spent looking up a clear definition of ‘rest.’ All of the articles about taking care of myself (something I have written about extensively) said to get enough sleep to recover well. They talked about eating well and drinking water and moving around every few hours. And they said to rest. And I realized I don’t know what that means – to... Read more
This question has been rattling around in my head for a while: am I living what I’m leading? I don’t ask this question of myself because I want to be perfect, nor do I expect to be perfect, but I ask because it’s important. Because I am often in leadership roles. Because I know people look to me. Because I know I have some sort of (weird) influence. This is a question for self-reflection and self-examination. Not criticism or flagellation.... Read more
I am lucky to get to do magick in person this year. (I am also a human with a touch of hypervigilance and social awkwardness who has quit smoking so I don’t have that to fall back on.) You might not resonate with my particular situation, but I imagine being with people and in magickal spaces might be bringing up some feelings for some folks. It’s been a minute for a lot of us. And people are a lot sometimes,... Read more
I remember the paper on my beloved’s bedroom wall: The Promise of a Sacred Witness. (Or How to be a Sacred Witness. Something like that.) I remember how she embodied this in so many moments and how I wished the same for myself. I wish to witness the world, the beings, and the in-between. To hold these moments as sacred, even as they appear mundane and ordinary. The more I can witness, the more I take in and know and... Read more
I wanted to be loud. Loud enough that no one could ignore me. Loud enough so that everyone would turn. Loud enough to not be forgotten. (Louder than others.) But I’ve grown into a magick that is soft with belonging. Belonging to your heart. Belonging to a moment. Belonging to the gentle rush of air in the middle of a hot day. Belonging to a world that includes starfish and sunsets and an ever-turning wheel of bud to blossom to... Read more
I’ve said it before and I’ll continue to say it: I love summer. The longer light days, the warmer temperatures, the magick of being outside in a blue sky and blooming things (achoo): this excites me. My energy naturally moves into a more balanced version of movement and rest at this time. I feel energized enough to do the things I want to do, while also being measured in how I do them so as to avoid too much heat... Read more
