“Solitude, like a long love, deepens with time, and, I trust, will not fail me if my own powers of creation diminish. For growing into solitude is one way of growing to the end.”
– May Sarton, The House By The Sea
The world isn’t designed for introverted, solitude loving people. For a long time, I thought there was something wrong with me, what with my hermity tendencies and my need for pockets of quiet time, especially after I’ve peopled.
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Choosing a word of the year can be an intensely transformative journey — even when you lose sight of your word, it doesn’t lose sight of you. I should know. This is my eighth year choosing a word of the year. There have been years when I have forgotten all about my word (I’m looking at you, 2020), but that word has still worked its magic in my life.
Words, they say, are spells. They have an inherent magic and power that can work in ways you may never have anticipated to bring you the exact medicine you need at any point of time. The first word I chose, eight years ago, was Transform. It is a spell that’s been woven into the very fabric my life, impacting it far beyond just one year.
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The January 2022 new moon falls in the sign of Capricorn. Symbolized by the mountain goat, which maintains perfect balance while it climbs over precarious rock ledges, the Capricorn archetype is one of disciplined and dogged determination towards the attainment of our worldly desires.
Spiritually, the Capricorn archetype teaches us about integrity and helps us to harness the ability to plan our work, and stick to it, no matter what. In these times of 24×7 consumption culture, it’s easy to be addicted with shiny object syndrome and forget about our goals and plans. Capricorn teaches us about the meaning of integrity: to align ourselves with our highest ideals and actualize our potential.
This new moon also highlights the home and hearth — both physical and psychic. Coming right on the heels of the turn of the calendar, this new moon is a good time to set some practices that will support and nurture you through the year. Given the rough few years we have had, practices that bring you tranquility, that help you feel grounded, and that give you a sense of connection with God/the universe/source will be particularly helpful.
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Sovereignty. That was my word for 2021. And what a ride it has been!
I started the year with a sovereignty list. A list of ideas that I had bought into that didn’t really hold true for me anymore. And as usually happens, as the year progressed, I lost sight of that list.
But it didn’t lose sight of me.
I pulled the list out while doing my year end Visioning, and to my surprise, I had achieved almost everything on that list, plus some more!
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The December 2021 full moon falls in the sign of Gemini. The Gemini archetype is very curious, an excellent communicator, and a disseminator of knowledge. It is the sign of the writer, of those who tend to think deeply, are highly perceptive, and prefer to learn from experience.
Spiritually, the Gemini archetype is about courageous conversation, be it with another person or with the Universe. Gemini adds its vibration to the advancement of culture and civilization through dialogue, be that via books or blogs or letters.
Coming on the heels of the solar eclipse in Sagittarius, this full moon could bring more clarity to whatever was stirred during the eclipse. Being the last full moon of the year, this is also a good time to start your end of the year check-in, examining the habits and baggage that you’d like to leave behind and the vision you see for yourself in the coming year. {There are some resources to aid you with this at the end of the post}
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On the final episode of this year and this season of the Art with Soul podcast, we talk about depth versus breadth when it comes to your art practice. I share some ideas on what going deep with your art practice can look like, and offer some suggestions on when and how to go wide with your art practice.
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I’ve really enjoyed hosting the book bingo challenge these last two years, and have been blown away by how many of you joined in! Thank you for all of your comments, emails and Instagram DMs through the year — I loved being a part of your reading journey! And of course, I’m hosting the book bingo challenge again in 2022!
Read on for all the details, changes, and additions this year.
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With the end of the year fast approaching, it’s time to start planning your Christmas and New Year gifts! Be it for Secret Santa at work, stocking stuffers for family, or thoughtful gifts for close friends, choosing the right gift makes all the difference. And if you’re like me, worried about stepping outdoors due to a pesky new virus variant, why not try shopping from the comfort of your home?
You don’t have to buy boring, unimaginative gifts either. Instead, I’ve put together some thoughtful, quirky, whimsical gift ideas, all of which also support small, sustainable businesses. In my book, that’s always a win!
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The December 2021 new moon falls in the sign of Sagittarius. The freedom loving Sagittarius archetype is in a constant search for inspiration, new avenues of exploration, and adventure. This is a sign that gets bored of the status quo easily, and needs the rush of a new quest to keep them on their toes.
Spiritually, the Sagittarius archetype teaches us to cultivate our own personal relationship with the divine. Contrary to what most religions and a lot of spiritual teachers say, you don’t need an intermediary between you and Source/God/the Universe. You have that connection available to you at all times. Learning to tune in and trust that connection is where a lot of us seem to stumble, though.
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On this episode of the Art with Soul podcast, we talk about information overload, how it impacts your creativity and your art, and how to create healthy boundaries around how much information you consume vs how much you create. Let’s get into it!
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