January Liberation
Me, in my office! Isabel in a green apron and brown dress standing on a green patterned carpet, between their desk and a dresser, in their maximalist cottagecore office with lots of drawings, cool objects, and plants on the walls and surfaces.
So far, the January stillness and Cancer full moon have brought with them humbling revelations, as well as promises of liberation from old patterns, if I can grow my strength. Does any of this resonate with you?
In my Substack, I’ve been asking the question, “What can the quiet, still month of January bring that no other month provides?”
I’ve found that there are special kinds of fun and pleasure available that I sometimes take for granted until the busy months of summer, when I am able to remember their worth more clearly: snuggling with animal companions who are more open to cuddling in the winter; reading slowly in the winter light until I fall asleep; staying in with loved ones watching silly, lighthearted movies (last night my crew and I watched Treasure Planet); playing open-world video games and sparking my imagination to travel from this plane to wilder ones; the simple, rejuvinating pleasure of lying in bed under warm covers.
This has arrived with balance: relationships come up for review, and the universe is asking me what I truly want and what I’ll build space for in my world, versus what I’m ready to let go.
My own pride and unwillingness to accept when I’m wrong has been a strong theme. I ask myself: what choices am I making, and in what conversations do I become rigid, because I want to see myself a certain way or control how others see me?
These questions feel, at first, humiliating: “Oh my god, I can’t believe I acted that way, and someone else SAW IT!” followed by the human impulse to climb into the garbage can “WHERE I BELONG” *cue wailing*. Host that pity party for a minute - there might be real sadness or grief that needs air.
Then, let your eyes become clear: knowledge is there, as soon as you’re ready to accept it. This might feel almost passive, like relaxing a muscle you’ve held tense too long. When we allow ourselves to be wrong, vulnerable, and strong, we get to ask an empowering question:
In this one human, fallible life, what do I want to focus my energy on?
I’m letting go of trying to prove a point to someone who doesn’t want to hear it, and embracing trying to understand their perspective and experience even if I still choose to disengage.
I’m letting go of holding onto an image of myself because it’s too scary to consider a different reality, and accepting that those I trust can see my most deeply ingrained patterns more clearly than I can.
I’m letting go of adversarial dynamics, and seeking out conversations where we can both accept each others’ mistakes and choose this as the root of our trust.
In January, I’ve taken my coaching and coalesced it into something clearer, stronger, and more supportive to both me and my clients. Check it out here. And look below for the temporarily-dropped-but-improved-andreinstated Village Witch’s Corner!
Village Witch’s Corner
My intention this week :
Take a break from putting things out in the world, and take time to call my energy back in and feel fully energetically resourced.
Question I'm asking this week:
Where are moments I can just stop and rest?
How do I need to reassure my nervous system as I take more moments to just stop right then and there and take a beat?
Album of the week:
Red by Taylor Swift
Fiction Recommendation:
The Illness Lesson by Claire Beams. Little Women meets slow burn feminist horror. Beautiful setting. (Used copies available elsewhere online for cheaper.)
Tiny Spell of the Week:
Go outside and smell the way the air smells at this time of year where you live. See what notes you notice. How does the air feel in your body? Say hi to the earth.
