What I’m learning is that thriving happens when I identify what my REAL priorities are and live in alignment to expand those areas, which means questioning if things are helping me do that or not. And if they’re not, I give myself full permission to minimize or eliminate the energy I put into them so I can reallocate it to what actually does. Actually – let me revise that. I’m going to demand that of myself 😼

Because when we savor things, we slow down without even trying. And that’s what I’m all about this lunar cycle: more savor, less effort 🎇.

When you savor a bite of your favorite food 🍰, your body experiences this prolonged pleasure that surpasses time on any clock. Your mind shuts off. You take in and appreciate more sensual detail. You are being mindful and present without trying in the typical ways. It feels so much more organic.

I’ve been leaking energy. Spewing it in places that aren’t worthwhile for me. And not giving enough to things that absolutely fucking are.

Cue re-alignment!✊

I've been reflecting on my basic values: What’s most important? Not to anyone else. But to me. What are my values? What are my priorities? What am I doing to honor those and to act from places that align with those?

I've also found myself looking at some things in new ways.

We’re starting a new lunar cycle that will lead us to the Pink Moon*, the first full moon of the season. This is also when we start (or continue) to see some of the first flowers 🌼 raise their gallant pre-bloom buds towards the sky. Where I am, these are usually crocus flowers, and spotting them is one of my great joys in life right now.

I call them gallant because they are the seasonal pioneers of the botanical world around here. I see their purple and white budding petals pixelate street sides and tree root coves, and I know they are the brave ones 🤺 – the ones that pop out when there will still be winter conditions to contend with.

We’re hitting the third quarter (3Q) phase of this Worm Moon* cycle, and we’re getting closer and closer to the Spring Equinox, and I couldn’t be more excited to see that day.

I. Am. Waiting.

Longingly.

A couple letters back, I mentioned that this cycle is about the transition from winter to spring. We’re at the peak phase of this glorious Worm Moon*, and we’re primed to harness the fullness of this transformational energy. To expand and take up space in the world. To let our natural shapes unravel.

Which is why this newsletter looks a little different. I’m scrapping most of what I had already written. Some occasions call for something that lends more depth.

Our last lunar love letter was an invitation to reflect on the last cycle and think about some intentions for this one. How did that go for you? What came up? Did anything feel particularly easy or hard?

Personally, I experienced intense energy around the new moon 🌑. I had a lot of emotions surface simultaneously, and apparently that’s what my body, mind, and spirit needed – to let them bubble up 🌋 and over and out . It was a rough process and not very pretty – but even though growth isn’t all fairy wings and glitter, it’s still fucking beautiful, and I’m grateful to be able to experience it.

This month’s lunar cycle hinges on a full moon known as the Worm Moon*. Within this cycle, (where I’m at) we are noticing the earth transitioning from winter to spring, and the Spring Equinox falls right on the last day of the cycle.

Think about that: the last sliver of the Worm Moon takes us right into a literal new season – one of new growth 🪴 and promise.

Loving yourself is a practice. Like so many things, we have to show up for it and try at it and fail at it and celebrate the tiniest of successes along the way. Some days are easier. Some days it’s all we can do to not loathe ourselves into oblivion. And some days it all comes together. Even if just for an hour.

Among all the personal development work I’ve been doing, one of the largest challenges I’ve adopted this year was to disengage from treating my appearance as a primary source of my identity. I have long-seeded body image issues, as do many of us, but this past year, I took on a mission that really tested those: I quit smoking.

How we treat our bodies is literally how we live. And living your life from a place of balance and centeredness makes everything more grand. It helps you show up with love instead of fear, helps you grow relationships, and ponder the world with the wonder of a child instead of the stress of an overworked adult. It helps you regain a sense of freedom, not just in your body, but in your life.

How we treat our bodies is literally how we live. And living your life from a place of balance and centeredness makes everything more grand. It helps you show up with love instead of fear, helps you grow relationships, and ponder the world with the wonder of a child instead of the stress of an overworked adult. It helps you regain a sense of freedom, not just in your body, but in your life.