Over the years, as I've become more in tune with myself as a seasonal, cyclical being, I have been yearning for the experience of doing nothing for an entire season. Winter seemed like the obvious choice because there's not as much going on then anyway. But, somehow, my never-ending to-do list would creep into that space and another year would go by with my wish unfulfilled.
Last summer, I told a friend of mine about my intention because I wanted someone to help hold me accountable to the commitment I wanted to make to myself. As the leaves began to change, she sent me a timely reminder, in the form of an article by Tamara Strijack, called 90 Days of Sundays. Inspired by Tamara's experience, I notified my clients that I would be unavailable until Spring and I began my season of slow.
I'm going to be honest here. I mostly slept. And in my choice to allow that, I came face to face with the inner critic who judged me as lazy, unmotivated, and stuck. But I ignored her and went back to sleep…because this is exactly what my body and mind needed after a lifetime of burn-out. I needed to replenish myself on the deepest levels, to reset back to “factory settings” and remember my original intent for incarnating. I needed to rediscover my wild, natural rhythms and tap into my soul’s embodied wisdom so I could learn to live my life from that place.
I started listening to audiobooks by Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, starting with Mother Night. I had previously read her book, Women Who Run with the Wolves, but this was the first time hearing her words spoken in her own voice. I felt like I was being held in the lap of the Great Mother herself, being told stories of the magical feminine.
I also began reading a book series by Gina Martin. Book One, Sisters of the Solstice Moon is set in pre-patriarchal times and tells the story of 13 priestesses from different cultures around the world having the same vision on the night of Winter Solstice. The vision is about the coming destruction of the Goddess cultures. They are asked to come together, not to try to stop it, for the vision makes it clear that this shift is inevitable. Their purpose is to find a way to preserve the ancient wisdom of the Goddess until it can re-emerge 5,000 years later.
(that's right about NOW)
Book Two, Walking the Threads of Time tells the story of these priestesses re-incarnating together in various periods of history, working together to preserve the old magic in secret.
Book Three, When She Wakes, will be published by Womancraft Publishing this summer. More about that in a moment. In January, I started working at a local, woman-owned non-profit healing co-op. I work there two days a week, offering massage therapy and intuitive energetic healing. The beauty of this arrangement is that I am still self-employed. I manage my own schedule, so I can create a work/life balance that serves all the needs of my multi-faceted creative and magical self.
Having consistent income from working at the co-op has been such a blessing. It has freed my sacred work from the burden of needing to support my livelihood. Now that my soul has some breathing room, I'm remembering what it feels like to create simply for the joy of creating, not because I'm developing a product. My best creations have always been born from that place.
I signed up with Venus Alchemy for another 19 month ceremonial initiation, excited to connect deeper with the wise crone archetype of the current Capricorn Venus cycle. From my teachers in the Shamanic Astrology Mystery School, I've learned that the original vision for the U.S. Constitution was modeled after the Iroquois Confederacy, with one significant omission. The founders were advised to include a Circle of Grandmothers at the center of the government, who would make the final decision about anything that would impact the next 7 generations, including who could lead the nation and whether or not to go to war. Of course the white, land (and people!) owning men weren't too jazzed about the idea of having to answer to women, so they chose to ignore this vital component of the Iroquois Confederacy's success in maintaining peace between tribes.
I find it magically synchronistic that at the same time the US goes through its first Pluto Return, exposing the shadows inherent in our cultural systems and composting the outdated structures, Venus arrives in her wise crone aspect to help guide our hands, so we can re-build in a more sustainable way. But these shifts aren't limited to the US. Look anywhere in the world and you will see signs that we are in the midst of a great Turning of the Ages that is affecting all life on the planet.
This brings me back to the book series by Gina Martin. I anticipate the third book in the series, When She Wakes, will be a timely and accurate depiction of the world as we know it today, with humans on the brink of extinction calling forth the ancient feminine magic in all of us (including men and non-binary people!) that knows how to heal the wounds of Humanity which have resulted from our separation from Nature and Spirit.
My season of slow taught me much about my natural rhythms of rest and action. It taught me how to properly tend to my whole self, giving every part of me what it needs so I can operate in this rapidly changing world while moving at a pace that feels nourishing to my mystic soul. These changes to my life rhythm have allowed me to move into a steady pace of calm productivity balanced with soul-nourishing rest and play. Now that the speed of life has increased and my plate is so full, I am grateful for the gift I gave myself.
My new life motto is: I’ll get there when I get there. And when I arrive, I will be right on time.
Be wild & make your magic! 🧙♀️✨ Amy
Comments