This post is more or less a big brain dump lol! Since turning 40 last month, I’ve been thinking hard about what I want to focus on moving forward. Life is far too short, it’s time to focus on what I really want to do before that clock runs out. I fall into the common mindset of “I’m too old to start that now…” and I know that’s a full of shit lie. I also know that I’m not alone in that mindset.
Enjoy my brain dump on some topics that I plan to focus on right now (this isn’t changes for my Substack or anything like that, just personal projects):
(Planetary) Herbalism + 2024 Garden
I’ve mentioned this before, but I run a local chapter of the Arizona Native Plant Society here in the White Mountains so plants make up a big part of what I’m passionate about. Despite mostly focusing on native plants, I also love herbalism and gardening. Herbalism has always been something that I’ve dabbled with off and on, I mainly stick to making solar oil infusions and have a love affair with flower essences. Astro herbalism or Planetary Herbalism has been on my mind heavily lately. Every time I begin herbalism studies I start thinking that “I should have started this years ago”… it’s that mindset creeping in, so this fall I’m signing up for a few online courses and may even dive into a larger herbalism course in the new year if the budget allows.
This is about the time of year when I also start thinking about the garden for the following year. While I love our traditional garden, each season I’ve been wanting to add less veggies and more medicinal plants and flowers. I don’t have my plans set in stone just yet, but if anyone would like to hear me talk more about them when they’re ready let me know! The focus in the garden will be on traditional herbalism and a planetary focus; I may even start my poison path studies in the new year (something I’ve been putting off for years).
Astrology… Again!
The stars are another big focus of mine. I’ve dabbled in astrology off and on through the years but I always feel like I’m just skimming the surface to get the info I want so I can move on. A few weeks ago, I took the plunge into re-kickstarting my astrology studies and go deeper with the intention in using astrology in my praxis and day to day life.
Right now, I’m rebuilding my foundation in astrology and taking the time to really read and learn, not skim. I’m thoroughly enjoying Steven Forrests’ book The Inner Sky right now and I’m about halfway finished with it. Next, I’m going back to basics with Chani Nicholas’ book You Were Born for This to focus mostly on the Sun, Moon and Rising. After that, I’ll be jumping into April Kent’s book Astrological Transits (which I’ve skimmed through many times and absolutely need to read it from cover to cover). I have a stack of books also to read through eventually. Some of these books are more planet specific like Liz Greene’s Saturn and Uranus ones, and others are more focused on certain areas or a mix of things.
There are a few courses I’m also looking into at the moment, but most likely won’t do anything until the new year. I very much enjoy course settings and formats when it comes to learning anything or wanting to go deeper, I’m also a big homework nerd.
Tarot Focus
I’ve been reading cards for a little over 10 years now but I don’t offer paid readings. I used to and loved it, but my Imposter syndrome runs so deep. It hits me the hardest when I read tarot for others despite having never gotten a bad review (I even got a $50 tip before). However, what I do enjoy is teaching and sharing my practice!
My reading style is very mundane and down to earth, I prefer to focus on the practical daily grind. I’m not too interested in looking at anything spiritual or woo-ness in the cards, I would rather pull cards on a coffee shop building than take a look into my inner child aspects. I’m also not one for shadow work either. I despise looking back at the past and prefer not to stress over the future, I much rather focus on the present and what actions I can take now.
So, I’m working on some things! I have a few tarot zines in the works (PDF format and eventually print copies) and I also created a loose outline of a card-by-card series a few weeks ago, but still deciding if I want to release this as a three part e-zine or a full e-book (with the potential of a physical copy as well)… I’m still hazy on the details so I’m just focusing on writing at the moment.
Expect to see more downloadable content going forward!
This was a long post on some of my plans that have been circling in my head. While my Substack isn’t changing, I would like to share some of what I mentioned in this post from time to time that I find helpful and enjoyable to talk about. Also, I may share some tutorials here and there like my own recipe of a planetary room spray I created for solar adorations, as well as how I make my own cone incense. I may even share some snippets from my current writing projects, as well as some peeks of a deck I’m picking back up to finish. It’s another Lenormand deck that I shared updates on in the past, the card illustrations are almost half done!
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