Who know where the time goes...
Sometimes I think, well, I want to write but what do I have to say? Living life can be so all-consuming, and taking the time to reflect on it is not always in the cards. Lately, I’ve actually been pulling a card a day before starting the day. I use a deck called ‘Tarot of the Spirit.’ I ask the card a general question about what I need to know for that day and it’s been providing me some peace when my inner self is feeling ever so topsy-turvy. Even when the card is a challenge for me and invokes me to look at some inner truthing, I am thankful for a shred of guidance in this chaos.
I try to do morning pages after that. They often are now informed by the card I’ve pulled, which is good. I love Julia Cameron’s book ‘The Artist’s Way’ and I’ve worked it several times (making it all the way through 2 out of multiple attempts!) She emphasizes the importance of jotting down 3 pages of whatever first thing in the morning. Sometimes this practice is amazing for me, and other times I feel like its repetitiveness gets me stuck in a loop, so the card pulling is helpful in shaking my mind awake and have a little more focus.
Anyway, all this is to say, for me, a spiritual practice to start the day is a really helpful way to find some order in myself. Do you have a morning routine/spiritual practice and how is it going?
As the summer comes to a close (again time passing, what the heck?!) I am always moved toward that ‘back to school’ feeling. I welcome the cooler mornings and evening sunsets. I set some goals that I may or may not achieve;
I do a little bit of clean-up in a few parts of my life. I rededicate to my writing in this space, knowing that if I think about writing, I will find so much to say and to write about.
3 things I’ve been moved by lately:
Neko Case’s Substack. I’m a long time fan of hers and her posts grab me in a way that I feel a deep camaraderie and solidarity with what she is saying. A quote from her most recent post regarding aging and perspective has stayed with me in a deep way: Being 52 has really shone a spotlight on how much of my life was wasted in the tractor beam of the male gaze. I mourn that loss of time and experience and freedom like mourning the passing of a loved one.
‘Lessons In Chemistry’ (book) by Bonnie Garmus. I listened to this book during my commute on Audible this week. The fictional story of a female chemist in the late 50’s/early 60’s, Elizabeth Zott. I enjoyed getting lost in this book and my favorite character was a 600+ word knowing dog named ‘6:30.’
This video and song by Brennen Leigh called ‘Carole with an E.’