THE GOOD STUFF
Welcome back to The Good Stuff. I’m having a lot of fun pulling these together for you every few weeks! Keep sending me what’s lighting you up, let me know by hitting reply to this email. What's your springtime pleasure?
Here’s what I’m into this month…
Listen
Outside of listening to Cowboy Carter on repeat - did I really add a country album to my library?! Two of my favorite artists are set to release new albums in a few months. Remi Wolf has a great new single, Cinderella that is everything I love about them. Fun, smart and totally danceable. Springtime music at its best. You can listen here and check out the colorful video here.
Still Woozy is also in flow and the new song Shotput doesn’t disappoint. All the things Still Woozy with easy going beats. Plus they are kind of adorable lipsyncing on a park bench in the dark. You can listen here and watch the video here.
Watch
I’m guessing none of us are strangers to the meme of Stevie Nicks singing Silver Springs to Lindsay Buckingham from Fleetwood Mac The Dance. I’ve had friends send it to me with a variety of captions and it gets me every single time. An incredibly powerful moment for sure. It had been years since I had seen the entire concert and I decided to rent it from AppleTv on an afternoon I had set aside to get through some admin work. I managed to get the work done, but not without singing so loudly that my daughter came to tell me she could hear me on the other side of the house with her door closed. Sorry not sorry. If you haven’t seen it in a while it might be about time. Truly Fleetwood Mac in their prime. Simply awesome. I continue to dream that one day I wake up with Stevie’s voice.
Read
A good friend suggested this read and it really came at the right time for me. It’s been a year without my friend Tree, and I am probably just able to reflect a little bit instead of just being in a place where I am simply surviving his absence. The book is great. Funny at times. Helpful and all that we enjoy about author Sloane Crosley. Be advised the friend Sloane writes about in the book died by suicide, so read with care if you choose to. You can pick up the book here and watch an interview with Sloane on the Daily Show here. Ditto to Sloane.
Sense
I was gifted this beautiful incense by a good friend back in February for my birthday. I’m generally not an incense person as I find most to be too heady and then change scent as they linger. Yet, the Amethyst scent from Shoyeido is bright, with woodsy undertones and highlighted by saussurea, a fragrant thistle in the daisy family, which I love for so many reasons. A sweet, fresh, and light scent perfect to burn this time of year.
Grow
Sometime during the pandemic I became a full fledged plant lady. Our living room with floor to ceiling windows gets indirect light for about 9-10 hours a day depending upon the time of year. Turns out plants of all kinds love this gentle glow. I have a beautiful collection of cacti along with a variety of leafy houseplants. My current favorite is the blush colored Syngonium, also known as the arrowhead plant. 'Pink' or 'Neon Robusta' grow in light pink to blushy hues and with indirect light the pinks really come through. They are easy to care for and only require watering once a week in spring/summer and every two weeks in fall/winter. They grow best with proper drainage and if in a dry environment with regular misting.
What are you loving this month? I'd love to give it a try!
xxx
LAS
SOLAR TRANSIT
4-16-24
Gate 3
The Gate of Ordering
On April 16, the sun gracefully traverses Gate 3, known as the Gate of Ordering. During this celestial transit, you're invited to embark on a deeply introspective voyage of self-discovery. This celestial transit encourages a deep exploration of your inner realm, focusing particularly on the energy to transform chaos into order.
Gate 3 embodies the essence of innovation and resilience in the face of chaos. As the sun moves through Gate 3, it illuminates a natural affinity for bringing structure to disorder, utilizing their innate creativity to overcome obstacles with grace and ease. This gate serves as a beacon of light, guiding individuals through the turbulent waters of transformation with a playful and lighthearted approach. Yet, amidst its capacity for innovation, Gate 3 also grapples with feelings of disempowerment and frustration when confronted with disorder and uncertainty. Embracing the energy of Gate 3 invites us to cultivate a deeper understanding of our ability to navigate change and harness our creative potential to thrive in an ever-evolving world.
This transit acts as a journey of your innate power to transform chaos into order. Gate 3, with its essence of innovation and resilience, guides us with a playful spirit through the twists and turns of transformation. Though challenges may arise, embracing the energy of Gate 3 allows us to navigate change with grace and harness our creative potential to thrive in the ever-shifting currents of life.
Here are some journaling prompts to deepen your understanding and engagement with this transit:
1. Reflect on a recent challenge. How did you approach it? Did you find innovative solutions or struggle with disempowerment? Gather evidence affirming your ability to navigate chaos gracefully.
2. Recall a moment of disorder. How do you usually react? Explore patterns in your responses. How might adopting a playful approach enhance resilience?
3. Recall a creative block. How did you reignite inspiration? How can Gate 3's energy infuse your creative process with innovation?
4. Explore "order in chaos" in your life. Reflect on moments where chaos led to growth. How can chaos fuel your personal and professional development?
NEW PROMPT!!
Do you know about Tapping? It can be an effective addition to energy work and nervous system regulation. Many of my Mentorship clients include Tapping as part of their daily ritual. You can learn more about Tapping and how to do it by hitting the button bellow.
EFT - Emotional Freedom Technique Tapping Prompt for this transit.
“Even though it is scary to be faced with chaos, I now choose to approach disorder with ease and amusement and I deeply and completely love and accept myself.”
Have a great week exploring these transits! Ready to learn more about your Human Design? Hit the buttons below to schedule a reading with me and download the free Human Design information sheets to learn more!
THE CREATIVE
Welcome to a new little Newsletter feature. Twice a month I will be sharing quotes from the books, Art is the Highest Form of Hope and The Creative Act. I find perspectives on the creative process to be so meta when it comes to life. We are a creative process and everything we do is subject to the same rules. Creation is non-linear. It's messy. It moves forward and backward. And also gets stuck. Often times we do not realize the purpose of a singular creative process until years later. Creativity likes to surprise us.
“The outcome is not the outcome.” - Rick Rubin
While I've emphasized that creativity and flow aren't simply magical phenomena, there's an undeniable mystery surrounding certain aspects of the creative process. We can cultivate the ideal conditions for inspiration, yet the timing and architecture of its arrival remain elusive, more mysterious than magical. We cannot command inspiration; it arrives on its own terms, often defying our attempts to control or direct it. Experiences like visiting an exhibit, reading a book, or listening to music may or may not directly influence our work in the expected manner. The puzzle pieces of inspiration connect within us in ways we can't predict, sometimes drawing from events long past or from recent intentional experiences.
As artists, our creative minds are always at work, even when we're not actively creating. Every experience becomes a vital ingredient in our creative process, sometimes taking years to fully decode. A single encounter may ripple through multiple works over decades, each interpretation unique. Recently, I hit a pause in my writing process, only to be unexpectedly inspired by a painting I saw at the National Gallery in Oslo nearly 30 years ago. Pursuing its significance for my current work underscores the enduring impact of inspiration, reminding us that its influence knows no bounds of time or expectation.
In moments when outcomes diverge from our expectations, it's crucial to engage with whatever beckons inspiration into our process. Embrace experiences, converse with others, wander, and immerse yourself in diverse stimuli. As artists, our task is to live in a way that invites a spectrum of potential outcomes. Isn't it reassuring to know that inspiration holds no expiration date, continuously offering new avenues for creative exploration?
