13 Things Thursday: 16
A collection of things I'm loving lately, created by others
Hey friends! I was grasping at straws for things to share with you, so I’m trying out a new 13 Things theme this week. The following is a curated list of 13 things I’ve watched, listened to, read, or used recently that piqued my interest. I may start incorporating more themed posts like this in the future to help things flow. I hope you enjoy!
Bridgerton Season 3 Part 2. Need I say more? Honestly Penelope and Colin’s love story might be one of my favorites. There’s still drama and passion, but their friendship foundation gives them natural comfort and ease with each other. They know each other well and have a mutual respect that makes their relationship so sweet and relatable. For those who have watched, I’d love to hear what you think!
Podcast: If Books Could Kill - Atomic Habits. I started reading Atomic Habits years ago and stopped because I got burnt out with the self help genre for a bit. Since I loved the idea of this book and enjoyed what I read so far, I was almost scared to listen to this podcast. But they tore it apart in the most entertaining way, and I loved it. I probably will finish the book at some point, but I’ll never look at it the same since listening to this podcast. I’m looking forward to listening to more episodes like this.
YouTube Video: The Densest City in the World Had a (Strange) Secret. This video talked about the Kowloon Walled City, which started as a military fort, but eventually became a mostly ungoverned, densely populated enclave of China within the boundaries of British Hong Kong that attracted a lot of refugees after World War II and the Chinese Civil War. With a very informal civilian government, it became a hot bed of criminal activity. Without building codes, the city expanded inward, with modular units being built on top of existing ones, with some connecting to units in other buildings, almost like a live urban Tetris game. With people quite literally living on top of each other, there was a strong sense of community, too. This city was later demolished and turned into a park, but the history of this place was really fascinating.
YouTube Video: Would Jesus Vote Republican or Democrat? This channel, Religion for Breakfast, is awesome. He provides tons of information on world religions and their history. This video was particularly interesting, as it highlights how people project their own political leanings onto religious figures to reduce cognitive dissonance.
Podcast: What Now? with Trevor Noah - The Ozempic Obsession with Jia Tolentino. With all the media hype around GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, this was a really great listen. It captured a lot of the cultural dynamics about how weight and health are perceived, and how these drugs are changing the conversation, or missing the point at times. I really enjoyed this nuanced discussion.
Inner Tarot by Kate Van Horn. I’ve been slowly working my way through this book and finally finished it, and I must say it’s every bit as amazing as I dreamed. Kate’s story, her practices, and channeled writing make this book so special and deeply relatable and applicable. I even recognized some channeled writing in the book for a card she pulled for me at the end of her Full Circle Level 2 course, so that was really special. :) I was recently able to attend Kate’s book tour dinner at Sofitel in DC, and it was such a magical evening! We pulled cards for each other, and I received the Page of Wands from the Aquarian Tarot as a bookmark for my signed copy. It was amazing to talk to so many great people and of course, meet Kate and other tarot friends in person. <3
Substack: What’s Your Zone of Genius? (Pulling the Thread with Elise Loehnen). This post is a follow-up to her previous essay on Upper Limit Problems, discussing the ceiling of what we believe is possible for us and how we often sabotage ourselves when we’re on the cusp of leveling up. She details an exercise from The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks where we outline our Zone of Incompetence (self-explanatory), Zone of Competence (things that we’re good at that aren’t joyful), Zone of Excellence (excellent output, but not our unique gift), and Zone of Genius (unique abilities or activities you can do for long stretches that don’t feel like work). Many of us spend most of our time in our zones of competence and excellence, as it’s often comfortable and something where people love to enlist our help. The zone of genius may not feel like work, so we may not feel like there’s any value in it, which is where we tend to hit our upper limit. Both of these essays were so thought-provoking (as are many of Elise’s essays), so I highly recommend following her work.
Substack: Radical Undoing (Oak Moon Tarot by Danielle Park). The 10 of Swords in tarot is an intimidating one. Traditionally depicting a person lying on the ground with 10 swords coming out of their back, it often refers to moments of finality, where it really can’t get any worse. It’s also an invitation to let that cycle end once and for all, letting go of old stories we tell ourselves, and surrendering to change and transformation. Danielle pulled the 10 of Swords for this quote by David Whyte: “Joy [is a] radical undoing…letting go of the names we’ve hemmed ourselves in with and are being hemmed in by.” I loved her corresponding tarot spread to go with this quote. Even if you’re not into tarot, I think these could make amazing journal prompts for reflection.
Substack: Are Millennial Women OK?! (We’re all Friends Here by Lauren Maxwell). This piece starts by talking about the book All Fours by Miranda July, which apparently everyone is talking about, but I’ve never heard of it. (Adds to list) The protagonist, a 45-year-old artist, is struggling through perimenopause, a stage not far off for elder millennial women. Lauren goes on to discuss the cultural implications of reaching the end of our childbearing years, which has its own set of challenges. It also opens up the possibility of owning our hard-earned wisdom and settling into a new phase of life.
Crescent City Series by Sarah J. Maas. This series started out really slow for me, to the point where I wondered if SJM even had an editor. That said, once I got about 70% of the way through the first book (I kid you not), it really started getting interesting. I get that not everyone has the patience (or stubbornness?) to stick it out for that long, but I’m glad I did. I understand people’s criticisms of the series, but it was enough to keep me invested in the characters and their stories.
The Quantum Method Meditation Platform. I got in on the early bird pricing for this meditation platform when it first launched, and I’m really enjoying it so far! I haven’t seen any other meditation platform with such a wide variety of meditations, so you can truly choose your own adventure. Personally I love the quick shifts, pep talks, walking meditations, and music-only tracks.
Alexandra Cole, Human Design. I’ve been following Alexandra on Instagram for her human design insights, and I really appreciate her perspectives that go beyond the basics of type, strategy, and authority. While those things are the best place to start, there’s so much to unlock when you learn more about your chart, much like astrology beyond your sun, moon, and rising. HD is a complex system that can feel overwhelming to learn, so I love how she breaks down these more advanced concepts in a way that’s easy to understand.
Dame Darcy Mermaid Tarot. I needed one more thing on my list, so I thought I’d share this tarot deck I’ve been using and digging. I love the whimsical mermaid theme, which feels very beachy and appropriate for summer. It also doesn’t pull any punches with the messages it delivers, which I appreciate.
Hope you’re all having a great summer! Leave a comment and let me know what you’re up to. :)