Happy June, everyone! I can’t believe summer is here. The weather is beautiful in the DC area, but unfortunately with poor air quality due to the impact from the Canada wildfires. Stay safe out there, friends.
So now for 13 Things Thursday…let’s get after it! (Brownie points for anyone who can guess where I borrowed that tagline)
Celebrating: My mom turned 60 earlier this week! Typing this makes me laugh, because 30 years ago, little me blabbed to anyone who would listen, “My mom is THIRTY today!” She laughs about it now, but at that time she was less than amused. Because the women in my family age really well, she barely looks a day over 30. We can’t wait to officially celebrate with her this weekend!
June Numerology: June is a universal 4 month, which usually pertains to putting in the work to build stable foundations and “get our house in order,” either with health, finances, etc. That said, I’ve noticed that myself and a lot of others feel a desire to “coast” through the summer, which speaks to the 4 energy in tarot that represents a time to pause and rest. So while it may start with putting in the work, this month could also find you enjoying the fruits of your labor, leaning into the systems and foundations you’ve built and simply living in it, then evaluating and seeing where you want to adjust. I’m not a numerology expert, but I’d be curious to see how others are feeling.
Tarot card for the month: 8 of Wands. The first word that popped in my head was “momentum,” which feels appropriate for the movement happening in the 8 of Wands. Stuff’s flying around, and things are up in the air with no apparent landing place in sight. Sometimes we’re launched into activity or change and have no idea where it’s leading; we’re just along for the ride, with barely a moment to let our feet touch the ground. So whether you’re building on your own energy or letting yourself be carried wherever the wind blows you, take a moment to check in with yourself and adjust the sails if necessary to steer the ship towards your desired outcome. (If you’re looking for more personalized insight, you can book a tarot reading with me!)
Tarot/oracle decks I’m using lately:
~Gateway of Light Activation Oracle by Kyle Gray
~Dame Darcy Mermaid Tarot by Dame Darcy
~Everyday Tarot by Brigit EsselmontTarot practice: Creating affirmations with tarot. Both my weekly planner and tarot journal have a space for weekly intentions/affirmations, and sometimes I just don’t know what to write. Enter: my tarot deck! It’s a fun way to get creative with the cards and use them to string together keywords and meanings to tell a story. Here’s an example of how I do this with some sample card pulls:
~The Fool: Leap of faith, new beginnings, bravery, optimism
~Queen of Wands: Confident, magnetic, unapologetic
~Eight of Cups: Walking away, searching for the missing piece, empowered decision to seek emotional fulfillment
~Complete sentence: I am confident and empowered to walk away from what isn’t serving me, trusting that my next steps are divinely guided.Let me know if you try this! I’d love to see what comes up for you. :)
Self-care moment: Leaving my phone on my nightstand first thing in the morning, and trading social media scrolling for reading before bed. I previously alluded to the books in my backlog, so I’m trying to carve out more intentional reading time in my day. I’m also trying to reduce my screen time overall, so I’m experimenting with this approach for now.
Learning: About ChatGPT and cool ways it can be used. So far, the privacy and misinformation concerns have dissuaded me from trying it, but I also see its potential to free up time and mental energy. I’ve heard of people using it for social media posts, cover letters, out-of-office messages, editing, meal and travel planning, etc. I’ll let you all know if I try it and share my experiments here.
Intrigued by: Animal communication. I recently heard an Almost 30 podcast episode with Miranda Alcott, an animal intuitive who helps people learn to communicate with their animals using her Harmonious Listening approach. I love to talk with Della and make up what I think she’s saying back to me, but I think it would be super cool to see what she’s really thinking! haha
Watching: We recently finished the 4-part docuseries, Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets on Amazon Prime, and it was really enlightening. In addition to some members of the Duggar family, it gave testimonies of other former members of the Institute of Basic Life Principles, or IBLP. Many people saw how their strict religious beliefs played out on their reality TV show, but this really highlighted the full extent of the control, manipulation, and the pervasive the culture of abuse in fundamentalist communities.
Random crap I’ve tried: Canning homemade apple butter and jam. People have joked that I’d be a very useful ally in a zombie apocalypse, and they’re not wrong! I used the water bath canning method, which is surprisingly easy to do, albeit time-consuming. It’s also important to note that only high-acid foods, like jams, jellies, fruit preserves, and pickled items can be preserved with this method. Non-acidic food items should be preserved using the pressure canning method, which I haven’t tried. Because the acidity can vary, it’s important to use a recipe that has been tested for safety, especially if you’re reducing the sugar content, which helps in the preservation process.
Other Substacks I love: Alexa Sharwell’s morning musings. Alexa is such a gifted healer, writer, and a badass entrepreneur and business strategist. She recently started sharing her writing with the world, and it’s always a joy to read.
What’s making me happy: The sweet little baby bunny living under our shed, who I’ve named Gilbert because that’s the first name that popped into my head. Della loses her mind when she sees him and paws frantically at the door so she can go out and try to chase him. I usually hold her back to give him a head start, not that he needs it because he’s wicked fast! Despite her antics, he continues to hang around our home, and it’s been really fun to see him grow.
Interesting news: An Air Force veteran and former National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) employee recently spoke out about an alleged secret government UFO retrieval program. The Pentagon has denied it, and there are still lots of outstanding questions and information needed to corroborate his claims, but this could be a wild story to follow. Buckle up, ET fans! *Cue Twilight Zone music*
Thank you baby girl on the birthday wishes. Can’t wait to celebrate with you. I understand the feeling to want to coast though the summer. I do feel the universe now is more like your quote “Stuff’s flying around, and things are up in the air with no apparent landing place in sight. “ I feel we can land before all the stuff hits us on the head! We just need to be reminded of what is important & what keeps us joyful & calm. Thanks for putting your beautiful heart out there. Love you, Mama❤️😘