Required Reading for Witches and the Woo-Curious...

Dearest,

Today I'm sitting down for my first day back at writing in weeks-- I mean, other than this newsletter, which has been a mainstay for a while.

I've finally decided to write a book.  Which is both big news, and small news, because I've always known I was going to. On the other hand, it's taken me a long time to find the courage, confidence, and clarity to say a clear, soulful "yes" to one topic and genre above all the other possibilities that are constantly flooding my mind and dreams.

My newfound clarity and confidence sits right on top of the hard, gray wall of depression that's been my constant companion these past couple of weeks since my dear friend took a turn for the worse and then passed. I'm telling you this because I want to dis-spell the myth that confidence and clarity only happen to happy people-- to people who have finally "gotten it together" or "arrived."  You can be totally clear in heart, body and soul, and be quite sad. Or angry. Or feel like you're dying inside with a single spark of inspiration guiding you through.

Learning this wisdom has been one of the gifts that has come by doing witchy things like tarot and ritual with my clients recently. I've seen these powerful, visionary, overwhelmed women wake up, without that having to mean denying their feelings. I've seen them continue to swim in the rocky seas of grief, trauma, and transition and find their true course again, their compass firmly in their hearts, as achey and fragile as they may be.

Sometimes in the personal development world, we focus a lot on mindset, being positive, reframing. All of which can be helpful when we're stuck in victim or business-as-usual mode. But these tools -- mindset, positive thinking, vision boards, law of attraction, reframing, and the rest-- are never helpful, healing, or empowering if they become part of the matrix which dims our connection to self and our vast, deep, multifaceted emotional landscapes.  

In other news, witchiness is quite en vogue these days, did you hear? This last week alone I've gotten three newsletters from folks that I follow with headlines like, "How you know you're a witch," etc., etc. It's an amazing shift for me... when I first began my journey into magic twenty-some years ago, I lost friends. People called me bad names at work. My boyfriend's friends started making fun of me behind my back, and it's likely that he did, too. But now it's all the rage. {Even Adele's a witch, did you know?} 

So if you're feeling witchy or merely woo-curious and would like some inspirational reading, I've collected some of my favorite recent bits and pieces from around the web for you down below.

Also, next month I'll be offering a free webinar series next month called Own Your Magic on Tuesday mornings.  Below is some visual juiciness and info to whet your appetite! I'm so looking forward to connecting with some of you live then.

With love and magic, 
Riyana