"failing" at intentions
If you've been around me for a while—classes, workshops, The Spiral, love letters—you know that I tune into natural cycles for my timing. Especially the lunar cycle: set intentions at new moon, reflect and adjust at full moon, set the next round of intentions at the next full moon. Continue spiraling.
That simplified description, though, could give the impression that you simply meet your intentions and then move to the next ones. You "succeed." And succeed and succeed.
But that's the capitalist patriarchy version of lunar timing, which is not sustainable or realistic for real life.
Lunar timing isn't about "success." Tuning into natural cycles is about being REAL. Natural.
Which means, naturally, that it's not about "success" over "failure."
A personal example:
In each cohort of The Spiral, I encourage everyone to set intentions for our time together. Including me. In the most recent cohort of The Spiral, my intention was make significant progress in a book that I'd like to self-publish this year.
Meaning at least a dozen-ish good pages. A good dent.
Well, I didn't meet my intention. In this case, I've outlined some paragraphs. It feels like nearly nothing.
I did so little towards my intention, in fact, that after a month, the lack of effort made me even more frustrated.
And now, at the end of this cohort of The Spiral, I'm barely further along in my intention that I was in January.
How would you feel? Despondent? Considering giving up?
I don't. Not because I'm pleased with what I haven't done. I'm not. But that's human.
I choose to tune into the moon, not capitalist patriarchy.
What would you do?
While we're here, some updates on Siderealchemy:
~ The Spiral is on a break for spring and summer. Tentatively, it'll return in autumn—Siderealchemy is also on seasonal and lunar timing.
~ In the past few months I've taken on more 1:1 work, which ranges from specific tasks to paradigm shifts. For example, from writing web copy to helping people tap into their inner visionary. These all happen on a project basis, meaning that people contact me and we determine our container together. If something's on your mind and you want to know more, just email me. We'll figure out if we're a good fit, without hard sales pitches, because I don't believe in them.
~ In the meantime, if you're not interested in 1:1 work, you can register anytime for Dive Into Your Deck and Light Your Lantern, my 2 foundational classes about tarot and oracle classes.
Years of working with oracle and tarot decks have changed my life, strengthened my intuition, and deepened my connection to spirit. It would have taken a lot longer to reach the level of confidence and trust with myself that I have now, had I not tapped into this form of divination.
It's no exaggeration that everyone I've spoken with who's taken those classes has said that they've changed their entire relationship to decks. I'm absolutely delighted to know that their readings are better, that their intuition is clearer and stronger.
The card reading below is a good example of how my way of reading emphasizes your own ideas over "official" interpretations by others.
By summer, you could have a completely different experience of tarot and oracle, on your own pacing in self-study classes. Details are on the site, and of course feel free to reply with any questions.
Beyond that –
Monday is the spring equinox and Tuesday is the new moon: a new season and a new moon cycle. I'm tuning in, and I'm (re)setting my intentions. I have some writing to do.
How about you? What seeds are you planting?
Poised to spring,
S.
—
she / they
Siderealchemy
A pull this weekend from the Southern Botanical Oracle. Some of you already know that plant-themed oracle and tarot decks are one way I support my studies of herbalism.
This reading is also a good example of me disagreeing the "official" or "correct" interpretations (the last line of text, at the bottom of the cards). If the image is too fuzzy, the meaning for angel's trumpet is suspicion or turmoil, and for jimsonweed is delirium or confusion.
I love the art and the plants. However, I interpret their medicine very differently than the maker of this deck.
(Though overall I do like the deck. Just not all the meanings of individual cards.)
My reasons for disagreement are too complex to explain in what's essentially a postscript, but the pull is apt because this year I started live, in-person gatherings called Poison Medicine. I've been working with poisonous plants for several years, and I find so much medicine in this teachers.
Poison Medicine spaces are gentle, safe opportunities to learn from and connect with these powerful plants. So far, people have deepened their connection to poisonous plants, with compassion and curiosity. They have also uncovered profound insights around the implications and larger impacts that your relationship with poisonous plants has on your life.
Poison Medicine combines sound journeys with instruction about poisonous plants. The sound journeys are also energetic journeys with poisonous plants. Energetic journey = energetics only, no plant matter involved.
If you are local to the Atlanta area and would like to know more about these gatherings, feel free to email me.
If you want to know more about how I work with tarot and oracle – Siderealchemy is also an online school, which means that classes are available anytime for self-study. Learn more and register here.
This space is also a reminder that Siderealchemy has music channels on the site, Soundcloud, and Youtube. Enjoy!
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Check out the love letter archive.