Hola Familia,
First things first ~ our flight is booked ~ we’re going to Italy! The power of manifestation is real!
My inner child is jumping up and down, screaming and laughing, all in the name of pure joy.
The vision for Italy was birthed while I was in the middle of reading the “Eat” section of Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert at some point late last year. I realized that I would soon be turning 40, and this wildly imaginative thought came to me about spending my 40th birthday (September 22) in Italy, a place I’ve been wanting to explore for a while now, and how epic it all would be . . . well, it’s happening! And, I couldn’t be more thrilled about it.
Father’s Day quickly came and went, but not without the gracious reminder of just how important dads are in this world. I was fortunate enough to spend half the day with my partner’s dad and the second half with my dad. I wanted to give my dad something extra special this year, but I’m not much into gifting material things these days as my relationship with “stuff” has changed drastically over time, so I wrote a poem for him instead and decided to share it on here as well.
Here it is ~ you're rad. ~ A poem for my dad.
The educational component
YouTube University.
I knew very little about ayahuasca before diving into the deep end and saying yes to the call, back in 2020. Trust and surrender played a huge role in making that choice. Since then, I’ve had this steadfast appetite to learn more about this incredible life-changing medicine, ayahuasca.
My eagerness to learn swiftly led me down a path of consuming and digesting documentary after documentary. For this autodidact, YouTube University has always been my preferred school of choice.
Any and all of these are worth a watch, especially if curiosity is knocking. Here are the top 5 that I’ve seen on YouTube, in no particular order:
The Nature of Ayahuasca (58 mins)
Ayahuasca: The Vine of the Soul (52 mins)
Ayahuasca: Drink the Jungle (52 mins)
Ayahuasca with the “Dragon of the Jungle” (35 mins)
The Reality of Truth (69 mins)
Book I’m listening to (on audible)
Thank you for this recommendation.
This one is a deep dive on the astrological Earth signs . . . Virgo (August 23 - September 22) Taurus (April 20 - May 20) Capricorn (December 22 - January 19) I can tell that I'll have to listen to this one a few times through. Despite only being 5 hours into 17 hours worth of curriculum, I'm slowly beginning to understand the bigger picture of how I, and other Earth signs, operate on this planet.
A mindful microdose
Bite-sized mindfulness practices in less than 5 minutes.
In the shower. (1 minute)
I’m sure by now everyone knows that exposing ourselves to cold water has some health benefits. I won’t go into the science of it, but I will say that I’ve been blessed to personally meet The Iceman, Wim Hof, himself. And I’ve had plenty of experiences to cold exposure since then, which has solidified my belief in using the cold as medicine.
The cold has a bone-chilling way of snapping me right back into the present, which is exactly what a good mindfulness practice supports me with.
Cold water immersion is one of my favorite mindfulness practices.
There have been stints in my life where I’ve taken nothing but cold showers, but that doesn’t seem to be serving me at this point in time.
Every time I shower, regardless of my mood, the time of day, or the weather outside, I always end the same way. After a thorough cleaning, I crank the dial to its coldest setting and brace for the icy blast. As the cold water hits, it shocks my warm, comfortable self into a primal state, firing up my breath, sharpening my senses, and sending a burst of energy rushing through my veins.
I stand uncomfortably in the cold for at least one minute, and up to five, if I’m feeling it. I’ll make sure to drench all of my body parts including my face, head, and behind the neck (the worst part).
When I do this as a daily practice (well, at least every time I shower), it does three things for me.
It’s a one-way ticket on the express train back to the present moment. I’m forced to think about nothing else but the cold encapsulating my previously warm skin.
It serves as a gratitude reminder, urging me to appreciate something as simple as warm water. Not everyone in the world has access to warm, or even clean water, and that’s a blessing I choose never to take for granted again.
Lastly, it gives me a unique opportunity to push beyond my comfort zone almost every single day. By doing this, I find that I’m better equipped to handle life's inevitable challenges and stresses when they arise.
During my most recent medicine journey in Arizona, there happened to be a stream of running water right next to where we were staying. It was communicated to our group that those specific waters had special healing properties. Knowing that, I made it point to jump in, at least once. One day in particular, where I was completely zapped of energy and it took all my effort, might, and willpower to make it down to that stream, but I knew that the only way back to life was jumping in those magical waters. After the arduous trek down to the creek, I reluctantly laid down and fully submerged myself from head to toe, feeling as though I was being baptized by the mountain herself. The rush of life was instantaneous. Suddenly, I was jolted wide awake and ready to take on the rest of the weekend. All thanks to the frigid, yet healing waters of Mother Nature.
Let water be thy medicine.
Card of the month
From Cara Elizabeth’s Animal Apothecary deck.
Horse energy has been extremely present for me lately and I’ve actually been feeling the call to get back on a horse and ride again. I used to go horseback riding for fun when I was little, and I’m being called back to reconnect to the Horse’s medicine again. It’s no coincidence I pulled this card this month.
Let’s hear what she has to say about it . . .
28. Tame and attain ~ Horse
When a horse is tamed for riding, she endures countless weeks of intense training. If the trainer is patient, perseverant, and trustworthy, the horse eventually submits. The horse is controlled through the horse bit that rests in her mouth. When the rider pulls the connected reins, the horse will follow. The horse bit in this image represents directed power.
Wild Horse is freedom, stamina, unbridled passions, and primal urges. She symbolizes the untamed and powerful impulses within us all. These impulses look like our intense outbursts, obsessive thinking, bingeing, recklessness, avoidance, and all wild expressions. All of these impulses hold immense power, but often this energy is directed very poorly. The human that tames and rides the horse represents our Highest Self directing our personal power.
Your willpower will be tested, so you must strengthen it. Sacrifice is required. Horse’s medicine asks you to start with small things to build your willpower muscle. Stop yourself from saying a hurtful thing about someone, resist eating the entire bag of chips, watch something uplifting instead of watching garbage TV. You may feel resentful of the restrictions at first, but it will lead to an expansion of extraordinary capabilities. With dedication, the ego will soften and align with your willpower. Once you have given adequate time to building your willpower, it will become a superior force. Horse’s medicine requests you tame inner appetites to become the person you were meant to be. This is Horsepower!
Thank you ~ I Love You ~ I’ll See You Soon
🙏🏼🫶🏼🦜
"After the arduous trek down to the creek, I reluctantly laid down and fully submerged myself from head to toe, feeling as though I was being baptized by the mountain herself."
I love the mountain baptism and the way you wrote that line.
...love this curation...have a blast in italy how cool...