September is always a month of regrouping. DragonCon tends to be a pivot in my year, the weekend that divides the buildup from the come down. This year was no exception, especially with the added excitement and work of doing the Tarot 101 presentation. When you combine that stress with the stress of Irma (and my family’s insistence upon freaking out and starting an argument because I DIDN’T freak out), and my slow recovery from the fall in mid August, I’ve been relatively thrashed.
Thrashed= fibro flare. Fibro flare + healing from a sprained knee= immobilizing PAIN.
I’ve wanted to disconnect, disengage, heal, and regroup. So what’s a girl to do? RETREAT!
I’ve always fantasized about being able to join a group of wild, spiritual women in some retreat, filled with drumming and journaling and meditating. We would spend our days wildcrafting local herbs and writing poetry or something. Honestly, I have no idea what actually happens at retreats like that. Retreating like that just isn’t in my financial cards for now.
But there are things that I CAN do.
- Facebook break. I needed to be less available. I was spending hours on FB, and it was just draining me. That also includes Messenger.
- Facebook Messenger break. I have some really great friends that I talk to on FB Messenger, and I adore them but being connected and available all the time meant that I was constantly being distracted and couldn’t focus on projects I want to start.
- Hot baths. They help with pain. I use bathsalts with epsom salt (gives your body magnesium- good for muscle pain relief), baking soda (detox and soft skin), coconut oil (moisturizing), and lavender essential oil (relaxing, calming).
- Painting. Art is something I just don’t seem to make time for. But I’ve dragged out my watercolors, my colored pencils, my Micron pens, and my Jelly Roll pens, and I’ve been making sigil art. Combining my spiritual practice and creativity refresh me.
- Writing. I haven’t written in forever, maybe 2 years or more? It was time to get back to it, and I have a project that I’m passionate about. I’m not pressuring myself, though, and taking it slow. I’m only writing when I’m really, truly inspired. Normally I tend to beat myself up over my pace, but not with this. It’s meant to be fun.
- Watching TV. Again, not something I make time for. But some aimless vegetating has been really nice.
- Reading. Focus is tough to come by with fibro, but I’m really trying. I’ve started a series of urban fantasy books that seems popular, and I’m digging it so far. We’ll see if I can stick with it.
- Setting a schedule. I know this seems counter-intuitive, but I’ve been so scattered in trying to keep up with all the things that I want/need to make time for that I was spinning my wheels. Setting a time for everything is really helpful, and helps me settle my brain so that I can GET TO IT instead of just worrying about everything.
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At the beginning of every year, I do a yearly draw where I draw a card to show the overall theme of each month. For September, I drew the Moon. And while the moon is about emotions and spirituality, it’s also about introversion, contraction, and the quiet time we spend with ourselves, examining ourselves, in the middle of the night. As with all the other cards I drew this year, it’s eerily accurate.
Autumn is about to begin. And I’m ready for the long nights, the quiet times, and the harvest.
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I also didn’t do a damn thing for the new moon. I didn’t record a Bewitching the Moon video, nor did I do any of my other usual new moon tasks. But I DID set my intention, and that is TO CREATE.
Blessed be! <3
