The Joy of Missing Out
This past week the pinks and purples of irises, roses and lupin bid their farewells in my gardens. Now my hillside is in bloom with the tiger lilies and black eyed susan’s, their beautiful orange and gold colors signaling the most subtle shift toward autumn. Even though the heat and humidity of high summer is just now arriving in Maine, there is a sense of urgency to hurry up and enjoy the nice weather while we have it. The Wheel of the Year always seems to turn the fastest in the space between Litha and Lughnasadh.
I love summer, but often wonder if I am not doing it correctly. All my friends - online and IRL - seem to be enjoying an endless array of barbeques and camping trips and summer concerts. Meanwhile, I’m happy to be home, alone, writing, reading or puttering in the garden. I often wonder if I need more friends or need to make more of an effort to be social? I realize that what we see on social media is just a highlight reel of someone’s life, but every summer I still experience a twinge of FOMO. But at the same time, I’ve come to realize that I need a hefty dose of solitude to recharge, and summertime is no exception.
So, imagine my delight when I stumbled across the term JOMO this past weekend. JOMO stands for the Joy of Missing Out and Dictionary.com defines it as:
pleasure derived from living in a quiet or independent way without feeling anxious that one is missing out on exciting or interesting events that may be happening elsewhere
I liked the term so much, I wanted to share it as this week’s printable. I hope you like it!
Just to be clear, I am not a total hermit in the summer. Next week all my chicks are returning to the nest and I am very excited to have us all together again. We will have barbeques and campfires and there may be some singing involved. I’ll also visit the coast again later this month. But the rest of my summer is delightfully plan-less. And that is just fine by me.
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From My Bookshelf: Favorite Wheel of The Year & Witchcraft Books
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This week I thought I would share some of my favorite books about the Wheel of the Year, Witchcraft, and Natural Magick that I routinely use for research, as well as personal practice. If you have a great book you’d recommend, please leave your suggestion in the comments section.
The Modern Guide to Witchcraft: Your Complete Guide to Witches, Covens, and Spells by Skye Alexander
This is a great beginners guide to modern witchcraft and the celebration of the Wheel of the Year. I love that the author gives practical examples of how to incorporate modern day magick (not magic) into your life. She also explains how the act of spellwork and casting circles, altars and the such are akin to prayer, meditation and manifestation. It’s about focusing your energies on the outcomes, not worry so much about the why. So, if you are like me and don’t identify as a witch, there is still a lot of valuable information and advice to help you along your spiritual path.
The Modern Witchcraft Guide to the Wheel of the Year: From Samhain to Yule, Your Guide to the Wiccan Holidays by Judy Ann Nock
This is the definitive guide to Wheel of the Year. It contains brief histories of each of the eight sabbats, as well as ideas for recreating traditional pagan celebrations today. A must read!
The Modern Witchcraft Book of Natural Magick: Your Guide to Crafting Charms, Rituals, and Spells from the Natural World by Judy Ann Nock
If you are looking for ways to connect your spiritual journey with nature, this book offers lots of examples, meditations and spellwork that are easy to implement - no fussy ingredients needed. It is also full of handy magickal properties reference charts for animals, herbs, flowers, trees and stones. If you have trouble remembering which ingredients you should use in spellwork, meditations, ect…this is a good resource to keep at the ready.
The Book of Kitchen Witchery: Spells, recipes, and rituals for magical meals, an enchanted garden, and a happy home by Cerriden Greenleaf
I love collecting cookbooks, even though I rarely use recipes when I cook. And this book kind of falls under that category. Full of interesting tidbits about magical properties of food, as well as recipes for food stuff and health and beauty, this book is a great addition to your Wheel of the Year/ Witch reference library.
The Modern Witchcraft Grimoire: Your Complete Guide to Creating Your Own Book of Shadows by Skye Alexander
If you want to learn the basics of grimoires (aka Book of Shadows) this is a perfect place to start. I routinely consult this book when I am writing about moon energy, the Wheel of the Year, seasonal energies and goddesses. There is a whole section dedicated to reference charts for all kinds of different associations. Even if you don’t plan to have a grimoire, this is one of the best witchcraft books available.
The Modern Witchcraft Spell Book: Your Complete Guide to Crafting and Casting Spells by Skye Alexander
This is a great resource for anyone who wants to try spell casting or Law of Attraction, if spells aren’t your thing. As the author explains “By training your mind and developing some natural skills that you already possess…you can create the reality you desire.” It includes several simple spells and rituals for all aspects of life from money and love to health and happiness.
I’d love to know what books are in your library. Please share some suggestions in the comments below!
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Sneak Peek New 2022-2023 Wheel of the Year Planner
Hello Friends,
I hope this finds you well. How was your Summer Solstice and Litha celebration? As I write this, it is a breezy beautiful morning that feels more like September than June. The trees are dancing wildly, as if excited for the day ahead. A cold snap is headed our way though, so I need to hustle to get out in the garden to do some pruning while the sun is still shining. I am very much a fair-weather gardener.
I left the mountains for the sea yesterday. My daughter and I took a ferry out to one of the island communities that dot Maine’s coast. I had never been on a ferry before. It’s a lovely way to travel - at least in the summer, when it’s all blue skies and ocean breeze. We had a good time exploring the small shops and walking around the different neighborhoods. Wild beach roses and lupin were everywhere, from manicured gardens to cracks in the sidewalk. As the saying goes, Bloom where you are planted.
This week I thought I would update you all on my 8 Things I’m Not Buying in 2022. At the beginning of the year I really wanted to focus on simplifying my life and doing things with more intention, and this no-spend list was sort of the kick off. And six months in, I’m pleased to share that I’ve done quite well. I made a huge dent in my stash of notebooks and other stationery and have not bought one piece of home decor yet this year….you can read the whole updated post here and grab the free Slow Living Thought List.
This week I thought I’d share a sneak peek printable of the upcoming 2022 - 2023 planner. I’ve gone in a kind of Forest Whimsy direction this year. I hope you like this sneak peak Lughnasadh Printable. More to come!
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