A song to set the vibe.
Side note: I had the chance to see Tash Sultana play in Cleveland right before I found out I was going to be a mama. This song has a special place in my heart.
Dear relatives,
How are you? I’ve been taking it slow the past few weeks: recovering from illness, navigating a new role, helping my mom through a health complication, and preparing to move. The timing, and the gravity of everything all at once, has been a lot to hold.
I know I’m not alone. We are all experiencing some level of challenge that is stretching our capacity. Maybe you are feeling the same, in a moment or season of deep change. This letter is a small offering, but I hope it helps you feel seen amidst it all.
During the 2023 Winter Solstice, I started to think about what I wanted to focus on for the year and kept coming back to intuition. The day after Mars moved into steadfast Capricorn, I received the confirmation I needed to solidify my commitment, setting the trajectory for the next twelve months.
Last week, my clinic had a few cancellations, and I found myself with extra time in the morning to wander. I grabbed a coffee at a local shop, and had planned to get some administrative work done. Instead, I found my way to the park.
I decided to keep following the intuitive hunch, parked my car and left my phone. I walked across a bridge to see that a large tree had snapped apart, and a portion of the body was submerged in the Ottawa River. It was surreal and stunning to see the tree in partially frozen water. I was reminded of the wisdom that water holds, and I felt the density of the moment in my bones.
The mouth of the Gregorian calendar year opened with Mercury stationing direct in the mutable fire sign of Sagittarius on January 1st. Mars then entered the cardinal sign of Capricorn on January 4th, where it will remain until February 12th and arouse a decidedly transformative tone for the year ahead.
This is also the year of the Wood Dragon. Wood is not exactly an element. It is a state of presence, just as Water, Fire, and Metal are. The Five elements, individually and collectively, are modes of being and becoming, and each one resonates with natural phenomena, or patterns in nature.
If we were to look at a cross section of wood, we’d notice rings that move from the center to the periphery. These unique patterns give us information about the age of a tree, and can also provide a history of climate variation in an environment.
2024 is a year to honor the long arc of change. Evident in the length of a dragon’s mythical body and the annual rings within the body of trees, we are being asked to reflect on the meaning of growth—who it serves, and who it leaves out.
As I settle into the year, I’m trying to be as present as I can with myself and my loved ones. Keeping in mind the transformation that will unfold throughout the year of the Dragon, I’m leaning into my intuition, and learning to trust myself more in the process.
For the newsletter, this means continuing to publish the weekly letters and monthly essays. These will take the form of dispatches from my garden, which will weave in musings on Astrology. I am also planning to supplement the usual posts with interviews from gardeners and farmers in my region. There will, of course, be a reading list. I’ll share more on that, along with a project that I’ve been working on, in next week’s missive.
In the comments, let me know what growth means to you. Is it always the best solution? At what point does continual growth prohibit other possibilities?
Relatives, I look forward to reading your responses. Thank you for being here.
With gratitude, C
If you’d like to learn more about breathwork, see the LOAM Community resource archive here. All resources in the archive are free through January 25th. You can also pledge a subscription if you’d like to support the project moving forward.
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