CURRENT VOLUME

INITIATION

Earthborn Volume I:
Initiation explores the lived experience of crossing from one way of being into another.

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UPCOMING VOLUMES

Earthborn Volume 2 - Exploring Matriarchal Intelligence and Leadership

In my heart, the next issue must explore our relationship to leadership … as in circular leadership, communal decision making, and its inherent need for us to handle difficult conversations. The first volume is still in its infancy, but soon submissions will be opened to explore this topic.

Submit your work to be considered to Earthborn Magazine

from the underworld with love,

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For those of us tracking the sky, it’s hard to miss the importance of this moment. I am not an astrologer, but I feel deeply the shifts from the movements of planetary bodies. Many will be much better at explaining the intricacies, like astrologer Venus from her newsletter Venus Uninterrupted in her article April 17 Is Not a Fresh Start. It’s a Point of No Return.

The irony is not lost on me that this moment is a collective initiation and Earthborn Magazine’s first issue is indeed exploring the same theme. Like any initiatory moment, there is a moment of pausing and feeling the uncomfortable terrain of what is irking us into change and the uncertainty of what’s next.

This is where I find myself in this moment as well. Unable to write well. Centred, but feeling like I am frantically sending tendrils out to explore too many options at once. A familiar pattern when I don’t have answers to decide how I want to move forward.

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Beyond starting the magazine, I am not entirely sure where my contribution to a regenerative world can be. I would love to convert each front and back yard into a food forest. Permaculture, bioregionalism, food sovereignty, children’s education, waste management, and so many more. Our current system certainly leaves many opportunities open.

Earthborn began as an exploration to normalize the initiation process for myself and for others who have no idea where to start. I thought I’d share the baby steps I have taken and what I am doing to begin.

Reading

I have a reading list about books on matriarchy, which I spoke about in a previous post. In addition to this list, I have a reading list about gift economies, mutual aid, systems thinking, and bioregionalism. I’m not in a position to make big moves. But I can learn about those who have already been participating long before I became aware of what’s possible.

The move away from Google

Since December 2025, I’ve slowly been moving away from Google. All my former freelance business’s archives have been moved away from Google Business Suite, along with a vast majority of my personal emails. It’s still a work in progress, but I feel I’m in a great place.

Tech Audit

I’ve also been looking for ways to get off tech when I don’t need it. For example, move to reading physical books and annotating as opposed to relying primarily on eBook versions. I completely redid my notebook ecosystem so that I can be more analog and actually enjoy it. It’s fabulous, and I’m thrilled with how it came along. The other day, I picked up my phone and realized there’s nothing I want to look up on it. I made my phone “boring” over the last few months. I still need to do a better “digital” audit that includes what other subscriptions and data I feel comfortable giving away and what I don’t.

Food Forest Learning

I am currently taking a course on creating a food forest in my own backyard from Ecoversity.

RegenIntel Fellowship

This week, I am incredibly excited to begin my RegenIntel Fellowship. I am the kind of person that needs the lay of that land, and once I have a pulse check I feel I can GO! A sense of belonging washed over me when I learned about the fellowship opportunity and I can’t wait to soak up all the goodness they will share.

First trip back to the land I was born

I left the lands of my birth when I was 3 years old as a refugee. This summer, I am returning for the first time with my ever so curious husband, our adventurous boys, and our new puppy. I cannot place it into words yet, but there is something special that happens when you begin to commune with the land you are on. For me, this reconciliation between the two will be very special as I look to find my place in the world.

On My Radar

Given the fullness of life, I think that’s a pretty good start. But there are a few things I have not yet begun.

Writing my Book

With the production or Earthborn Magazine, my book is something I placed on hold. It will come out when it’s ready.

Involving the kids

I can’t say I did a fabulous job involving the kids as much as I wanted to. As I gain a better grasp, I am beginning to involve them more and more so this is something that will be on my radar in the coming months. So far, my focus, as always, has been to ensure they know who they are and can advocate for themselves. Their inner work will continue!

Earthborn Volume 2 - Exploring Matriarchal Intelligence and Leadership

In my heart, the next issue must explore our relationship to leadership … as in circular leadership, communal decision making, and its inherent need for us to handle difficult conversations. The first volume is still in its infancy, but soon submissions will be opened to explore this topic.

Earthborn Updates

I can’t tell you how excited I am to have both available. My attention can now shift to doing more writing, connecting, sharing, and exploring other distribution pathways available for the magazine.

I have so many ideas to share Earthborn far and wide, and your support in these early stages means the world.

You can still place your pre-order here => https://anamariajanes.thrivecart.com/earthborn-volume-1/

from the underworld with love,

find your creativity archetype quiz | read Earthborn magazine

Initiation.

Instinctively, you can sense it refers to entering something new. As Earthborn Magazine leaves the dreaming stage of winter and enters the mobilizing phase of spring, it seemed fit for Initiation to be the first theme.

When I think of initiation, I immediately feel into the collective currents and deeply relate to something you are moving through. We all sense the collapse of the old ways, the uncertainty of navigating the changing landscape, and are unsure of what lies beyond. It feels too big.

Order Volume 1: Initiation

While the world changes, as individuals, we are experiencing our own unique brand of initiation. We have many of them in our lives. Some are big and obvious, while others are shifts in your mental, emotional, or psyche.

Other initiations are meant to bring us closer to touch our inner power and operate from our Original Self with conviction, courage, and purpose.

Changing our inner architecture is no easy feat, and my goal is to normalize this as a natural process of our psyche.

For that, we need new myths. New stories to match our current epoch, where we see ourselves in others. Each story extends a hand of courage to a reader who needs it to navigate their own initiation.

To help you deepen into what initiation means to you as you read Earthborn, I’d like to give you a model of the phases you might be called to explore. While many frameworks exist, I will share the one Mother Earth taught me through the cycle and rhythm of the seasons.

Autumn

In this phase of initiation, there is a sense that something is not quite right. What you’ve been doing is no longer working. There are ways of being you find scratching beneath our skin.

You push boulders uphill, not realizing that way of being needs to be let go of. They will never work for you the same again.

You experience the range of shades of loss and grief as, moment after moment; you realize you must leave something behind.

As you read through the poetry and essays, let’s acknowledge this disorienting phase for the potential blessing it can offer. Normalize the agony you move through as your outer or inner world is changing with or without your permission.

Winter

Next, you must accept the truth of what you are faced with and come to the realization that you must act differently. When we surrender into this knowing and dissolve into ourselves. This surrender takes faith. Get comfortable with this.

This is also the space between identities. Where you know what you left behind, but you are unsure of what is emerging. Do not villainize the “not knowing what to do next” stage. You are meant to rest and deeply listen here.

At some point, you have a spark that shows you the way forward. Often, it does not look as you had imagined it would. It’s stretchy. Nor can you see the full plan. Become comfortable taking your next step in this world rooted in this new conviction, yet navigating so many unknowns.

Spring

Even if you can no longer see every step ahead, each one you take will give you feedback. Positive or negative. Learn to feel into the courage required not knowing which way it will go. Learn to interpret your feedback as new information and adjust in real time.

Acknowledge how you hold your breath and still do the scary thing that gives you butterflies in your belly.

Acknowledge the successful step that opened new doors you could not have imagined through magical synchronicities you find unbelievable to explain.

Acknowledge the failure that gave you new tools for your path forward.

A new lens for moving in the world is needed. When you surrender into that, you begin to feel how the pieces fall into place and nothing is wasted.

Summer

This is where you land in your new identity and get into the swing of things. You are infused with life force and are living.

Acknowledge how you landed in your new state of being with all the twists and turns that gave life flavour.

Acknowledge the relief of this stage. The joy. The newfound knowings you gained.

Acknowledge what you accomplished.

This is the golden zone we all chase. But we cannot stay in bloom forever. Soon it will be time for Autumn and you must, with a full heart, feel the end approach so you can go through the cycle again.

Each stage is valuable should you choose to see it through new eyes. As you read the stories in this volume, may you rest in the knowing you are moving through one of the most natural cycles that exist.

Some parts may be more unpleasant than others. After all, who has not been conditioned to chase the heights of summer and avoid the depths of collapse in Autumn and Winter. We’ve never been taught how to navigate them, and of course they seem challenging until we get the hang of it.

My deepest wish is that you take a moment to notice in which stage you are currently in. Pause and consciously begin to work with this process instead of against it. For life is infinitely more beautiful on the other side of integrating this cycle.

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from the underworld with love,

find your creativity archetype quiz | read Earthborn Magazine

Today I’d like to share an article I published over on Earthborn Magazine. It’s actually a field note post where I share the behind the scenes of bringing together an indie magazine, and I hope you enjoy the sneak peek.

My last field notes were a little over a month ago and in that time, I’ve been enjoying every contributor’s submission. Through this process, I got to know many of them a little better, and I could not have asked for a better group of humans to get together and make the first issues of Earthborn Magazine special.

That was the fun part. The part that I wish I did not have to share is that I almost delayed the launch. February hit me hard with two separate colds that had me running at half speed. I decided a long time ago I would prioritize rest, but this lingered for so long that I was walking on the uncomfortable line of running out of rest time to allow myself and still move my goals forward.

And so it was a mad dash to the finish line to work on the design of the magazine. That part was creative and fun, but it did take triple the amount of time I thought it would. To say I was not nervous I would make it is an understatement.

As it stands, I printed it off and I am going through the physical version making design notes and later this week I’ll be adding the finishing touches so that the digital version will be ready on Saturday!

I was sharing the news with our contributors, and a few were delighted a print edition will also be available. It won’t be ready this Saturday, but the pre-order window will open for the print edition, and it will be ready to ship in the next 6-8 weeks. This means you can enjoy the digital version now while you wait for your keepsake print edition.

It’s surreal arriving at this moment. Let me tell you a little bit about why.

Last summer, I was at work at Hasmark Publishing hosting a retreat on the most beautiful lavender farm with our team and authors who joined us. After everyone had a turn, moving through the ritual, in the most circular leadership example I’ve witnessed in real time, I was lovingly coaxed to give it a go. When it came time to bury what was holding me back, I decided to let go of this idea: I cannot finish projects I start if they are for my own happiness, joy and passions. After dirt was placed on that piece of paper along with rocks, one participant placed a flower instead. It was game over in that moment.

I broke down crying hard when I realized I never complete projects for myself because I am not deserving of the dedication, love and care that go into something like this. Once that wave of awareness came, it was like an avalanche of ugly crying leaving me hanging on tight to our loving guest Jeff Orr who happens to be an impeccable space holder and moves folks through grief for a living. I should have told you I get to work with some incredible people, and in that moment, he had my back. I still have his flower to this day.

Now you see how important it was for me to bring Earthborn Magazine to completion. It was my initiation into active participation in shaping what comes next. It felt more important than ever to take this step. To feel the discomfort buzzing through the layers of my body. To feel the waves of the fear of failure and let them keep on flowing. And to be comfortable not exactly knowing what will come of this endeavour. More than ever, I am convinced each and everyone one of us is called into active participation in shaping our world in whatever way is available to us.

Earthborn is my offering. It’s me extending my hand to yours as we look at these changing times in the face and have the courage to explore different ways societies can organize themselves.

The first theme is Initiation. Each and every contributor had faced their own. They never told me with these words, but you can tell from the depth of their poetry or from the fire in their essays. These souls were brave enough to enter the uncertain and unknown territory of letting their gifts flow into the world and participate in the best way they know how.

I cannot wait for you to meet them through their writing, both inside Earthborn and out in the world.

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from the underworld with love,

find your creativity archetype quiz | read Earthborn magazine

Our last week of the Winter Retreat is focused on deeply listening to what our body needs to restore and repair. How fitting this the week I got sick. The kind of sick where your eyes water, your nose is runny, the hot and cold fluctuate relentlessly and the body aches are thrown in like the cherry on top.

It’s fitting because in many ways, I’ve learned to love being sick.

For someone who has lived fairly disconnected from her body, being sick is one of the few instances where I can tune in surprisingly easefully. I don’t have the option to ignore my body the way I do when it’s running relatively well. I have my sick protocol I implement and it’s strictly focused on supporting my body to move though its healing cycle. Not numbing the symptoms.

And somehow I feel that’s enough. It feels good actually. Like my body and I are a team.

When I get well, it’s like parting ways with a one night stand instead of continuing nurturing a devotional relationship with a lover. The first time i realized that’s how i treat my body, it hurt deeply sprinkled with a heathy dose of shame.

Yet, it’s this admission that prompts me to do better. I share this because no matter where you started or where you are now in regards to tending to your body, there are always other revelations the seasons will share based on what you’re ready for.

The beauty of doing this work season after season is that each time you deepen into the lessons you are working with, uncovering other layers only after you’ve integrated the previous ones.

As an example, this winter, what came through loud and clear for me is that listening to my body has more to do with having an inner slowness as I navigate the day to day tasks. This non-rushing, is not only manifesting externally where I give myself permission to move slower than usual, but also do so with an inner sense of calm.

I’ve known this before. But now I’ve noticed I can sustain this inner centerdness even when previous situations would have had my anxiety spiral out of control. For me this is what spikes my adrenaline, I get the crash and reach for the sugar. It’s not all the time. But I have glimpses of what it can look like. I have evidence it’s possible. And I also have my next task to work on.

As you move though this last week of the Winter Retreat, hold at the forefront of your awareness what does your body need to feel nourished in this season of Winter so that when it comes time to rise in the Spring, it’s fully resourced.

STEP 1

Paid subscribers receive access to the four seasonal retreats. Navigate to this week’s exercise. Get cozy and enjoy dropping in for the meditation experience.

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from the underworld with love,

find your creativity archetype quiz | read Earthborn magazine

Welcome to Ana-Maria’s Field Notes, the behind the scenes of making Earthborn Magazine.

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Surprisingly, I have been fairly calm, peaceful, and operating in joy as I navigate the landscape of creating a magazine. A far cry from my usual over planning and desire to control the direction of a creative project. That is until a few days ago.

I looked at the timeline and realized we are six weeks away from my target launch date. Talk about the butterflies coming fully online. This is the first project I undertook where I listened to creativity fully. Where I did not hijack it with my own shoulds … at least not too much. I promise the impulse was there, but I reigned myself back and listened … I listened deeply.

One of those shoulds was to write pieces for Substack before the magazine has a chance to go live. Much to my chagrin, this was something I had to let go of. A few other foundational pieces needed my attention. Namelly, the print version.

I found a solution that would be a great compromise to what I initially had in mind. My goal was to always have a print version that we can touch, feel and annotate. A volume we can return to again and again. And as I took my own advice from the Winter Retreat I am currently running on my personal Substack Originborn … I loosened my attachments to what a printed magazine should look like. The inside won’t have those staple glossy pages that almost feel like plastic. But they will be printed on coloured paper and look incredible.

What I was not able to accomplish for the first volume is to find a way to print the magazine on paper I know was made sustainably. That will be an ongoing investigation.

In the meantime, I received a printed test copy of the Contributions and Inspiration Guide and it felt incredible to have something tangible to look at. Here’s a sneak peek.

Everything is taking shape beautifully, and it is now time for me to also dive in and finish the pieces I will be writing inside the magazine.

I won’t officially share that the target launch date is Saturday, March 21st 2026 for the digital version until I finalize what I had in mind as the virtual event and accompanying experience that will lead us into living with the first volume. I am beyond excited to work on this accompanying project to merge the theories with practical action.

Don’t mark your calendar yet … but keep that day in your prayers for me!

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And if you desire to contribute, there’s still time to submit your work and be featured. In this post you’ll find all the details you might need and be sure to download the Contribution and Inspiration Guide.

from the underworld with love,

find your creativity archetype quiz | read Earthborn magazine

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This winter had a particularly strong way of making itself known. If you live in the northern hemisphere, it was hard to miss how much colder it was and the amount of snow we received (at least in Canada) gave us a reason to skip the gym with all the shovelling we had to do.

Using the analogy of winter being our own personal underworld, one of the biggest lessons it shared with me is to loosen my mental constructs. To untie the knots of how my mind’s inner architecture decided to build itself to navigate the world. To be willing to uncouple where I held on too tightly. To do this, is to make space.

Too often, we vilify our mind. We must train it. We must heal our traumas. We must let go of limiting beliefs. And so on. Soon our healing journeys begins to feel like a never ending employ of modalities that leaves our minds feeling constantly attacked and pushed beyond it limits.

The mind is smart. Adaptable. And sometimes these approaches are quite helpful. And I propose something a little different.

What if we were to approach our mind and lovingly train it to exercise the muscles of navigating changes safely and gracefully. I’m not talking about change in the outer world. I’m talking about holding space for our minds so that it too can rest and upgrade its operating system in a way that feels natural and takes it’s logical next steps.

I don’t know if there is a formal name for this process, but I like to think of it as loosening your mental constructs around your current identity. As you loosen, your mind naturally lets go of entangled attachments, like a tight knot, strands begin to unravel.

You can now see the components that make up your current identity with a different perspective. Only when your mind is at peace with this process can you enter a space of choosing what remains, how it gets reconfigured, and what you can compost.

This week, inside the Winter Retreat: Dreaming in the Dark, our inner journey takes you in energy space and guide you through this exact process of loosening your mental constructs around your current identity.

I cannot wait to see what you think once you’ve experienced it.

STEP 1

As a paid subscriber you get access to the four seasonal retreats. Navigate to this week’s exercise. Get cozy and enjoy dropping in for the meditation experience.

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from the underworld with love,

find your creativity archetype quiz | read Earthborn magazine

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For a little while now, we we’ve been in this phase of remembering who we are but more so focused at the individual level. We see this with the New Age, movement that taught us it is possible to have hope and think positively. The rise of somatic work and those who teach about trauma, who together embedded the importance of embodiment work into our collective consciousness. And the rise of the guru or influencers who taught us what system worked for them so that perhaps we can individually replicate it. It would be a miss for me to mention the countless ancient modalities that resurfaced to help us as individuals remember who we are, have a pause and rebalance our nervous system and get us to a place of “what’s next?”.

We are in the infancy stages of remembering what working together with a community looks like. Many already have this built-in knowledge in their bones, some are waking up into the grief of the missing village, and others are lost in varying stages of trying to figure out where do we go from here. And that is a worthy exploration. Earthborn is a place for this exploration.

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Here is what we explore.

Culture, Power & Systems Change

We explore how society organizes itself differently. We publish work that explores power, culture, and governance through matriarchal intelligence, relational, ethical, and rooted in responsibility to the whole.

Psychology, Consciousness & the Inner Shift

Who do we need to become to create a new society rooted in relational living and reciprocity? We publish embodied, honest explorations of the psychological and nervous-system shifts required to live differently in these times.

Food, Land & Nourishment

We publish work that explores food activism and food sovereignty.

Sustainable & Regenerative Living

We feature grounded, lived explorations of regenerative ways of living that restore relationships with land, resources, and each other.

Art, Story & World-Making

We publish creative work that expands perception and allows us to imagine new ways of being human together. Stories. Myths. Fiction. Art. Photography. Visual Storytelling. How else can we stir what’s inside our soul?

Ritual, Embodiment & Lived Practice

We shouldn’t have a favourite feature, but this one would be it. We feature individuals and organizations in the trenches carving new paths forward, challenging us to think differently, and bidding us to get involved in creating the bright future we envision.

If you have a story to share, a movement you want to highlight, a poem that inspires, or art that moves, we’d love to feature you.

Here are a few ways we can feature your work:

1. Submit for the next digital and print publication

2. Submit for the Substack publication.

3. Submit for the next print or digital issue.

Submit Your Work

If you are ready to submit your work, have questions, or desire to explore collaborating, email is us hello@earthbornmagazine.com.

You can also submit your work via this online form:

Submit Your Work

from the underworld with love,

find your creativity archetype quiz | read Earthborn magazine

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For example,

• are you reading to numb out and escape … leaving you more drained than when you started.

• are you reading to numb out and escape … bit it leaves you delightfully replenished.

• are you reading, for the pure joy of it … and it also leaves you more rested.

There are so many more variations and nuances, but the one determining factor is how you feel after.

Today more then ever we must be aware when we enter an activity designed to pause from the real world, especially when it involves a screen or even cliché self-care activities that feel more like chores.

As with every frequency, the energy of winter has a positive expression and a negative expression. If you are following the Winter Retreat, Dreaming in the Dark, the next things we explore is the shadow side of winter.

Even when we are in the negative expression of an energy, there is much to learn there. Used with intention, the negative expressions often become your guideposts or red flags for when you are veering off your path. In this way, they are friends gently or not-so-gently-saying “don’t go this way”.

This week in the Winter Retreat, we go in energy space to meet the shadow side of winter. Specifically, you’ll see how you express your own negative expression of your inner winter.

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STEP 1

As a paid subscriber you get access to the four seasonal retreats. Navigate to this week’s exercise. Get cozy and enjoy dropping in for the meditation experience.

This post is part of a weekly series where we move through the Winter Retreat: Dreaming in the Dark. You can subscribe either monthly or annually to join us.

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from the underworld with love,

find your creativity archetype quiz | read Earthborn magazine

Books have been how I make sense of the world. It’s how I have intimate discussions with other’s thoughts. Brainstorming sessions in my mind that leave me in awe of the connections made.

In the last few years, a big part of what I focused on researching and learning about obsessively is working understanding of our psyche. But for all my inner work, Earthborn is where I explore how to apply it right earth-side.

And for that, I am getting a bit more practical.

One thing that became clear to me is that if one person has an idea or works out a problem, soon many more will have the same one. Have you ever noticed how you have a storyline idea and don’t do anything about it only for a book to be released with remarkable similarities? That’s the morphogenic field at work.

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In many ways, it’s still in its infancy in terms of our understanding. The way I perceive it is that it is a collective organizing field where, amongst other things, our collective thoughts live.

When I talk about “seeding something” or “amplifying” it is in direct relationship to

Because I believe that those who came before me seeded our collective ideas, thoughts, practices, or systems of organizing, I am approaching this work with reverence towards their efforts.

To move a society forward, we don’t need to start from scratch. That would be a waste of time when so many that came before us dedicated their lives to plant and water seeds that we can now pick up on and continue to nurture.

The same way, we must now build on their work and continue to lay the path forward for that better world we can see in our hearts but not quite experience in its fullness yet.

Considering many of our collective ancestors of time passed sacrificed greatly, and there are those living today who continue to sound alarm bells have inherently had to embrace more difficult lives we can imagine, it is a natural starting place to enter this work by first understanding the landscape what had already been done.

In this way, we honour how far we could get thanks to those who came before us. We honour them even more by standing at their side and picking up the next brick that needs to be layed.

An emerging idea I can’t get rid of, is that we don’t need some else to start another “movement”. Too many already exist where one person bravely forges ahead and inevitably burns out. What we need next in our next phase of evolution is to explore how we can work together to mobilize resources towards existing movements to render them more effective. At its core, this is the question at the heart of Earthborn.

Righ now I’m reading Emergent Strategies by adrienne maree brown to get any insights that might be helpful in mobilizing what I have in mind for Earthborn.

But in terms of better being able to create the experiences and shifts for this community in 2026, this is my curated reading list of books to learn more about matriarchy and leading from the lens of relationship.

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The Descent of the Goddess: a Way of Initiation for Women by Sylvia Brington Perera

The Heroine’s Journey by Maureen Murdock

The Great Mother by Erich Newmann

The Chalice and the Blade by Riane Eisler

Matriarchal Societies by Heide Goettner-Abendroth

The Great Cosmic Mother by Monica Barbara Mor

The Living Goddess by Marija Gimbutas

The Goddess and Gods of Old Europe by Marija Gimbutas

There are so many more I can add to this list. As it is, I wish with all my heart I could put these books under my pillow and overnight have them download all their wisdom into my heart and brain as I sleep.

What’s on your list that should be added to this collection? Let’s see if we can curate a formidable list on matriarchal intelligence in the comments.

from the underworld with love,

find your creativity archetype quiz | read Earthborn magazine

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Sometimes, I think we’ve forgotten how to listen. Sure we listen with our physical ears and intake information with our physical sense. School taught us facts and the importance of memorizing them, not necessarily to think critically. There is so much more we can experience with our senses.

This is why in the second week of the Winter Retreat we are entering the liminal space to experience the energy of winter with all our senses … the physical ones and the unseen ones alike.

It is my favourite type of work to “catch” the frequency of the energy I am working with. It’s by getting to know Winter at the deeper level we can begin to form a relationship with it.

Where we once saw a complaint for its harsh conditions, we might see Winter’s gifts with more compassion. I’m not only talking about physical winter. I’m talking about the inner rhythm your psyche will inevitably move into. It’s a cycle after all, and you, my dear, cannot remain in perpetual bloom. You will wilter. You will need to regroup in what is the most nourishing phase of the cycle if you let it.

But it all begins with a willingness to explore this state of being and giving it a chance to offer its gifts in full.

STEP 1

Without further ago, hop inside the winter retreat and be ready to drop in energy space to meet the archetype of Winter.

This post is part of a weekly series where we move through the Winter Retreat: Dreaming in the Dark. You can subscribe either monthly or annually to join us.

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from the underworld with love,

find your creativity archetype quiz | read Earthborn magazine

Welcome to my first field notes post, where I share the behind the scenes of getting Earthborn Magazine off the ground.

It’s been exactly one week since I went public with Earthborn, and the tingles have not left. They have evolved. A big lesson I was initiated into when I went into my own personal underworld and started to follow the threads of my purpose is that I can only see the very next steps … and to trust them.

There’s something to be said about acting on your next treads that are being revealed to you. To keep on taking action because only then will more and more clarity emerge.

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Earthborn’s Home

One of these threads has been in the tinkering with the tech and figuring out where Earthborn will live. I initially created a website are earthbornmag.com, but it seems like it does not quite feel right for the heart and soul of Earthborn to live there. It felt more like a business card than a home.

So when I had an inkling to go all in on Substack, of course my natural reaction was resistance. “But don’t all “serious” businesses and publications need a website” is what kept coming to mind. Funny how my aim is to change the way we do things only to realize how deeply I still am entrenched in conditioning on my own.

When I dropped into the liminal space to check with the energy of Earthborn and my team, the message that came through was:

“You travel to the beat of a different drum. It’s time to acknowledge you do not fit a mold that is not in tune with you. Find your rhythm; respond to the heartbeat of the distant drum.”.
(from the Mystical Shaman Oracle by Alberto Villoldo, Collette Baron-Reid, and Marcella Lobos).

Well, I nearly cried because that was exactly the kick in the butt to remember who the F I am.

And because I am a Virgo Moon, and therefore a details and systems girl, I had already registered earthbornmagazine.com. That will be the new home of Earthborn pointing right here on Substack. At least it will be once the tech co-operations and all is done in the back end.

Truthfully, if my aim is to create ways of exploring what’s possible, spend more time in the world living the change I desire to see, and be on the looking for amazing folks to feature, I need Earthborn to be agile in the teach and maintenance yet rooted enough to hold space for what’s to come. So far, I’m happy and at peace visiting Earthborn Magazine on Substack each day.

Our first contributions are in

I had the idea to start Earthborn Magazine in the autumn of 2025. I had no idea at the time if it would be viable because, more than anything, I did not want it to be about me. I knew in my heart it belongs to our collective. The first thing I did was to reach out to dear friends and folks in my network and see if anyone would be interested in contributing to the first magazine.

In what still feels surreal, many said yes. Even more unreal is that the first three submissions are in.

The beauty and depth of their writing took my breath away. So much so that it took me a day at least to even respond to them because I was in so much awe I couldn’t configure words to express how big my heart grew, how I had tears as I immersed myself in their writing, and how much gratitude I held for them … I was speechless for a long time.

In the coming weeks, I cannot wait to introduce you to these amazing humans.

Publishing schedule, digital version and online articles

I wish I had everything figured out on this front, and in a way it’s still irking me that I have not. Two point I have been pondering.

The first is that initially, I wanted to publish the first issue in time for March 2026 and the start of spring. But I realized everyone would have to submit their articles by January 1st … meaning they would work during the holidays. Not ideal. As I’m feeling into the possibilities for the first issue, I must give myself and the contributors grace and aim for the first issue to be sometime between March and June 2026.

The second item that’s been on my mind is that this is a long time to wait until the first issue to be live, and part of me is impatient. In between issues, I want to see what it can look like to collaborate and invite contributors to add their work on the online publication on Substack as well. We shall see how this will take shape. For now, I’m off to let our contributors know!

What I’ve been exploring

Earthborn was always meant to be an exploration of what relational and regenerative paths are available and who we must become to make those changes in our culture and society as a whole. For 2026, I have my reading list to learn more from others who have paved the way before me; these will become my non-blood ancient and modern ancestors.

The Book I’m reading is Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown (as inspired by Juliet Diaz’s Book Coven February ‘s pick)

The personal development training I’m taking is Spiritual Leadership Immersion by Sora Schilling from the Devoted Way.

The song I’m listening to is Step Into Your Power by Manifestica Studio

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from the underworld with love,

find your creativity archetype quiz | read Earthborn magazine

When we experience an inner winter, this is when we are the most likelly to be conditioned to feel something is wrong with us we must fix and return to optimal states of productivity.

It’s feels “wrong” because it’s not measured by productivity metrics, it’s measured by how much you can let go of the minute, zoom out, and see the big picture.

And for that you need quiet, time, and space where you do a lot of listening and observing.

This week, your only goal is to befriend this state of being by catching it’s “flavour”, by becoming familiar with it’s frequency.

You cannot rush creativity or dictate when she will show up. But you can create the right conditions in your being to invite her in. I’m not only referring about creativity as we have come to understand artistic endeavours. I’m talking creativity as in the force that gives us vision and the clarity needed to make decisions on how we’ll live.

STEP 1

If you’ve taken the Creativity Archetype Quiz, you might be familiar with this page, but it’s a perfect one to revisit. Start there.

STEP 2

Next, make your way to the first week and complete the exercise you’ll find there.

This post is part of a weekly series where we move through the Winter Retreat: Dreaming in the Dark. You can subscribe either monthly or annually to join us.

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from the underworld with love,

find your creativity archetype quiz | read Earthborn magazine

Instinctively, you can sense it refers to entering something new. As Earthborn Magazine leaves the dreaming stage of winter and enters the mobilizing phase of spring, it seemed fit for Initiation to be the first theme.

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When I think of initiation, I immediately feel into the collective currents and deeply relate to something you are moving through. We all sense the collapse of the old ways, the uncertainty of navigating the changing landscape, and are unsure of what lies beyond. It feels too big.

While the world changes, as individuals, we are experiencing our own unique brand of initiation. We have many of them in our lives. Some are big and obvious, while others are shifts in your mental, emotional, or psyche.

Each one brings us closer to touch our inner power and operate from our Original Self with conviction, courage, and purpose. Changing our inner architecture is no easy feat, and my goal is to normalize this as a natural process of our psyche. For that, we need new myths. New stories to match our current epoch, where we see ourselves in others. Each story extends a hand of courage to a reader who needs it to navigate their own initiation.

AUTUMN

In this phase of initiation, there is a sense that something is not quite right. What you’ve been doing is no longer working. There are ways of being you find scratching beneath our skin. You push boulders uphill not realizing that way of being needs to be let go of. You experience the range of shades of loss and grief as, moment after moment; you realize you must leave something behind.

You can share about the agony you move through as our outer or inner world is changing with or without our permission.

WINTER

Next, you must accept the truth of what you are faced with and come to the realization that you must act differently. When we surrender into this knowing and dissolve into ourselves. This surrender takes faith. Write about that.

This is also the space between identities. Where you know what you left behind, but you are unsure of what is emerging. Write about not knowing what to do.

At some point, you have a spark that shows you the way forward. Often, it does not look like you had imagined you would do. It’s stretchy. Nor can you see the full plan. Write about that. Write about how to take your next step in this world rooted in this new conviction, yet navigating so many unknowns.

SPRING

Each step will give you feedback. Positive or negative. Write what it feels like taking courageous steps while not being landed in your new identity. Write about the support you found helpful. Write about how you held your breath and still did the scary thing. Write about the successful outcome that opened new doors you could not have imagined. Write about the failure that gave you new tools for your path forward.

SUMMER

This is where you land in your new identity and get into the swing of things. You are infused with life force and are living.

Write about how you landed in your new state of being. Write about the relief. The joy. The newfound knowings you gained. Write about what you felt and what you accomplished. Write about how you felt the end approach so you can go through the cycle again.

Each stage is valuable. Write about one or all. Capture one emotion or many. This is your story to tell. Your message to leave behind from this version of you. Your snapshot in time that will help someone navigate their initiation.

Download the Contribution and Inspiration Guide. Along with practical information, you’ll also find a guided writing ritual to help your piece come forward.

from the underworld with love,

find your creativity archetype quiz | read Earthborn magazine

Partly because anytime we are entering something new, the initiation process is activated. We must pass through the discomfort of the unknown, have no guarantees of success, move through a myriad of fears and still do the thing we are called to do.

The main reason initiation is an important topic to talk about is because we are grossly under prepared on how to pass through the gates of initiation with our minds and psyche.

It’s a profoundly uncomfortable process in a culture who has been conditioned to value comfort and convenience above all else.

We need to talk about it.
We need to guide each other through it.
Most of all, we need to normalize it if we are to take part in any meaningful change.

Everyone can sense the world is shifting. Every one of us is at his or her own personal crossroads. We see systems and the way we’ve been doing things crumble, not working, gaps being exposed, and different ways of doing things are emerging in all our hearts.

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There are so many paths when faced with this crossroad.

Will we choose our actions based on preserving our comfort?
Will we numb out, become the living dead, or live full of despair?
Will we choose to listen to the change emerging in our hearts as the next steps forward?

I’m willing to bet that most of the time, you move on this spectrum back and forth, not sure how to even begin to make an impact. This is where I sat for a long time. Unsure of what my purpose is. Unsure of where I needed to concentrate my efforts. I struggled against the despair, feeling I had limited time after completing my duties and responsibilities.

Earthborn magazine shows collectively what’s possible. Because let’s face it, we’re going to go through a period of time marked by doubt, worry and wondering what comes next. Do we stay the course, or do we have the courage to take the first step into the uncharted territory of meaningful change?

For those of you who are following your calling, who are standing up for what you believe to be right, even though it opposes the current norm, the road can get scary. And lonely.

In having spent an ungodly amount of time observing the state of the world, one pattern I noticed is that the current systems are well organized and mobilized.

While it’s incredible to see the sheer number of humans stepping into their calling and advocating for meaningful change, in the face of what they’re up against, organized and well-resourced is not how I would describe them.

And therefore I wanted to start Earthborn. To highlight these individuals. To help us organize and mobilize causes that are rooted in reciprocity.

The time for your personal development to be done in isolation has ended. This is our collective initiation, to come together and step out of identities that we have outgrown and into new ones that will help us shape our future.

We are all invited to become comfortable being uncomfortable if we are to be ready to face the reshaping of our ever-so-fragile systems in the next 5 to 10 years.

from the underworld with love,

find your creativity archetype quiz | read Earthborn magazine

You are born on Earth.

Here we are.

Each epoch comes with its own challenges. Ours is defined by everything moving fast. Too fast for our nervous systems to keep up. So fast, systems are exhausting themselves and are held together at the seams. Worse yet, we need a hot minute to pause and reimagine what is possible when we accept we must become comfortable being uncomfortable in order to make the changes asked of our time.

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For better or for worse, we inherited the systems currently in place. The question is, what do you want to do about it?

Will you accept them as they are?
Will you see the gaps?
Will you have the courage to stand up for what needs to be done?

When I look back on my life, I want to know I gave my energy to becoming the living ancestor that looks out for the next generations. That I paved the way for our collective descendants to inherit a world better than the one I entered.

Yet when I think of the work that lies ahead, it feels impossible to do anything of significance. I consider how we could change our structure to earn money, and how the current systems extract the most productivity to generate the most profit for the few at the top.

I think of our food supply chain, and my heart aches at how far we’ve veered from eating real food. What a shame we used technology with the goal of once again extracting maximum profits at the expense of the health of people.

I think of Mother Earth and how we have forgotten that she is one big ecosystem we exploit for the benefit of profits instead of developing a relational strategy to care for all her ecosystems and not just the bottom line.

I see how the school system is designed to raise people who can follow orders in jobs that create maximum profits for the few at the top, not people who know themselves. Whose else’s blood boils when you hear news of “record profits” yet employees struggle to make ends meet?

When I go back to the question, “Will you have the courage to stand up for what needs to be done?” I often think it’s not so much about courage, but more about overcoming despair at not knowing where to even start.

Like all quests, often when we seek too hard, there is a sense the answers are right there behind the fog of our minds, yet painfully out of reach.

And so Earthborn came as an idea like a lightning bolt, but only when I stopped asking and started listening.

Collectively, we are at a decision point. But a confused mind will always say no. At least until the pain of staying the same exceeds the pain of changing.

Earthborn’s purpose makes this decision easier. To remind us that there are already incredible people doing the soul work that needs to be done. It is a collection of writing that gives us hope, direction, and a sense of purpose, knowing that even the smallest action done with the intent of creating a better earth matters and ripples beyond us.

I know I will not see the gorgeous future that is possible for us in this lifetime. I came to peace with that. What made me restless was that I confused peace with inaction.

I do not have all the answers. In the grand scheme of things, I don’t have any at all. What I know to be true is that the systems we deeply crave will not be created by one alone. They are to be created by all of us.

That is the main reason Earthborn exists. To allow for the pause needed to have the conversation about possible ways forward that are regenerative and reciprocal.

I welcome you to Earthborn. Come in and stay a while.

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from the underworld with love,

find your creativity archetype quiz | read Earthborn magazine

Earthborn.

It’s where the personal development work “ends” and the implementation phase begins. I say personal development work “ends” because I don’t quite believe we ever end, but I am referring to a specific stage. There comes a time when we have touched who we are at our core and are deeply anchored in who we are. For some, they are born with this certainly, others find it quickly, while for others … it takes a little while. Inevitably, I would argue, there is this urge to go beyond your own personal development work and are actively look for ways to contribute meaningfully to your family and community.

It’s with this perspective in mind Earthborn was created.

Each epoch comes with its own challenges. Ours is defined by everything moving fast. Too fast for our nervous systems to keep up. So fast, systems are exhausting themselves and are held together at the seams. Worse yet, we need a hot minute to pause and reimagine what is possible when we accept we must become comfortable being uncomfortable in order to make the changes asked of our time.

For better or for worse, we inherited the systems currently in place. The question is, what do we want to do about it?

I do not have all the answers. In the grand scheme of things, I don’t have any at all. What I know to be true is that the systems we deeply crave will not be created by one alone. They are to be created by all of us. Together.

And so, I enter a phase of life where I explore what is possible for myself but also collectively. So many courageous souls are already doing marvellous initiatives. One goal I have with Earthborn is to highlight their courageous and brilliant work.

This is why Earthborn exists. To allow for the pause needed to have the conversation about possible ways forward that are regenerative and reciprocal.

Still there is a deeper reason I am launching Earthborn Magazine. It will be the first time I’ve put this into words, so bear with me as I articulate it.

The systems we currently have in place had a chance to mature, to be organized, and to be upheld. People devote resources to mobilize them, and despite the fact that no one can escape the grand rhythm, they also must change. Many individuals and organizations are working together to keep them going.

At the same time, things need to shift. It feels like we are entering a period of trial and error on how to move forward with what aligns with relational and regenerative ways of being that often force the ways things currently are to adapt. Besides this, many courageous souls are leading the way with incredible solutions. But they largely operate in silos or in isolation.

It’s the bringing of these efforts together. The ability to place a spotlight on those at the forefront. The freedom to explore. The impulse to invite others into a movement they feel drawn to. At its core, this is what I hope Earthborn becomes. A place where possibilities are shared and where we join hands in creating a future we can be proud of.

I will still write for my publication Originborn. Here, I will focus mainly on the inner shifts we are collectively moving through along with seasonal retreats that help us understand them better. It’s also where I’ll write the essays that will eventually make their way into a book. It is where we become comfortable with the descent and the underworld before we rise and choose how we’ll contribute to the upperworld. In fact, next week we kick off our winter retreat if you’d like to join in.

Whereas Earthborn shifts into an exploration of outward action. These are the topics I envision exploring:

• Culture, Power & Systems Change

• Psychology, Consciousness & the Inner Shift

• Food, Land & Nourishment

• Sustainable & Regenerative Living

• Art, Story & World-Making

• Ritual, Embodiment & Lived Practice

I did not add you to the Earthborn Magazine Substack publication. The direction I am exploring there is deeply a personal one and cannot be rushed. With all my heart, I hope you join me there.

Have a look Earthborn Magazine on Substack and subscribe. For now, I’ll share more about the behind the scenes of building a magazine from scratch, what you can expect from each issue, where you’ll meet the contributors. I’m also planning experiential events I hope to bring to fruition by springtime.

Explore Earthborn Magazine

A like, a follow, a share might not have a big impact for you. For me, it’s everything. You’d be helping me and many others step out of their comfort zone and do the scary thing as they step into their authorship era.

from the underworld with love,

find your creativity archetype quiz | read Earthborn magazine

This is my attempt to intercept you before you set your goals too soon.

I received an email the other day where the person shared they are a “major Capricorn” and expressed how January is their big love of creating goals, lists, and vision boards.

Perhaps this works for this person, or for when our logical mind runs the show solo.

Let me tell you … am a Capricorn Sun and a Virgo Moon. I doubt there are too many other combinations that instill by default a love of long term planning and a desire to map out every detail.

What I learned from listening to the seasons, is that creativity (or any project), just like the cycle of death and rebirth, has a rhythm.

I happen to live in the northern hemisphere where the seasons are pretty clearly divided. My lens uses the four seasons because it is what I know and what I live. If you are reading this in any other part of the world where the climate is different, the only thing you need to know is that nature will show you when it’s time to restore, plan, execute, and harvest. Follow that.

More than any other year, I now see many who understand this time of the year is not where “new” belongs.

I wrote a couple of weeks ago about taking the time in early December to take inventory as we transition from autumn to winter. When you are done that, it’s time for deep listening.

I call it Dreaming in the Dark. It’s the winter self-led retreat you can access by becoming a paid subscriber on Origin’s substack.

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Planning and to-do lists are fore late winter and springtime. Before you get too deeply and land on what your year will look like, I invite your to do something different this January.

Give yourself the space to feel into your purpose, what you want to accomplish, and want you desire to feel like in this upcoming calendar year. Starting January 15 and over the course of five weeks, I’ll share an essay diving deeper in the practices in the Dreaming in the Dark self-led retreat.

While you can do the self-led retreats as an 1 or 2 day intensive, we’ll take it slower this year and pace ourselves with a weekly rhythm.

If you are unsure of what your next move is .. join us. You’ll drop in and help find the next step available to you.

If you know exactly what you are working on next … join us. You’ll commune with what you want to work on next and feel into the how of how you are to approach it and express it.

We begin January 15th 2026.

WHAT IS THE WINTER RETREAT

Winter is about expanding your capacity to be comfortable and nourished while staying in the underworld.

To love the lovable and unlovable parts of yourself and know all have a place and purpose.

To dream in the chaos of the stars where nothing is certain, everything feels beautifully undone, and you're energized by endless possibilities you can’t give proper names to.

HOW IT WORKS

You’ll receive activities, exercises, and meditations with explorations into your inner season of winter.

Topics We’ll Cover

• Understand your strengths during your inner season of winter and how to make the most of them

• Work with your mental and behavioural patterns specific to your inner winter that are sabotaging

• Loosen your mental constructs around your current identity so that you can sense, feel, and know more of who you are and what you desire to build as your legacy

• Explore what ways of being no longer serve

• Practice and develop your mystic listening for what desires to be birthed in the coming year

Now some perks when you join by upgrading your Substack membership …

Why you should upgrade your Substack membership to receive access to the Winter Retreat: Dreaming in the Dark

1. You’ll receive access to the Winter Retreat: Dreaming in the Dark

2. You’ll receive access to the Spring Retreat: Gracious Rising

3. You’ll receive access to the Summer Retreat: Soul Fire

4. You’ll receive access to the Autumn Retreat: The Art of Surrender

5. Access to $150+ worth of materials

6. You get more and you have more … I hope you’ll stay with me for at least a season to truly immerse yourself in the depths of each season’s gifts and shadows.

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from the underworld with love,

find your creativity archetype quiz | read Earthborn magazine

I was born in a communist country where using your voice to speak your truth had consequences. As the daughter of refugee parents who faced struggles of their own while building a new life, I learned to make myself invisible. By not asking for anything. By making things easy. By being the least amount of a burden possible.

It felt impossible for me to voice my wants, needs, and preferences outside of my role as a mother. I would freeze when asked for my “vision.” Blank. Nothing. Then I would panic at the emptiness, while simultaneously reprimanding myself for not knowing.

Asking for help was another impossible task. My whole body would go rigid as I rehearsed what to say, ultimately deciding it was too risky. Eventually, I entered a familiar cycle: taking on far more than I could handle, then burning out.

Motherhood was the first place where something in me refused to comply. Not out of anger, but out of deep responsibility. I could no longer outsource my discernment. Too many times, I had already proven that my logic was sound. What I allowed mattered. What I modeled mattered. What I stood for mattered.

That marked the beginning of a phase in my life where I turned toward personal development, because I knew something in my mind’s architecture had to shift.

I spent years unlearning patterns of behavior that were harming me. I untangled the knots in my psyche until I could shed entire identities at once. I learned how to access support beyond what I could see. I trained to hold space for others moving through their own underworlds. I became an entrepreneur and learned the ins and outs of digital marketing. Along the way, I uncovered my medicine.

Each skill brought me closer to my Original Self, but I still did not know how to apply it in the real world.

Spring 2025 marks the moment my people pleaser died. My last shackle. It is a strange thing to shed an entire identity. I feel excited about how I will engage with the world, and also unsettled by how unfamiliar it all feels.

And so the story continues into 2026 and beyond. It now gets written from a place of authorship.

Yet with all the leaps and bounds I made in my individual journey focused on me, myself, and I it all felt meaningless. Something was missing, and I did not want to admit I knew what it was.

My personal development meant nothing if I didn’t engage with life and live my purpose. Follow the inner whispers wherever they may lead.

I made so many excuses. It never had to be big, grand or public. My purpose and activism would show up from within, and my only job was to follow them.

One thug in particular felt terrifying. So far, all my creative projects relied solely on what I can deliver. But a large part of myself knew I needed to make the leap and build something together ... with others.

This tug in my heart quietly moved into every cell of my body. It felt terrifying and true all at once.

I’m almost ready to share what’s coming. Stay tuned.

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from the underworld with love,

find your creativity archetype quiz

In what is arguably one of the most manufactured hectic times of the year, pausing from the momentum often feels impossible. But when you are courageous enough to hit the brakes, you’ll start feeling the difference in your system.

Initially, this feels uncomfortable. My people-pleaser used to have meltdowns at the possibility of not getting everything done, dropping the imaginary ball, or risking the possibility of letting others down.

Putting these symbolic brakes on took a lot of effort simply because it felt incredibly uncomfortable.

What I noticed most as I am writing this post, is the notion I had to share a neat list of several curated AF items you can do to celebrate the winter solstice.

Meanwhile, my entire system only wanted to pass along only the one thing that matters most.

Rest.

And by rest, I mean sleep. Can we normalize that in winter we need slightly longer sleep than during the summer months? You can Google the research, but for me the best evidence of all is the deep listening to my body. From the middle of autumn, I’ve been needing in the realm of nine hours of sleep each night.

For the most part, I’ve been able to honour that, but not always. I’ve come to realize my system had to get used to thinking about navigating how I honour my energy capacity when I have competing demands on my time.

On the longest night of the year, instead of a to-do list, I leave you with a few guiding principles that have helped me on my journey to reclaim my energy capacities seasonally.

Rest

Think of going to bed at 8pm. Slower mornings on the weekends. Teaching the kids how to help with their lunches. Fifteen-minute power naps between work and evening routines.

Remove the rush

When planning activities, add extra time for connection, slowness, and memory making. Be present. Savour them. Especially when you are cuddling with the kids and watching a family movie.

Let go of the need to fit everything in

Are you cramming too many things in? What is necessary? What can wait?

Be uncomfortable letting things be unfinished

Protect your inner energy capacities when things don’t go as planned by staying with the discomfort of not finishing all-the-things. At the very least, be okay with postponing them and communicating your energy capacities to those affected.

Working with these ways of thinking is helping me everyday make the switch internally to prioritize my needs first. As we enter winter, may they also help you protect your own energy capacities.

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from the underworld with love,

find your creativity archetype quiz