Before we get started, I want to share the ways we can work together.
I’m currently accepting new 1:1 clients for The Book Package from July through September 2023 (discounted rates for past clients). This is for fantasy/sci-fi writers with finished manuscripts and want the premium treatment for their book.
I’m also accepting applications for The Storytellers Inn, my new group offering. The Inn will officially be open on August 16, 2023, and we will open sacred space to tap into the energy of the New Moon in Leo. The Inn is for fantasy/sci-fi writers who are seeking support in a setting with peers at a similar stage in the writing journey, who share a mindset and a commitment to regular action and mutual upliftment.
Lastly, I’m accepting applications for two fantasy and/sci-fi writers to work with for my practicum exams. This is an opportunity to receive free, 1:1 book coaching from me.
If you’re curious about any of these, please reach out via email (lakeisha@lakeishabellcadogan.com) or send me a DM via IG or FB. Thank you!
If you’ve been around for a while, then you’ll know about my deep need for reflection. I’m an introspective person by nature, so I spend a lot of time (sometimes too much time) with my inner thoughts. It’s important.
I see reflection as a way to engage in slow productivity because we’re intentionally taking time to slow down and review our experiences and perhaps learn something new about ourselves in the process. I’ve written about the benefits of making time for reflection in the past, so today I’m sharing a few musings from my journal — aka the Book of Everything — where I did my seasonal/midyear business planning for the summer months.
My spell ingredients for reflection
Even though I jot down reflections in my journal almost daily, I intentionally make my seasonal reflections more meaningful by ritualizing them.
They say the devils in the details. As a line/copyeditor by trade, being “in the details” is my happy place. Having Virgo as my moon sign contributes to my meticulousness. Ritualizing the seasonal markers of time helps me to come out from the weeds and look at my life from a more big-picture point of view.
I think reflection requires two things: intention and energy.
Intention
Intention is the foundation of any magical practice. In the same way I schedule my new and full moon rituals, I intentionally schedule time for my reflection rituals. This is what makes them so powerful. At each seasonal marker — the solstices and equinoxes — I block off the nearest Friday on my calendar as a day to myself. Sometimes I take my journal and supplies to a café and other times, I stay home. It depends on my mood.
I tell my clients to do the same: schedule time in your calendar for intentional reflection. It doesn’t have to be a full day; you can simply set aside a few hours. Whether it’s weekly, monthly, seasonally or whatever frequency is up to you. The point is to view reflection as something that serves you, not as one more thing that you’re trying to squeeze in during your lunch break or force yourself to do before bed.
Energy
Reflection requires a lot of mental energy: we are remembering and pondering and interpreting. I believe this is one of the main reasons why so many of us avoid doing it. But I also want to point out that reflection also requires emotional energy. If you’re being honest with yourself and your journal (and you should be!), it can be very uncomfortable and confronting to do this work. I have personally bawled my eyes out while reflecting and still have the tear-stained journal to prove it.
It’s easy to think back on all the highlights and fun stuff that happened, but in hindsight, it’s the challenges and stuff that didn’t work out that we learn from the most. The key here is to not get stuck in the black hole of things we didn’t achieve and heavy feelings like grief, disappointment or shame. For this reason, I encourage you to ask, “what went well?” or “what do I feel proud of?” after reflecting on the not-so-good stuff. Always end on a high note.
An easy way to do this is by using what I call the Stoplight Method, then simply listing everything out. (And yes, I actually write these hashtags in my journal.)
Red light - what didn’t work | #issahardno
Yellow light - what needs tweaking or adjusting | #pauseforthecause
Green light - what went well | #allsystemsgo
I feel it’s important to reflect first, then set goals and plan. When we skip the reflection part, and jump straight into goal setting and planning, we may end up being counterproductive. In other words, we could fall into the trap of including projects and goals that don’t light us up. Or putting way too much on our plate because we don’t have a realistic expectation of what we can accomplish in a given period. And quite often, neglecting to include self-care practices to address the mindset wobbles we want to avoid.
My work combines book coaching with mindset and spiritual practices. One of the exercises I take my clients through is called Expectations vs. Reality. We use elemental magic to determine their actual writing needs and how they fit into their current situations.
Here’s a bit of what that looks like using the GROW method:
Element of water (goals) – nail down why they are writing their book
Element of earth (reality) – look at the current circumstances
Element of air (options) – brainstorm all available options using tools like tarot and/or journaling
Element of fire (way forward) – the practical steps to make it happen.
Reflections from the Book of Everything
Summer: the season of growth
Summer is the time to be watering and nurturing the seeds that were planted in the spring - tending relationships and forming new connections
For myself, I want to start a new self-care ritual of wearing a sheet mask every single night. I’m not afraid of aging… they say Black don’t crack… but I do want to prevent wrinkles for as long as possible!
For my business, I want to start having tea and tattle sessions. I don’t drink coffee and Tea Chats sounds dumb. I’ve never done this before and am scared AF. But it will be a great way to make some new friends and serve my people by talking about some of my favorite things like writing, tarot and strategy. Guess I need to update my site for this…
I want to stop compromising my values in order to belong. Going along to get along is damaging my mental health. I’m tired of being in a state of anxiety about my views and beliefs. So, I want to stop hiding. It’s okay to not be accepted by the mainstream and the truth is, I’m not alone. There are actually more people supporting me than judging me, and of course, Spirit is guiding my path.
I want to continue doing my daily rituals. I stopped for a while because of what someone said, and I noticed a significant difference in how my days went during that period. My rituals are for ME. They keep me grounded and centered. I notice the joy in the day. And I remember to do things like take a break and eat and drink water lmao.
Word of the year check-in
My word for 2023 is Harmony.
When researching the definition, the most interesting one was, “an interweaving of different accounts into a single narrative.” For me, there was something about the word “interweaving” that felt magical. Purposeful. I interpreted this to mean that I needed to create and maintain harmony within myself.
When I journaled about what I wanted to stop doing, it made me realize that I haven’t been creating and maintaining harmony within myself. In certain areas of my life, I’ve been hiding and people pleasing. Going forward, I will strive to be more mindful when I’m keeping myself small to make others feel comfortable.
When I first started the practice of choosing a word for year, I wasn’t very intentional about it. And would often completely forget about the word three or four months into the year. Now I actively work with my word throughout the seasons and check in to see if it still feels good.
Why? Because life be life-ing, and sometimes the word you chose in January no longer applies!
If you did choose a word at the beginning of the year, here are some questions you might want to reflect on now that six months have passed:
Why did I choose my word?
What did my word mean to me when I first chose it?
What does my word mean to me now?
How have I worked with this word?
How do I want to feel during these next six months? Will my word support that? Why or why not?
I hope you enjoyed some of my seasonal/midyear musings. I’m wishing you a calm, productive and fruitful rest of your year.