Greetings, friends,
I hope you’ve had a quiet and reflective All Souls’ Day.
You may or may not have noticed that I didn’t send my second newsletter for October. I’ve been sick with an inner ear infection and have been miserable for a little over a week. The pain was excruciating and all I could think about was how my kids would just bawl when they had ear infections as sweet little babies. I’m a whole adult and wanted to cry the whole time too. I’m not even kidding. It was that bad. I’m finally on the mend. The pain is gone but my hearing in my right ear is still muffled. Everything sounds like I’m underwater. It’s annoying as hell. But I digress… onward to today’s musings.
In this missive, I’ll be sharing:
❄ How winter shapes my creative process
✍🏽 My Aquarian version of NaNoWriMo
🍞 Bonus 1: Bewitched banana bread
🔮 Bonus 2: My newest Season of the Witch deck has arrived!
“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.” — Edith Sitwell
❄ How winter shapes my creative process
Today, I found myself drawn to thoughts of winter and the influence it has on my creativity and writing. It was 29 degrees when I woke up this morning, and my first thought was, “winter isn’t coming… it’s already here.” Like I mentioned in a previous post, winter is the season I thrive in. I love the cold, dark months of the year. Winter is far more than a mere backdrop for my writing; it is my muse, guiding my witchy, intellectual pursuits and enriching the depths of my creativity.
Winter wraps the world in a gentle hush, a stillness inviting introspection and contemplation. If you’ve been in my world for a while, you’ll know how introspective I am. As I sit here at my desk, I’m reminded of the power of silence. I’m also reminded of how uncomfortable silence can be for many people. And I’m reminded further still, how some think I’m some sort of hermit because every winter I seclude myself from the world and go into hibernation mode. But I assure you, I am not sleeping. It’s within the silence and stillness that my intuition is at its sharpest and loudest. I’m able to dive deeper into the depths of my mind to ponder complex ideas, unravel intricate concepts and cultivate the clarity needed for my research and writing projects.
We don’t get much snow here in Southern Maryland. But when we do, I love to just stand by the balcony doors in my bedroom and watch it gently pile up on the deck. It’s meditative to watch and my mind likes to wander off to other realms. (I’ve been known to astro-project without meaning to.)
I’m desperate to move to a place that sees snow every winter without fail. In the meantime, my workaround is YouTube. I have quite a few ambiance videos in a playlist with snow falling and other wintry scenes. Some with music. Some without.
Snow, in its delicate intricacy, serves as a metaphor for the multifaceted aspects of what it means to be human. Each snowflake is a masterpiece of nature’s spellwork, a reflection of the unique patterns woven into the fabric of our lives. Just as each snowflake is one of a kind, so are the topics I like to muse and write about. Many of which you will see here in future posts.
And the same can be said of you. When writing your stories, you too can think of the individuality of snowflakes. When developing your characters for example, to discover their singular qualities, struggles and triumphs. In the same way snowflakes can reflect the beauty in diversity, your characters and their experiences can reveal the richness in the diversity of human existence.
Winter's chill is not only a physical experience; it’s also reflective of the challenges I (and probably you too) experience as a writer. We all love the cozy aesthetic, the cute knitwear, a roaring fireplace, candles everywhere, snacks, mugs of warm drinks. But the reality is that writing is arduous work. It demands a spirit of resilience. And if you’re anything like me, it also demands solitude.
It’s in this solitude that my creative process unfolds. It’s where I have my moments of self-doubt, confusion, wanting to burn it all to the ground and the nagging fear that what I create and share with the world, especially here on Substack, will be ridiculed by everyone. Whenever I ask those close to me to describe me in three words, the word that comes up repeatedly is resilience. “You’re so resilient.” I have come to accept this. Resilience is now the torch that lights the path through the darkness of the womb, where creation takes place, allowing me to find meaning and purpose in my words.
Stubbornness and an unhealthy amount of tea helps too…
To me, winter's influence is like the more nurturing side of Saturn. Instead of being the stoic disciplinarian, he encourages me to explore, ponder and refine my ideas, ultimately leading to a deeper understanding of the world around me.
As the temperatures continue to drop, I invite you to embrace the intellectual allure of winter and let it guide your own creative process. You might feel bleak and uninspired at times. Your writing might be darker and heavier, and brooding characters may abound. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The season may be cold, but its influence on your work can be undeniably warm.
Journal prompt: How can you use the emotions and themes associated with winter to your advantage in your writing?
✍🏽 My Aquarian version of NaNoWriMo
NaNoWriMo: A noble endeavor that tests the limits of your creativity, perseverance and sanity. Sending supportive vibes through the tech realms. I am rooting for you! But please remember that writing is not a race to the finish line, but a journey of discovery and enlightenment. You DO NOT have to come out on the other side of NaNoWriMo having written 50k words. Nevertheless, stay hydrated, remember to take breaks and most importantly, have fun.
As for me, I have chosen to walk a different path. How very Aquarian of me.
I will be focusing on my Substack this month. My cozy space where I can explore ideas, theories and concepts with the meticulous care they deserve. It is my desire for every post to be a shard of knowledge and a gem of insight. This publication is important to me, and it’s taken a while to find my feet and commit to the subjects I really want to write about — without fear. The goal for now is to write daily and when I remember, document the process. I have no intention of publishing daily as the topics I want to explore require meticulous research and thought. So while you all are bringing characters and magical worlds to life, I’ll be here at my desk, reading, exploring and sharing my thoughts and discoveries with you.
🍞 Bonus 1: Bewitched banana bread
Banana bread is a staple I believe everyone should know how to make. The ingredients are very simple. I consider recipes like this to be cupboard food because I always have the ingredients… in my cupboard. And by adding a bit of magick… well… what could be better than that?
Spell ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar (general measurement - I always use less, especially if I have an extra banana)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 overripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup vegetable oil (feel free to substitute with coconut oil, but use unrefined if you want to avoid the coconut flavor)
1 tsp vanilla extract (I’ve also made this with almond extract)
Note: I can make this in my sleep, so I no longer rely on measurements. I just whip it up whenever I have spotty bananas that didn’t get eaten.
The praxis:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl.
Stir together the mashed bananas, the oil and vanilla, then stir in the flour mixture. (Full disclosure: I do this in one bowl)
Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake for 55 to 60 minutes. If you want to add chocolate chips or nuts, stir them in before pouring into the pan to bake. As this banana bread is vegan, make sure the chocolate chips are vegan too, if that’s what you prefer.
But how do you bewitch it? Simple. Just stir your intentions into it. If you want some happiness, then concentrate on what happiness feels like as you’re stirring. Same for calling in love or any other feeling you want to feel or want whoever is going to eat this to feel. Enjoy! Let me know how it turns out.
🔮 Bonus 2: My newest Season of the Witch deck has arrived!
Look at what arrived in the post yesterday! The newest Season of the Witch: Imbolc Oracle deck. It is stunning! The artwork keeps getting better and better. The new artist really encapsulates the meanings of the cards within her drawings.
As the season of Samhain just started, I didn’t feel called to pull a card for you. But I did take a few pics of the backs and the glorious blue gilding on the side of the cards. I mean, look at it!
I also preordered the next deck for Litha, which is scheduled to be released in May 2024.
Do you have any of these decks? What do you think about them? I personally can’t wait to have all eight in my collection.
Until next time…
Yours in magick and mysticism,
Lakeisha xo
Scorpio is in my 12th House so this season I always like to cralw away into my cave, and be reborn into the world when the Sun enters Sag. I have been following the seasons in-depth now for the past 6 years and each cycle around reveals a new understanding.
You have motivated me to make banana bread tomorrow with the 4 ripe bananas I almost added to the compost. It was a favorite thing of my mother's to bake, so i will bake it in her honor as part of my Day of the Dead practices.
Seeing the banana bread made me bake my own. Thanks for the coziness.