Angela A. Wix's Blog, page 2

Happy National Unicorn Day!

First, for those of you in the endo and spoonie communities seeking answers, I hope that you've had a supportive Endometriosis Awareness Month in March, and that April's Adenomyosis Awareness Month has kicked off well. I intended to be active here during these months, but instead I've been devoted to regular meetings with endometriosis specialist Dr. Cindy Mosbrucker as we're working together at the tail end of my writing for the endometriosis advocacy book that, barring any unforeseen issues, will finally be out in the world in 2022. It's all taken longer than I'd anticipated to find the right info and people for things to click into place, but in the end it is going to be such an amazing resource!

Until then, I'm sharing a podcast from SoulWhat where we ended up talking some about the endometriosis book. Seeing as it's NATIONAL UNICORN DAY today, we started out by talking about my first book, Little Book of Unicorns. While that book gets into the metaphor of unicorns, it's largely about reclaiming your joy, even through dark times. The book came about as a result of my own trauma from living with endometriosis, and that experience is something I share there. As I wrote it, I often had others from the chronic illness community in my mind, hoping they might find this book and have it be a help to them.

Even if you aren't part of these communities, I'm sure there is something in this little book for you. There is so much magic, imagination, and play packed into these pages and it's been thrilling to see others explore it all along with me.

In this podcast at SoulWhat I talk with Michelle & Roger about magic, art, energy, and inner work. We also couldn't help but get into insight from my experience as an acquiring editor, as well as topics from my two upcoming books, including everything from subtle intuitive ability and personal spirituality, to chronic disease and endometriosis.

Lots of great discussion here, enjoy, and don't miss the PROMO CODE that's mentioned in the podcast for 10% off the book or your future order for The Secret Psychic.

Enjoy!

New Website Category Added!

I added a new section on the "Artwork" page of my website today...ILLUSTRATION!

This was actually my original motivation for working in publishing. As a teen, I dreamed of illustrating books so that I would have an excuse to read all day. Turns out, reality went the other way. I first became an editor, and only recently have I had illustrations included in a couple of books.

One of these includes the upcoming "Bark, Neigh, Meow" by Lynne McKenzie. Sample kitty here. Head to the "Artwork" page to see more!

Tune In to the Healing Arts Podcast

HEALING ARTS PODCAST

with Dr. Shelley Kaehr and Angela A. Wix

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I'm so glad I got the chance to chat with wonderful author and fellow book-lover Dr. Shelley Kaehr on her podcast. In part, we share all about Llewellyn's Little Book of Unicorns, along with additional upcoming titles that I have on the way!

Parts 1 and 2 of the podcast are now available (see links below).

BONUS! When you tune in you'll receive a DISCOUNT CODE for the purchase of Llewellyn's Little Book of Unicorns or The Secret Psychic!

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Dr. Shelley Kaehr & Healing Arts Podcast Welcome Angela Wix - Part 1

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Dr. Shelley Kaehr & Healing Arts Podcast Welcome Angela Wix - Part 2

New Book Announcement! The Secret Psychic

NEW BOOK AND TITLE ANNOUNCEMENT!

I haven't said much on it so far, but a little over a year ago I signed the contract for my second book (squee!). This is the day I've been waiting for to announce the project publicly, as the book officially got it's name confirmed by the publisher!

The Secret Psychic: Embrace the Magic of Subtle Intuition, Natural Spirit Communication, and Your Hidden Spiritual Life will release January 8, 2022!

In a surprising twist, the publisher also decided that they wanted to use my artwork on the cover (what I show here isn't the cover, it's just a fun sample I put together). I was so surprised and honored by this revelation.

I can't wait to share the final result with you. It's really my heart on the page in this one, along with bonus contributions from other professional intuitives that I feel so honored to include.

The painting that will be features is a detail from a painting (shown above) that I did 8 years ago as I processed the death of my sister. She is a big part of this book, and the incredible story behind the painting is also included.

It's a crazy synchronicity that the publisher 1) asked to include my art and 2) chose to feature this painting. After they made this decision, I ended up going back into the manuscript to add in some extra details around the story so that readers will get the full scoop.

I'm spinning. I'll share the final cover soon!

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"She Saw: Flowers Everywhere"2013Acrylic and mixed media

Medical Reiki

I'm grateful that I've been able to incorporate so many of my passions into my professional life/work. Much of it lead to courses and certifications that have come in handy as background knowledge that's helped me assist authors in getting their ideas out into the world through their books.

Most recently, I'm glad to have this Medical Reiki certification to add in, after training with the wonderful Raven Keyes. Who knows where it may come handy. In the past I've offered energy work in hospice care, but with this I wonder if one day I'll be drawn to providing it for surgery.

Particularly, I would love to offer it in the realm of specialized surgical excision for endometriosis. I know first-hand what a terrifying experience surgery can be, and how Reiki can be a huge support. Following one of my surgeries I had the benefit of a volunteer coming in to provide me with Reiki in the initial post-op moments, which was such a blessing.

If I were ever able to bring it into this space, once again I would be bridging my past experience and passion, with gratitude for being able to help others. Time shall tell...

Your Unicorn Donation for Animal Welfare

I have happy news today, coming from a couple of friends of the unicorns!

I recently received my first ever royalty check as an author. It was a wonderful moment and thanks to everyone who has purchased Llewellyn's Little Book of Unicorns, I'm able to make some donations for animal welfare, as promised at the start of the book. It's only fair that you get to share in the joy of these donations.

First up, meet Naleku! She is a beautiful little girl elephant who was orphaned earlier this year, but thanks to Sheldrick Wildlife Trust she's found a safe place to grow and will eventually find her way back into the wild. Along with her sponsorship, I also added in funding for some of her milk and for the planting of 50 seedlings that help keep her habitat flourishing. To find out more about Naleku's story, click the link https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/naleku (if you decide to watch the video about her, just fyi there is some graphic imagery).

Apollo is next! He is a lovely little (but BIG!) rhino who was recued in Sept 2019 after his mother died of natural causes. To find out more about Apollo's story, click the link https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/orphans/apollo

I first found out about the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust when I read the memoire Life, Love, and Elephants by Daphne Sheldrick. This memoir tore my heart open and I've wanted to adopt/sponsor with them ever since. Thanks to you wonderful readers, you've made that dream come true.

Additional donations so far include to Midwest Animal Rescue Services and WIRES (NSW Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service Inc), a nonprofit rescue in Australia. More will follow.

Credit: Images are from The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, sourced from Naleku's digital adoption papers.

Alone Together: Union in The Great Pause

We're all processing a lot right now. In times of grief and trauma I've always found support through art. In this time of COVID-19 it's no different, and I'm sharing a bit of what I've created as a result.

Most recently I wrote "Alone Together: Union in the Great Pause," which you can find in full published at Elephant Journal (a sample portion is included here). A week after the poem I was inspired to create it's accompanying image.When all of the coronavirus concerns began, my husband would share daily news and I would respond with, "Well, we're here and breathing now, so in this moment we're OK." Soon after, a song I'd heard dozens of times before hit me as though it was newly drawn from those moments. This was "Keep Breathing" by Ingrid Michaelson. If you haven't heard it before or need a reminder, here it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLdT1v09_6E

For me this song has felt like an anthem of sorts as I've been maneuvering the days moment-by-moment. When I heard it again yesterday, this image immediately came to mind.

The face in the illustration is based on the cover image for Ingrid Michaelson's album "Be OK," which features her song "Keep Breathing."The length of braid is the rope we throw to one another to hang on to amid this tangled mess, distant, yet still connected. In the mask I've included several constellations, and this is one detail of our current contemplation that I mention in the poem. Humorously (to me) I've included three constellations (can you find them?), because these are the only three I've ever been able to find on my own in the night sky. While wildly distant, they feel familiar and grounding in the chaos.I hope you're able to find some peace through this uncertainty. Be gentle with yourself, we're going through a lot right now. Take care.

The Unicorn Art Show

I've finished work that will appear in The Unicorn Art Show with The Otherworldly Arts Collective in Minneapolis, MN (my book Llewellyn's Little Book of Unicorns will also be available for sale at the gallery).

Altogether I created three new works for this show.

Also, my dog is super weird and this is how he prefers to use couches.

This unicorn on the right took FOREVER!!!! But I'm loving the final results.

This is part of my "Sister She" series that began because of (and has continued to be inspired by) my older sister, who passed away in 2012. She was a poet at heart, and words are a part of each piece. I've found that the whispers of wisdom that apply to her can also be applied to myself and anyone else who might be touched or inspired by these works.

"She Realized: Some Kind of Magic"

she realizedshe wassome kind of magicall along

Like so many other events, the show has been postponed due to COVID-19. I've been at a loss of words with everything that's going on. I hope you're all staying safe and we can reawaken together with new celebrations soon.

The Look of Chronic Illness

Take a look at these two images. Which would you say is an experience of illness? If you picked the one on the right, I've got news for you: sometimes illness looks like a unicorn in heels.This past weekend I attended a fall fest at Lake Harriet Spiritual Community, a place that always feels like home, even though I rarely get there because of distance. I'd been excited about the event for months. As someone who historically would have rather died than get up and speak in front of people, I was somehow voluntarily going to give my first ever public presentation at the event.Passion drives us to do crazy things like that.I'd been reminded more than once that passion was pushing me forward. "I'm getting tired," I'd said to my husband after a couple months of promoting my new book. "But it's different when it's your passion," he'd responded. And he was right. Even as I felt spent, I still felt inspired and wanted to continue on. What is this passion that's been driving me? I sometimes pause to self-check, caught in the fun current of unicorns. But then I remember, my passion is about so much more.Under the surface of unicorn glitter, my driving force is of finding ways to happiness and healing, and finding ways to come back to life.Without exaggeration I can say that, to some degree, writing saved my life. As I wrote it, I could feel lost pieces of myself snapping back into place. It was almost scary, like hearing yourself laugh and realizing the sound has become a foreign language...of knowing that's how far you've drifted from joy. Could I trust that this was a true return of what had been lost for so long?Apparently, I needn't have worried. So far, the taste of beauty has stuck, even while the ugly challenges have remained. The passion that drives me is a hope that I can help extend the same benefit to other people, especially to those who find themselves caught in the web of chronic illness, stuck in fear and survival mode. I've know that place all too well. The focus of this passion seemed emphasized that morning as I woke and readied myself for the day's events. Symptoms had woven themselves into my restless dreams throughout the night, and I arose unrested and in pain.A bit alarmed, I went through the motions of getting ready, all while wondering if I would even be able to leave the house that day. Would chronic illness strip me of the chance to participate in the festival? Would I yet again be held back from opportunity, experience, and living the way I wanted to due to inconvenient conditions? I attended to my body as best I could, crossed my fingers, and left the house.I did make it to the event. I was able to don my unicorn attire, give my presentation, and connect meaningfully with those who were there. "I saw you, I heard you, and I want you to know I got it," one attendee shared with me after. She, too, lived with chronic illness. "I wasn't supposed to be here today. I came, but didn't know why. It was you." We hugged for a long time, both trying not to cry.This was that passion, coming alive. Another attendee expressed sympathetically, "I hope you can find relief one day." I side-stepped the statement, batting it away with my own response of, "At least I can try to help other people." "Yes," she replied, "but hopefully you'll find a solution." The thing about chronic illness is just this: it is chronic.Symptoms may improve, worsen, hold a consistency, worsen, and improve again, sometimes in ways you can anticipate and plan for, and other times in ways that throw you for a loop. And that morning I'd unexpectedly been tossed full across the room.It can look a certain way one moment, and all together different another. Some symptoms become familiar, while suddenly new and unfamiliar ones pop up, adding to the anxiety of it all. It's something that can be near impossible to understand until you're, unfortunately, on the inside of it.Those who know it intimately often feel defeated when others around them seem to disbelieve they are still sick or that it can't somehow all be fixed. "You should try xyz," the healthy people say. They may see you on a good day, or in a good moment, or when you are pushing the boundaries or playing the "healthy" role quite well and declare, "But you look so good!" and "You're doing so much better!" I believe this usually comes from a good place. After all, no one wants to see a loved-one suffer. But for those living with chronic illness, it can all feel so dismissive. An early point of my presentation that day was this: I was inspired to write about finding happiness and reconnecting with my joyful self at a time when I was coming to terms with the fact that the shadow of illness might be my lifelong companion. I had to figure out what my unicorns looked like, even amid darkness.While I still hold out hope for resolution, in order to not make myself crazy, and in order to successfully find joy in the present instead of in some magically-healed future, I have to figure out a way to live as I am and as I might always be. That day on the inside I felt like the picture on the right, even though on the outside I looked like the one on the left. By the end of the day I returned home, heart full, but body spent. For a time chronic illness looked like what most people think illness looks like: wrapped in soft blankets, buried under my dog, and watching Christmas movies (a fave self-soother) even though it was a week before Halloween.In a couple of days I would emerge as a unicorn in heels. I would still be carrying that same chronic illness, trying to quietly support the extra needs of my body and mind without notice by others. And I would still be determined as ever to keep my eyes open for whatever joy I could find amidst it all.

Release the Unicorns!

While some of you have discovered some straggling unicorns that cleverly found their way to you ahead of time, this Sunday will mark the official release of a book about how you can embrace the magic that unicorns are all about. To celebrate I'm doing a giveaway (details on that below) and the winner will win a signed copy of the book and a kit to make the unicorn energy mist that I talk about in the book. Upcoming EventsI'll be celebrating this Sunday the 8th at Janke's, Wisconsin's oldest bookstore, where I'll be signing copies from 11-2 during Wausau's Festival of the Arts. This art fest used to be one of my very favorite things as a kid, so I'm really excited to be participating in my hometown. If you're tied up this weekend, no worries. More events are on the horizon, including an author meet and greet on September 28th at Chapter 2 Books in Hudson, WI from noon-2 during the Spirit of the St. Croix Art and Fall Fest. For more on these events, click the "upcoming events" header above. I'll update as more events are lined up. Until then, here's a rundown on some past events that have already been had, along with a giveaway to celebrate the book's launch!Past EventsIn August we had a meet and greet at Llewellyn, cupcakes, unicorns, and all! Some of us transformed into unicorns for a quirky game...fun and laughs all around. I also had the chance to sign copies of the book at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival, which was so neat! We even had time for me to give free mini energy healing sessions to anyone who purchased a copy of the book as an extra special treat. Free Giveaway!In Llewellyn's Little Book of Unicorns I share the makings of a Unicorn Energy Mist. To spare you the hassle of gathering the ingredients I've put together some kits for sale (these will soon be available on my etsy shop), and to celebrate the book's release you have the chance to win a signed copy of the book along with one of the kits! If you're already subscribed and received this post by email, you can respond to this message with the subject "I want unicorns." For additional entries, and for anyone not already subscribed, head over to Facebookor Instagramand follow instructions on those posts for the giveaway. Each way you participate is an additional entry. Good luck!