Rebecca Scolnick's Blog, page 11
October 16, 2024
There Is No Finish Line with Jennifer Banash
What’s up, swimmers?! Today’s episode has it all—frank insights into the publishing process, the swift dispelling of myths around taking time off and shaking things up, learning astral projection from your mom’s Wiccan friend, odd jobs one would only want to work for one day (CW: brief mention of animal death at 40:25), theories about Sally Rooney’s career desires, and more!
But before we get into today’s gorgeous conversation, a few gentle reminders:
My new mini-course, NUMEROLOGY FOR WITCHES ✨ is now available! In addition to a 1-hr video on the intersection of numerology and witchcraft, and how numbers can enhance rituals, spells and other magical practices, you’ll also receive a books of spells for each building block number, and a reading list! The whole package is $44, and Spells for the Spiral is pay-what-you-can (suggested $11) on its own!
You can now book a 15-minute recorded tarot reading with me on Moonlight for just $25! I’m psyched to be able to offer this super affordable option that’s not time-specific, and so far, they’ve been a hit with clients!
Call Your Coven has been new all month long! Now that it’s mid-month, check back in with the October forecast, then listen to me break down the numerology of Samhain, and Jeanna digs into eclipses and the Diddy scandal. On Friday, Meg will talk about building a personal tarot practice, and then next week, we’ll wrap things up with a look at the upcoming US Election.
OKAY BUT ENOUGH ABOUT THAT—
I can’t wait for you to listen to the chat I had with the incredible, prolific, tells-it-to-you-straight, writer and artist Jennifer Banash. Her eighth traditionally published novel, The Essential Elizabeth Stone, is out now and the first page alone had me wanting to be a better writer. But she’s had such a varied career—she even ghostwrote a couple Gossip Girl novels!
What I’ve found to be so amazing about Jennifer is that after decades in the industry, she’s so incredibly grounded in the work. The craft of writing. The evolution of the artist. The generosity that makers must show one another. And the importance of art-making in a world that doesn’t value or center it.
So, if you’re looking for some solid advice, inspiration, a much-needed reality check or two, and some hot takes on Taylor Swift, look no further!
Thanks for reading swimming in the soup! This post is public so feel free to share it.
Jennifer Banash is a former professor of English and creative writing, and author of eight traditionally published novels, including The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana; Silent Alarm, a finalist for the American Library Association's Best Fiction for Young Adults; White Lines; Simply Irresistible; In Too Deep; and The Elite. Jennifer is also the former cofounder and editor of Impetus Press, a small, independent publishing house that championed works of literary fiction with a pop edge.
A native New Yorker, her first apartment was an illegal sublet located next door to the Hells Angels' former headquarters on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
Jennifer’s latest book, The Essential Elizabeth Stone, is “an emotional and empowering multigenerational family saga about a mother and daughter, and the secrets they keep from each other—and from themselves.”
Jennifer is a creative force, and she offers some really potent, practical, deep, compassionate, loving advice for authors and artists making a career out of the arts. I hope you fall in love with her just like I have, and then go fall in love with all of her books too!
Some of my favorite bits include:
On today’s relentless creative pacing: “I feel that like when you're constantly in creator mode, it makes it really, really difficult to produce something that… I don't want to say is good, but that has an incredibly strong message. That message just sort of gets diluted because there's so much stuff, you know? It's like trying to like make sense of a really cluttery living room, you know? Like you have to take some stuff out in order to streamline everything and really get your design across.”
On bolstering yourself through the edit process: “You got to have your your community, your people to help you when you get to that terrible editing moment, you know, or at least to tell you: Breathe. It's going to be OK. You've done this 80 million times. You didn't wreck any of the other books and you're probably not going to wreck them now. But we all feel that way.”
On evolving as an artist: “If you're if you're a good writer, right, you're always growing and changing and hopefully surpassing what you did in the previous book. You never want to I never want to stay at the same level. Right? I need to be challenged from book to book and grow from book to book. Or otherwise, what's the point?”
You can connect further with Jennifer by following her on Instagram and threads @jbanash.
I’d also like to thank , whose recent essay the Johnny Cash school of obsession, inspired my to ask Jennifer what three things her work is always exploring or touching on!
If you feel so inclined, try it out for yourself and leave me (or Raechel!) a comment!
Until next time, just keep swimming!xx, bee
October 4, 2024
New! - NUMEROLOGY FOR WITCHES ✨
It may be the beginning of October, but it’s not too early to start thinking about Samhain—pronounced sow-win—aka The Witch’s New Year, which starts at midnight on Halloween!
For the quick and dirty version, check out my latest solo episode of Call Your Coven, which dropped early this morning and covers the basics of Samhain, the numerology of October 31 and November 1, and spell ideas for the numbers at play this year in 2024.
Then if you’d like to go deeper, download my new mini-course:
NUMEROLOGY FOR WITCHES ✨A 1-hour recorded talk with PDF slideshow, booklet of bespoke spells, and a witchy reading list to get you making numerologically-aligned magic in no time! Only $44!
Curious about numerology but scared of math? Want to get into witchcraft but don't know where to start?
I GOT YOU! Let's tick both boxes in just one hour, okay? ☑️
NUMEROLOGY FOR WITCHES explores the intersection of numerology and witchcraft, digging into how numbers can enhance rituals, spells and other magical practices. Plus, everything you need to know about the numerology of Samhain 2024 and how to craft numerologically-inspired spells to cast this month!
Rich with practical advice and historical context, this 1-hour long video lecture (and accompanying book of bespoke spells) is perfect for:
Baby witches who are new to the craft 🔮
Seasoned crones who are new to numerology 🧹
The Math-Averse 🚫
Former good students who still take color-coded notes 📝
Lovers of all things Spooky Season 👻
Spiritual seekers and the otherwise curious 👁️🗨️
I love numerology, I love being a witch, and it would be my honor to introduce you to these powerful practices, or help you deepen your existing knowledge and craft!
You can also snag the book of bespoke spells, SPELLS FOR THE SPIRAL, on its own. For now, it’s pay-what-you-can, with a suggested price is $11! 📘
Last for today, but certainly not least, you can now book a 15-minute recorded tarot reading with me on Moonlight for just $25! I’m psyched to be able to offer this super affordable option that’s not time-specific, so hop on this ASAP! 👏👏👏
You got all that? Coven, Mini-Course, Spellbook, Recorded Tarot Readings 🖤
Until next time, just keep swimming!xx, beeOctober 1, 2024
Tarot for Creativity with Chelsey Pippin Mizzi
What’s up, swimmers?! Happy October! Happy Season of the Witch!
ICYMI: Call Your Coven’s October forecast is now live! Watch on YouTube or listen wherever you podcast, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. If you like what you hear, please leave us a review and share with a fellow coven member!
I’m so psyched to bring you this conversation with tarotist and creativity coach, Chelsey Pippin Mizzi, whose new book, Tarot for Creativity: A Guide to Igniting Your Creative Practice, is out TODAY! I promise you, you’re going to want to grab a copy.
Did I spend too much time in this episode gushing to Chelsey about how I’ve used her book daily since it arrived? Maybe. But sheesh, it’s generous and expansive and reframes all 78 cards of the tarot through the lens of connecting with your creativity. Complete with write-ups, creative exercises, and a tarot spread for every card. Chelsey’s writing is to the point, but gentle, and incredibly encouraging, no matter where you are in your process or career.
I LOVE THIS BOOK! I HOPE YOU LOVE IT TOO!
Thanks for reading swimming in the soup! This post is public so feel free to share it.
Chelsey Pippin Mizzi is an author, tarot reader, and certified Shadow Work practitioner living in Avignon, France. She combines tarot, art therapy techniques, Jungian Shadow Work practices, and her ten+ years of experience working in the creative industries to provide inclusive, supportive, and playful resources for artists, writers, and creative entrepreneurs.
Her work has been published in New York Magazine's The Strategist, The Bookseller, and BuzzFeed, where she was formerly Commissioning Editor for Features. She founded the creativity consultancy Pip Cards Tarot in 2020. Her first book, The Tarot Spreads Yearbook, was published in 2023 and was ranked a number 1 bestseller in Amazon's Hot New Release category.
In her newest book, Tarot for Creativity, Chelsey “teaches us to tap into our imagination, overcome blocks, and deepen our relationship with our creativity, all using tarot as a powerful tool. Whether you're a writer, artist, engineer, chef, or influencer, this guidebook offers down-to-earth advice for honing your voice, overcoming blocks, and cultivating your creative magic.”
Chelsey is the calm, but warm guide we all need right now, especially as we wrestle our creativity out of the jaws of productivity culture. She approaches the tarot and art-making with a grounded devotion, which is as accessible as it is infectious.
Some of my favorite pearls of wisdom include:
On repetition and the creative process: “[O]ne of the things I love about the tarot is we're always coming back to the same lessons again… And because we've productized creativity to such an extent, we forget it's not a beginning and an end. It is the same. It's that cycle. There's not a start and an end point…”
On loving what you’re making: “[B]ecause we're all so understandably rushed to find out if something is worth the money, we forget that creative process that it takes to make it worth trying to make it worth money... If you can't take the time to be in love with the work before you can sell it, it's going to be really hard to get into that cycle of feeling the pressure to sell something you didn't love in the first place.”
On shitty first drafts: “I agree that a shitty first draft isn't always necessary, but I wonder if a willingness for it to be shitty in the first place is always necessary. Like you can't get to the accidental not shitty first draft if you weren't willing for it to be shitty, and like, sometimes it's not… but you kind of have to go—I'm gonna own the fact that it may be.”
You can connect further with Chelsey by subscribing to her Substack, , booking a session with her through her website, or following her on Instagram @pipscardtarot.
Until next time, just keep swimming!xx, beeSeptember 27, 2024
The Witch's Book of Numbers Turns Two!
Two weeks shy of my book’s second birthday, I officially paid back my advance and received my first real royalties check! Is it enough to pay my rent? Hell no! But is it enough to pay a bill and feel like a real professional author? FUCK YES.
Last year, on its first birthday, I shared some of my experiences during the publishing process, including some high highs and some low lows.
This year, I’m simply celebrating the massive win of having birthed a book in this wild and crazy industry!
If I’ve learned anything in my decade of being a working artist, it’s this—the wins have to matter. They just have to! Our brains may question this fact, but it remains as important and true as the desire to continue to create.
Thank you to every single person who has supported my work and my book, whether it’s been a day, a month, a couple of years, or the whole shebang. I am so lucky to be a working writer. I am so fortunate to have a beautiful community of beloved creatives. I am endlessly honored and grateful and am also hoping to bring you more books soon!
Should you feel like celebrating with me, please consider:
Buying The Witch’s Book of Numbers from Bookshop.org | Amazon | Barnes & Noble, or listen to me read it on Audible! 💸🤘🏼🥳
Sharing the book with your beloveds by forwarding this email or sharing on social media (I’m @/beescolnick on Instagram and the book is a pinned post!)
Booking a numerology or tarot reading with me to dive deeper! I’m also bringing back my tailored Seeker Sessions for October!
Listening to Call Your Coven: Practical Advice for Nonsensical Times on your favorite podcast app or YouTube.
And speaking of the Coven…
CALL YOUR COVEN IS BACK! 👻OCTOBER 2024: THE WHOLE SHEBANG
The Coven ( , Meg Jones Wall, and me) breaks down what to expect for October 2024 through the lenses of numerology, astrology and the tarot.
Tune in for Libra-inspired definitions of harmony, dangerous dates to watch out for, an abundance of Into the Woods references, Jeanna's not-so-secret witch voice, and more!
Thank you for listening! You can leave a message at callyourcoven@gmail.com or on Instagram @/callyourcoven. As always, honest ratings & reviews are deeply appreciated. And since you are the coven, please share this episode with your own personal coven members and friends!
You can also support the podcast on Patreon!
Until next time, just keep swimming!xx, beeSeptember 24, 2024
On Sacrificing Ourselves on the Altar of Dignity
What’s up, swimmers?! HAPPY FALL 🍂🔥👻
It’s not too late to make magic around Sunday’s official changing of the seasons, so be sure to check out All About the Autumnal Equinox, which has been called “lovely,” “supportive,” and “a great primer” to send to witchy friends so you don’t have to explain everything yourself! It’s also not too late to book a reading with me for October, and you’re hearing it here first: I’m bringing back my beloved Seeker Sessions for the witching season. These sessions are completely tailored to meet your needs: tarot, numerology, ways of working with the season or the year ahead, support around witchcraft or creative work—the limit does not exist!
As we usher ourselves through this divine shift, I also wanted to share some additional thoughts regarding Making Art From the Heart of Service, which detailed differences between being an amateur and a professional, especially when capitalism is involved. I’ve been writing and posting on the internet regularly for over five years now, and to be totally honest, I rarely get a response. (Except from my mom, hey mom!) But this exploration seems to have struck a chord with many.
If you’re meeting yourself in the spiral of working and wanting and wondering what the fuck is the point of all of this ??? — you’re not wrong and you’re not alone. But spoiler alert: you might be being a bit too hard on your soft, animal body.
It’s okay. Me too.
The Rebis: The Star is now available to pre-order! 🌟I’m thrilled to announce that by late October, you could be reading my dystopian short story, The Pool, in your very own copy of The Star anthology from The Rebis!
The Rebis is a tarot-themed literary journal of creative writing and art. This beautiful print issue features more than 30 writers, artists, and change-makers exploring themes of The Star. We examine hope, regeneration, existential resilience, and futurity. You'll find practical actions for change alongside dreams for world (re)building. These stories are full of collective liberation, unexpected healing journeys, ancient mystery traditions, queer yoga, and so much more! Pre-order your copy at and it’ll ship out in the next few weeks.
Some additional info about The Star and The Rebis…
The publication is an 8x10 full-color book with 114 pages of personal essays, creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, prose, and original artwork. These print anthologies are made to last with a premium matte soft cover and thick pages.
International folks: If you find shipping cost prohibitive, we'll release a digital PDF download in mid-October. Stay tuned!
The Rebis is grounded in anticapitalist principles of art-making during times of crisis and redistributes all profits to social justice orgs. Pre-order your copy today and profits will go to The Sogorea Te Land Trust (@/sogoreatelandtrust), The National Network of Abortion Funds (@/abortionfunds), and Liberated Capital (@/liberatedcapital).
The Star is the third volume of The Rebis; previous issues explore the Wheel of Fortune and the Chariot. Pre-order The Star and you'll get $10 off the Chariot issue.
Thanks for reading swimming in the soup! This post is public so feel free to share it.
Photo by Jakob Owens on UnsplashThis year, I started working with a therapist who specializes in EMDR. In a I’m-not-a-doctor nutshell, the process of EMDR mirrors that of the REM portion of the sleep cycle, where the parts of the brain that are responsible for thinking and feeling are able to communicate with the parts of the brain that are necessary for survival. By creating a waking space for these bits of the brain to talk to one another, we can recover whatever is trapped in the survival brain, and allow it to be processed and released by the thinking and feeling brain.
In my most recent session, I unearthed and acknowledged the part of myself that simply isn’t ready to move on from the one-two punch of a severe medical injury and job loss within six months of each other, and all of the overlapping hardships of these crises. Nevertheless, I must move forward, for while the last year has offered me the opportunity to stop hustling and pushing, it has also created the perfect conditions for guilt, shame, and self-punishment around what it means to be a “professional writer.” And sheesh, have I been mean to myself and my perceived lack of something to show for my time!
I voiced to my therapist that inside of me, there are two wolves: a silly one, and one that wants to eat the silly one.
Swinging back around to service-oriented Virgo and art and creative or spiritual services as offerings—Whether intended to entertain or evolve, what we make and share is deeply important to the continuance of life-force energy! But the desire to help those around us can very easily be twisted back onto ourselves.
First, our inner critic gets very loud and has a lot to say about what is good and enough, and we start to feel guilty for under-serving, or making art that’s too pithy, too impractical, that can’t cure disease, or is barely a buoy for life’s inherent struggles. And suddenly we’re unable to weather the rougher seas of a creative life: the rejections, the very small paychecks, the hustle, the content you must make in addition to the art you make, the newsletters sent out into the cricket-less void, the projects that fizzle out before they get off the ground, the workshops no one signs up for, the big and small embarrassments we face every day for daring to care about something in public!!!!!
Then, we may stop doing it altogether. Even best-selling novelist Sally Rooney, who rarely travels due to climate-related concerns, recently told The Guardian that she’s considering on giving up writing altogether because even though she’s “given [her] life to writing novels... they’re not going to save the planet.”1 For more on Sally Rooney and love as a worthy subject, check out ’s latest essay, romance writers know wtf is up, actually, which I loved and needed.
“The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake.” — Ursula K Le Guin
While I respect how rooted Rooney is in her values, I can’t help but feel like this is a dangerous take on creativity and self-expression. And perhaps that’s the beauty of Venus-ruled Libra, which comes after critical Virgo to remind us that we can balance our love for beauty with our desires for justice. They don’t need to be in opposition, but rather seen as harmonious aspects of The Whole.
speaks to this, and the same, same, but different (and yet still guilty) pitfalls of activism, in their latest installment of , which is another great read if you need more permission slips for pleasure. Shore writes, “Just like we need to let go of the idea that doing ‘worthy’ creative work requires blood and sweat and tears, we need to let go of the (capitalistic, honestly!) idea that doing ‘worthy’ change work requires the same.”2
Instead, we must be like 10 Things I Hate About You’s Patrick Verona and sacrifice ourselves on the altar of dignity! We must embrace our cringe and our desires for our art to matter! We must make the thing we want to make! Write about what we want to write about! Offer that service that makes our soul sing! We must engage with life, service, art, and all of its messy intersections like the tarot’s Queen of Wands, who says “has an artist’s spirit,” and encourages us to do what Jesus also suggests in the gnostic Gospel of Thomas—bring forth what is within us.3 After all, “self-expression through art can transmute pain and beauty, bring people together, and help heal the soul,” and I can’t think of a more worthy way to spend the short time of your life.4
May your silly wolf get to play without the threat of being eaten. May your hungry wolf remember that creation can be productive and pleasurable. And may your expressions be free, fruitful and ever-flowing.
Until next time, just keep swimming!xx, bee1Allardice, Lisa. Sally Rooney: ‘Falling in love when I was very young transformed my life’. The Guardian. 14 Sept 2024.
2Shore, Shelley Jay. make what feels good. Creativity for Good. 20 Sept 2024.
3Meyer, Marvin W. The Gospel of Thomas: The Hidden Sayings of Jesus. HarperOne. 2004.
4The Gay Marseille: A Gay Guidebook for Diving Queer Futures by Charlie Claire Burgess
September 20, 2024
All About the Autumnal Equinox
What’s up, swimmers?! This eclipse week has been a doozy! How’re you holding up?
You’re finding me smack dab in the middle of eclipses, yes, but also weddings! So many beautiful beloveds are pledging themselves to each other this month, which feels seasonally aligned and magical. It’s also meant a ton of travel, so part two of Making Art From the Heart of Service—which resonated with so many of us!—will be coming next week, as will the final audio forecast of the year for paid pals!
But first, because time is an endless swirl, this weekend brings us another turn of the wheel, and another seasonal threshold to cross—the autumnal equinox.
Photo by Marko Blažević on UnsplashHappening this Sunday, September 22nd, the autumnal equinox is determined based on the position of the Earth’s equator in relationship to the center of the Sun. From the Latin meaning “equal night,” the autumnal equinox is the second time in the calendar year that the Earth’s orbit makes a right angle with the Sun, thus creating a nearly perfect balance between day and night.
Some witches choose to observe the autumnal equinox over the course of multiple days, with feasts, festivals or rituals running from September 21st-24th. Thanks to variations in the Gregorian calendar, this period of time encompasses the full range of possible dates that the equinox could fall on. As The Old Farmer’s Almanac reminds us, "Because of leap years, the dates of the equinoxes and solstices can shift by a day or two over time, causing the start dates of the seasons to shift, too.”
Themes of the autumnal equinox include harvest, abundance, gratitude, balance, and rest. It reminds us to give thanks for nature’s continuous generosity, while also acknowledging its cycles and seasons. Winter may be on its way, but for now, light and dark can be found in equal measure. Gather your cherished kinfolk, break bread, drink wine, give thanks, and make prayers for the fallow seasons ahead.
NUMEROLOGY + THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOXA NOTE ON MABON: The Witch’s Wheel of the Year encompasses the yearly cycle of the eight festivals, or sabbats: the solar equinoxes and solstices, plus the midway points between them. Though it has roots in many schools of religious and secular thought, the Wheel as we know it today was dictated by neopagans and Wiccans in the 1970s. Like the Gregorian calendar, it’s a man-made amalgamation of various themes and traditions, which we can still work with in our magical practices. If the Wheel speaks to you, Mabon is the festival that falls in the month of September.
To work with the most precise number magic of the autumnal equinox each year, you’ll need to calculate the numeric energies present on that specific day(s) by adding the month and the day to the current year, and reducing until you get a single digit.
THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOX 2024 — 09/22/2024
September 22nd (9+2+2 = 13, 1+3 = 4) is a 13/4 day, which rules rituals and traditions, beliefs, structures, family and ancestral roots, death, composting, and turning over.
September 22, 2024 (9+2+2+2+0+2+4 = 21, 2+1 = 3) is an overall 21/3 day, which is represented by The World in the tarot, and offers us the chance to freely communicate with spirits, as well as tune into the story of the year, the season, and the current or changing chapter of our life.
The autumnal equinox is a great day for magic and mystery every year, but especially this one, as the ruling numbers of 3 and 4 have us focusing on ritual magic. Allow these numbers to guide your intentions and ceremonies. For example, if you’re planning a traditional feast, could you set the table for four, or use a square or rectangular table? Could you invite family—blood or chosen—into your ritual work, or make offerings to your ancestors? Or perhaps your altar could include the Empress and the Emperor, or the Death card—the third, fourth and thirteenth cards of the tarot’s Major Arcana, respectively—or three or four items that represent the spirit of the changing of the seasons?
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Here are some additional ideas for crafting and observing the autumnal equinox from both a magical and numerological perspective. Consider how you could incorporate these items into your altar or ritual work, and get as creative and witchy as you want!
MUNDANE AUTUMNAL MAGIC
Clean out your closet • Perform a cord-cutting ritual • Take that digital class you purchased, but never took • Go through the junk drawer • Have a yard sale • Look at your monthly subscriptions and cancel what you do not use or enjoy • Volunteer at a local organization • Learn about a community initiative that interests you • Take a batch of cookies to a neighbor and say hello • Prioritize overdue yard work • Reflect on your goals for the year and commit to one that you haven’t yet tackled • Burn seasonally scented candles • Make a to-do list • Toss out your to-do list • Make a joy list • Connect with a deity or archetype that speaks to you • Throw a dinner party • Try a morning stretching routine • Research new herbal helpers to incorporate into your diet • Find new methods of joyful body movement • Open the windows • Breathe deeply • Meditate for nine minutes • Listen to a musician’s entire body of work • Practice letting go
PRACTICES TO PILOT
The Feast or The Setting of the Table
Invite loved ones over for a feast of seasonally harvested foods (see the below list for ideas), and toast over red wine or a potion made of pomegranate or beet juice. Decorate your place settings in autumnal colors (also below), and allow yourself to get creative with the decorations!
Participate in a Harvest
This can be literal or metaphorical. If you live in a more rural area, see if you can volunteer at a farm or farm-stand. If you’re in a city, see if there’s a community park that’s hosting a CSA or other program that supplies fresh foods. For a more metaphorical experience, be sure to give yourself your flowers by grounding yourself in your current cycle. See the next step for more details.
Reflect on the Year Thus Far
You can start on January 1st, the spring or vernal equinox, the summer solstice, or even the most recent new moon that took place on September 2nd. What goals did you set at any of these points in the year? What’s come to fruition and is ready to be acknowledged? What’s still ripening on the vine? What needs to be cut back or composted in order to make space for what’s yet to grow?
FOOD FOR THE HORN OF PLENTY — Acorns • Pine cones • Seeds • Apples • Pumpkins • Gourds • Grapes • Onions • Potatoes • Carrots • Root vegetables • Leaves that have changed colors
Photo by Thought Catalog on UnsplashPomegranate is another fruit that is associated with the autumnal equinox, due to its mythological connection to the Greek goddess Persephone. Now, Persephone is typically exalted as the goddess of the spring, which is the part of the year that she dwells above the ground. But on the autumnal equinox, she heads to the Underworld to rejoin her husband Hades. In many versions of her story, it’s the pomegranate itself that played a part in tying her to him and his kingdom down below.
The pomegranate is a perfect ally as you shift from one season of life to another. Looking at the bulbous fruit, you’d never know what lies within. It appears dry and somewhat brittle on the outside, but once you crack it open, its insides are dripping with juicy jewels. You may even find yourself cracking open in order to find or harvest your treasures. Throughout this process, one must be gentle, as to not crush the supple seeds. But once the fruit gives, it’s generous in its bounty. Rippling, flowing, tumbling out, seemingly-never ending. An entire universe packed into its flesh.
COLORS TO GET CREATIVE WITH — Rust • Copper • Orange • Brown • Yellow • Gold • Dark Green
PLANT PALS TO PLAY WITH — Yarrow • Rosemary • Sage • Mugwort
STONES TO ADORN YOURSELF WITH — Amber • Citrine • Sapphire • Jasper
Mix and match. See what lights you up or gets you excited. Set an intention and ask for items, colors or crystals that wish to be included in your seasonal craft to make themselves known to you. Permission yourself to do what feels right and natural. It doesn’t have to be involved or picture perfect. It just has to be intentional.
In the process of composting, the rotting flesh of the fruit gives way to new life and new nourishment. Say a prayer today for that which is being composted in your life. May it bless you in new and rhizomatic ways.
SENDING YOU ENDLESS BLESSINGS FOR THIS NEW SEASON
Until next time, just keep swimming!xx, beeSeptember 9, 2024
Making Art From the Heart of Service
What’s up, swimmers?! Today is September 9, 2024, aka NINE NINE (EIGHT)!
09/09 gives us a double dose of 9-Humanitarian energy, which rules endings, grief, letting go, moving on, wisdom, knowledge, learning, being in community, thinking of humanity, and more.
However, 09/09/2024 reduces to an overall eight day, which in conjunction with our 8-overall year of 2024, smacks us with some doubled 8-Embodied energy too!
In September 2024: Kill Your Darlings, which breaks down the numerological umbrella we’re standing under for the month, I shared some ideas for observing today’s repetitive mental and emotional vibes:
NINE NINE (EIGHT)
09/09/2024
9+9+2+0+2+4 = 26/8
Take action towards your intellectual or mental pursuits. Ground into your desired results for this next chapter of life and work. Visualize yourself at the end of the process, holding the proverbial reward in your tired, but happy hands. Seek advice from those who have gone before. Read the words of your role model(s). Write your own bits of advice—the ones your past self would’ve learned from—from your current perspective. Connect with your community. Say hello to a neighbor. Listen to a TedTalk on a topic that interests you. Take a joyful nap.
But here, on NINE NINE (EIGHT), I’m also thinking about the nuances of being an amateur versus a professional , how we monetize creative pursuits, and how much easy it is to be a critic than the poor fool on the stage.
Thanks for reading swimming in the soup! This post is public so feel free to share it.
The phrase heart of service pops into my brain every Virgo season.
Service-oriented is one of those Virgo traits that shows up on every list of key qualities of the sign, invoking actions based in considering others, anticipating needs, and generously following through. And I believe this characteristic holds one of the core desire of creative work as well—to blend love and devotional efforts in order to offer something that’s enjoyable and supportive.
But mix in late-stage capitalism, which seeks to monetize every last burst of creative inspiration, and things get a whole lot messier.
I was raised by a Virgo parent who had an incredibly passionate stance on the difference between being an amateur versus a professional. Mainly, that being an amateur is a waste of time, whereas being a professional gives much-needed credibility to a creative path. Most major dictionaries have also adopted a similar point of view as my parent, and lead with definitions of amateur that involve (or rather, for the amateur, don’t involve) money, career, or professionalism. In On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Stephen King even said, “Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”
Now, as someone who has studied many major art forms, and continues to seek a life as a writer, witch and weirdo, I have great respect for following ones passions professionally. I believe that creatives and witches alike deserve to be well-resourced and compensated for their work. However, when we put too many eggs in the professional basket, we can squeeze and stifle our creativity until it’s too weak to sustain us!
Perhaps to King’s chagrin, Elizabeth Gilbert shares in Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear that she keeps her creativity free by divorcing it from the need to bring her financial gain. “To yell at your creativity, saying ‘You must earn money for me!’ is sort of like yelling at a cat,” she says. “It has no idea what you’re talking about, and all you’re doing is scaring it away…”
Beyond money and career, the exaltation of the professional also completely erases the inherent value of being an amateur!
The etymology, the roots of the word itself, come from the late 18th century: from French, from Italian amatore, from Latin amator ‘lover’, from amare ‘to love’. To pursue passions as an amateur, means to do something for the love of it! To play for the sake of pleasure! To center enjoyment and service instead of financial gain. To make art simply for the sake of loving to make art!
When we focus too much on a profitable product—when we place the value of the market over the value of our own creative rhythms—we further usurp our joy out of an already arduous process.
Other definitions of amateur offer the nuance that the space between being an amateur and a professional is time spent learning, and even mastering, one’s craft. This is complex and fertile ground for sure, and I really appreciated Call Your Coven’s own ’s newsletter “on the new moon in virgo and being a beginner,” which affirms that it’s okay to not know, to still be in process with our works-in-progress, and to release the need to shortcut our way into expertise. Getting down on ourselves while we’re in the amateur phase is a surefire way to never see the professional side of things, and for those who really do want their art to resource them, that would be a real shame!
Have you listened to Call Your Coven’s September Forecast yet? Check it out on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts! Don’t forget to rate and review!
Dearest swimmers, I don’t know the answers here. I don’t know how to free my art from my work from my bank account from my reputation from my legacy, and I definitely don’t know how to do any of that for anyone else.
But I do know how to divest from my parent’s point of view. I do know how to keep showing up to the page and how to step away when necessary. I do know how to connect with other creatives who are out here swimming in the same soup. Maybe that’s you? You’re not alone! And I do know how to ask numerology and tarot to help, which I can do for others, so come see me for a reading!
It’s so much easier to be the critic than the one on the stage. It’s so much easier to throw in the towel when the going gets tough. It’s so much easier to resign yourself to a more “normal” or “straightforward” path than whatever this silly artist thing is. But would it be more fulfilling? Only you can answer that.
WHATEVER YOU DO AND WHEREVER THIS FINDS YOU — KEEP GOING DON’T GIVE UP BEGIN AGAIN OFTEN REVISIT YOUR PROCESS AND YOUR PROGRESS NAME YOUR INNER CRITIC AND GIVE THEM BOUNDARIES CONNECT WITH OTHERS WHO ARE OUT THERE BEING AS BRAVE AS YOU ARE!
Until next time, just keep swimming!xx, beeAugust 30, 2024
September 2024: Kill Your Darlings
What’s up, swimmers?! Tomorrow is a brand-new month. Wherever this is finding you, take a moment here to shake off the last couple seven-filled months of summer.
September 2024 brings with it a breath of fresh air and some new opportunities to untangle ourselves from whatever murky energy has been lingering since the spring. This month is not entirely without claws—it’s ruling numbers are 8 and 9, after all—but we finally have our wits about us! So get ready to rally, fight for what you want and believe in, rest when you need to, and outsmart even yourself.
To further prepare you for September and all of its magic and mystery, I’m incredibly psyched to share that the first five episodes of my new podcast are available for download wherever you like to listen:
CALL YOUR COVEN: Practical Advice for Nonsensical Times is a podcast for the spiritually-attuned that weaves together the practices of numerology, astrology, and the tarot, in order to gain supportive insights for everyday life. Hosted by (numerology), Jeanna Kadlec (astrology), and Meg Jones Wall (tarot), Call Your Coven is equal parts forecast and exploration of these connected but differing modalities, all rooted in mutual respect and love of community. Come for the monthly forecast, stay for the vibes!
And because we love you, we’re giving you the entire month of September’s episodes all at once!
1x01 - Introduction to the Coven
1x02 - September 2024: Kill Your Darlings
1x03 - Meet Bee + Numerology 101
1x04 - Meet Jeanna + Astrology 101
1x05 - Meet Meg + Tarot 101
However, if you want to see our lovely faces, you can also watch all five episodes on YouTube! Start with out intro:
Then, please consider supporting the podcast by listening and downloading our episodes, leaving a rating and review, sharing on social media (tag and follow us at @/callyourcoven on Instagram), and tell a friend!
If you’d like to receive email updates about new episodes and even show extra-extra support, you can join the Coven directly on Patreon. We just have a free and a $5/month supportive tier up right now, with more to come as we grow.
Now, let’s chat numbers for September!
Thanks for reading swimming in the soup! This post is public so feel free to share it.
NOTABLE NUMEROLOGY IN SEPTEMBER
Photo by Ximena Balderas on UnsplashNEW MOON IN VIRGO
09/02/2024
9+2+2+0+2+4 = 19/1
Set intentions. Plant seeds. Take the leap. Do the thing that’s on your heart and mind. Trust that you have everything within you to begin. Go outside and take three deep breaths in the sunlight. Research sun lamps to carry solar energy with you into the upcoming months of waning light. Take your vitamins and your meds. Celebrate your wins from the summer months. Check in with intentions set in March on the New Moon in Pisces. Do one thing that your future self will thank you for. Say a prayer. Light a candle. Give thanks. Let something go.
NINE NINE (EIGHT)
09/09/2024
9+9+2+0+2+4 = 26/8
Take action towards your intellectual or mental pursuits. Ground into your desired results for this next chapter of life and work. Visualize yourself at the end of the process, holding the proverbial reward in your tired, but happy hands. Seek advice from those who have gone before. Read the words of your role model(s). Write your own bits of advice—the ones your past self would’ve learned from—from your current perspective. Connect with your community. Say hello to a neighbor. Listen to a TedTalk on a topic that interests you. Take a joyful nap.
FULL MOON IN PISCES
09/17/2024
9+1+7+2+0+2+4 = 25/7
Indulge in your spiritual practices. Lose yourself in your prayers. Seek connection to your divine spark. Check in with your New Moon in Virgo intentions. Revise. Recalibrate. Redirect. Recommit. Create something for creation’s sake. Breathe. Daydream. Make a list of your current questions and release the notion that you need to have all of the answers. Put your bare feet in water or walk in the grass. Wiggle your toes. Be honest about what you can put down. Then, put it down.
Until next time, just keep swimming!xx, beeIf you’re looking for support, clarity and guidance this month, my books are open through October for 1-on-1 numerology readings and tarot readings on Moonlight. Click those sneaky links for a full list of available readings and my updated availability.
Speaking of Moonlight, The Guardian wrote an incredibly thoughtful piece on the issue of social media scammers in the tarot space, and the need for a safe platform for professional readers. As I’ve been impersonated many times over, I was asked to weigh in and share my love for this new online offering.
August 23, 2024
Introducing Call Your Coven
What’s up, swimmers?! Happy Virgo Season! Happy almost end of Mercury Rx! I’m here with a very exciting announcement about a secret lil project that’s been in the works since the spring.
Between a cross-country move, a freak health incident that derailed my body for 8+ months, and unexpected job losses (yes, plural), and living in the continued, chaotic, collective experience, the last year has really tested my faith in my eclectic spiritual path and left me desperate for divine insights that felt supportive, actionable, and rich with my various practices.
SO I CALLED UP SOME FRIENDS AND WE DECIDED TO MAKE THE THING I WAS SO DESPERATELY SEEKING!
Introducing…
CALL YOUR COVEN: Practical Support for Nonsensical Times is a podcast for the spiritually-attuned that weaves together the practices of numerology, astrology, and the tarot, in order to gain supportive insights for everyday life. Hosted by Rebecca ‘Bee’ Scolnick (numerology), Jeanna Kadlec (astrology), and Meg Jones Wall (tarot), Call Your Coven is equal parts forecast and exploration of these connected but differing modalities, all rooted in mutual respect and love of community. Come for the monthly overviews, stay for the vibes!
When I first thought of bringing the numbers, the stars and the cards together, I knew exactly who I wanted to work with! Jeanna and Meg are both incredibly gifted and badass teachers (and cherished friends!), who bring their whole beings, as well as their core values, ethics and efforts, into their work in beautiful and expansive ways. They’re also partners, so it felt right to bring my award-winning wife, Stacey, into the mix as our producer extradordinaire and YouTube queen! I can’t wait for you to get to know us all, individually and a for real Dream Team™, as we grow this project.
It’s been so magical to blend our expertise with our wicked fire mercury tongues, and explore the possibilities of multi-faceted, practical and useful episodes that feel like just hanging out with your closest witchy friends!
Now, all this coven needs is YOU!
Mark your calendars! The first episodes (including the September forecast) will drop next Friday, August 30th.For now, you can stay connected with us on Instagram @callyourcoven where we’ll be posting some teasers leading up to our official launch. We’re also online at www.callyourcoven.com, with other spaces still to come!
I hope you’ll come along for the ride as we get into a groove! We can’t wait to hear what you think, as well as what you want more of.
Thanks for reading swimming in the soup! This post is public so feel free to share it.
In case you can’t get enough of announcements:
COME TO CLASS — Tomorrow, August 24th, is the last of The Road Trip workshops—What If I Hate My Life Path?, a virtual workshop on disappointing digits. If you’d like to receive the replays of the first two workshops, email me for the reduced package rate of 50% off at $111.
BOOK A READING — I have Aug/Sept appointments available for both 1-on-1 numerology readings and tarot readings on Moonlight!
NEW ARTICLE ALERT — Speaking of Moonlight, The Guardian wrote an incredibly thoughtful piece on the issue of social media scammers in the tarot space, and the need for a safe platform for professional readers. As I’ve been impersonated many times over, I was asked to weigh in and share my love for this new online offering.
TREAT YOURSELF — If you’d rather read your own cards, or expand your deck collection, might I recommend The Tarot of Oxalia, a sci-fi inspired tarot deck by artist Kelly Thorn that’s now on Kickstarter! I don’t do much affiliate marketing, but when I was approached by Art of Play to help spread the word, I couldn’t resist. If you use my link, we both receive! Plus, I know you want that gorg ceramic box as much as I do…
Until next time, just keep swimming!xx, beeAugust 19, 2024
78 Acts of Liberation with Lane Smith
What’s up, swimmers?! Happy Full Moon in Aquarius!
What a pitch perfect day to be bringing you this incredible conversation I had with Lane Smith, the author of 78 Acts of Liberation, which officially comes out tomorrow, but can be pre-ordered (super helpful to writers!) right this very second.
Believe me when I say that this book is everything—it’s tarot, it’s politics, it’s theory, it’s history, it’s action, it’s community, and much, much more. And while there are many books out there on the tarot, I believe that Lane’s book adds new and vital calls to action for anyone with looking to use their spiritual faith, knowledge and skills in their workings towards freedom and dignity for all.
I mean, just look at my beautiful copy!!! Don’t you want your own?
Thanks for reading swimming in the soup! This post is public so feel free to share it.
Lane Smith is a transmasculine nonbinary writer with over 20 years of experience as an activist, organizer, and Tarot reader. They have been involved in struggles against war, the death penalty, attacks on LGBT rights and body autonomy for marginalized genders and birthing people, police violence, and apartheid. They have worked as a social worker in prisons, and in the field of harm reduction with people who are at risk for HIV/AIDS. With a professional Master’s degree in Social Work and an academic Master’s degree in Humanities and Social Thought, Lane expresses their ideas in clear, nonacademic language in the interest of putting social justice values into practice. Lane is the editor of the Tarot & Politics zine, and a member of Solidarity Tarot where they live in Baltimore City, Maryland.
In 78 Acts of Liberation, Lane affirms that while the cards in the tarot offer seventy-eight invitations for change in our inner life, we are also invited to read each card with an eye toward the collective―how we can contribute to liberation in the world.
This will come as a shock to no one, but I really dig the way the cards are organized numerologically so that each number corresponds to a type of action, from Ones as Acts of Initiation to Tens as Acts of Generation. Then, each Major Arcana card is illustrated with an example from a social movement―from the Indigenous Water Protectors to #MeToo―that illuminates how we can put the power of these timeless archetypes into action today. And every Minor Arcana card is linked to a practical and actionable term to know or skill to practice.
Lane has been a colleague and a friend for years now, and I have so much respect for the work they do, and the generosity of spirit with which they invite others into activism. I firmly believe that this book belongs on every witch’s shelf, but don’t just take it from me—
78 Acts of Liberation, and this episode of swimming in the soup, explores:
Identifying our core values, and how we can put them into love in action
How we can be socially engaged, whatever our life circumstance―whether it’s through what we teach our children or through collective action and protest
How to sustain ourselves over time and through challenge
The intersections of spirituality and collective action, and how leftists and witches can harness these opportunities
The importance of building (tarot) communities that are resilient, employ conflict/resolution skills, and are rooted in trust
As Smith explains, “Truth alone will not set us free. We have to act on it.” This book—and this conversation—offers inspiration for action that can feel joyful, hopeful, freeing, and empowering.
A friendly reminder—
This Saturday, August 24th will round out The Road Trip workshop series with What If I Hate My Life Path?, a 2-hour, virtual workshop that will tackle the pitfalls of each Life Path, digging into just what kinds of trials and tribulations could show up on your drive, how to stay steady behind the wheel, and even how to change course if necessary.
If you’d like to take the whole trip, it’s just $111 for the replays of What Are the Rules of the Road? and Where the F*ck Am I?, plus the live workshop this weekend. Simply respond to this email and I’ll get you all set up!
And if you’re looking for support, clarity and guidance this month, my books are open for 1-on-1 numerology readings and tarot readings on Moonlight!
Until next time, just keep swimming!xx, bee
