Rebecca Scolnick's Blog, page 17
March 24, 2023
SITS 1x13 - Diving Deep with Christine of Zen Wellness Mama
What’s up, swimmers? Happy zodiacal new year! Happy Aries season!
We’ve crossed the threshold into another spin around the wheel. But just a gentle reminder that while you may wish for fresh! and new!, it’s true that transitions take time. If you’re not feeling springy, that’s okay! The Earth is still waking up, too. Take your time, be gentle, and if you have to work anything, may it be your optimism, and your wishing spirit.
I’m in quite the liminal place myself, so it’s a good thing that today’s conversation with my beloved Christine of Zen Wellness Space is warm, grounding, inspirational, and educational! We’re in a collective 7 year in 2023, but Christine went through a personal 7 cycle in 2022, so she brings us ripe and ready information from the future! She also shares all about reconnecting to her ancestral roots through Haitian Voodoo, a practice in which she’ll be initiated into in the next couple of weeks!
Thank you for reading swimming in the soup. This post is public so feel free to share it.
I wanted to create a sacred space where we collectively work together towards living empowered life of intuitive wellness on our own terms.
- Christine
Christine a first-generation child of two Haitian Immigrants. She’s a full-time working, wife, mom, healer, advocate, doula, hype woman, and a Zen Wellness GodMama. Born in BK, Christine currently resides in the PNW.
She shares on her website that, “While in the beginning stages of my wellness journey, it was hard for me to find marginalized communities especially Black moms on the same journey of wellness. After seeing my community be dismissed from the wellness conversation I decided to create my own seat at the wellness table and Zen Wellness Space was born!”
It’s my goal to empower and guide those seeking modalities that are here to remind us of who we are, and the gifts we were born with. In this space we center duality as we take our power back, all while looking inside ourselves for insight and guidance…
- Christine
swimming in the soup is a reader-supported publication. To receive Monthly Numerological Forecasts, extra podcast episodes, additional perks, and to support my work, consider becoming a paid pal 💸
I might be a bit biased, but knowing Christine has totally enriched my life, and I’m so excited for you to get to know her. She’s warm, wise, and completely wonderful, bringing love, empathy, and light to every space she’s in. She fully embodies the curious student and the creative teacher, and is always shapeshifting—staying flexible and open to whatever Spirit is asking of her.
Some of my favorite moments from this conversation include:
[on shame around Haitian Voodoo] "That is my mission: to really show people the beauty that is in these traditions... just our Indigenous practices. There's so much pride! I understand why there's shame... the systems did exactly what they're supposed to do... shame people who are in their power, and who know themselves."
[on cultural appropriation & sharing practices] "I think it all boils down to respect. Just really listening... to the elders. And even maybe not ask as many questions. Just sit and just observe, and just listen."
[on daily devotional practices] "This is what I need to do. I know myself, and this is what I actually need in order to sustain. Because I want to be able to be the Oracle of Hope and Inspiration and Equanimity to people, but I can't do that if I'm not well... Spending time with spirit, spending time with my higher self — that's what fills me up."
But there really are so many eye-opening bits of education within. Let me know which moments stood out to you!
If you’d like to connect with Christine, there are many different ways to do so!
Until next time, just keep swimming!xx, Rebecca
March 10, 2023
SITS 1x12 - Diving Deep with Care
What’s up, swimmers? MY SATURN RETURN IS OVER BABES! HBU? 🥳🥳🥳
The rumors are true: Saturn has moved into Pisces, so anyone with a natal placement of Saturn in Aquarius has now reached the end of their Saturn Return. Congratulations and take a breath!
In case you’re unfamiliar, this refers to a period of time where Saturn literally returns in the sky to the same sign it was in when you were born. It stays there for about 2.5-3 years, depending on its retrograde cycle, and during that time, you’re in the so-called spiritual birth canal. The belief is that you move through trials and tribulations and initiations, and much, much more; through Saturnian themes and lessons, moving you from “childhood” to “adulthood.”
What I think is really interesting about this Saturn cycle, is that it aligns with some of the other tools and modalities, and their understandings of the transition from “youth” to “power,” or “child” to “adult,” or whatever verbiage you want to use.
In numerology, we can look at the Pythagorean Life Cycles, which are 3 sets of 27 years of life that take you through Youth, Power, and Wisdom years; or the Pinnacles, which are a modern interpretation of the Life Cycles that truncates the Power and Wisdom years into 3 separate groupings of 9 years. If you’d like to know more about these tools and what they might illuminate for you, check out my book (now in audiobook format)!
All of these systems say that “youth,” really does extend into your late twenties, specifically surrounding the threshold to your thirties.
Culturally, we use 18 to signal adulthood, and then in America, you get some additional privileges at 21, but it’s clear, and definitely feels true that our spiritual youth lasts a whole lot longer than our cultural youth.
Besides publicly patting myself on the back for surviving this iconic life transit, I’m bringing this up because Care, who you’ll be getting to know this episode, is an astrologer, and right off the bat, we ended up talking about this shift. We recorded this weeks ago, and when I put the release schedule together, I did not even consider that this would be in alignment with the timing of the transit, which took place earlier this week on March 7th!
Thank you for reading swimming in the soup. This post is public so feel free to share it.
If walking in the dark is scary, I’ve learned that there are certain things that can only be experienced, felt & learned in the dark… Silence & stillness can hold the void within better than any answer could. Witnessing is sacred work.
- Care
Care is a light-skinned Black trans non binary trauma-informed care practitioner, artist & doula who works on re-membering embodied experiences of awe, connection, miracles & care. Their work blooms at the intersection of Black interiority, somatic memory and queer intimacies.
As they share on their gorgeous portal of a website: “Always reflecting on my longing for home and belonging, they create rituals & ceremonies as portals through which displaced people can step into a healing, imaginative space unburdened by colonialism many violences.”
Consent is also very important to me as it lays down an essential foundation of respect, dignity, care, but also encourages your own sense of agency. I do not think of my selves as a higher authority over your own chart or reading, as you are the one living this embodied experience.
- Care
swimming in the soup is a reader-supported publication. To receive Monthly Numerological Forecasts, extra podcast episodes, additional perks, and to support my work, consider becoming a paid pal 💸
CONTENT WARNING: In this episode, Care and I speak about current dangers to Black, LGBTQIA+ and Jewish communities due to ongoing and increasing political and colonial violence. Care shares from their European perspective of being Black, queer, trans, and natively French, while living in Berlin, Germany.
In the United States, we’ve seen a gross number of homophobic and transphobic political actions in just these past few weeks alone, and while we do not speak on this directly, please take care of yourself while listening.
That being said, Care is the most incredible, expansive, beautiful, person and their work and ethics are deeply important to whatever this world is to become. They share such wild and wonderful wisdom. I hope that you will receive as much magic from them as I did while we conversed, and that you will feel their tangible hope for a loving and imaginative future.
Some of my favorite moments from this conversation include:
“…and I think that’s why I’m queer: I will never refuse love. I don’t care what it looks like. It’s too important and too vital for me to say [otherwise]…”
[on creating their tarot deck] “…and some of those photographs… because it’s just archival material—old pictures that have no copyrights anymore—they’re really reclaimed colonial documentary materials that I rehoused in lush and healing environments.”
[on being Black and belonging] “We might never be of this world because of how White Supremacy was constructed, but we excel at belonging. We really do. We excel at joy, we excel at belonging—that’s why everybody comes to our parties!”
But there really are so many gorgeous moments of reflection and questioning within. Let me know which moments stood out to you!
If you’d like to connect with Care, there are many different ways to do so! And please pre-order The Ancestral Healing Tarot Deck, out soon from Flower Press.
Until next time, just keep swimming!xx, RebeccaMarch 1, 2023
March 2023: By the Numbers
hello! this monthly offering is typically only shared with my paid pals. however, march is a big ole month and this installment came out a bit more loosey-goosey-stream-of-consciousness than the rest, so it is my gift to you! enjoy! 🖤
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🌿 MARCH 2023 🌿GET MESSY! STAY MALLEABLE! STOP STOPPING YOURSELF!
march 2023 has us hanging out with the numbers 3 and 1.
march is the 3rd month of the year, and when added to the overall 7 year of 2023, we get 10, which reduces to 1.
the communicator and the trailblazer.
the empress and the magician (by way of the wheel of fortune).
the maker and the magic.
creativity and luck. expression and opportunity. a vision and a spark.
there’s a lot going on this month when it comes to the “as above,” so we can be sure that there will be a lot going on this move when it comes to the “so below.”
six whole planets move signs in march—most notably saturn, which we’ll talk about in a minute—and we also meet the turning of the zodiacal wheel at the spring equinox! everyone that i know and trust is saying that this month is the true beginning of 2023. a time ripe for presence, action, and reckless hope.
but for now, we’re in the liminal space.
if you’ve been here for a while, cool, me too. if you’re just joining us, hey, hi, get comfy being uncomfy. it’s a weird place, but in my experience, it’s the most potent, the most honest, the most holy, and the most generative place to be.
all things start in the dark.
let yourself begin again here too.
new beginnings in the middle of (fruitful) mess
on march 7th, 2023, saturn will move out of aquarius (where it’s been hanging out since march 2020) and into pisces. this will usher in the beginning of the saturn return, a threshold between spiritual childhood and adulthood, for anyone with their natal saturn in pisces. it also heralds the ending of the saturn return for anyone with their natal saturn in aquarius.
this includes me!
i’ve spent the morning googling things like “how to process the ending of a saturn return,” and “what’s next for those with saturn in aquarius.” the results have not yielded anything particularly helpful, but i do want to share this little tidbit from astrologer alice sparkly kat, who wrote,
I learned, during my Saturn return, that no one is really out there measuring you against some standard of being good enough or not. People really don’t pay that much attention to you at all which is always a relief. This isn’t to say that people don’t judge you. People judge me all the time. However, their judgments of me may not matter to me because those judgments may only make sense in the narrative of their own emotional history and not mine.
- from what i learned about saturn during my saturn return
i’ve been thinking a lot lately about judgment and the binary of good/bad, and about how no matter how deeply i’ve committed to living a life beyond limiting constructs, and outside of other’s ontological views on “reality,” it seems that i cannot truly escape the confines of good versus bad.
perhaps it stems from my religious upbringing, which was a healthy mix of cultural influence and personal choice, and for that reason comes with a heaping helping of grief. perhaps it’s due to our cultural storytelling, which pits the good “hero” against the bad “villain,” with little room for gray. or maybe it’s less sinister and more connected to my ethics, which places value on kindness and care, and seeks to separate from hurt and harm. maybe it’s all of the above.
but as i move forward from this time of spiritual realignment and maturation, i’d like to leave the horrible and inconclusive and completely subjective question of am i a good person? behind. for even the situations in which i, or others, perceive the answer to be absolutely not, there is room for nuance and as alice says, a difference of context within larger emotional narratives and histories.
i’ve also found myself examining what it means to be a compassionate and supportive person in the world without always needing to be “helpful” or “useful.” again, this is very much a continuation of simplistic ideas like “good” and “bad.”
saturn rules responsibility, a concept that was at the forefront of the 6 collective year we all experienced in 2022. most of us experienced situations in which we reflected on what we are truly responsible for. again, this is another area where there needs to be ample room left for context and complexities. but through the lens of the doorway to adulthood, responsibility is pinging me as an internal process, rather than an external one.
i am responsible for myself. i am responsible for my piece of the proverbial pie. i am responsible for the agreements i’ve made, and i am responsible for shifting those agreements if i find myself unable to follow through on them. i am responsible for what i think and feel about myself.
i am not responsible for others. i am not responsible for taking on extra pieces of pie. i am not responsible for other’s inability to follow through on their agreements, nor am i responsible for their lack of communication or honesty when things are in flux. i am not responsible for what others think or feel about me.
but this doesn’t mean that i shirk shit left and right, but rather that i am in right relationship to my responsibilities, and to others.
i am responsible for myself, and therefore i own my mistakes and “failures.”
i am responsible for myself, and therefore i work to repair harm that i’ve caused.
i am responsible for myself, and therefore i consider how i affect others/The Whole.
in a week, saturn will move into pisces. in a month, my life as i know it will change drastically. again. not for the last time. the cycle continues. and through it all, i will keep swimming, keep seeking, keep purging, keep dreaming, keep building and keep finding the saplings amongst the weeds.
as we move through march, through an overlapping cascade of endings and beginnings, can you stay open to miracles in the mess?
how to make magic out of just a few ideas and some chutzpah
the beginning phases of a creative process are strange, scary and exciting! suddenly, an idea pops in, and there it is—ready and ripe for the taking. just waiting for you to snatch it out of the air and do something with it already!
but what?
tender inspirations and fragile threads can be quite finicky. brains can be quite panic-driven. hands can be quite clumsy and eyes can be quite critical. and yet, we must pass through all of these “obstacles” in order to weave our way forward.
this month, do not squeeze too tightly. do not crush the sweet bud of life in your clammy palms. do not let a loud voice in the back of your mind, who has neither name nor noteworthy news, steer you off course or yuck your yum.
there isn’t much meaning to make here. this part of the whole shebang is about pure production. letting things that are bubbling, percolating, gestating, continue to do so with some help in the physical. this is the land of playlists and moodboards and outlines and sketches. this is the path of saving all of the tidbits even when you don’t like your execution thus far. this is the zone of artist’s outfits and dates and pep talks, and when all else fails: crying a little, then getting back to it.
how do you make magic out of a few ideas and a little chutzpah? you just keep showing up. to the page, to the game, to the gig, to the dream.
be brave enough to stop stopping yourself.
be radical enough to believe that this could turn into something else.
be wild enough to make bad art.
“be the weirdo who dares to enjoy.”
throw all of the spaghetti at the wall. maybe later you’ll see what sticks.
how logic meets practicality in strange and beautiful ways
when i think about the three types of number energies—practical (1, 4, 7), emotional (2, 5, 8), and logical (3, 6, 9)—i do tend to group the first and the last together, leaving emotional energy as the oddball out.
but logical and practical energies are not the same.
logical, from the greek logos, meaning “word,” “reason,” or even “to say,” speaks to both that which is rational, that which explains, and also the divine intelligence that permeates this existence.
it’s rooted in a mental space, up in the land of thoughts and theories, and could very well stay there, spending all of eternity chewing over facts and figures and connecting the proverbial dots.
practical, on the other hand, is defined as being, “of or concerned with the actual doing or use of something rather than with theory and ideas.”
it hangs out down below, in the legs and the feet, in the walking of the path, and in the laboratory of trial and error. what works and what doesn’t. what actually happens when we try things out and commit to not just a practice, but a praxis.
still, these two energies are quite complementary, if you can allow for them both to co-exist and even inform one another.
logic can help you to narrow things down. it’ll keep you from wandering down barren or previously trekked roads. it. can take the list of viable options down to a manageable size. but while it might seem like logic is leading you down the “correct” path, you won’t actually know until you try it the fuck out.
this month, we’re swimming in the soup of both theory and implementation.
furthermore, in the number 3, which is the ruling number of march, we also play around with imagination, with story, and with pure creative energy. the number 1, which rules march 2023, loves this exploration, and is ignited by the possibilities that lie ahead. thankfully, it’s young, fresh, and new on the scene, so it’s not so bogged down yet by all of the ways in which the world says things won’t work.
allow logic and reason and action and practice whirl around each other in the liminal space this month.
use “the word” as a touchstone, a guidepost, and a container, but do not let it become an obstacle, a barrier, or a cage.
let your “day-to-day” become your field notes, your observations, and your experiential information, but do not let it become rigid, disciplinary or punitive.
sheesh, intelligence and action make for a gorgeous couple!
Thank you for reading swimming in the soup. This post is public so feel free to share it.
for your march toolkit:
icymi, listen to sits 1x11 with sam valentine! we talk about shirking seriousness in spiritual spaces, what we really mean when we talk about the “tarot community,” and much, much more!
finding the fool: a tarot journey to radical transformation by meg jones wall comes out today! snag a copy! you won’t regret it!
marin boyle aka @/nsfwembroidery is updating their shop on the 2nd! join me in shopping for a lil pre-spring treat!
season 3 of “ted lasso” starts on march 15th! i’m so excited i could SCREAM.
the spring equinox or ostara lands on march 20th! the numbers to work with this year are 5 and 3, and traditional ritual items include flowers, citrus fruits, honey wine, and brightly colored crystals. drink water, put your feet in the grass, and welcome the light!
the fourth and final season of “succession” starts on march 26th! again, cue screaming, but mostly sobbing.
Sending you love & protection for a gorgeous month!xx, RebeccaFebruary 24, 2023
SITS 1x11 - Diving Deep with Sam Valentine
What’s up, swimmers? We’re now swimming in the deep waters of Pisces season. which is going to bring us to the end of another spin of the zodiacal wheel.
It’s a time of culminations, transitions, and dreaming. Pisces also rules the 12th House of the unconscious and unseen, which can be a gorgeous, imaginative, Neptunian ride, but can also be highly confronting as you delve deep or buried treasure shit surfaces. I hope that your toolkit includes naps, bubble baths or steaming hot showers, your birth chart, and whatever allows you to disassociate without escapism, ya feel?
I’ve also noticed an uptick in folks talking about boundaries and boundary setting.
Beth Porter of Earth & Ether said this week that, “Pisces season is likely to bring up where your boundaries are a bit too fluid and that need more structure as well as the spaces in which you could allow a little more “gray area” in your thinking.” And in their latest newsletter, Nick Kepley of In Search of Tarot explored boundaries from a nonbinary perspective, musing on how boundaries “creates [their] own third place.”
Boundaries as a concept are introduced in the 6, which we experienced as a collective during 2022, and all of this juicy examination seems like a continuation of this work through the lens of 7, which we’re cycling through now in 2023.
Enter Sam Valentine, who I feel is constantly modeling the practice of discerning between private, personal, and public—which I shared about in my 7 year newsletter—and who’s pushing their own sense of boundaries this year as they commit to creating structure around their already incredible, campy and accessible tarot offerings!
Thank you for reading swimming in the soup. This post is public so feel free to share it.
I reject the “love & light” & “positivity only” culture that can be pervasive in wellness™ & healing™ spaces, as well as the mere idea of reverence.
- Sam Valentine
Sam Valentine doesn't like to self-identify, but when she does, it’s as an aesthete, tarot reader, & curator of vibes. (But seriously, just peep their absolutely delicious instagram…)
As they share on their new website, Sam reads tarot primarily for fun and enjoyment, and they align their work with the literal term Tarot Reader in that they “read” the cards in the specific context of the reading as it occurs, leaving space for not-knowing, and holding no set expectations about what the cards might "mean."
A tarot reader & creative on the side, Sam spends most of her time on her day job as a community Archivist.
As someone with a Gemini stellium, I take absolutely everything & nothing seriously.
- Sam Valentine
swimming in the soup is a reader-supported publication. to receive Monthly Numerological Forecasts, extra podcast episodes, additional perks, and to support my work, consider becoming a paid pal 💸
It’s been so neat to see the themes that have emerged from these conversations, and I really do see this chat as a gorgeous continuation of themes that Meg Jones Wall and I dished on in the last episode: coming to the tarot from somewhat non-spiritual directions, freedom from tradition, and personal meaning-making when working with the cards.
Sam is also a great friend of mine, and I’m endlessly grateful that she said yes to having this (public) conversation with me! Not to spoil the end of the chat before you even get to listen, but the reasons they shared that they might not be right for the “seeking space” is exactly the reason that I knew they’d be perfect for it. I’m so excited for you to fall madly in love with them.
Some of my favorite moments from this conversation include:
"Tarot is a place that's enjoyable for me. It's fun for me, [it] is a game to me in some ways (that I'm playing with myself), and I don't want to come to that with any expectations... or rules. I'm really bad at following rules in games anyway..."
"That has been a theme of my life: the idea of what is and isn't shareable; and I think I've come to a way of understanding where that line is for myself that's based in what I actually want and desire for myself... where as previously... it has come from a place of fear."
[on tarot & social media] "What is 'community' around magical tools like [tarot]? Who is the 'we' in the 'tarot community?' I do feel that I have found community in [that space], but I don't know that we're all sharing an amorphous community."
But there really are so many potent permission slips within. (Not that you need them, bestie…) Let me know which moments stood out to you!
If you’d like to connect with Sam, there are many different ways to do so!
Until next time, just keep swimming!xx, RebeccaFebruary 15, 2023
Attention Audiobook Lovers!
What’s up, swimmers?! I’m popping in on a Wednesday with some exciting news!
The Witch’s Book of Numbers is now available as an audiobook!Listen to a snippet of Chapter 9, on the Number 7: The Seeker, to get you excited!
I want it, I need it, oh baby, oh baby!
From the very beginning, before there was even a book to read out loud, I knew that narrating my own audiobook was important to me. In last week’s episode of SITS with Meg Jones Wall, Meg shared about advocating for her work, and picking her battles in the publishing process, and this was definitely a piece of the puzzle that I fought for. So I’m really really thrilled to be able to say that it’s done and ready for your lovely ears!
In the chapter on the number one, I wrote, “We begin, we say ‘Yes!’ before we know what any of it means—what it will look like or feel like, what our experience of it is going to be,” and that was absolutely true to my experience of creating this audiobook. Even though I’d already written the literal book, this leg of the journey brought new challenges and new triumphs. But overall, I’m really jazzed with it, and I hope you will be too!
I’ve wanted this book to live in audio format so that it would be accessible, so if you’ve been waiting for the audiobook, or if finances are tight, I have a limited number of free copies to share! Just send me an email and we’ll make it happen.
Thank you for reading swimming in the soup. This post is public so feel free to share it.
After you listen, please consider leaving a rating and a review! This is so helpful, both in letting me know how the book has landed for you, and to help others find it!
swimming in the soup is a reader-supported publication. To receive Monthly Numerological Forecasts, extra podcast episodes, additional perks, and to support my work, consider becoming a paid pal 💸
Until next time, just keep swimming!xx, RebeccaFebruary 10, 2023
SITS 1x10 - Diving Deep with Meg Jones Wall
What’s up, swimmers? It may be February, but I’m not done talking to people yet!
Especially in a 7-ruled Seeker year, it can be really potent to explore, and even challenge, your spiritual beliefs, traditions and practices.
The last couple of conversations that I’ve had (first with Hanna Williams, and then with Maria Minnis), have shown me how a religious framework can allow for connection—with the Divine, with the Self, and with the Ancestors or other lineages—depth, ritual and ultimately, expansion. They’ve pushed me to see how some of my own religious trauma has clouded my view of religion as a container for faith-based, loving action, and I hope that you’ve gained some potent insights as well.
But what if you’re looking to break free from the rules? What if you’re looking to create a whole new system for yourself? Well, that’s where Meg Jones Wall, and her new book Finding the Fool , come into play!
Thank you for reading swimming in the soup. This post is public so feel free to share it.
I found a god that makes sense to me, one brimming with grace and joy and magic, and I know that she loves me exactly the way she made me: queer as hell.
- Meg Jones Wall
Meg (she/they) is the writer, photographer, and creator behind @3am.tarot. She is a tarot columnist and staff writer for Autostraddle and writes seasonal tarotscopes, personal essays, and spreads for this queer online community. She also runs a tarot newsletter called Devils & Fools, and is a contributing writer for Astrology Answers.
As a self-taught, queer, chronically ill tarot reader, Meg offers a unique and modern perspective on the cards. Her writing focuses on keeping tarot intuitive and accessible, using gender-neutral language and welcoming readers of all identities into the community.
She is also an insomniac, an explorer, an INFP, a 4w5, and lives in Brooklyn.
Whether I’m weaving ideas into words, capturing them in images, or making them come to life in real time, I love finding unique ways to explore the world that we live in, and provide methods of deep, authentic connection.
- Meg Jones Wall
swimming in the soup is a reader-supported publication. To receive Monthly Numerological Forecasts, extra podcast episodes, additional perks, and to support my work, consider becoming a paid pal 💸
In less than a month, Meg’s first book, Finding the Fool , will hit shelves! During our conversation, not only does she share with us the story of how it came to be, but she unpacks it’s powerful invitations and ethos, as well as generously offers her experiences in the opaque world of traditional publishing.
I love Meg so much, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to gab with her. We ended up spending over 3 hours together—not all of it recorded 😉—so you’re likely to hear some bonus clips in the coming weeks, as it was too hard to whittle her wisdom down to a proper runtime.
Some of my favorite moments from this conversation include:
"Writing a book takes a really long time! And what you initially conceive of versus what you pitch, versus what the publisher buys, versus how it changes when you're writing it... the year you wait between turning in the final draft and when it makes it into the world... We change and grow and learn things during all of that happening."
[on the Smith Rider Waite deck & other tarot books] "I kept trying to make myself buy this deck... and I never could. I think that's because the deck just did not speak to me... I wanted something that I felt like I could see myself in."
"For me, spirituality is going to be cooking a good meal, and blessing it, and praying over it, and imbuing it with whatever my magic is that day... Or walking around in nature, or singing a song... It's become a very sensory thing, and it's been very tied to pleasure in a way that has been a really freeing, powerful, long time coming!"
But there really are so many juicy journeys within. Let me know which moments stood out to you!
If you’d like to continue learning from Meg, there are so many ways to do so!
Until next time, just keep swimming!xx, RebeccaFebruary 1, 2023
February 2023: By the Numbers
We’re going to do things a little differently this month! Still, in this monthly forecast, you’ll find:
→ Information on the numbers 2 and 9, and how they might show up
→ Playlists for the numbers 2 and 9 to get you inspired
→ Spells and Offerings for Imbolc on February 1st
→ A tarot spread for Self-care and compassion
→ What’s worthy of your attention this month
First, let’s check out our numbers for the month: Two (2), the Peacemaker, and Nine (9), the Humanitarian.
Two is all about love and relationships, the Other, duality and choice, and yes, respectful debate. Nine is the ending of a cycle, the All, big thoughts and even bigger lessons, as well as sharing what you have, and know, with the masses.
2 lives in the heart, the hands. Lovingkindness. 9 lives in the head. Wisdom.
What’s coming up for you when you think about these themes at play?
Then, pop on the below playlist, which contains songs that vibe with the sweetness, the tenderness, and the duality of the number 2—our first ruling number of February, the second month of the Gregorian calendar year.
As The Civil Wars croon away, I want you to get really quiet.
Listen to the melody. Hear the composition of the instruments behind the vocals. If you know the words, just zip those lips and let the professionals handle it this time around. Let yourself be taken by the swell, and the build, and the denouement as everything slows.
When Imaginary Future informs you that “Love is Beginning,” start to bring some gentle movement into the body.
A shake of the head or hips, a wiggle of the shoulders or toes, a twist of the wrists or ribcage. Whatever feels good. Like a secret and a promise.
Keep listening as you read, unless your squiggly brain (affectionate) can’t handle that many words at once. You can always return to the tunes.
January 27, 2023
SITS 1x09 - Diving Deep with Maria Minnis
What’s up, swimmers? We’re continuing our January with another dazzling conversation that’s full of love, wonder and awe.
I’m in a personal 3 year—the Communicator—and for the last three and a half weeks, I’ve been deep in production for the audiobook of The Witch’s Book of Numbers. Quite fitting! It’s been quite the learning experience for me, both in terms of what I’d like to do differently the next time a project like this comes along, and also being up close and personal again with words that I wrote a year and a half ago.
Over and over again, I reiterate in the book that we’re always learning, always growing, and that everything, especially our beliefs and practices, are subject to change—mine included! But of course, as I read through, and listen back, and re-record, and listen again to all of those permission slips, I still couldn’t help but judge myself a teensy bit. I had so many personal practices that were strong when I was writing the book that I’ve since let slide, and I’ve engaged with so many expansive thoughts since that it’s a bit uncomfy to know that, even though I still stand by everything I’ve written, folks are out there reading something written by a slightly different version of me.
But then I had the joyful experience of connecting with Maria Minnis, whose own practices and systems of belief are ever-changing, yet with the intention that they all to bring her into deeper connection with her self, her community, and ultimately to the liberation work that has fueled and focused her life.
Thank you for reading swimming in the soup. This post is public so feel free to share it.
A more liberated planet is possible—I know it.
- Maria Minnis
Maria is a lifelong witch, enchanting the everyday. She’s a reader, writer, artist, ritual facilitator, and teacher with Southern roots, whose work centers everyday magic and holographic thinking in the context of social justice and liberation.
As she shares on her website: “Sparked by a Kundalini awakening after a near-death experience, her business and practice are inspired by voids, whale songs, Southern ritual, the moon, movement, experience, plant wisdom, and infinite interconnectedness.”
I am unapologetically Black and wildly intent on living on purpose.
Clouds are my favorite thing.
- Maria Minnis
swimming in the soup is a reader-supported publication. To receive Monthly Numerological Forecasts, extra podcast episodes, additional perks, and to support my work, consider becoming a paid pal 💸
Last week, Maria had her second near-death experience. As you’ll hear, not only has she survived, but she is generously looking to harness this experience for her urgent, yet ongoing, work towards freedom for all.
I’m so incredibly grateful to be connected to Maria, and to have been able to share space with her at this incredibly liminal, yet potent moment in her life. Maria is infectious, thoughtful, full of grace and magic, and I just know that you’ll fall madly in love with her throughout this conversation.
Some of my favorite moments from this conversation include:
[on accepting that she has a body] "I'm hoping to get to the point where I don't see my body as a total burden, but as a gift; as a vessel that allows me to do liberation work in this physical, tangible world."
"How can I parallel lessons [from a near death experience] with lessons, and insights, and ideas, and plans and projects that can help other people feel alive? ...[T]o the point where you have enough space in your heart to find awe in your every day."
"And instead of reading [the Torah, or other holy text] and taking something so literally... or as solid truth, what about reading something and wondering how does this piece of text fit with the world you live in today? How does it fit with the person I am today?"
But there really are so many incredible invitations towards life and pleasure within. Let me know which moments stood out to you!
If you’d like to connect with Maria, there are many different ways to do so! And be sure to watch out for her book, Tarot for the Hard Work, which comes out Fall 2023 from Weiser Books.
Until next time, just keep swimming!xx, RebeccaJanuary 13, 2023
SITS 1x08 - Diving Deep with Hanna Williams
What’s up, swimmers? I’m back in your eardrums today with a super rad conversation that I can’t wait to share.
In 2020 and 2021, I hosted a podcast called Discourse of the Stranger (DOTS), which was structured in part by two-episode groupings of a lecture or teaching episode, followed by a conversation. I loved getting to explore what I’d been learning about further, bobbing and weaving through complex topics in the company of another mind and soul, and it’s the thing I’ve missed the most since deciding to end the project at the end of 2021.
After this last year, which was a bit of a doozy for me—high, like really high, highs, and low low low, lows—I’m hanging in the liminal space of a spiritual transition; as I compacted and compiled over a decade of my “seeking” into The Witch’s Book of Numbers (coming soon in audiobook format!), and am now feeling quite back at the “beginning” of whatever rabbit hole I’ll climb down next.
So, I was thrilled when Hanna Williams, aka organic.abundance on Instagram, agreed to come chat with me about spiritual absurdity, online ecosystems, devotion to the path, and much, much more.
Thank you for reading swimming in the soup. This post is public so feel free to share it.
I don’t have beliefs. I have experiences.
I don’t believe in God. I experience Her.
- Hanna Williams
Hanna (she/her), was a staunch atheist until she was 19 years old, when she met God in a compost heap working on a farm. The Divinity in Nature led her down her own decade of religious studies, before she was initiated into the Tantric tradition that she practices, and guides others through, today.
Straight from her website, “this lineage of classical Tantra is grounded in working with the transformational power of Grace, developing positive orientations in the mind that empower growth and connection, and living in service to the world (the Divine itself.)”
She is also an artist, writer, meme generator, cook, athlete, and friend.
What if God was like an old, loving friend who’s been trying to contact you—and all you need to do is learn how to answer the phone?
- Hanna Williams
swimming in the soup is a reader-supported publication. To receive Monthly Numerological Forecasts, extra podcast episodes, additional perks, and to support my work, consider becoming a paid pal 💸
I’m so grateful to Hanna for saying yes to swimming in the soup with me, and for all of the deep, and lighthearted wisdom she had to share.
I know that she is going to be a key voice for me this year, and I hope that you also gain a ton of ease, grace, and guidance from listening to her story, her approach to spirituality, and her gorgeous ability to glean awe from what she refers to as the “Divine potentiality” that lives within all living beings.
Some of my favorite moments from this conversation include:
[regarding her memes] “I'm very, on purpose, giving people whiplash. spiritual whiplash... because I want to see who actually can hear what i'm saying through that."
“All joy and pleasure is actually derived from the inner self,
which is like the inner god that is dwelling within everything... if you do actually court that reality... every time you experience pleasure... can be a moment of momentary worship.”
[on embodying trickster energy] “I think that this...is really needed in the modern spiritual world because there needs to be a disruptive factor... I don't want people to take me [or spiritual topics] too seriously.”
But there really are so many golden nuggets within. Let me know which moments stood out to you!
If you’d like to work with Hanna further, there are many different ways to do so!
Until next time, just keep swimming!xx, RebeccaJanuary 2, 2023
January 2023: By the Numbers
In this monthly forecast, you’ll find:
Oh, my sweet daughter, my perfect January, I would beg for your forgiveness, but I lack the courage. / All I can ask for is your belief. Believe in doors and worlds and the Written. Believe most of all in our love for you- even if the only evidence we've left you is contained in the book you now hold.
— Alix E. Harrow
→ Information on the numbers 1 and 8, and how they might show up
→ Playlists for the numbers 1 and 8 to get you inspired
→ A tarot spread for the Lunar New Year on January 22nd
→ Things to try this month
→ Things I’m trying this month
January, whether we like it or not, sends us on our merry way down a new path. It is an invitation that we accept regardless of our true availability, one which ushers us through the doorway of the Number One.
One is the spark and the start. It’s the mind and luck of the beginner, the first steps, the cry of life, and the striking of the match. It’s action in its purest and most unfettered form. It’s reckless hope for the chance to do something different, and it’s also that twinge of anxiety that you don’t know enough to begin.
Yes, of course, the Gregorian calendar is a construct like any other. It’s an imperfect way of measuring the thing we call time, and if the “new year” doesn’t feel new, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with you or the way you’re experiencing this shift. Rarely do endings and beginnings feel clean or swift, instead lingering until reaching a natural conclusion or dissipating with additional time and processing.
Or because we decide to do something about it.
