Nikki Starcat Shields's Blog, page 6

Receiving Success

[image error]As I prepare for the beginning of a new calendar year, two words have emerged as themes for me for 2022.

The first one that showed up was SUCCESS.

In many ways, though, I’ve already achieved the success that I’ve been visualizing and working toward over the past several years.

My business, which is my second career and is entwined with my callings, is thriving. My relationships with family, friends, and beloveds feel magickal and blessed. I’ve implemented some new wellness practices that are imp...

Guilt: What Is It and How Do You Get Rid of It?

For years and years, my Mom has had a saying that she shares at appropriate moments: “No guilt!” 

But what is guilt, anyway? Is it necessarily a bad thing?

I looked to Wikipedia, and the definition of guilt there says: “Guilt is a moral emotion that occurs when a person believes or realizes—accurately or not—that they have compromised their own standards of conduct or have violated universal moral standards and bear significant responsibility for that violation.”

That could be a good thing. In i...

Starcat’s Favorites: A Long Weekend

For the past ten years, I’ve worked the Thanksgiving weekend. This year, I have the whole long weekend off!

It was good work – I filled in at the public radio station where I’d previously worked full-time for years. It felt good to be able to give the regular hosts a break, and the extra money was nice.

Last December, I resigned from the last bit of work in public radio, my first career. That’s because my book midwife business had gotten to the point where I needed my time back. In the 11 months...

The Elements, Part 5: Spirit

The element of Spirit is the ethereal combination of all the other elements. It is the very energy which comprises our entire cosmos. Spirit encompasses all that we can see, and the mysteries which are unseen to our mortal eyes. Spirit resides in the center, but also pervades the entire circle of life. It is associated with all times and seasons, and the mystical realms beyond the time-space continuum. The colors of spirit are white, black, gold, and silver.

Each of us has a soul, a spirit, tha...

Starcat’s Favorites: Upleveling

How is it that the entire month of October is, well, over? Did it fly by for you like it did for me?

I’m sure part of it is that I was away for a week. BlackLion and I finally got to go on our much-awaited vacation to Cozumel Island, Mexico! It was amazing. We had such a blast. All of the pictures on this post are from there.

It felt so deliciously luxurious to be staying at the resort – and I love that it’s an eco-friendly, sustainable company that runs it.

Longtime readers of this blog will kn...

Starcat’s Favorites: Autumn and Community

I’m loving the energies of autumn coming in. Can you feel it?

This week’s Parallel PlayDate had a theme of community. I based the guided meditation and writing prompt on some reading I’d been doing on forests. Until fairly recently, scientists had thought the trees in a forest competed for resources. But it’s not true!

Actually, thanks to the underground root system and the mycelium network, a forest is a collaborative community. 

It reminds me of the community of “biz sisters” I’ve been part of...

Are You In the Autumn Groove?

Happy Autumnal Equinox, also known as Mabon! Fall has officially arrived.

Fall is associated with the element of water. Last night I led an online ritual that was focused on both water and Mabon, and the two energies worked well together. We invoked Yemaya, mother of the sacred waters.

I’ve been working with Her for about seven years now. The images in this post are from earlier this month, when my mermaid sisters and I celebrated Her annual feast day with ritual and offerings.

I learned fairly...

Starcat’s Favorites: Road Trips

Late summer means… a road trip! This time to upstate New York, where we’re taking in a Dead & Company concert, then exploring the Finger Lakes area. As well as lounging by the pool!

I love road trips. They’re like a longer version of an artist’s date, with lots of inspiring new input for the creative spirit.

While I’m away, I hope you’ll enjoy these links and let them inspire your creativity.

Speaking of road trips, I wrote about the importance of taking time off, just for you.

Is there a differ...

Why Is Rest So Difficult?

I’ve been having conversations with some friends and biz sisters lately about rest – and in a bigger sense, receiving. Why is it so challenging, sometimes?

An obvious factor is mainstream culture’s focus on hustle. Here in the United States, particularly, we’re continually encouraged to DO more. What about some time to just BE?

Nope. That makes you lazy or unproductive. The horror! Also, you might miss something if you stopped to rest and turned off your devices. That FOMO (fear of missing out) ...

More Thoughts on Sovereignty

It’s been 3 months since I wrote about some of my experiences with sovereignty. It’s time for an update!

First of all, I now have a crystal crown – well, more of a tiara, really. I love wearing it. If you need one for yourself, or any kind of crystals, I highly recommend this Etsy shop.

Next, I hired a social media manager in July. She’s terrific. I absolutely LOVE having someone besides me on my team! I’d had some kind of resistance or blockage around hiring, but it’s gone now. A queen needs he...