PEAKS AND FLOPS

Next week is the Summer Solstice where I live. Maybe it is for you too. Or maybe it’s the Winter Solstice. Appropriately, I’m thinking about peaks and flops.

Flops, because my book agent emailed me yesterday and told me my new book, Rainbow Power, wasn’t selling quite as well as expected in the US since its release in late November. And while it’s only been two weeks, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make my shoulders flop momentarily. Especially because my period is due any minute and it’s known to send me into a dark hole five days out of every month.

But upon letting my ego have a tantrum, I remembered some of the things I know to be true: that so-called flop moments are an okay and necessary part of not only the process, but the end products too. I didn’t write it to be a best-seller (it couldn’t be more niche), I wrote it so that witch-curious creatives and creativity-curious witches would feel inspired and empowered in their magic and self-expression. Also: I wrote a book! My fourth! I have much to be grateful for. And I firmly believe in the essential nature of swings and roundabouts. Remembering all that feels like a peak. *Also, read to the end if you want to help give the book a boost.

Peaks also, because it’s year-in-review season where the made-up Gregorian calendar encourages us to take credit for all we’ve done, tried, reiterated on, expressed, and attempted, big or small. And no matter what your year looked like, it’s a “peak” moment that you got through it in one piece. I’m celebrating you for that.

If you’d like a supremely easy way to witch-ify your solstice, think of it in terms of peaks and flops—as the eternal circle of light and dark on which our lives rotate. I recommend lighting a candle, picking up a tarot deck and a journal, and asking yourself:

Peaks: What were the “high points” of my year? What lit me up the most and why?
Flops: What were the low points? What drained me the most and why?
Centre: What remains deep true for me? How can I regain a feeling of centredness among life’s ebbs and flows right now? What tools can I call upon to steady myself as I cross this seasonal threshold?

Tarot card of the week: 10 of Swords reversed

One of the first descriptions of the 10 of Swords I remember hearing from my first tarot teacher is, “Well, at least the worst is over!” However, only with acceptance. Acceptance of pain. Acceptance of the endings of things. And acceptance of a gift too: the gift of an “out”.

How is the 10 of Swords Rx an out? Because in inviting you to peer at the inevitable conclusion of what’s in front of you—and to let it go. Because you know how the saying goes—say it with me now—”let go or be dragged”.

The curtain must draw closed on all things. We all know that. But weirdly, it’s often easier to say farewell to the things we deem good than it is to loosen our grasp on those things that hurt us the most. Humans have an inbuilt negativity bias. It’s kept us both alive and famously unhappy as a species. We remember what sucks and replay it over and over in our mind. Most of us are still mentally coming up with “come backs” to conversations or situations that ended years ago.

While it’s impossible to take away your hurt, or right the wrongs that have been imposed on you, relief from suffering is very much, and always, possible. You’re not a victim, you’re a survivor.

Don’t rely on a perceived advantage or any certainty you think you have in a bad situation or conflict (with yourself or others, past or present) right now. Don’t spend time wishing you had the illusion of advantage or “justice” either. In mind games as in war games; the only real winning move is not to play.

Instead, focus on your own future and how you’re going to make it brighter. The gift of an “out” is always available. Take it.

How to work with me in 2023 *:･ﾟ✧

Rainbow Power: My new book is Rainbow Power: Manifest your dream life with the creative magic of color, and it’s out now wherever good books are sold. It’s both a beginner’s guide to working magically with colour and a manifesto on living a creative life. P.S. Amazon reviews are a big deal industry-wide and it would mean the world to me if you left one! There’s an industry theory that the higher the Amazon rating, the more likely independent stockists will come across it and order it. <3

Tarot reading: Tarot readings make the best holiday presents! Buy a gift certificate for a loved one, or book a 2023 for yourself. My books are open for January right now.

Creative coaching: Come Alive is my three-month 1:1 coaching series for creatives, dreamers, and weirdos. You can learn all about it (including plenty of past client testimonials) HERE. If it piques your interest or you have questions for me, just respond to this email and I’ll book us a complimentary 30-min Zoom to chat through it!

This is a short excerpt from the latest edition of ☆THE DREAMER☆, a totally free newsletter and online space dedicated to exploring creativity, magic, the occult, neurodiversity, and mental health . If you enjoy THE DREAMER or know someone who will, share it with your friends and social networks! Thank you for reading and dream on.

Xo Jerico

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