TLDR: Journal Circle is TONIGHT and we've got a couple spots left. Won't you join us? It's free and happening at 8pm EDT / 5PM PDT.

I have been considering Journal Circle and how I am being called to make this a more lunar space. I have been in a journalling practice with the moon more overtly the past couple months, and I see now how it is changing me. How the moon is always shifting, our great luminary of reflection, changing its shape steadily and adapting to different archetypal expressions. The moon might be one of our greatest teachers, of what it means to shift into different facets of ourselves, of moving cyclically, of noticing our needs as they evolve and emerge.

I was thinking about how we make such a big deal over full moons + new moons, but what about these inbetween processes of becoming? There are so many stages of half complete or just a slice, that are just as compelling, that still draw my eyes skyward. A bright crescent is just as beautiful as a glowing full circle up above, no? When you notice the moon, day or night, you stop, pause, breathe it in.

I wonder about the practice of sitting with the moon as she changes, inch by inch. I wonder what new wisdom I might find in living by her pace.

There is something that feels right to me about Journal Circle being before the full moon — in this case, the lunar eclipse on Tuesday, Sept 17. If this is a space about surfacing what needs to come up, to find relief from needing to hold ideas, stories, feelings in our body, because our friend (paper) can hold it with us in this small way — what is moving through you now, in preparation for release? What is coming into focus in your life, slowly but surely? What are you gaining awareness of in your life?

For me, I am working with fear, and the way fear stalls out my nervous system into a freeze state. I know so much more about the way change happens now, and I have learned to not override that innate bodily intelligence — yet I see I have goals, desired horizons on the other side. What I am learning to do is move skillfully with that fear, notice it and love on it. Treat it with compassion and curiosity. It’s a practice. Like all good things, it’s simple, not easy.

Admitting I’m a spiritual being who follows the moon feels scary. Admitting my reflection practice moves in tandem with this natural satellite and the stories + practices framing her feels taboo, maybe even shameful. We have a lot of shame around these stories. We have a lot of shame about what they are supposed to mean about us and our identities, and what it means to engage with them earnestly in the first place. In working with the moon, with tarot, with astrology, we are working with things that resist easy naming, within an overculture really hates things that can’t be quantified. Often the quantifiable, the easily named, is what we default to and then freeze.

It is my commitment to contribute what I can to our collective healing, and these stories and contexts feel like they hold so much wisdom that we’re thirsty for. I don’t want to be held back by fears of being misunderstood anymore, and I want to find the right balance. I am a person rooted in a love of evidence, a love of inquiry, and my aim is to find work at the intersection of the mundane and the big mystery that honours all parts of me. All parts of you. The skeptical parts and the parts that are yearning to dream too. Maybe I will get there. All I can do is keep following the frequency as it comes to me, and be honest with you about what I’m up to.

Thank you for being here. It’s an honour to hold space with you. I’m looking forward to seeing you, maybe tonight or maybe sometime this Journal Circle season. Though some things may shift, I’ll be holding this space every month until the spring. I can’t imagine a better way to spend a Thursday evening than getting what's on my heart out onto the page, alongside you 💗

Journal Circle is tonight
​at 8pm EDT/5pm PDT!

I'm so looking forward to kicking off season 3 tonight, and guiding us through a process of soft self-discovery.

The rhythms of our time together will be familiar if you've joined before — we'll start out with a grounding practice to get into our bodies, then we'll have a couple journalling exercises, and a tarot reading to close us out.

And if you haven't joined before, welcome! You simply need to show up with a pen, paper and a willingness to see what comes up within you. There will be opportunities to share, but no pressure to.

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If you can't join this one, but want to stay in the loop, save the date — the next session will be Thursday, Oct 10.

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Take care + be well,

​Amanda Caswell (she/her) is a human being who wants to know what life feels like for you.

If this email reminded you of a friend, you could forward it to them — it's a great way to support my work. If you are the friend, subscribe for more reflections + events.

113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2205
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