Take two! Mercury Retrograde is in full swing over in this house. I had an entire entry composed and I was attempting to submit it… but WordPress was having “technical issues.” I lost the entire entry! 😖 Note to self: as I compose future entries, save along the way!

Anyway, I am back at it again to write this entry because I feel like this will benefit someone out there who will potentially read this one day, maybe.

As we are approaching the Autumn season (if you haven’t gathered, I am all about that Autumnal Magick), I tend to turn into the Hermit and do a lot of shadow work. Shadow work is an important work to integrate into your craft. Does it suck? Yes. Is it beneficial for our healing? Yes. Shadow work helps us to appreciate our darker selves while bringing to light what we need to work on within ourselves. Something that has been coming up a lot for me is, “What advice would I bestow upon my younger self if I had the opportunity to do it?” This past weekend, I have been making notations and these were my discoveries.

I submit these to you as well, Dear Reader, in the hopes that perhaps that they maybe of a comfort to you as well. Here goes nothing.

1. Be true to yourself.
2. Follow that internal beat of the drum within your soul. That’s your heart, guiding you along your journey.
3. Laugh, a lot, even if it’s at yourself. Laughter is the best medicine in times of great distress. It makes your soul smile.
4. Don’t forget to smile. A smile is contagious and can light up the room!
5. Don’t be afraid to say ‘no.’ It’s your strongest boundary.
6. Love. Love, to love. And don’t be afraid of it. As the late Jonathan Larson said, “share love, give love, spread love.” He knew the message.
7. Your body is beautiful! Love those curves, dimples, hips! Give your body some extra love because it deserves it. Cherish it.
8. Wear whatever the fuck you want. Don’t wear clothes to fit your body! Wear clothes that make your body look and feel amazing.
9. Self-care is not being selfish. It’s an act of self-love.
10. Invest in yourself because you are worth it. And let’s face it, not too many people will invest in you if you don’t have the confidence to invest in you.
11. Take that chance… that ‘leap of faith’ could be your saving grace.
12. Failure happens. It will teach you about how resilient you are. And the come back, especially when others do not think you will pull through and succeed, is delicious!
13. Follow and listen to your intuition. It is always right.
14. You see the world through a unique lens and the way that you gather messages is your unique way. No one has the right to diminish that ability.
15. Do not give anyone the power to take away your voice or your power. Once you do, it’ll take you a life time of struggling and fighting to get it back.
16. If you close a door and walk away from someone or something, good– keep it closed. Don’t open it. People don’t change.
17. Words are just that, words. Actions have more credibility.
18. Believe in yourself.
19. Love yourself.
20. “Heal with Grace.”
21. It is never too late to study something new or try new things. Go for it!
22. Eat the best that you can, exercise and take care of your body. In this life time, you only get one vessel.
23. You are never too young or too old to learn something new.
24. Never be afraid of walking away from something or someone that doesn’t bring you happiness, especially if it’s not healthy.
25. Starting over can look and feel scary but it’s also refreshing. It’s a re-do, a fresh slate!
26. Crying is not a sign of weakness. It’s a powerful release.
27. Cursing does not make you less of a lady. It just means that you have a colorful vocabulary.
28. You cannot please everyone nor is everyone you meet going to like you. And that’s fine. Be the radiant, bad ass, amazing person that you are and own the shit out of it.
    • To further my point: there are 46 flavors of Häagen-Dazs’ ice cream, did you know that? Some flavors you will like… others, you won’t. The same can be said about people.
29. “Breathe in peace, breathe out bullshit.”
30. Not everything is “love and light” and if someone tries to convince you that it is, they are delusional. Run, don’t walk.

So far, that’s my list… (: