Good morning Creative Souls.

I stayed up, again, past midnight and got all the details and little beauty marks placed on the Creativity Letter. I addressed everything, and am planning on attempting my driveway this morning. I seem to be the last person with a mucky snow ditch. #theuniversespeaks

Actually, because I am “late” sending this letter out- it got some added love. I got to dedicate it, play with it, burn some candles for it, and dance around the house in silliness- hopefully imbuing a delightful excitement into your creative soul, for what you will create for yourself.

In my life, things will often get rerouted, redirected, things will break or I will get stuck- just because I am not being in touch with what my body needs. This is, my least favorite form of magical manifestation, but I have learned to surrender to the experience, look around me and see what is needing my attention. Usually, it’s my internal system.

I had this moment, rushing out the door to meet my buddy Mandarin, for our wolves to play at the park- and I literally COULD NOT get out the door. I needed to:

put on pants

take my meds

eat something

drink water

pee

check that the candles were all out

lock and unlock the doors

put in my contacts

brush my teeth

And I’m sitting there, feeling frustrated at myself for not being able to DO THE THING and my internal wise self pops up and says, “You’re exactly where you need to be, even if you’re not where someone else needs you to be.”
In that moment, my finger in my eye- I relaxed.

To trust that here and now- chaos and all, is where I need to be- resonates deeply with my desires in a Self Love Practice.

The Debris of Spells Cast for Your Own Self Love Journey.

I’m currently typing this on my phone, feeling grateful to have my day spread out before me. Ever wake up like that? Sleepily stretching into a day you know you want to have, reguardless of what happens? This is one of the #goodmooddays I love so much as an artist.

What’s the silliest selfie you could take today?

I know it’s here because I have been prioritizing sleep, being outside, being in my studio and cutting myself a break. That last one matters to me. When I am hard on myself, I get all stuck up. Dishes pile up, work doesn’t get done, my life cracks at the seems. When I am nice to me- things still break, I still have to do things I don’t want to- but I enjoy the process so much more. That, alone, is one of my top reasons for curating my own self love practice.

Now, here’s some Normal Self Love Practice Tips adapted from LifeHacks. I went all off on my witchy opinions in your letter, so here are some more calm, self love practice ideas. 30 of them in fact.

Let’s begin right away in the morning: Start each day by telling yourself a positive truth. Think about how well you handled a situation, how lovely you look today in the mirror. Anything that will make you smile and you can deeply believe.

Fill your body with food and drink that nourishes it and makes it thrive.
Move that gorgeous body of yours every single day and learn to love the skin you’re in. You can’t hate your way into loving yourself.
Don’t believe everything you think. There is an inner critic inside of us trying to keep us small and safe. The downside is this also stops us from living a full life.
Surround yourself with people who love and encourage you. Let them remind you just how amazing you are.
Stop the comparisons. There is no one on this planet like you, so you cannot fairly compare yourself to someone else. The only person you should compare yourself to is you.
End all toxic relationships. Seriously. Anyone who makes you feel anything less than amazing doesn’t deserve to be a part of your life.
Celebrate your wins no matter how big or small. Pat yourself on the back and be proud of what you have achieved.
Step outside of your comfort zone and try something new. It’s incredible the feeling we get when we realize we have achieved something we didn’t know or think we could do before.
Embrace and love the things that make you different. This is what makes you special.
Realize that beauty cannot be defined. It is what you see it as. Don’t let any one make you feel like your body isn’t perfect. Even models and actor/actresses don’t look like that all the time.
Take time to calm your mind every day. Breathe in and out, clear your mind of your thoughts and just be. Meditation takes many forms. Let yourself experiment and find a style of meditation that works for you.
Follow your passion. You know that thing that gets you so damn excited, but scares you at the same time. That thing you really want to do but have convinced yourself it won’t work. You should go do that! It will work.
Be patient but persistent. Self-love is ever evolving. It’s something that needs to be practiced daily but can take a lifetime to master. So be kind and support yourself through the hard times.
Be mindful of what you think, feel and want. Go ahead and live your life in ways to reflect this. What matters to you, isn’t going to be what matters to others.
Treat others with love and respect. It makes us feel better about ourselves when we treat others the way we hope to be treated. That doesn’t mean everybody will always repay the favor, but that’s their problem not yours. Think of it this way: How other people treat you- is none of your business. How you treat others is what you need to focus on.
Find something to be grateful for every day. It’s especially important to be grateful on bad days as it helps to shift your mind and energy back to your present moment- where you have power to appreciate, and change what is going on in your life.
Reach out to family, friends, healers, whomever you need to help you through the tough times. You are not expected to go through them alone.
Learn to say NO! Saying no when you need to doesn’t make you a bad person, it makes you a smart person. People will learn to respect you, or they’ll leave. See ditching toxic relationships.
Forgive yourself. You know that thing you did one time (or maybe a few times) that made you feel bad, embarrassed, ashamed? It’s time to let that go. You can’t change the things you have done, but you can control your future. Look at it as a learning experience and believe in your ability to change.
Write it down. Head swimming with so many thoughts it’s giving you a headache? Write them all down on a piece of paper, no matter how crazy, mean, sad, or terrifying they are. Keep it in a journal, tear it up, burn it, whatever you need to do to let it go.
Turn off and inwards. Grab a cup of your favorite tea, coffee, wine, whatever your choice of drink, and sit down for a few minutes on your own. No TV or distractions, just you. Think about the wonderful things that are happening in your life right now, what your big dreams are and how you can make them happen.
Give up the need for approval from others. You will not be able to gain approval from everyone. Truly, you only need the approval of yourself, the investment and respect of people who pay you, and flexible connections from your intimate relationships. Trust people you trust and believe them, and also, every choice is yours. Choose what you want.
Be realistic. There is no person on this earth that is happy every single moment of every single day. You know why? Because we are all human. We make mistakes, we feel Big Emotions, both good and bad and this is OK. Allow yourself to be human.
Get creative and express yourself in whatever way you like. Painting, writing, sculpting, building, music, whatever takes your fancy, and make sure you leave your inner critic at the door. There are no right ways to be creative.
Let go of past trauma and wounds. When we are able to let go of things that have happened to us it’s almost like a weight is lifted off our shoulders. We don’t have to carry that around with us anymore. We deserve better. Get therapy. Dance it out. Write, paint it out. Let that bullshit go.
Find your happy place. Where’s the one place you feel totally at ease, calm, happy, positive, high on life? Go to that place when you are going through hard times, or imagine yourself being there. Think about how it feels, what it smells like, what it looks like.
I go here every night before bed actually. Mine is a giant towering cliff, with a four poster bed made of living trees, at the bottom. My mattress is layers of moss and animal skins. My creatures come snuggle up with me, and I can hear the river, and feel the open sky.
The next time you are feeling happy and on top of the world make a list of your best qualities and accomplishments. Collect the positive compliments people say about you. I screenshot them, or display the letters, and I write them down in my journal.
Get in touch with your inner dialogue. If it’s anything less than loving, encouraging and supportive, it’s time to make a change. You deserve to be spoken to in the same way you would speak to your best friend, sister, brother, daughter, or son.
Have fun! Get out there and do the things that light your fire.
Enjoy yourself. Enjoy yourself as if you were a cherished lover, best friend. Your life is yours, enjoy your incredible life.