A Friday Feast of Gratitude
Every small creator I know will confess that getting feedback helps them keep doing what they do–and it helps them see their own work with clarity.
Happy Friday Starling!
The response to yesterday’s newsletter blew me away. So many of you felt a resonance with the practice of co-regulating with non-human beings, and it filled my heart with an indescribable joy to be in such wholehearted company.
When I write a piece, I truly have no idea if it’s going to land. My only goal is to make whatever message that is coming through as conscient as possible–to bring it to life and hope that it connects with the people meant to hear it.
This is why your feedback is so important to small creators–the act of creation is not predictable or linear.
Within my animist worldview, all creation is co-creation (and it’s ritual and magic, too).
It’s like going on a journey with a spirit who has possession of the map and will only give me the next step ahead–and I’m supposed to discover and pick up ingredients along the way, until at some point I reach a destination where I cook a meal. Along the way I often feel lost, discouraged, or completely crazy as I follow this strange unfolding set of clues and landmarks.
Will I ever get there?
Is there a purpose to this?
What does it mean?
How does any of this fit together?
Is it finally happening? Am I finally going nuts?
By the time I reach a place in the piece I’m writing where it feels ready to share, I may be sick of the taste of those ingredients, tired of hammering away and just want to stop thinking about or concentrating on that topic because I’ve been at it for so long…
Or a new quest is already unfolding and I’m itching to get started before that spirit gets too far ahead of me and I lose the thread…
But most often, all I see are the “mistakes” or “shortcomings” of what I’ve created and it fills me with so much frustration that I can’t even see, let alone appreciate, the good things about it.
So when I put that bowl of soup (ahem, email or article or workshop) in front of you, and you tell me how much you needed it, loved it, were surprised by it, or it was useful to you… I can finally step back and really see what I’ve done for the first time–and why it matters.
And I’m not alone in experiencing this. Every small creator I know will confess that getting feedback helps them keep doing what they do–and it helps them see their own work with clarity.
Which is why a few times every month I’m going to send short emails that sing the virtues of small creators that have impacted my life–and maybe you’ll find they do the same for you too, if you engage with what they are making.
I’m calling this feature the Feast of Gratitude - a shared ritual of nourishment for small creators and the people who would most benefit from being connected to them.
In my mind I picture us all in a rustic feasting hall glittering with candle light, the scent of bread and burning pine logs wafting through the air.
We’re all seated at a huge table laden with countless delicious choices–too many to list. Together, we literally break bread by tearing off hunks of (a never ending supply) of fresh baguettes–because you know that’s the best part of the meal.
At every feast we begin by generously toasting a couple of our hard-working fellow chefs that have kept us nourished and delighted with their hard creative work.
The libations are flowing, the laughter is a symphony, the dancing candle light casts a glamour of beauty and intimacy around each and every person, and we’re all nourished in love.
So, before I call the first toast… If you’d like to give me feedback (no pressure or expectation!) there’s a couple ways to do it:
You can reply to these emails directly! I read every email I receive, even if I can’t reply to every single one.
You can click through to the article of these emails and leave a comment in Substack. (I also welcome good-faith and kind discussions here.)
You can reStack and share the post with a note of what was resonant or impactful to you.
You can share these articles on your social media accounts with a note of what was resonant or impactful to you and tag me (I am on Instagram and Threads) or link to me
You can also write testimonials for the workshops I create (right now I have an easy google form you can fill out for the Algol and Medusa workshops).
If you can’t tell, I am EAGER to hear from you.
I am a one-woman show (with a bunch of spirits yelling to get my attention), and helps this work be far less crazy-making. It also, more importantly, helps me dial in on the parts of my work that help you the most.
Okay, without further adieu, let’s pour the first glass and toast a couple of amazing creators.
Astrology for Writers
is a multi-hyphenate creator that inspires me both in word and by example. She encourages me to show up to the work every single day as a prayer, as a spiritual discipline, as a way to honor my creative self and the spirit companions that make this work possible. Jeanna isn’t talking about the act of creating from some sort of theoretical high ground far removed from the stark reality of being a creator. She’s written a poignant and timely memoir, is currently writing 2 other books, was the primary writer for some astrology apps, and every week delivers at least two newsletters–all while juggling live events, running online workshops and containers, being a guest professor for colleges, co-creating a funny mystical podcast, and much more.
The word “prolific” doesn’t feel like it bestows enough magnitude when I try describing Jeanna. When she writes about creating, she’s writing from the trenches as well as the (all-too-temporary) peaks of this spiraling, magical, frustrating journey.
If astrology is a core part of your daily praxis and cosmology, Astrology for Writers is an excellent newsletter to join (and the discord server for paid subscribers is full of kind, helpful, and compassionate fellow creators). Boiling down complicated information into salient perspective, as well as relevant points that help your creative path, is Jeanna’s gift, and you don’t want to miss out.
If you struggle to show up to the work as a writer (who amongst us does not?), Jeanna has put together a group container to help form a disciplined practice of writing with like-minded and encouraging creators. The next round starts on November 1, 2024–and I think is going to make this cohort the powerlifters of writing, considering we’re heading into the holiday season. If you can create a writing practice during this time period, I think it’s safe to say you will probably keep it up year round. And honestly, I can think of no better coach–both compassionate and firm–than Jeanna.
Bane Folk
Sarah Lawless is a bit of a legend in occult circles. As far as the modern renaissance in occult herbalism goes, especially the use of poison and psychoactive plants, it’s clear we have Sarah to thank for paving the way. She’s also one of the few people in the online occult space who completely stands in her convictions of inclusivity, integrity, accountability, and being fully informed. Her ethics and care have been a model for my own practice, and that alone is huge nourishment.
But wait, that’s not all!
Sarah creates powerful healing ointments, insanely enchanted perfumes (Mandragora is one of my go-to every day scents, and I’m hoping to try Absinthe, Damiana Rose, and especially Water Lily in 2025), nourishing natural skin care (the Mugwort-Rose body oil is so luxurious for my sensitive skin), and inspirited flower essences for connecting with plants on a more personal level.
Sarah is not interested in using plants extractively for “spiritual enlightenment” that bypasses responsibility, care, relationship, and reciprocity. Everything she creates is done so with loving responsibility and attention to detail, often bioregionally, and particularly with the view that the mundane and spiritual are intertwined. This is why her products are centered more on healing (a direct embodied relational experience with plants), as well as safe spiritual journeying (if you’re looking to get high, this won’t be your jam).
Working with poison and psychoactive plants is not to be done lightly, which is why Sarah has trained extensively in clinical herbalism, medical formulary, and botany. Of all the poison-based products I have tried since 2019, Sarah’s have had the highest efficacy and best safety warnings.
At the beginning of this year I had a surprise surgery on my nether regions that put me on bed rest for months. My healing is in large part thanks to the Baume D’Amour ointment, which was soothing and safe for me to use when nothing else was working.
I’ve also worked with the Bone and Joint Ointment, Dream Balm, and Muscle Balm extensively for the last few years, and can’t recommend them highly enough.
If you’re ordering from her, please keep in mind that Sarah is a one-woman show living in rural Canada as a single parent. It takes some time to receive your order, but it is 100% worth the wait.
Ishpiming Astrology (Alex Mikinaak)
After speaking with thousands of my own clients, I know I’m not alone in feeling untethered from a sense of place–that deep rooting of “home” in your bones. I’ve been so restless and desperate for that feeling that most of my 20s was spent roving the planet trying to find somewhere that would give it to me.
If you’ve felt this aching longing as profoundly as I have, let me introduce you to
.Combining their perspective as descendant of the Turtle Mountain Ojibwe with their combined talents as a teacher of history, deep researcher, and astrologer, Alex has a deep well of compassion and insight that I believe is perilously needed for our current shapeshifting and uprooting time.
A few months ago I was given the immense gift of receiving a Place-Based Relations reading from Alex, in which my longing for home was finally put into words that I didn’t have for myself.
In that session I felt completely safe, as Alex paddled us out into the mysterious ocean where the topic of home is hard to discern, and they taught me how to find my way.
Their historical insights blew my mind, connecting the lineage of my family and the cultures they participated in, to this pressing feeling and compulsion to find something that felt more authentic to my personal values and relational needs.
Giving me context was like finding the right star to set my compass by, helping me become aware of the path being shaped by the waves surrounding me, so I could understand how to start a healthier relationship with place–no matter where I actually am.
Their sessions are healing, informative, incisive, and unlike anything I’ve experienced. And their books are open for November–so grab a spot while you can.
The candles are nearly stumps, the fire is burning low; we’re all feeling sleepy from full stomachs and warm from full hearts.
A nice chill breeze blows through the hall as the doors are opened for everyone to walk home from this beautiful time we’ve spent together in fellowship.
Twinkling above us, the stars sing us home, until the next time we sit to break bread together.
Thank you Starling, for being witness and co-celebrant in this ritual Feast of Gratitude.
I’m surrounded by kind, brilliant, and revolutionary creators who work hard to nourish everyone they encounter. I hope you’ll check out their offerings and leave them a kind word.
LOVE THIS
Amaya, I am crying. This is so kind and generous and I long to feast with you in person! But in the meantime: my spirit sees yours and is so grateful to know you.