10 things this month

Monthly resource roundup #1 - December 2022

My dear friend, if you’re celebrating — happiest holidays!

I’ve decided to launch a new series. On one Sunday every month, I will share a monthly resource roundup — things I’ve seen, watched, read, learned, or bought that brought me insight or joy. I’ve enjoyed this format from other writers and believe it will also be a great opportunity to share more of the things I’ve found valuable outside of the structure of my bi-weekly articles. I hope you’ll enjoy!

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10 Things Worth Sharing In December

1. As I’m getting ready for a little Christmas solo retreat in Topanga Canyon (my soul home), I’m looking forward to one of my favorite annual rituals: new year’s journaling. I reflect on the past year and think about my intentions for the new one. I’m using this free template by writer Susannah Conway which she publishes for free every year.

2. If you’re in the mood to treat yourself to a new accessory for your upcoming journaling session, I recommend checking out this curated list of mugs. Not just any mugs, but mugs that trigger a ton of joy. I know, I know, capitalism is bad, and I will try to keep purchase recommendations to a minimum, but these are such great gifts — to yourself or loved ones.

3. Last week, I heard writer Anne Lamott share something in this Ted talk that for the love of god has not left my consciousness — “care is the soft side of control”. Ugh, it’s haunting me.

4. It has come to my attention that there’s a movement of people watching the new Avatar movie on mushrooms. Naturally, this is something that I absolutely must do (and will report back once I have). Just a PSA now, because I almost went this week (sober) and I’m glad I didn’t because I would’ve had to go again.

5. Big news! After resisting for over a year, I’ve decided to bring my content and messages to Instagram. If you’re on there, go give me a follow @thejourneyarchives. My intention is to communicate more informally and regularly on there and use it as a two-way street (as opposed to TikTok and this newsletter). I will pilot it for the next three months and see how it goes.

6. I’m super hyped to start a 10-week meditation course with one of my dear teachers in January (she’s absolutely divine). If you’re interested, you can check out her course here — it’s affordable and beginner-friendly.

7. I’ve been listening to Bill Evans on repeat lately. If you’re looking for chill Jazz vibes that give a *subtle* holiday feel, give him a listen.

8. If you’re not manifesting yet (whether for the new year or not), please reconsider. I wrote down a handful of things last January, some of which were quite unlikely to happen, and all of them came true. If you want guidance on how to do it, let me know.

9. I’ve been doing weekly hypnotherapy sessions to integrate my most recent Ayahuasca ceremony, and my guide introduced me to the concept of the axiom which has really stuck with me. An axiom is a self-evident truth, denoting that whatever we believe in will create our reality. As Henry Ford said, “whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right”. Hence the need to manifest. This wasn’t news but a good reminder. We want to make sure our belief systems don’t create a reality that is a sad, self-fulfilling prophecy.

10. I’m currently listening to Living Untethered, a sequel to Michael Singer’s eye-opening The Untethered Soul (perhaps my favorite spiritual book of all times). If you don’t know his work yet, please give it a try — you won’t be disappointed.