On my heart this week.
Last Wednesday I got back from my 3-week trip to Amsterdam and it feels so good to be home and jet lag free! Travel always has a way of expanding my consciousness and I was telling my therapist this afternoon that this trip (my first time on a plane in 16 months) felt like expansion to the 1000th power. While I was away I ate my weight in tacos, had an intimate relationship implode (it was time), got to know and understand shadowy sides of myself that I’ve long avoided, and grew an even fonder appreciation for the haven my wife and I are co-creating here in Winston Salem, NC.
My greatest takeaway? A renewed commitment to truth-telling. In the shadows I realized how many wounds I’d patched with half truths and white lies out of fear of being seen, a refusal to own up to actions that harmed others, resistance to endings, and discomfort with having what I desire. When I revisited all those places, it may have stung a little, but the balm of truth mended me in ways that my fabrications had tried and failed at for years.
And you know what? I love it here. So the rest of this week’s offerings come with the intention of helping you find and maintain your own truth for healing.
Gifts for your growth.
♋ My favorite vocational & business astrologer, Ashleigh D. Jay taught me that New Moons offer us a chance to plant seeds in dark, rich soil for the things we want to grow and manifest in the area of our lives where it lands. This past Friday ushered in a New Moon in the sign of Cancer and I used these affirmation-style horoscopes from Chani Nicholas to help me set some clear intentions for the cycle ahead.
✨ If you’re interested in understanding the cosmos a little better, I wrote this essay on astrology as a gateway to fulfilling your creative potential.
Fuel for the week ahead.
💎 I’m still in awe of this stunning profile Saint Heron put together on the story of Linda and Cecil Womack. It’s such a beautiful possibility model for liberated family structures and uninhibited living. The storytelling, creative direction, overall execution — it’s fantastic, y’all! Savor it here 👉🏾 “The Womack Originals”
🎧 🎶 This week’s Seven Bops playlist is worthy of a good cocktail or (mocktail)under the sun with your feet kicked up. Find it on Apple Music or Spotify and enjoy.
That’s all for now. Be good to yourselves and I’ll see you next Monday.
Love always,
HMKM
From Holley, With Love • Monday, 071221