I wanted this to be an upbeat happy summer post. To be celebrating berries and green beans, the first satisfying tomato sandwich for lunch. July is still early for summer here. Though there have been hot days, the oppressive feeling of weeks of relentless warmth hasn’t wilted my enthusiasm for sitting out on cement porch steps eating an ice cream sandwich that tastes more of nostaglia than deliciousness watching the last of the sun turn a few clouds pink and smelling wet dirt as everyone waters their garden. But all around in the US right now is loss and oppression which makes the heat worse and my heart heavy.
And I’m still striving to maintain those little moments of joy though. To appreciate hearing the neighborhood red-tail hawks calling, to marvel at how fast the wildness of nature takes over my yard in what feels like a blink. The news and the state of the country does dig under these moments though. It says “enjoy it while you can” and I try my hardest to say “yes, because everything changes even that which we think is ”.
The July moon is often known as the Buck Moon, a time when the deer are experiencing a specific change of their own. The antlers that male deer shed in winter after the mating season is done and then they start to regrow in spring. But July is when the antlers explode upwards, growing up to an inch a day (fun fact, this the fastest bone growth in the animal world). Antlers are only a dude deer thing for fighting and posturing during mating season EXCEPT for reindeer. The reindeer ladies have antlers that they keep past mating season to protect their food sources during their pregnancies. So antlers are pretty much annual head weapons.
Since I can’t grow weapons out of my head to fight all the oppression happening around me, here is what I am doing:
Reading. When I don’t have a book to unwind with at night, I turn to that nefarious pocket device that lies to me with promises that it can do everything for me. And then I’m sucked into the bad and feel powerless. Reading a good story reminds me of a human trait that I love, our need to tell stories and how we do that so creatively to understand our wold. Is there some escapism going on? Absolutely. But also joy and recharging and critical thinking (something so desperately lacking right now). GO READ A BOOK! It will help, I promise.
Connection. All the activist writers I follow are talking about how important this is and you know what? They aren’t wrong. Seeing friends, family, neighbors, colleagues and acquaintances in person fills our cups up in a way online communication does not. A friend passed away in spring and my husband and I went down to her memorial in California. Not only did we get to be a part of honoring and celebrating her life and hearing all the ways she touched people’s lives, we also reconnected with other friends on the trip. We brought desserts and ate dinners at friends’ kitchen tables, staying up talking and sharing.
At the end of everything, these connections are what we leave the world. They’re worth every minute we invest in them.
Writing News
I don’t have a lot of updates on my writing for June. I’m working on the next book to Pacific North Witch. The thing with my writing is that I’m never short on ideas just time!
If you haven’t picked up a copy of Pacific North Witch yet or know someone who would enjoy it, it is on sale this month with my publisher, Not A Pipe. Grab a copy now! Peruse the other books also on sale and get that summer pile filled out:
Pacific North Witch Book Sale!
And if you’re looking for ways to support my lovely little novel and have already read it, please take a second to review it. Reviews help drive other people to give it a chance.
Thanks for reviewing and sharing Pacific North Witch!
July Tarot Card: King of Pentacles
The talented Tarot writer Rachel Pollack ascribes one word to embody the theme of each card and the King of Pentacles is wealth. Kings in the tarot are mature cards of authority with a lot of the weight of that authority in responsibility. Pentacles are the element of earth so they tend to represent the more practical and physical aspects of life: work, security, money, body. The word I think of when for Pentacles is rooted. The imagery around pentacles includes a lot of abundance of nature: vines, flowers, animals. The King of Pentacles is a positive card, an embodiment of success, wealth and security with generosity. He has gotten there with hard work but now he is enjoying the good life.
The flip-side of the card is insecurity and money worries. It can also be a reminder to not shirk responsibilities in favor of your own comfort. It was hard work that got you to this place and while you deserve to slow down and enjoy it, don’t forget what is owed for your status.
A note on my Tarot practice: when I shuffle and draw cards in a spread, I typically don’t let them get turned upside down in my method. Part of this stems from anxiety early on in my learning of the Tarot; an upside down card meant the reversed meaning and they were almost always negative in my mind. So I started shuffling them with care and reading the reversed meaning as a reminder of what could happen. Now I let my intuition guide me toward the meaning that feels right. I’m more comfortable with both the Tarot and myself to know that the reversed meaning holds its own lessons for growth. We can’t avoid the hard parts of life but we can always learn from them if we let ourselves.
Reading Recommendations
I couldn’t tell you to go read a book and then not list any, could I? Here’s the latest two. They both trend towards lighthearted fantasy romance.
Sorcery and Small Magics by Maiga Doocy
An enjoyable fantasy of two rival classmates with opposite personalities who end up in a shared curse and their adventure as they quest to find a way to break the spell. The world was set up nicely with clear rules of magic and social hierarchy. The two characters could be irritating, particularly the main character, but the tension and flaws lend themselves well to the story. The book did end on a clear setup for a sequel which isn’t out yet.
The Geographer’s Map to Romance by India Holton
This was a pretty wide curve from my usual books and while I enjoyed it, reading it felt like trying on a shirt that I know would be fabulous for someone else’s closet but doesn’t fit in mine. It is good to try on new things, read books outside of your usual shelf. I would describe this book as a quaint but spirited tale of two young professors in a strange marriage who finally realize how in love they are through danger and adventure. It’s a nice escape read. I think my main beef with it wasn’t anything in the writing or plot but that the premise works because of a lack of communication skills. A common plot device in all media, that can wear on me since I also experience that in my day job in HR.
Take care and stay cool, my fellow witches. Use this time to grow some head weapons.
I, too, have been reading nightly. I find it to be one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways I can resist in these times.