𝒔𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒉𝒂 𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒍

What could be more spiritual than not knowing? What could be more spiritual than an open, wandering, curious mind? Spirituality is not inherently religious, and in fact, I think it is something that the most atheistic of people can practice and hold.

I am so lucky to do the things I don't always want to do.🩷
Not only this, but I have the power to make those things even sweeter. I have the power to sprinkle joy in every moment. ✨

I started to think about my younger self and all the parts of my life that she would be in awe of. I grew up in a very isolated and controlled environment, and even though taking my dogs on a walk every day is tiresome, I would have been thrilled to be able to take a walk by myself when I was young

Romanticizing my life gave me the strength not just to live my life and push through, but I started to love my life again... or maybe for the first real, authentic time ever

I imagine that the creative self is not like this. If the attentive self is Monica from Friends, the creative self feels a bit more like Phoebe.

I have been resisting the call of the creative life and world and self. She’s always been there, waiting for me. And, finally, without meaning to, I’ve invited her in.

My attentive/social self is exhausted. She’s been running the show, trying to make me “good.” She’s the one who makes sure I am smiley and cheery, even when things are crumbling. She makes sure I’m likable, flexible, and “chill.” As Taylor said, “I cry a lot, but I am so productive, it’s an art.”

Yes, this administration is dangerous and cruel, but they are also shockingly dim and incompetent.

Opportunities are everywhere.

Make everything as hard as possible. Resist every demand. Refuse entry without a warrant. Don’t take the buyout. Their problem solving skills are 📉

It’s important to know that a lot of productive activity is happening in person and offline, too.

Not all of it can be broadcast online, but we’ve had hundreds of people showing up to our trainings, mobilizations, and more.

Keep going. Tyranny is eroded by a sea of small acts. Everything matters.

“Marigolds are the most resilient flower. I… had to be more resilient than most did at a young age. And if my knowledge can help women feel less isolated in their struggles and thoughts, then I would say I accomplished my goal.” - @stangirl1989.swifties.social

open.substack.com/pub/forthema...

also, only having 24 sheets to last a year is nice because my “over achiever” self wanted to write 10 letters in one sitting because it was fun to write 1, lol. this forces me to slow down and savor the experience… and this mindset of mine is why i don’t drink 😂😅

just finished writing my 2 letters of the month 🩷✨💫🌿❄️ my goal is to write 2 letters every month because i have 24 sheets of personalized stationary. it felt very intentional and also very vulnerable and thoughtful in a way a call or text doesn’t feel. highly recommend sending a loved one a letter 🩷

i’m working on an article about places to donate, places to shop, subscriptions to consider changing, etc. does anyone have any good recommendations that i can include? 🩷

✨🌿☁️stop trying. take long walks. look at scenery. doze off at noon. don’t even think about flying. and pretty soon, you’ll be flying again ☁️🌿✨

rewatching kiki’s delivery service and having it teach me about burnout and rest wasnt on my bingo card today, but it was much needed 💫

my body is asking me to slow down and i haven’t been listening. now i think it’s slowing me down to make me listen

open.substack.com/pub/samantha... 🦊✨🦊✨

open.substack.com/pub/samantha... 🦊💌🦊💌

🩷💌🦊✨

i’ve been in the practice of keeping a commonplace notebook. this is my first art i’ve made in mine. 💚🐝✨

my therapist told me that the heart is the queen bee - it has an electromagnetic field 5000x more than the brain and takes 100x more energy than the brain. i thought that quote was so gorgeous!

waking up on tuesday january 21:

nothing will stand in between my heart and my soul and my arms that hold space for my loved ones and my community

open.substack.com/pub/samantha... 💌✨💌✨

is anyone else so exhausted and drained this january? 😴 i think i’m spiritually hungover from my nightmare of 2024 and absolutely dreading what’s to come politically in 2025 and it’s leaving me paralyzed

my christmas present to myself 💌✨🤭

It’s easier to pretend that you’re on the side of the oppressor than admit you’re just as much prey as all the people who you are targeting. It’s not just not being a “girl’s girl,” it’s delusion.

There is a side of me that wants to show people from my past the person I have become and keep becoming. I’m nowhere near healed (no one is) and not without flaws. I want them to know the new me. I want them to see the ways that I have changed. And, sometimes, that actually isn’t helpful to anyone.

sometimes grief just finds me. it feels like my heart will stop. the wild scream wants to claw out of my throat and my limbs want to fall to the floor, and my mind does what it does and starts to leave my body. and i’m left, this wild, primal, raw animal and also this small, broken, hollow shell.

holding all the pieces of myself together is a new challenge. one where i can talk about my grief if i need to, but people don’t assume i need to unless i bring it up. it’s challenging to be stricken with a grief episode

if i were to bring honey to the bear in my own woods, in the shadows of my soul, in the part of my that contains ancestral knowledge and wisdom, what would she say?

i took my vision board a little too seriously and had to make one big one, then 3 little ones 🤪✨