Failing to accomplish a long-cherished goal is crushing, and we’ve all experienced it at some time or another. In the aftermath of failure some of us beat ourselves up. Dripping shame and resentment, we polish our self-criticism and enact a terrible spiral of negativity. The spiral ends with a retreat to our comfort zone, the place where we know we can succeed because we don’t try to do anything new or difficult.
Category Archives: Dear Diary
Current & Future Goals Update #1
Back in September I shared my list of goals for the coming year. I usually use the time from my birthday to the end of the calendar year to revise and update the list (should it need it). here’s my update.
2019 Goal: Reading (More) Books
I’ve just decided that in 2019 I will be reading all of the books on the Top 100 Fantasy Books and the Top 100 SciFi Books.
Here are links to the lists:
https://www.unboundworlds.com/2018/05/the-100-best-fantasy-novels-of-all-time/
and
https://www.unboundworlds.com/2018/08/100-best-sci-fi-books/
Current and Future Goals and Dreams (2018-19)
Each year I like to look back over the previous year, and then set goals for the coming year. Many people do this on Jan 1st; I prefer to do it on my birthday. I often refine the accomplishments and goals until my new year, Samhain, but the bulk of the work is done on or around my birthday.
These are my goals for the coming year.
Reviewing the Year (2017-18)
Each year I like to look back over the previous year, and then set goals for the coming year. Many people do this on Jan 1st; I prefer to do it on my birthday. I often refine the accomplishments and goals until my new year, Samhain, but the bulk of the work is done on or around my birthday.
Beltane Altar
Chakra Work: Foundation
This year my coven has decided to quietly embark on a couple of intermediate lessons for ourselves. It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to do more than just teach the class, and it feels really good to get into new things. Daystar is making salves for the wheel of the year; Cynnamon is teaching some of the live classes . . . and I’m heading up a series of lessons on each of the seven major chakras.
Jolabokaflod
This year we hosted a Jolabokaflod party, and it will be the genesis for future traditions!
We put together a brunch, invited friends, and gave them the rules:
- bring an anonymously wrapped book
- the book must be something you loved yourself, or that you feel more people need to know about
- We’ll all take a number
- Lowest number goes first and chooses a book
- Subsequent numbers can either ‘steal’ a previously unwrapped book, or choose a new one
- Books can only be swapped three times
It was fabulous!
Coming Out
(I’ve never shared this story publicly.)
Mabon Musings
I’m spending Mabon literally in the middle of an orchard. I’m in Italy and all around me they are harvesting apples and pears (the peaches were last week, melons the week before). The house we are staying in is 100s of years old and has been in the same family all of that time. There is a pomegranate tree in the garden, and I’m delighted to see one ‘in the wild’ because it’s so entirely new for me. When we aren’t cooking for ourselves, my husband and I venture uot to one of many local places where we are often the only Americans, if not the only ones speaking something other than Italian. We do our best to expand our vocabulary and laugh when they switch to English because we just aren’t very good at it.