They say the eyes are the window to the soul, but so many people can’t bear to look. Real eye contact, not the social kind, not the glazed over kind—but rooted, present, spirit to spirit connection? It’s rare.

There are thousands of ways to live. To communicate. To change our appearance with the tides of our spirit. Our style is a language. Our expression is seasonal. Yet conformity clips the wings of that expression before it even learns to fly. It stems from fear. Fear of standing out, fear of rejection, fear of not being enough. But more deeply, it stems from a belief that we must earn belonging.

We are not meant to live as an ongoing self-improvement plan. We are meant to live as beings in motion, in process, in relationship with our own unfolding.

Your inner voice is powerful.

Let it become a space of kindness.

Let it speak to you like someone who believes in your inevitable blooming.

You may have heard the phrase "raise your vibration" before. For some, it sounds vague, esoteric, or like something from a wellness influencer's mantra deck. But in truth, vibration isn’t about being better, more spiritual, or constantly positive. It’s about the frequency at which your thoughts, emotions, and presence operate—and how those frequencies influence what and who you attract into your life.

There’s no integrity in hiding. And yet, we all do it. Sometimes we go silent, step back, disappear—not because we’re at peace, but because we’re afraid. We dissociate not out of stillness, but out of fear of being fully seen.

But here’s the nuance: not all dissociation is the same.

The dove opens the portal of transformation.

The cormorant guides the descent into depth.

The heron keeps me steady in the liminal space.

And the blue jay returns me to the strength of my voice.

I do not seek meaning in myth alone. I watch the land. I listen to their flight. I gather their feathers as offerings. I thank them in silence.

These birds are not symbols.

They are relationships.

And they are teaching me how to live.

At the end of last year I started replacing those patterns with meditation. If I have two hours free in my day, I meditate. If I have one hour, I meditate. If I have fifteen minutes, I chose stillness. And something profound has shifted.

Loneliness among women is rising. Even in lives filled with social interaction, the depth is often missing. It's not uncommon to have dozens of online friendships but feel unsure who to call when your heart is heavy. Or to be surrounded by people in real life and still feel like you're performing.

There’s a voice that lives in the mind, subtle but persistent. It second guesses our instincts, imagines worst case scenarios, and replays conversations long after they’ve ended. It’s the voice of overthinking and future tripping, and it often masquerades as protection. But what it really does is keep us in a cage of hesitation.

Too much screen time doesn't just exhaust the eyes. It throws off our circadian rhythm, our body's internal clock that governs sleep, hormonal cycles, and cellular renewal. When our rhythm is disrupted, so is our ability to restore. Sleep becomes shallow. Hormones become erratic. And our skin, which regenerates most during deep sleep, begins to show signs of stress: dullness, breakouts, premature lines.

We’ve been taught to treat our skin like a battleground—to fix, fight, and erase every blemish, rash, or patch of dryness as if it’s an enemy. But what if your skin isn’t the problem? What if it’s simply trying to tell you something?

Before opting for paralysis in the name of beauty, it’s worth asking: Is the trade off worth it? Because while smooth skin may be the goal, connection is the foundation of human existence—and that’s something no wrinkle is worth losing.

And when you see a blue jay? Take it as a sign. A nudge from nature, asking: Where are you holding back your voice? Where do you need to speak louder? Your words have power. Your voice carries energy that can shift not just conversations, but entire environments. Like the blue jay, you were born to be heard.

If you're battling persistent acne, your skincare routine might not be the only culprit. Your makeup tools, especially brushes and sponges, could be secretly contributing to your breakouts. Makeup tools can harbor bacteria, oils, and product buildup that get pressed into your skin with every application—leading to clogged pores, inflammation, and stubborn blemishes.

The question isn’t about how to eliminate pain—it’s about how we approach it. How do we hold discomfort without letting it break us? How do we grow from it, instead of feeling crushed beneath it?

There’s a quiet moment that many women have experienced—walking into a room and feeling another woman’s eyes sweep over you. The unspoken glance, the look that sizes you up from head to toe. It's an ancient ritual of social hierarchy, a silent assessment of appearance, presence, and status. And while it might be subtle, it can leave an imprint.

But here’s the truth: those glances do not define you. They are not a measure of your worth, beauty, or value. More often than not, they are a mirror reflecting someone else’s internal dialogue, their own insecurities, comparisons, or conditioned beliefs about what it means to be enough.

Makeup can be a form of self expression, creativity, and fun- but for many, it has also become a daily expectation rather than a choice. The pressure to always appear polished can make the idea of going makeup free feel vulnerable, even uncomfortable. But stepping into your natural beauty doesn’t have to feel like a radical act. It can be an empowering journey toward self trust and confidence.

If the idea of going without makeup feels intimidating, here’s how to ease into it, embrace the benefits, and find balance between creativity and authenticity.

Every time we choose not to engage in gossip, we shift the collective energy. We create spaces where people feel safe, where trust can grow, where sisterhood is strong. We step into our own power, not by dimming someone else’s light, but by shining our own.

If words are spells, let’s make sure we are casting the right ones. May our voices build, may our speech bless, and may our words be tools for something greater than tearing others down.