Tending My Own Fire
“‘But there’s fire you must tend to every day.
The hardest one to take care of is the one right here,’ he says,
tapping his finger against his chest.
‘Your own fire, your spirit.
We all carry a piece of that sacred fire within us.
We have to honor it and care for it. You are the firekeeper.’”
~ from Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
I've begun a new practice this year of doing things that specifically nourish my heart 💗 mind 💗 spirit 💗 body.
Not that I wasn't doing any of that before, but this year I'm being more intentional.
My word for the year is "nourished" so this is aligned. But let me just say, it's a practice. I'm not acing it in most areas. But I'm trying.
Many mornings I spend time reading from a giant stack of books in the very cozy reading corner of my studio. Some days I first light a candle or two and tend to my studio altar. Some days I pull a card or two from my oracle and tarot deck collection. And I always brew a cup of tea. These mornings are the best.
I'm not perfect at it. I forget sometimes that I've made this commitment to myself. But I'm trying to remember to do it every day or almost every day. And so far, even in that imperfect way, it's making an impact.
And I have to say, it's really something. This practice is doing something important. I am feeling less anxious, more purpose driven, more inspired. I feel excited every morning when I enter my studio that I "get to" sit and read.
The funny part, of course is that I could always have given myself permission to do this. But all the other things in my life and business were usurping the power.
In choosing "nourished" as my lighthouse this year, I am centering the ways I know nourish me. And in recent years, reading, a lifelong passion, had fallen away. (Hadn't stopped buying books though!!)
It takes effort (for me at least) to make the time to do it. And I'd even found that my attention span was suffering with so much more time on social media. So, in carving the space out for reading actual books, in making it a commitment, I have strengthened my attention muscle all the while caring for my mind and creative spirit. New projects have been flowing like the floodgates have opened on an old dam.
And to have this joyous nourishment in the midst of the world falling apart, well, that's important. If I'm nourished then I'm more resourced to respond to the needs of the world, my people, my partner, my community, my work.
Feels like a solid move.
All this to say: Tend your heart, your hearth, your personal fire.
