Presently is a little collection of my favorites things this season; simple joys and ideas worth sharing around the topic of living a more soulful, heart-centered life.

In this summer season, I am presently…

Reading

… a handful of books that, as it turns out, all share a theme of the universal, archetypal journeys we each move through and understanding the life-death-life cycle that is woven into our nature as human beings.

Maiden to Mother: Unlocking Our Archetypal Journey Into the Mature Feminine by Sarah Durham Wilson (affiliate)

Sarah Durham Wilson is a women’s rites of passage leader and writer who’s offerings are rooted in archetypal Mother work. Not just for those who choose to raise children, the journey to archetypal Mother is one of unlearning who were told we had to be, by our parents, our peers, our cultural conditioning and awakening to the possibility —and responsibility — of who we truly are and what we are here on earth to do. Sarah has a gift for delivering incisive, heart-piercing insights that along with historical context of pre-patriarchal cultures, will convict you that another way is possible and the first step of dismantling systems of oppression in the outside world is to dismantle the systems of oppression we’ve internalized within ourselves. If you don’t already follow Sarah on Instagram, you really should. She will make you uncomfortable and you will be better for it.

Also on my bookshelf right now:

A Reckoning by May Sarton (affiliate)

How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell (affiliate)

Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estes (affiliate) - on my third annual reread because it’s just that good.

Harvesting

… herbs galore, but not so many flowers. This year I’m growing apple mint, two types of oregano, lemon balm, lavender, three varieties of sage, thyme, rosemary, catnip, mountain mint, feverfew, echinacea and yarrow.

There’s an adorable family of rabbits living our yard this year! But sadly, they ate the majority of the annual flower seedlings I planted out in mid-May. I have yet to get a single bloom from the Kilimanjaro white marigolds I was so excited about, because they keep getting chewed off by rabbits. I thought marigolds were supposed to deter them, but not this variety evidently! Though I’ve heard the saying, “If something isn’t eating your plants, your garden isn’t a part of the ecosystem” — so I can’t be too upset.

From my winter sowing project, the wild bergamot and Dalmatian peach foxgloves have fared the best! The rabbits have left those alone so I’ve got several healthy looking plants of each. I did start another batch of seeds in mid-July with the hopes of having some zinnias and scabiosa for cut arrangements by early fall.

Embodying

…the carefree, playful spirit of summer. It is so easy to focus on our responsibilities and obligations and neglect the things that bring us joy. This season, I’m making a concerted effort to focus on play and pleasure. For me that’s looked like dancing like a fool at a family wedding, late night talks out sitting on the porch with my husband (even though we are perpetually tired parents), taking the baby and my coffee to the creek behind our house to start our day and making a playlist of all my favorite songs to sing along to so I can listen to them all day on repeat.

If you are also a fan of a chill, vibey mix of Americana, folk and nostalgic early 2000’s music, check out my Midsummer playlist on Spotify. It’s what we listened to at the Midsummer Gathering last weekend! I recommend listening to it on shuffle for the best listening experience. There are nearly 100 songs on here and I didn’t feel like painstakingly perfecting the order.