Hello you.
It’s Sunday evening at 5pm. The sun has just set. And we are just past the midpoint of this mysterious, liminal, otherworldly February.
I am writing to you a bit late today, as the weekend winds down, because my wife and I have had a visitor staying with us. A very special woman, let’s call her Mary, who was once one of the youth that I worked with in a Methodist church back in a North Carolina before I ever moved to Europe. In fact, Mary and I have not seen each other in about 17 years. She was a mere 13 years old back then. And now, she’s a beautiful, inspiring woman. Finding her way. Creating her path. Doing important work. Discovering who she is and how she wants to live. She’s on a solo trip to Northern Norway right now and asked if she could come stay with us over the weekend - to visit, to catch up, to connect - as a part of her solo journey of self-reflection.
It has been an incredible weekend for me and for Lina, my wife. Even for Mary visitor, I believe. We talked and discussed everything about life the whole time she was here. The moments together were healing and beautiful. I was so touched and honored to able to hear much about her life throughout the past 17 years. I also learned about how my leaving way back then affected her - and others. And I was able to share things about the circumstances surrounding my leaving with her now that I would have never shared with her or any of my other youth back when I left. All of our conversations brought up a ton of very deep feelings and memories that I treasure, sometimes struggle with, and carry around with me to this day. It was such an incredible gift to have this time together.
The whole time was just magical for me. It was a chance to have someone from deep in my past in North Carolina, together with me in my life in Sweden. Acting as a bridge, connecting my worlds and my lives. Reminding me of who I was and who I am - of how much has changed within me, and yet, how much of me has not changed at all.
But, Mary has continued onward on her solo journey now, all of us vowing that it would not be another 17 years before we would see each other again. My wife and I are settling in at home for a Sunday evening of rest. So, I decided that it was time to light candles, put on some music, and connect with you before the weekend slips away.
I feel like, on the surface, this weekend with Mary was a beautiful visit after many years. And, perhaps I could just leave it at that. It was fun and cozy and great to catch up.
But my intuition whispers to me in the liminal, mystical energy of February to dive a little bit deeper. That this weekend meant so much more. And that there are messages and symbols to discover and interpret.
And while, I could spend the rest of this evening reflecting on everything about this weekend, I believe that I’ll need to let the magic and depth and power of Mary’s visit sink into me over the next few days or even months. I need to let everything simmer and marinate within me. I need to let the memories and feelings and insights rise up from within. I need to discern what I feel I am being called to - and what it all means to me right now, and going forward. There is a message from my soul, from Spirit, from my highest self, from the wisdom of old ways.
Something that will guide me forward into this new era that began back when I turned 50 and will only begin to unfold as this year does.
The card for the week
Amazingly, when I look at the oracle card for the week ahead that I pulled back on the new moon (January 29), I see a message of inspiration that will not only help us move into the second half of the tender month of February, but also a message to guide us deeper into twenty twenty-five and prepare us for whatever era we are entering as the year unfolds.
It feels like exactly what we need in order to help us practice discernment in the hidden meanings of February’s dreamy and difficult days, uncover messages and truths, and begin to emerge from the dark, quiet hibernation of winter.
This week’s card is the Altar card. I find this card so cozy and powerful. Let me tell you what I mean.
As an former minister in the Methodist church, altars have always been filled with deep meaning to me. I loved lighting the candles on the altar at the start of the service, marking a symbolic beginning of the weekly time of gathering together in faith. A time set apart for something special and meaningful. The candles on the altar table were also a symbol of hope and light meant to shine out into the world. But, there was much more to the altar than just the candles. With the changes seasons in the church, there were also changing colors and symbols on the altar. Bread and wine during communion. Flowers of the season. Nails and wood and black cloth on Good Friday, symbolizing death. Eggs on easter, symbolizing rebirth and new life. The altar table drew me in. It invited all of us to soak in the mood of the day, to participate and feel whatever emotions we carried with us as we gathered in that sacred space.
Altars everywhere serve as a way to physically represent and symbolize spiritual truths, stories, and beliefs. They are places where we can interact with the otherworld, laying down gifts and offering up prayers. At the altar, we bow our heads and sometimes even kneel or lie down, as an act of humility and presence, knowing that the altar is a sacred space. We leave our gifts of self, service, and sacrifice as an act of faith an commitment. We release our burdens and worries, asking spirits for intervention and comfort and wisdom.
Have you ever visited an altar in a building? Do you have experiences or memories of being at an altar? Or do you have an altar at home or somewhere out in nature? Altars don’t have to be anything fancy. And they are not just meant for saints and holy people. They are meant for each of us. And they are just a dedicated space where we gather symbols and tools of ritual and magic. Things like candles, crystals, cards, photos of loved ones, or pieces of nature. Anything of significance that symbolizes something important to us and our spirituality. A place that we can turn to for comfort or inspiration. A place where we lay down offerings or send up prayers.
I have a few spots around my home where I have gathered religious, spiritual, and natural symbols. But, this card challenges me to rethink the little mini-altars around my home.
This week is winter break. And that means that my time at work will be much slower. I will be able to work alone, spending time catching up and planning for the rest of the semester. But, I will also have time off. For the second half of the week I will be home, giving myself a long weekend to fill with all of the magical February activities I want.
And I believe that one of those magical February activities will be used to create one central dedicated altar space in my home. A place to lay down gifts from nature, photos of loved ones, and symbols of the season. But, also a place to pray and to listen. A place to not just look at, but to use. A space for gathering, just for myself - or my wife, should she want to use it as well. A place where we meet the mysterious and unknown. Where we dwell in the presence of the sacred and the holy.
Remember what I said about Mary coming to visit me earlier? Her visit represents a whole different time in my life. But, her being here has inspired me and connected me with who I was back then. I spent many Sundays with her by the altar at our church. Memories flooded back to me during her visit.
Somehow, whatever message I discern from her visit is part of my way forward. Through February and into a new era, a new phase, and a new beginning that lies ahead.
The altar that I create this week will be my first concrete step into my new era. Something of a bridge between who I have been and who I am becoming.
Perhaps that’s what altars really are. Spaces where we can just be who we are in the moment. A place to gather, as the seasons change and the years pass, where we always come back to the core of who we are, integrating the past and stepping into the future. But, at the altar, for just a moment, we are just present. Surrounded by the mystery, the sacredness, the simplicity, the symbols, and the reminders of who we are. Right here, right now.
The home altar that I intend to create this week will be a sacred place where I return often. A place where I can pause to dedicate myself to my path forward, remember the path I have taken, listen and feel the wisdom of loved ones, lay down my burdens, and release my prayers up into the universe.
My altar will be a safe space, a sacred space, a grounded space to carry me through the seasons.
One more thing before I send you my wishes for a good week.
When I opened up my Substack dashboard to begin to write this evening, I saw that I have hit 600 subscriptions. Although this is not about the numbers for me; but about what the numbers represent. There are 600 of you who gather here with me and I just cannot believe that. I am blown away. And I am so grateful and honored that each of one you, each one of your unique souls, has chosen to share this space with me. What a privilege it is to read and write and speak to you. What a gift it is to know that you choose to allow my words and images and reflections to be a part of your day. I am overwhelmed and incredibly inspired.
I just had to take a moment to recognize each of you. And to simply say thank you. From the deepest part of my heart and soul, I thank you for being here. For reading and listening and commenting and supporting me.
I would love to know if you have an altar at home and how you use it. Or, do you visit an altar in nature or in a church? If this is something new to you, why not consider creating your own personal altar space at home, or rearranging the one that you already have this week? It feels like the perfect spiffing up activity to do as we begin to awaken from our winter slumbers. A way to refreshen the magic in our homes and get ready for the season of spring. Let me know if you make any changes or create something completely new. Inspire me!
Until next week, my friend. xoxo. liz.
Playlist of the month
The earth is awakening from winter’s deep sleep, but it is not yet spring. Still, there are stirrings. And light is slowly returning. Feel the slow, sleepy predawn energy and the very first soft hint of the coming spring.
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