The Care Neighborhood

I like Fall as a time of year to turn my attention homeward.  On the other side of the world from me, it is Spring.  That is also a time when I am thinking about home, intentionally cleansing and organizing my space.  So starting on the Equinox and ending at the Full Moon, The Care Neighborhood offered Home Blessings, a bit of Cottage Magick each day.    Day One: A fresh herb wreath.  This one uses basil and 2 types of sage from our gardens. How do you welcome the changing of the seasons? Day 2 : A bath time brew. This spooky color comes from a bath bomb from the local farmer's market. What's in your bath tun cauldron?   Day 3 : Snuggles with a pet.  Our homes are blessed by our animal friends and family.   Day 4 : Pajama Party! It's fun to wear your comfy and festive clothes.  Clothes can be self-care and glam magick?  What's your go to cozy outfit?   Day 5 : Pumpkins! These gourds are symbols of prosperity and protection. Day 6 : Care for the home in your heart. Not e

Earlier this month, Daniel from Poignant Passing and I began a conversation about grief in this time of the pandemics of COVID-19 and Racism.  You can find the video of our chat below. (I hope y'all give us some grace about the casual production.) Please comment below if you have any grief coping that you want to share with our community .  We’ll continue posting strategies for coping with grief.  We’re here to listen and hold space for what we’re going through.  For now, let us stay compassionate with ourselves. Love, Mariela Janelle

Happy Mental Health Monday!  Here’s a little post about overcoming addiction.  This is from my personal perspective, not meant as professional health advice. (For a different option, here is the National Institute on Drug Abuse approach.) I hope you find this caring and nonjudgmental.  Maybe it is helpful even if you aren’t specifically dealing with addiction, but simply striving to be your content and authentic self. My perception is that every story of addiction is different. Using the Enneagram, I identify my personality as type 7- The Enthusiast, and that means I’m motivated by pain avoidance.  So in my perspective, the main plot is that a person feels bad and uses something to feel something other than that bad feeling. At some point the use can shift to abuse; in other words, the use hurts health - physical, mental / emotional, and/or relational. The use/abuse brings more bad feelings, and leads away from the life the person wants.  I’m using the word addiction to descri

Yesterday, July 11 was "Cheer up the Lonely Day."  I found this out while looking online for what do people celebrate in July.  It seems like any day can be a "DAY." And the national days range from profound to absurd.  I've heard of Umbrella Day, Pi Day, Star Wars Day, Talk like a Pirate Day, etc etc etc... Anyhow, I was glad to learn that "Cheer up the Lonely Day" is a thing, because it seems like the kind of thing we need right now.  There are so many chances to be lonely.  Many of us are maintaining physical distance, limiting our in person gatherings, avoiding normalcy crowds, spending time on video meetings - holding a carefully crafted paying attention persona.  Many of us are grieving losses that provide chances to feel isolated.  Many of us experience fear and anxiety about the future.  I am wondering: What does life look like in this odd reality of an ongoing pandemic?  What kind of grief and loss is yet to come? One of the main reasons