Peaks and Flops
On seasonal thresholds and the liberation in letting go.
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Next week is the Summer Solstice where I live. Maybe it is for you too. Or maybe it’s the Winter Solstice. Appropriately, I’m thinking about peaks and flops.
Flops, because my book agent emailed me yesterday and told me my new book, Rainbow Power, wasn’t selling quite as well as expected in the US since its release in late November. And while it’s only been two weeks, I’d be lying if I said it didn’t make my shoulders flop momentarily. Especially because my period is due any minute and it’s known to send me into a dark hole five days out of every month.
But upon letting my ego have a tantrum, I remembered some of the things I know to be true: that so-called flop moments are an okay and necessary part of not only the process, but the end products too. I didn’t write it to be a best-seller (it couldn’t be more niche), I wrote it so that witch-curious creatives and creativity-curious witches would feel inspired and empowered in their magic and self-expression. Also: I wrote a book! My fourth! I have much to be grateful for. And I firmly believe in the essential nature of swings and roundabouts. Remembering all that feels like a peak. *Also, read to the end if you want to help give the book a boost.
Peaks also, because it’s year-in-review season where the made-up Gregorian calendar encourages us to take credit for all we’ve done, tried, reiterated on, expressed, and attempted, big or small. And no matter what your year looked like, it’s a “peak” moment that you got through it in one piece. I’m celebrating you for that.
If you’d like a supremely easy way to witch-ify your solstice, think of it in terms of peaks and flops—as the eternal circle of light and dark on which our lives rotate. I recommend lighting a candle, picking up a tarot deck and a journal, and asking yourself:
Peaks: What were the “high points” of my year? What lit me up the most and why?
Flops: What were the low points? What drained me the most and why?
Centre: What remains deep true for me? How can I regain a feeling of centredness among life’s ebbs and flows right now? What tools can I call upon to steady myself as I cross this seasonal threshold?
Tarot card of the week: 10 of Swords reversed
One of the first descriptions of the 10 of Swords I remember hearing from my first tarot teacher is, “Well, at least the worst is over!” However, only with acceptance. Acceptance of pain. Acceptance of the endings of things. And acceptance of a gift too: the gift of an “out”.
How is the 10 of Swords Rx an out? Because in inviting you to peer at the inevitable conclusion of what’s in front of you—and to let it go. Because you know how the saying goes—say it with me now—”let go or be dragged”.
The curtain must draw closed on all things. We all know that. But weirdly, it’s often easier to say farewell to the things we deem good than it is to loosen our grasp on those things that hurt us the most. Humans have an inbuilt negativity bias. It’s kept us both alive and famously unhappy as a species. We remember what sucks and replay it over and over in our mind. Most of us are still mentally coming up with “come backs” to conversations or situations that ended years ago.
I often, without at all meaning to, will daydream about travelling back in time into the body of younger me but retaining the mind of my current self. The traumatised part of my brain whisks me backwards into pivotal, life-changing moments and I imagine saying “this” or doing “that”. I could have stopped this from happening. I could have avoided that. I could have saved this person. I could have saved myself from that. I could have used my sharp tongue and further developed brain to serve justice to those who wronged me and mine, like a sword.
This is what our brain does. It’s not an indication that something’s wrong. Just that, in being human and living a life, we endure difficult things. And while those things are in the past, they can be hard to let go of.
And indeed, they can never be let go of instantly. One hypnotherapy session isn’t going to cut it. And so, disappointed in ourselves for not “moving on” quick enough (thank you industrialist culture run-off) we revisit the pain over and over. If we could just understand it better and from all angles, then we’d be ready to move on and do so in a flash. Right?
We will never feel ready to let go of a perceived injustice. That’s why doing so is considered a divine act in more than one world religion. But when we set the intention of acceptance, acknowledge endings, and practise detachment, we liberate ourselves. We get to be free.
The phrase “let go of what’s no longer serving you” has got to be the most overused phrase on witchy social media. But it applies here. Because yes, this card is asking you to consider what you need to let go of in order to liberate yourself this week. But also, consider the “serving you” part with discernment too. There is plenty of food for the ego-identity in martyrdom, victimisation, having an enemy, and being wounded by (however real and legitimate) an injustice. But that food is like candy, it tastes addictively good at first but it won’t nourish you. It’ll leave you with a headache and an ulcer.
While it’s impossible to take away your hurt, or right the wrongs that have been imposed on you, relief from suffering is very much, and always, possible. You’re not a victim you’re a survivor.
Don’t rely on a perceived advantage or any certainty you think you have in a bad situation or conflict (with yourself or others, past or present) right now. Don’t spend time wishing you had the illusion of advantage or “justice” either. In mind games as in war games; the only real winning move is not to play.
Instead, focus on your own future and how you’re going to make it brighter. The gift of an “out” is always available. Take it.
Book a January tarot reading.
Recommendations
This newsletter will be taking a break for the next two weeks, to close out the year. So I’ll see you on the flipside. But not before I leave you with some recommendations
What I’m reading: Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanely Robinson. I’ve been reading this for what feels like the entire year and once you read it, you’ll understand why. You’d be taking breaks too if you saw headline after resigned headline that seemed lifted word for word from this sobering book. It’s realer than real in its portrayal of climate change and all the corporate machinations and empty political platitudes that cause it—as if it were written yesterday or today, if not tomorrow.
What I’m dancing and prancing to: On The Shore by Trees. A 1970 album from English folk rock band Trees who dissolved a year or two later. Lead singer Celia Humphris had no interest in folk upon joining, having trained as an opera singer. That, combined with their dark appropriation of traditional folk and knack for writing lyrics that make zero sense but sound perfect when sung, makes it a classic.
What I’m listening to: This Jungian Life. I’ve been subscribed to this podcast since 2018 but only recently, began devoutly listening. Every episode is an imperfect yet fascinating starting point in auditing your own relationship to, and references for the collective archetypes we bump up against and make meaning from daily. Excellent for creative inspiration too.
What I’m watching: The Green Knight dir. David Lowery. I watched this film for the first time on an airplane and recently again at a grand old cinema. The second time was better. But you don’t have to see it on the big screen to feel big amounts of spellbound. It’s stunning and a totally original adaptation of Arthurian myth that feels magically modern in its take on values, virtue, failure, integrity, and what makes a human human. The Lady’s monologue on the colour green (another teachable moment for another stubbornly foolish hero!) is truly legendary.
Also TV wise: by far the best program I watched this year (aside from the brilliant White Lotus obviously) was Severance. It’s on Apple TV+ so just sign up for a free trial, if you don’t have it. It’s beautifully shot, funny, scary, and satirical in the way all things deemed satire should be.
How to work with me in 2023 *:･ﾟ✧
Rainbow Power: My new book is Rainbow Power: Manifest your dream life with the creative magic of color, and it’s out now wherever good books are sold. It’s both a beginner’s guide to working magically with colour and a manifesto on living a creative life. P.S. Amazon reviews are a big deal industry-wide and it would mean the world to me if you left one! There’s an industry theory that the higher the Amazon rating, the more likely independent stockists will come across it and order it. <3
Tarot reading: Tarot readings make the best holiday presents! Buy a gift certificate for a loved one, or book a 2023 for yourself. My books are open for January right now.
Creative coaching: Come Alive is my three-month 1:1 coaching series for creatives, dreamers, and weirdos. You can learn all about it (including plenty of past client testimonials) HERE. If it piques your interest or you have questions for me, just respond to this email and I’ll book us a complimentary 30-min Zoom to chat through it!
Xo Jerico
loved this email Jerico! I'm sorry you had that shoulder slump moment! Hopefully some day I'll at least publish even one whole book and I feel like oh, that'll be enough, and of course it won't. I too will want to be a giant bestseller...even if I don't necessarily even consciously want that. Anyway. I'm writing to tell you that your Neo Tarot book & deck have really made an impact on how I read the cards. I'd always only ever used the Rider Waite Smith deck - yours was the first deck I'd ever bought for myself, and it's coincided with a tarot reading renaissance in my life. And a self care renaissance in my soul.