Motherhood is like being an archer - Aim for the stars no matter what
Things I am certain of entering 2026
This December, I celebrated my birthday the whole month. I leaned into the vibration of what it means to be a Sagittarius and the symbolism of the archer. Interestingly, I was born in a month that is the darkest one of the year. Maybe that’s why I’m on a journey to self-discovery and why I write the topics I do, to find the light within the darkness.
You don’t have to be a Sagittarius to embrace the symbolic archer.
You can aim like an archer, pulling back on the bow and pausing like preparation. Directing that preparation towards love, peace within, purpose, courage, and renewal with so much self-compassion that it’s annoying how much you care about your heart.
The arrow is like a shot flown through the air with unbridled trust that it will land with certainty. The journey of this arrow carries the spirit of moving in the darkness, however small the movement might be. Finding the trust within the uncertainty and having the certainty that the unhealed wounds will carry you through it all.
Here are things I am certain of that I will be cultivating this year:
Love - decide to nurture relationships that lift and inspire you
Peace - create new ways to find peace within for igniting calm and clarity
Purpose - take steps that align with your truth
Courage - face the challenges bravely, standing up for what matters
Renewal - release what no longer serves you
It’s all a choice.
What will you choose?
What will you reclaim for yourself?
What will you fight for?
It is your birthright to have blessings, to declare them out loud, to believe in your destiny. In darkness, the small light, the spark, even with a wound, it creates a journey forward, and destiny becomes a co-creation with the unknown.
I love my darkness and shadows because they have taught me so much.
There is no destination, only the journey and how you decide to pause, reveal, and maybe pivot to a new way of thinking.
As I continue to sink deeper into myself with trust for the soul that I am I find this force. It’s older than fear. More stable than doubt and wiser than chaos.
As a mother, I am not always soft. Sometimes I am like stone, unwavering in silence. The strength in silence that connects to the love that holds this presence that never departs.
This is what motherhood looks like. Carrying what is heavy, doing the needful work quietly because it’s all worth it. Dare I say holy? It’s love in motion, refusing to watch what is precious become broken, silenced or forgotten.
Finding faith in the darkness with your eyes adjusting to see only a few feet in front of you.
It’s the same with faith. You can have faith in the darkness with the lights on and make the whole journey that way. Choose curiosity, joy, and certainty in the uncertainty.
I’m not here to be anyone’s guru, and I’ve been through some deeply dark and tough moments, and they still plague me at times.
However, I continue to find my way out. I share what I’ve learned and feel compelled to because that’s who I am. And if it helps you in any way, then I’m thrilled. I’m here to show you that you have everything within you to have joy and contentment alongside the heartache.
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I’m about to complete the Mindfulness Mentoring Program as an extension of the Mindfulness Mentoring Teacher Certification Program I received in 2023 with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. I am still finding much depth in these mindfulness practices to name thoughts, feelings, sensations, and to build new neuropathways for more self-acceptance and patience.
I am here if you would like to explore what it would mean to engage in a deeper practice.
Here are a few mindfulness recordings I’ve completed in partnership with Strawberry Moons Media. - Click to listen.
Find me also on Insight Timer for guided mindfulness - Click to Listen
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Beginner’s Mindset
Most recently, I shared the practice with a group of people ages 70+ at a local community center. I could sense the resistance from some and openness from others. Guiding this audience in short time frames worked well, followed by a few poems I shared, and then they wrote some reflections. It was a fulfilling experience to engage with this group, and I hope to do it again soon.
I shared this story with them - the Zen parable, the Tigers and the Strawberry.
A woman is running away from tigers. She runs and runs and the tigers are getting closer and closer. When she comes to the edge of a cliff, she sees some vines there. She climbs down and holds on to the vines. Looking down, she sees that there are tigers below her as well. She then notices that a mouse is gnawing away at the vine to which she is clinging. She also sees a beautiful little bunch of strawberries close to her, growing out of a clump of grass, so she looks up and she looks down. She looks at the mouse. Then she just takes a strawberry, puts it in her mouth, and enjoys it thoroughly. - Pema Chödrön interpretation
What shows up for you when you read this?
The fear above and below from the tigers perhaps represents the past and the future of uncertainty and uknown. The predicament is that if the woman lets go, she will be destined to her fate of death, which is inevitable whether she lets go in the moment or hangs on. Our tendencies in life are to focus on the tigers, not the strawberry. When we stop and take that strawberry we can find more gratitude for life as it is.
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While I find these practices to be helpful, I have a deep toolbox of modalities I utilize for my own curiosity. I will be bringing some of these to you beginning in January through my podcast. I can’t wait to share these fun conversations with you. It’s all about raising the vibration, shifting the energy away from the forces that want to keep us in fear and with a scarcity mindset. These podcasts will most certainly open your curiosity.
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Upcoming Spicy Soul Mama Podcast Guests:
Nadine Kijner - award winning Tarot Reader and Astrologer, shares her wisdom of energy and intuition with a psychological foundation. We explore the energy coming up for 2026. Readings explore your specific questions to gain insight into what is happening energetically for you. Listen for a special new year discount on a reading with Nadine!
Nina Rao - Musician, teacher, and chantress, shares her wisdom as a mother and how her spirituality and meeting her guru, Sri Siddhi Ma, in 1998, impacted her. She is an accompanist of Krishna Das and tours the globe leading kirtan, workshops, and retreats with him and independently.
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Wishing you love and light in the coming year -
Shelley