Hey Newsletter Fam!
It's been a while since my last monthly update - five months to be exact. Initially, I beat myself up over being gone for so long, but I've come to realize that I was energetically exhausted and didn't have the bandwidth for monthly newsletters. And you know what? That's okay. Sometimes, self-care means stepping back and honoring my capacity. I can't give what I don't have.
In this month's newsletter:
- Boundaries as Medicine
- Lessons from my Motherhood Intensive
- Embracing my Cozy Era
- Bronx Nature Walk on October 20th
- Dallas, Texas see you soon!
- Exciting new research project on Dominican Folk Herbalism
- Vecina Mediation: Connecting with Your Ancestors
- And more...
This a long, juicy email filled with love and intention. If I'm not your vibe and my energy no longer resonates with you, please unsubscribe. Thank yeww!
Back in March, I committed to something I was excited about and walked into it super passionate, ready to bring my magic and business expertise. Fast forward five months, I found myself constantly flustered and energetically depleted. As a Generator in Human Design, frustration is my "not-self" theme. It's my body's way of letting me know "this aint it" and that I am out of alignment.
Sitting with these feelings revealed a deeper truth: underneath all that frustration was a whole lot of sadness and disappointment. You see, my mother wound has a way of manifesting under certain conditions and this was the perfect environment. I thought I had the awareness to catch it creeping up in certain scenarios, but baybeee it was subtle AF ๐ฎโ๐จ There's really levels to this. My lessons are now on the subtle energetic realm. Not loud. Not always obvious. Very sophisticated. Very simple. Very profound.
And thats the thing about healing.
It isn't a cute little straight line. It's more like trying to untangle your favorite necklace - just when you think you got it figured out, BAM! Another knot ๐คฌ
We're constantly revisiting stuff we thought we understood (hi mother wounds), finding new layers and deeper truths each time.
My biggest takeaway this season?
One of my superpowers is enduring intense environments while caring for others. But doing it at the expense of my own needs and emotions...at this big age? Nah. Can't do it.
This realization?
Both challenging and liberating, like finally taking off your bra and letting them titties hang at the end of a long ass day. Whew!
How do you recognize when you're out of alignment? What practices help you honor your boundaries? Let me know!
Let's get into this cosmic tea, shall we? Since July 2023, we've been riding this wild wave called the South Node in Libra transit and its all about... relationships!! Our first relationship? The one with our mothers. Let that marinate and sink in because if you're in this community I'm sure maternal injuries is something you struggle with too ๐
Anyway, this astrological telenovela is running until January 11th, 2025, and it's all about reassessing our connections - with others and ourselves. Having this astrology context really helped me understand what has been happening in my relationships since 2023 and also gave me major clues about my experience the last 6 months.
For me, this transit has been pushing me to set firmer boundaries - something I've always struggled with as a people pleaser (Libra Rising gang gang). Prior to this transit, I thought I understood how to prioritize my needs and say no without feeling guilty, but the lie detecter determined that was a lie. ๐
So, here are some South Node in Libra questions for you to sit with while sipping on your fav fall drink:
- How can you balance your needs with others without feeling like you're being selfish?
- What relationship patterns are you holding onto that need to go? (Like that ex you keep texting at 2 AM or the toxica friend you keep around because she's been your BFF since middle school - let them go, Reader)
- Where in your life do you need to channel your inner bad bitch and set some firm boundaries? (emotional, spiritual, physical, financial, sexual, personal, intellectual, digital)
- How can you find your inner zen and create inner safety, even when life is dragging you by your baby hairs?
Remember, this transit is like a cosmic makeover for our relationships. It might be uncomfortable, like wearing new shoes, but trust me, once you break them in, can't nobody tell you shit. You look good, girl!
This messy, and sometimes ghetto, healing spiral is such a gift. Each time we go around, we get closer to being our truest, most authentic selves. And that, my darlings, is exactly what we came to do in this lifetime. Be our most unapologetic, weird, magical selves. And idk about you but I'm determined to make this my best lifetime yet!
I had barely unpacked my suitcase from the most magical time back home in New York when my comadre, Denisse called asking for help during a family emergency.
For a little over two weeks, I was on full-time Madrina duty, taking care of my beautiful godbaby while her baby sister was hospitalized. I've done my fair share of caretaking throughout my life, but talk about an updated crash course in motherhood and gentle parenting! The baby, thank goodness, is doing much better now and is ok. And me? I came home with a heart full of gratitude, love and some serious life lessons.
This motherhood intensive and immersion into family life brought me a lot of aha moments. I sat with my inner teen often, as I couldn't stop thinking about certain traumatic circumstances in my life led me to grow up quickly. As a teen, I had to work to provide for myself, contribute to my family and deal with a lot of shit no teen should ever experience, taking on responsibilities that were beyond my years.
In that process, I struggled to honor my inner child (did I mention I am an Aries sun aka the CHILD of the zodiac?!). How could I, in a world where I had to be responsible for myself at such a young age? I never really got to be a teenager. Instead, I had to jump straight into being an adult, and to be honest Iโve always struggled with this duality - being either the mom/responsible adult or the child, never feeling like I could be both.
But during my time with Denisseโs family, something clicked. I realized that I could be both the child and the mother within myself. Itโs not about choosing one over the other, but rather embracing ALL aspects of my personality.
I went back and sent my inner teen lots of healing energy, letting her know that she never had to pick. She could be both. She had options and the inner safety to honor the wholeness of who she is.
I can't even begin to explain how liberating and healing that was for me. And don't even get me started on the healing energy I received from being around them babies. Children are healers and have powerful medicine if we can be present long enough to receive it.
I had no idea how transformative being immersed in that family setting would be for me and I am deeply grateful for how present and aware I was able to be during my time there. Grateful for the gift that was this Motherhood Intensive and Denisse's beautiful family.
During my stay, Denisse introduced me to the concept of the "cozy lifestyle" and cozy gaming. If you're wondering WTF is that lol, cozy living is all about comfort, self-care, and creating a nurturing environment. The Danish have been on this wave - they call it "hygge" (pronounced hoo-ga). Hygge embodies the art of creating joy and coziness in life's everyday moments. It's about warmth, comfort, and connection โ both with others and with yourself.
Ya'll this is SO ME โ I just didn't know there was a name for it!! I feel like I found a missing piece of myself and stumbled into a whole new corner of the internet that I absolutely love. Something about this whole cozy lifestyle resonates deep, activating my inner child and making me feel seen in a new and magical way. ๐ฅน
Since stepping into my "Cozy Era," I've been allowing myself to indulge in child like activities I've always love more often, without guilt. This includes:
- Coloring in adult coloring books, letting my creativity flow freely (there's a whole genre of cozy coloring books ya'll ๐ซจ)
- Playing cozy video games on my Nintendo Switch that offer a relaxing, low-stress gaming experience (Denisse put me on to Fae Farm and I loveeee it)
- Reading books on my new Kindle, getting lost in stories and new worlds
- Taking plenty of naps, honoring my body's need for rest and rejuvenation - especially during this wild ass eclipse season
These simple activities have become fun ways to create deeper balance in my life, honoring my need for both productivity and rest while allowing me to nurture both the responsible adult and the playful child within me.
For those of you who may have had to grow up too fast, I hope this inspires you to reconnect with your inner child and to find ways to nurture both your responsible adult and the playful, creative little girl within you.
I'm sooo excited to continue exploring and sharing my cozy era with you all. In my next newsletter I'll share more details about why I consider myself a COZY BRUJA, the cozy bruja lifestyle and some fun ideas I have for those of you who feel like you might be one too! ๐ง๐ฝโโ๏ธโจ๐ฎ
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Due to popular demand, Grounding in the Bronx is back! Just like before, weโll be embarking on a magical journey through the hidden natural gems of the Bronx (Riverdale to be exact). Hereโs what you can look forward to:
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Herbal Wisdom Nature Walk (9:00 AM โ 12:00 PM)
- Begin with a centering cup of tea
- Explore local plants and their medicinal properties
- Practice grounding techniques in our urban landscape
- Discover the Bronx through new, herbalist eyes
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Lunch Break & Integration (12:00 PM โ 1:00 PM)
- Time to reflect, be in community or simply be with nature
We only have 4 tickets left so if you're interested in attending please reserve your spot asap. Click here for more details or click the button below to register!
I'm heading to Dallas this week to speak at the Latin Wealth Summit presented by Cosign Magazine and Latin Wealth. During my session, I'll be sharing insights into the creative strategies and business moves I made to go from content creator to profitable business owner. If you live in Dallas or the surrounding areas and are available this weekend pull up! I'll be there with my girl Emmelie, and would love to meet some of my Texas Vecinas! Click the link below for tickets.
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I'm thrilled to share a project that's been close to my heart for some time now. Throughout my herbalism studies, I've been flooded with sweet memories: summers in the Dominican Republic brewing tea or making jugo de noni with my grandfather and sipping spoonfuls of remedios prepared by my great-grandmother. As an herbalist and healer, she often crafted botellas (bottled herbal mixtures) for anemia, reproductive health and other ailments.
Earlier this year, when a friend was dealing with fibroids, I asked my mom for our family's botella recipe. To my surprise, she couldn't remember all the ingredients. I ended up finding a YouTube video to share with my friend, but had to translate it since she doesn't speak Spanish.
This led me down a rabbit hole to search for practical Dominican Folk Herbalism books in English that documented these traditional recipes. While I found some studies and research papers on Dominican Medicinal Plants, I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for.
This gap in accessible knowledge has inspired me to embark on a journey to document and preserve the rich tradition of folk herbalism in Dominican culture. My goal is to create an English-language guide on Dominican folk herbalism, specifically for children of Dominican immigrants like myself.
This project is more than just a guide โ it's a bridge between generations, a way to honor our roots while embracing our unique identities as children of Dominican immigrants and the diaspora. It's about preserving our ancestral intelligence, nurturing aspects of our culture and making this wisdom accessible to a new audience. Through this work, I hope to connect the comfort and healing of traditional remedies with our modern lives.
Here's where you come in:
- Do you know any Dominican elders with knowledge of traditional herbal remedies?
- Are you aware of any resources or organizations focused on Dominican herbalism?
- Would you be interested in supporting this project by sharing your families personal remedies, plant wisdom and stories?
๐ฟ Share Your Ancestral Wisdom: https://forms.gle/723jpY336Rz7RjKN7โ
This isn't just about collecting information; it's about creating a living testament to our ancestors and their knowledge. If you feel called to contribute, I invite you to share not just the recipe, but the names and stories of the ancestors who passed this wisdom to you. Was it Mama Altagracia's special tea for colds? Your Tรญo Jose's jarabe for coughs? By naming our ancestors, we honor their memory and keep their wisdom alive.
I'm also seeking residencies, grants or research opportunities to dive deeper into this topic. If you have any leads or connections in this area, please don't hesitate to let me know. Thanks in advance for the support!
Journeying deeper into our herbal heritage is a homecoming for all parts of me โ the healer, the scholar, the roots-seeker, and the innovator. I find deep comfort and healing in the wisdom our ancestors left us, and I'm committed to amplifying this message by giving life to this project on behalf of the collective.
I believe this could be a beautiful way for us to preserve our rich herbal traditions together, benefiting not only our generation but future generations to come.
Stay tuned for updates on this exciting journey, and don't hesitate to reach out if you'd like to be involved!
Coming Soon: Vecina Guided Meditation Series
To wrap this long ass email up (I swear I gave y'all the 5 months of content I missed in this one email alone lmao)
Exciting news... I'm launching a guided meditation series, starting with an ancestral journey meditation. It's perfect timing as we enter fall โ the season when many cultures believe the veil between worlds thins, making ancestor connection stronger.
This meditation will guide you to connect with an elevated ancestors' wisdom, guidance and strength. I'll be dropping it this sometime this month and will slide in your inbox with more details soon.
Reader, I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to read this and engage with my work. Thank you so much for the newsletter love and energy exchanges.
In Gratitude,
๐ฎ Interested in Working with Me? Book a Sessionโ
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๐น If you've found value in this newsletter, consider buying me a coffee or flowers. Your support helps me continue creating and sharing insights with our community ๐ซถ๐ฝ
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