Monthly Refresh: December 2023
Oracle pulls, recipe shares, & what's to come next month
“Decide to look at things that you find beautiful or mysterious and write to someone about what you see, about why they are beautiful, sublime. Let them know what’s going on in the world. Give them some joy. Send them pictures.”
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Happy New Year!
This time last year I was, understandably, numb. Mom wasn’t gone even a month so you can imagine I wasn’t really in the “it’s a new year!” mood.
I spent the first few months of 2023 slicing myself down for not taking advantage of my (VERY abrupt) new freedom, after spending 8 years trying desperately to make business ideas work (spoiler: I was depressed, naturally, after losing my mom).
A lot of irrational beliefs and stories I’d tell myself started to bubble to the surface as well, and it took months to begin breaking. A lot of 2023 was centered around slowing down, deeply understanding that I am safe and stable right now, and teaching myself that I’m safe to be witnessed resting.
I took the year to go on lots of family trips and to meet family I never got to meet before!
I fell back in love with Human Design, and learned so much about who I really am.
So now this year, even though I still have work to do around what I struggled with last year, I am feeling SO much better about pursuing my desires in 2024. All while following my Human Design, staying open, and being flexible with whatever life throws at me.
I’m excited to see what a full year can do for a person who’s following an unconventional path!
Now, onto the rest of the first Monthly Refresh series!
In December, not much happened for me creatively! With the first anniversary of my mom’s death looming, I kinda focused on that. Afterward, I honed in on the holidays, and preparing for the New Year.
Even so, I’m excited to tell you that I had several bursts of inspiration last month that led to ideas I hope to bring to you in the future (all while not overwhelming you, or your inbox)!
I’m also patting myself on the back for embodying the identity of a writer and creative more and more over the past month (see podcast recs down below); it’ll help for who I desire to be in 2024!
Let me know what you’ve done creatively (or even ways you’ve treated yourself kindly for your future self and creative endeavors!) in the comments section.
Welcome to your monthly oracle pull! I pull two cards for you, and you quickly and intuitively choose the card you’re immediately drawn to. If a card is upside down, I like believing that it’s a really big message to focus on!
I love this as a practice for self-trust, and to help you target something(s) in your life your oracle card choice may help you focus on more clearly.
And your card is…
A - PILLAR OF LIGHT: Your vibration is rising. You are the oracle.
A BIG reminder here to take your power back! Remember that you have the power to create change in your life, or even how you respond to what’s happening within it and/or how you view the moves you make within it.
If you believe in a higher being, let it be known that you are part of the process of your life. You are co-creating with the unseen to make miracles and transformations happen in your life. But you are the vessel and the decider of what you make of your life overall.
B - AWAKENING: Energetic upgrades. A new way of being. Integration.
This year is the beginning of a new version of you! No matter how incremental the steps, know you’re meant for change, and any amount of change matters and counts.
You’re ready to start integrating change into your life; what would you like to upgrade about your life, and what’s the first, smallest step you’d be able to take today to begin or prepare yourself to start?
Don’t overthink it! Stay open to the discovery of yourself and what’s meant to be created for you and your life. You’ll know it when you feel it, then begin stepping toward it.
Which card did you pick? Let me know how much it resonated!
I watched an interesting animated video about animation before computers and discovered you can buy original hand-painted cels of frames from original Spongebob episodes online!!!
You ever quietly scream when you spot new growth on your plant? Yeah, me too.
HelloFresh’s street corn pasta is SO good! HIGHLY recommend buying a bottle of Tajin (I have the low-sodium one and it tastes great!) next to your bowl as you eat!
Another HelloFresh rec because it’s SO tasty and easy: panko breaded BBQ chicken with hot honey, and crispy (actually!!) diced potatoes… You literally salt and pepper chicken breast, slather some sour cream on one side, and press the crumb coating in the recipe on top! I found a recipe for the smoky BBQ seasoning, and you can make my own hot honey (honey, a little distilled vinegar, and a dash of cayenne pepper)
A Manifestation Babe podcast episode where Kathrin was interviewed, and the messages she shared really got my mindset straightened out–just in time for the new year!
And lastly, another MB podcast episode about shifting your identity as someone who already has what they desire, but how to do so in a sustainable and obtainable way. I listened to this while washing up and toward the end I truly felt like I was massaging money into my skin when I was putting on my face moisturizer! I hope you get to experience that too!
I’ve been working through the book, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (bookshop.org affiliate link) and don’t have any thoughts on it yet. And I recently grabbed volume three of One Piece (I know, I know…) from the Libby library app, so no true favorites yet except…
I really enjoyed
’s list of 100 things! SUCH a unique list–I saved it!
Living Late(ly)’s Forecast
What’s to look forward to in the upcoming month.
In the first month of 2024, I’m planning to:
Release the hair autonomy essay mid-month
Start a different bi-weekly series to potentially replace bi-weekly boosts (we’ll play with this for a bit! I’ll see if I enjoy writing this new idea and if you like receiving them)
Update things like my about page, welcome page, etc.
Any extras like voice memos and extra writings this month will be available to ALL subscribers! But next month on, that maaaay change ;)
I wanna hear YOUR deets!
Let me know what creative celebrations YOU had last month!
Also, let me know how much your oracle pull for the month resonated with you.
Any plans for this new month? Share what you’re excited about below!
And if you’d like to catch next month’s refresh and everything in-between, be sure to become a free subscriber!
I had a chuckle that everyone so far has picked B. When I looked at A, though, the question that came to me was, "Where are you being eclipsed? Is there something that needs shifting?"
Decompression in the post-mom phase; oh yes, I know that feeling of moving slowly out from under the shadow. May 2024 shine even brighter for you. 😎