Do you ever wonder: have I aimed myself in the correct direction?

Direction is important; it provides a sense of alignment between ourselves and the universe.

Here’s how I establish alignment:

• I sleep with my head facing North.

• I perform my meditation and mantra with Ganesha at my back.

• I keep the doors open to allow energy to flow through my space.

• I place my devotions facing South because I’m working with Ratna Dakini - the energy of expansion, feelings, sensation, and abundance.

Do you ever wonder about the path you’ve chosen?

This month, I’ve received little ‘winks’ from the universe that let me know I’m on the right path.

Winks is the word my friend used when I told her about two experiences, and I loved it.

Here are my winks:

1. I went for a long walk without a destination. I chose a random side street and discovered my name on a board beside a tattoo parlor. I’ve had a photograph of the Dakini’s sword on my phone for weeks because I wanted it tattooed on my wrist. Guess who sat down for an impromptu tattoo?

2. While editing and checking my writing submissions, I found a website with a writing contest themed for the word Seraphim. In the submission, they asked how the word aligned with your work. I submitted two short stories.

3. I landed on the website of a woman who’d published a book titled Seraphina. The author is into Science Fiction and yoga… sound like someone you know? I cannot go into the intricate details of this process for privacy reasons; however, I can tell you that it felt intimate and weird to see myself (and my name) while researching something for work.

That’s three times in under two weeks that I’ve come across winks.

I’m taking it as proof that I’m where I need to be physically and energetically in how I show up for my work, writing, and in my new living space/city.

As I work with Ratna energy, I’ve been dressing in gold, dusting my dinner with turmeric, and waking to be with the sunrise as I do reiki.

I’ll share more on the Dakini as I develop my rhythms and ways of working with their energies. If you’re interested in learning independently, I can recommend the work by Lama Tsultrim Allione.

Sending gold light,
Seraphina

A Season of Strawberries

The cat sleeps on the road where the rain cannot touch it.
I bid her to come inside, but she would not follow me.
She prefers the familiar discomforts to the unknown.

Winter in Istanbul is mint, mud, and roasted hazelnuts.
Fındık: it is low to the ground and guttural.
I crawl with palmfuls of dried food to the feline.

You’ll be warmer inside, I say as she licks her limbs.
She rolls her eyes and runs up the apple tree.
Stripped of Her audience, the boughs yield no fruit.

I’ve dressed in a red skirt to tease the men with my ankles.
Gold jewels spin around each shin.
The men hide behind little teacups and long mustaches.

The eye is always watching, the feline says.
Kneeling, I break an egg.
The cat shakes her head: you’re doing it wrong.

No is its own passageway to pleasure.
It stays low to the ground.
Hear it with your whole body.

by Seraphina Dawn

Shiv Oss -

“What matters is that you connect to what comes through you
To establish & maintain that connection
you need to be in a state of grace
which comes
as you so well know
from an unbending intent & openness to the unknown & the unknowable
within yourself & the creation
One indication is that the writing takes on a life of its own & surprises you
What has surprised you lately in your work
That's the reward for all that sacrifice & sweat
Publishing is just a roadside attraction.”

Quote of the Week:

That’s writing for you: when you make space for passion, it doesn’t turn up.

Rachel Cusk

3 questions to brew on:

• How do you create alignment within and around you?

• What is your direction? Where have you aimed?

• What are your winks?