One Word & Lunar Beginnings

A decade ago, I adopted a practice (which now seems to be commonplace) but at the time I felt like it was a personal revolution of thinking entering into the new year. I ditched the ever disappointing ritual of mandating resolutions, a strict reminder of all the ways I would fall short, and instead set intentions.

One intention.

One word.

A theme for the year ahead.

Have you ever tried it? Maybe some of you have, maybe some of you will now. Does something come to mind?

In those early years, my rule was that I forbid myself to think about it. It had to come up organically, intuitively, like popcorn on the eve of the new year. It felt more like hearing the divine whisper of a prophecy rather than directing my own future.

The year that I unexpectedly conceived my son, my word was “Expand”. Oh how little did I expect the rich, hidden, and twisted implications of such a word! Heart, soul, and belly – my capacity was certainly expanded. I heard the cosmic  The irony was never lost on me. A cosmic giggle.

Over the years, either from maturity or necessity, I’ve relaxed the standard in many of the processes of my life. My word no longer needs to be seeded by angels into my subconscious to bloom into a revelatory insight on the Eve; I let myself ponder on it, try something on and then refine or pivot. Yet simply choosing a word (or a phrase) has continued to be a grounding practice that I delight in each onset of the year.

Through enough cycles of this practice now, I’ve learned that etching a word into the year ahead by no means drapes the certainty of that essence onto the future. Rather, it is welcoming in, and rising to, each opportunity where the spirit of the word is available. You don’t merely summon the quality just because you have named it, though that was exactly what I expected in the early years of this practice.

To put this concretely, last year my word was “Strength”. In the choosing, I had to acknowledge that I wouldn’t be then just magically invoking impressive strength. Instead I was inviting in situations and circumstances in which strength was required. I was accepting the practice of strength and the challenges that would undoubtedly surface in the name of getting stronger.

This December proved to be overwhelming for me. I didn’t follow through on my cherished New Year rituals, like resetting my home environment, organizing my digital world, and vision casting the year ahead.

Instead of wallowing in the wake of a missed opportunity, I set my sights on the Lunar Calendar New Year, the New Year celebrated in many Asian cultures, the first new moon of 2025 – in this case January 29th.

This year my word is  C R E A T E .

I am liberated by the fluidity of all that it could encompass.

I am delighted by its unpredictable potential.

I cannot wait to reflect on the clever ways it weaved its dazzling influence throughout my year.

But to hone in on the preconceived notion as it sits in my heart –

create ART

create HOME

create BABIES

create RITUALS

create NEW FRIENDSHIPS

create DEEPER COMMUNITY

create STREAMS OF INCOME

create CHERISHED MEMORIES

Embody the inherent creatrix that is all women’s birthright, fully committed to the act of bringing life, art, beauty, vitality, and richness into the world. Into my world. Into my family. Into my body.

By summoning the nature of CREATE, it demands me to finally, unflinchingly confront my demons: perfectionism, comparison, self doubt, procrastination, and judgement.

Rekindling this Substack is part of my pledge of commitment, it’s the first act of initiation into my Year of Creation.

When I began this newsletter in the fall of 2023, I had a vision: a polished, purposeful space. I wanted Earthen Mother to be something bigger than me—a clean, sophisticated brand that others could see themselves in. A space to inspire, to connect, to resonate.

But I stalled out before I could give that vision a fighting chance.

And I think that’s because I'm not clean or polished. I don’t have a perfect plan or even a clear sense of what I’m building here.

What I do have is a love for writing. 

An urge to create AND release.

I am the Earthen Mother—not a concept, but a living, breathing, messy reality. Dirty hands, milk stained shirts, soft tummy, tear-streaked cheeks, and a fair share of belly laughs. I stumble, I swim, I dance, I create, and I destroy.

Maybe that’s the sustainable essence of this project in this season: messy, come-as-you-are, jotted down between nap time and loading laundry.

Creation isn’t tidy, and neither is life. Life is wild. It’s unpredictable, even in its mundanity. It’s the living art we do every day. And here, in all its inspired chaos, is my playing field this year (& beyond).

Create > Consume

Creativity > Stagnancy

Just Fking Do It > Piddle Around in Uncertainty

Intrinsically the methodology of creating is to birth outside of yourself, into the world something that was once part of you. Therefore this year’s venture is as much about releasing as it is about crafting.

Too often, my potential creations fade away—left as unpublished drafts or half-beaded jewelry lost to the abyss of the closet or fleeting ideas that dissolve back into the ether before given a chance at manifest.

Here I am publishing the newsletter—unrefined, stream-of-consciousness, written in a single day, and untouched by my usual cycle of incessant, obsessive proofreading and editing.

Publishing to get it out of me, and then build on it. See what inspires from there. Trust in my creativity to be worthy enough by itself.

Being as much the eager spectator as the excited maker. Let’s see what these hands do next…

So if you’re anything like me, here is an official invite. You have one more week to extend that fresh-slate energy with me, and take a lunar chance to crystallize the vibe you’re going for in 2025.

What’s your vision?

What’s your theme? 

What’s your word?

Drop me a comment, reply to this email, or journal it for yourself — but spell it out, don’t let the moment pass. It’s simple but powerful, you’ll see.