Closing the Book on 2017, December 16: In 2017, I practiced… being self-loving and present. And the two walked tightly hand-in-hand. Two of Cups from Everyday Witch Tarot by Deborah Blake and Elisabeth Alba.

Between my dad’s passing early in the year and my mom’s health challenges, the most self-loving thing I could do for myself was be extremely present.

It was so extreme that it led me to be uncharacteristically unwilling to plan or confirm anything more in advance of a week or two, and even then I was clear that it wasn’t definite until the day came.

And an interesting result came of that practice: I was more easily able to connect with spirit energies, in a medium way. I’m shown that I slowed my always-thinking-ahead chatter and made room to hear and feel better at that medium level.

It’s fascinating to realize there’s an energetic difference between connecting with guides and angels in comparison to connecting with ancestors. Who knew?