Hey Reader,

I know you've been dying to hear what happened in Salem.

Last week, I went to Boston for a work conference and stayed the weekend for a solo trip to Salem. I've never done a solo trip in my life, so I was a little nervous but mostly excited. And friend, if you've never done a solo trip (for purposes of healing your soul), I highly encourage it. Here's five things I learned:

1. Prioritize being around people you vibe with. It's magical to experience a sense of belonging you didn't realize you were missing. Being in Texas, I can be a little hesitant around bringing up my passions for Tarot and all things witchy. But in Salem, I found myself striking up conversations with shop owners and getting all sorts of cool recommendations for new card decks, books, and places to visit. This experience has given me a bit more courage to look for people around me that enjoy what I enjoy.
2. It's ok to vibe all by yourself. I've always enjoyed alone time, but I sometimes use it as a form of escapism versus self-care. In Salem, most of my time was spent walking the streets and exploring shops with my headphones on blasting music. Alone time should always be used with intention. Set an intention to recharge versus avoid. The action may look the same on the outside, but they way you feel on the inside is different.
3. Remember that you are a human first, role second. I'm Ally, and I have a whole ass personality outside of being a wife, mom, colleague, daughter, sister, friend. It's important to feed your human so that when all your roles shift or disappear, you still have a you.
4. Absence can give your shit a hard reset. I don't leave home often, and this time I was away for FIVE days. My dear husband was in charge of three kids, activities, dogs, house etc... - and it was a lot. One night while I was away, we spent a good chunk of time having a deep conversation with each other that we hadn't prioritized when we were 10 feet from each other. While the distance was difficult, it actually brought us back to a closeness we'd unintentionally back-burnered.
5. One can never have too many Tarot decks. That's it.

Salem gave my soul the attention, belonging, and healing that I needed in order to come home feeling refreshed and ready to recalibrate.

Now, not everyone can up and leave for a weekend, but I'll challenge you to think of ways that YOU can give your soul some attention. Maybe it's a spa day, or joining a book club. Maybe it's going to dinner by yourself to just sit with your thoughts.

What could that look like for you and your situation?

Read this shit, learn something, then do something. Even if it's just finding one small way to give your soul attention. You've got this.

Also - if your soul feels a little lost, get yourself the "What's my Life Purpose" exercise in my list of shit below.

Weekly Tarot Card.

As you probably guessed, I bought a new Tarot deck (actually two, but you'll have to check back to see the other one!).

Today, we've got the Two of Pentacles Reversed. This can represent tension or instability in your life that's leaving you feeling unbalanced. Maybe you had an unexpected expense come up or a big change at work. These can knock all of us off kilter. What's important to remember is that it's temporary. You'll recover, just start taking small steps to get back to where you want to be. Just because something big and unexpected happened, it doesn't mean you have to push back just as hard. Progress to regain balance is made a little at a time.

Another shameless plug: book a 3-card Tarot reading so you can see more of these cards and how they can guide you!

A Powerful Question.

What's got you off-balance (a little or a lot)? What's one small step you can take to get back into balance?

See ya next time.

Celebrate prioritizing your well-being and growth by reading for this email.

You're a bad ass and you're doing great things.

Cheers,