WEBVTT - The Importance of Self-Preservation 0:00:11.840 --> 0:00:14.560 Good morning, peeps, and a welcome to woke F Daily 0:00:14.640 --> 0:00:18.439 with me your girl, Danielle Moody recording from the Long 0:00:18.480 --> 0:00:21.360 Island Bunker. You know, I often say to you that 0:00:21.400 --> 0:00:23.280 you need to take a break so that you do 0:00:23.360 --> 0:00:26.680 not have a breakdown. And with all of the compacted 0:00:26.720 --> 0:00:30.560 crises that we are dealing with at this time and 0:00:31.000 --> 0:00:35.400 making the march to midterms, there never seems like the 0:00:35.520 --> 0:00:40.200 right time to take a break. But I say that 0:00:40.400 --> 0:00:43.879 you have to make that time. And so for me, 0:00:44.280 --> 0:00:47.240 dear friends here on woke a F, I am going 0:00:47.280 --> 0:00:50.559 to be taking a much needed vacation so that I 0:00:50.600 --> 0:00:54.360 can rest and recharge as we head into what I 0:00:54.440 --> 0:00:57.720 believe is going to be one of the craziest falls 0:00:58.160 --> 0:01:02.560 we've ever seen. I have left you with eight amazing 0:01:02.640 --> 0:01:07.320 episodes that we have recorded back in twenty twenty one 0:01:07.319 --> 0:01:13.320 with some of the most thoughtful, engaging and insightful commentary 0:01:13.920 --> 0:01:18.680 that looks at our politics, our spiritual nature, our emotional 0:01:18.720 --> 0:01:23.039 well being, and a look inside frankly with some of 0:01:23.040 --> 0:01:25.840 the guests that we are bringing to all of you. 0:01:26.760 --> 0:01:32.440 These conversations have been heard by our amazing Patreon supporters 0:01:32.760 --> 0:01:37.559 who get video episodes every single day. Because of their 0:01:37.840 --> 0:01:42.959 belief and financial support of woke F throughout the years, 0:01:43.000 --> 0:01:45.959 and so I'm really excited to bring all of you 0:01:46.160 --> 0:01:48.840 across all the platforms that you listen to woke F 0:01:49.000 --> 0:01:53.440 daily on these episodes and these interviews that I think 0:01:53.640 --> 0:01:57.120 will be enticing to all of you. They hit on 0:01:57.160 --> 0:02:01.320 all of the major topics that we consistently discuss here 0:02:01.400 --> 0:02:05.760 on woke F, from racism to gender inequality, to police 0:02:05.800 --> 0:02:10.680 misconduct to wealth inequality, which my God, and the need 0:02:10.800 --> 0:02:14.720 and the need and the need upmost for spiritual connection 0:02:14.840 --> 0:02:21.960 and wellness practices that allow us to successfully maneuver all 0:02:21.960 --> 0:02:24.079 of the things that have been thrown at us over 0:02:24.120 --> 0:02:27.320 the past couple of years. And so, friends, while I 0:02:27.360 --> 0:02:29.880 will be out from the show, I will not be 0:02:30.000 --> 0:02:33.720 out of sight for the next several days, and so 0:02:33.800 --> 0:02:37.519 you can continue to follow me on Instagram and on 0:02:37.560 --> 0:02:40.799 Twitter at D two Cents, D E two c E 0:02:40.960 --> 0:02:43.840 n TF. Of course, I will be dropping in with 0:02:43.919 --> 0:02:48.040 my two cents and you can check me out on TikTok, 0:02:48.480 --> 0:02:51.519 where I'm sure certain that I will drop a few 0:02:51.600 --> 0:02:54.600 videos in the next couple of days, and there you 0:02:54.600 --> 0:02:58.560 can find me at Danielle Moody Underscore I hope that 0:02:58.639 --> 0:03:03.240 you all enjoy these next fantastic episodes that we have. 0:03:03.440 --> 0:03:06.600 Do drop your thoughts in the comments section, do hit 0:03:06.639 --> 0:03:09.400 me up in the socials. Just don't draw my attention 0:03:09.440 --> 0:03:13.200 to anything that is terrible because I'm taking a break 0:03:13.200 --> 0:03:16.120 from the news. But dear friends, I really do hope 0:03:16.120 --> 0:03:19.079 that you enjoy these next eight episodes and I will 0:03:19.120 --> 0:03:25.399 see you with brand new episodes after Labor Day. Hey, 0:03:25.400 --> 0:03:29.120 I'm David Plots of Slates Political Gabfest. As another election 0:03:29.400 --> 0:03:32.880 season accelerates, it can be tricky to sort through all 0:03:33.000 --> 0:03:35.760 the noise and the news. Each week, on the Gapfest, 0:03:35.960 --> 0:03:39.240 John Dickerson, Emily Bathlon and I decipher the headlines, break 0:03:39.240 --> 0:03:42.480 down the races, and tell you what issues really matter. 0:03:42.880 --> 0:03:46.240 We do not always agree, we definitely do not always agree, 0:03:46.560 --> 0:03:49.600 but we always deliver thoughtful debate and we always have 0:03:49.600 --> 0:03:53.560 a good time. So subscribe to Slate's Political Gapfest, new 0:03:53.600 --> 0:03:59.200 episodes every Thursday. It's no secret that the news is 0:03:59.280 --> 0:04:03.280 horsepill are to swallow. Thankfully, there's The Bituation Room podcast, 0:04:03.400 --> 0:04:07.560 hosted by comedian and commentator Francesca free Erntini, for a 0:04:07.640 --> 0:04:10.600 lighter take on the heavy stuff. Each week, The Bituation 0:04:10.720 --> 0:04:14.160 Room brings you progressive comedians, experts, and activists to break 0:04:14.200 --> 0:04:16.280 down the issues in a way that won't just leave 0:04:16.320 --> 0:04:19.440 you crying under a weighted blanket. Get the Bituation Room 0:04:19.480 --> 0:04:28.560 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and streaming on YouTube and Twitch. Folks, 0:04:28.720 --> 0:04:33.480 I am just always so tickled and honored when I 0:04:33.520 --> 0:04:38.080 get to have my friend, my big sisth Rissy kat 0:04:38.200 --> 0:04:42.560 okay day and join woke app daily. She is the cone, 0:04:42.680 --> 0:04:46.280 co owner of Black Magic Sisters and the co founder 0:04:46.600 --> 0:04:52.240 of strobe Apothecary. Rissy. Yes, my dear love, how are you? 0:04:52.360 --> 0:04:56.920 How have you been? It has been sometime, We've been 0:04:57.040 --> 0:04:59.440 living in a time and there has been a lot 0:04:59.480 --> 0:05:02.600 going on. So how how are you doing? So I 0:05:02.640 --> 0:05:05.840 am and so let me say preface this by saying, 0:05:05.839 --> 0:05:08.120 and I think because of the nature of this conversation 0:05:08.600 --> 0:05:11.720 and the way I'm showing up today, transparency is absolutely important. 0:05:12.080 --> 0:05:14.160 A very dear friend, the sister friend of mine, died 0:05:15.160 --> 0:05:19.480 earlier in January January fifth, to the exact Simon Briziando, 0:05:19.600 --> 0:05:25.160 and I'm in a grief fog. I am fighting very 0:05:25.160 --> 0:05:28.000 hard to be present because my life has got a 0:05:28.000 --> 0:05:30.440 lot going on, and so I have to be um 0:05:30.480 --> 0:05:34.760 and at the same time, Yeah, it's been rough. Um. 0:05:34.800 --> 0:05:37.080 And the last time we physically saw each other, it 0:05:37.160 --> 0:05:44.680 just hit me was Valentine's Day twenty ninety nineteen. Yeah, no, 0:05:44.880 --> 0:05:48.240 twenty twenty. It was twenty twenty. It was twenty twenty. Yep, 0:05:48.640 --> 0:05:51.000 it'll be a year right this month that we saw 0:05:51.040 --> 0:05:53.760 each other. We had the most amazing Valentine's Day. It 0:05:53.800 --> 0:05:58.600 was like, so we did, we did? I said, well, 0:05:58.600 --> 0:06:02.880 I'll tell everybody so so I so I know. Uh, 0:06:02.920 --> 0:06:05.960 just just so folks are aware, m RISCy and I 0:06:06.040 --> 0:06:14.200 have been friends for god, uh, well, well over a decade. Yeah, 0:06:14.240 --> 0:06:17.359 it's definitely well over a decade. And when I was 0:06:17.440 --> 0:06:21.960 living in UH in Washington, d c. Uh is where 0:06:22.080 --> 0:06:27.880 we solidified our our relationship, our friendship, our sisterhood. Uh. 0:06:27.920 --> 0:06:31.240 And then since leaving RICI had so come to New 0:06:31.320 --> 0:06:34.320 York uh last year. And this is like right before 0:06:34.400 --> 0:06:36.960 COVID hit. Who knew at that time that that was 0:06:37.000 --> 0:06:40.039 going to be that we wouldn't see each other again 0:06:40.160 --> 0:06:43.159 in the flesh for for quite some time. Um. And 0:06:43.200 --> 0:06:45.120 so it's just an unexpected It was one of those 0:06:45.200 --> 0:06:50.200 days that you know is unexpected. Everything gets like canceled 0:06:50.279 --> 0:06:53.200 or thrown off and then you're like, wait, what's happened? 0:06:53.279 --> 0:06:55.760 And then you realize that the universe has made space 0:06:56.240 --> 0:07:02.040 for terally literally make time, check in coffee fee you 0:07:02.440 --> 0:07:04.960 and it turned into a whole magical friend date. It 0:07:05.000 --> 0:07:08.560 was fantastic. Yeah, it was a good time. It was fantastic. 0:07:08.880 --> 0:07:12.960 We did tarot, we eat lake candles. We we did 0:07:13.200 --> 0:07:15.880 we we did that. But we drank. We drank wine. 0:07:16.280 --> 0:07:18.640 I had the best lam ever. I think Lamb Shank 0:07:18.640 --> 0:07:21.200 get that little confidence too. I was like, oh my god, 0:07:21.200 --> 0:07:22.760 I like that. I like the way I'm living right now. 0:07:22.760 --> 0:07:25.360 It was fantastic, it was It was a fantastic day. 0:07:25.760 --> 0:07:28.720 Just a sense to say, you need to make room 0:07:29.280 --> 0:07:33.559 for the unexpected, and sometimes your plans get thrown off kilter, 0:07:33.720 --> 0:07:36.200 and that is actually for the best because it is 0:07:36.520 --> 0:07:38.720 being thrown off one path and a line in a 0:07:38.720 --> 0:07:42.960 new way. Um. I'm so sorry to hear about the 0:07:43.000 --> 0:07:47.800 loss of your friend. And I know that so many 0:07:47.840 --> 0:07:51.600 of us have been dealing with so many different forms 0:07:51.680 --> 0:07:56.000 of grief and have experienced a lot of loss uh 0:07:56.040 --> 0:07:59.200 in in the past year and in the past um 0:07:59.280 --> 0:08:02.400 several months, And that is something that I think a 0:08:02.400 --> 0:08:06.000 lot of us are sharing and so UM, I appreciate 0:08:06.040 --> 0:08:09.560 you so much making the time, UM, and the and 0:08:09.640 --> 0:08:12.120 the space and the space to join us, because I 0:08:12.160 --> 0:08:16.720 think that what you are doing with Black Magic Sisters 0:08:16.880 --> 0:08:20.720 and with Strobe is something that is so intensely needed 0:08:22.160 --> 0:08:24.640 at this moment. So, I mean, I want to start 0:08:24.680 --> 0:08:29.920 with just what have you noticed over the past year, 0:08:30.280 --> 0:08:35.160 Receive as we are moving through this multiple pandemics, right, 0:08:35.200 --> 0:08:39.600 we're moving through and kind of trying to figure out 0:08:39.600 --> 0:08:45.480 how to manifest ourselves but in this new normal space, 0:08:45.880 --> 0:08:48.120 and so what have you found in terms of the 0:08:48.160 --> 0:08:50.960 way that people are trying to connect and trying to 0:08:51.080 --> 0:08:57.000 ground with themselves. So the big thing is that a 0:08:57.040 --> 0:09:00.120 lot of people haven't been doing it, don't know how 0:09:00.160 --> 0:09:02.880 to do it because our life, you know, pre COVID 0:09:03.280 --> 0:09:05.800 was go go go, go, go go go. And so 0:09:06.559 --> 0:09:09.760 while yeah, I make tea blends and you know, I 0:09:09.840 --> 0:09:13.360 like candles, and you know, I'm do full Moon and 0:09:13.520 --> 0:09:16.160 New Moon rituals, that was there was there was a 0:09:16.160 --> 0:09:17.960 part of my life that was that was a very 0:09:17.960 --> 0:09:21.040 small group of people that UM kind of operated in 0:09:21.080 --> 0:09:25.240 that space naturally. And when the pandemic hit and folks 0:09:25.280 --> 0:09:29.640 were forced to sort of sit still, you start to 0:09:29.679 --> 0:09:32.120 actually have you start asking questions like well, what the 0:09:32.120 --> 0:09:35.160 hell am I doing here? And why is this happening? 0:09:35.559 --> 0:09:38.199 And in order to address like, you know, a lot 0:09:38.240 --> 0:09:39.840 I had a lot of friends that I you know, 0:09:40.160 --> 0:09:41.920 had to talk off the tree, I call it to 0:09:41.960 --> 0:09:44.079 prefer a real tree where I'm literally at the basis 0:09:44.080 --> 0:09:45.640 tree like all right, come on, you can come down now, 0:09:45.840 --> 0:09:47.600 Like no, and it's like no, but you can really 0:09:47.640 --> 0:09:51.400 come down. It's okay. Um. What happens is that when 0:09:51.400 --> 0:09:54.040 you were forced to sit with yourself, you were forced 0:09:54.040 --> 0:09:56.680 to face things. And what you find is that a 0:09:56.720 --> 0:09:58.960 lot of us, myself included, had not been doing our 0:09:59.040 --> 0:10:01.959 due diligence when it came to our self preservation. And 0:10:02.000 --> 0:10:04.280 I don't I don't like the term self care because 0:10:04.320 --> 0:10:06.480 it can, you know, for a lot of people, visions 0:10:06.480 --> 0:10:08.679 of spa days and getting your nails done and backrubs 0:10:08.720 --> 0:10:11.760 come in. And that's not really what self care is about. 0:10:11.880 --> 0:10:14.960 It really is asking you to preserve the self. And 0:10:15.360 --> 0:10:18.319 that looks like you know, meditation for others. That looks 0:10:18.360 --> 0:10:22.400 like you know, turning off Twitter for some. And we 0:10:22.760 --> 0:10:26.320 initially are so wedded to our technology because that's the 0:10:26.360 --> 0:10:27.960 only way for us to stay in touch that I 0:10:27.960 --> 0:10:31.920 think a lot of people just went into overdrive. And 0:10:31.960 --> 0:10:33.679 then at some point when you realize this was not 0:10:33.679 --> 0:10:37.080 going to end quietly and quickly, and as more things 0:10:37.080 --> 0:10:39.680 started to get canceled, you start to see people really 0:10:39.720 --> 0:10:43.360 start delving in too, like you have to find some balance, 0:10:43.400 --> 0:10:44.800 you have to figure out how your life is going 0:10:44.840 --> 0:10:47.120 to look because you can't go outside and you can't 0:10:47.160 --> 0:10:50.920 you know, socialize, and people start finding ways to manage. 0:10:50.920 --> 0:10:55.400 But they also start to realize that in the sense 0:10:55.559 --> 0:10:59.400 of constant motion, that their lives, if they allow it, 0:10:59.440 --> 0:11:04.160 are actually more enriched in the staying still and sort 0:11:04.200 --> 0:11:07.000 of not having there because part of the going going 0:11:07.040 --> 0:11:10.400 on is the expectation that somebody's looking for you, or 0:11:10.440 --> 0:11:14.280 the idea that you that's a that's proof of your hustle, 0:11:14.360 --> 0:11:16.880 or proof that you're making moves because you're going, going, going. 0:11:17.240 --> 0:11:20.760 For some it's a way to fill the void. And 0:11:20.800 --> 0:11:24.040 so when all of that goes away and you're kind 0:11:24.040 --> 0:11:26.480 of forced to sit, you start to really think deep 0:11:26.520 --> 0:11:30.280 and ask questions, and there's only so much netflix benching 0:11:30.320 --> 0:11:32.080 that you can do. There's only so much, you know, 0:11:32.360 --> 0:11:35.880 you know, pandemic eating that you can do before you're like, okay, well, 0:11:35.880 --> 0:11:38.000 what exactly what does my life look like now? And 0:11:38.040 --> 0:11:41.079 I think a lot of us are finding that previous, 0:11:41.320 --> 0:11:44.280 pre pandemic, we were doing a ship job of taking 0:11:44.280 --> 0:11:48.640 care of ourselves. And now that you have no choice 0:11:48.679 --> 0:11:50.960 because it's just you and your kids, or you and 0:11:51.040 --> 0:11:55.839 your family or whoever's in your household, if you want 0:11:55.880 --> 0:11:57.559 to be here when it's all said and done, then 0:11:57.800 --> 0:12:00.520 self care, self preservation becomes a natural part of this. 0:12:00.880 --> 0:12:03.240 And folks are finding that they actually like it. Like 0:12:03.320 --> 0:12:06.079 a lot of folks that I'm talking to, they're not 0:12:06.240 --> 0:12:08.760 trying to go back to whatever was normal before. They 0:12:08.840 --> 0:12:13.560 really want They like getting up and working from you know, 0:12:13.679 --> 0:12:16.360 working from a place that is not the office. They like, 0:12:16.720 --> 0:12:20.439 you know, taking their time, you know, they like the 0:12:20.480 --> 0:12:23.160 idea of setting boundaries because COVID has taught us a 0:12:23.200 --> 0:12:25.880 set boundary. So I'm not taking meetings after six pm, 0:12:26.040 --> 0:12:28.920 or I'm not you know, taking meetings at eight o'clock 0:12:28.920 --> 0:12:30.679 of the morning, or whatever it is that you're doing. 0:12:31.120 --> 0:12:34.440 And people are like, yo, this way of living is 0:12:34.440 --> 0:12:38.440 not ideal because we didn't expect it, but it's teaching 0:12:38.520 --> 0:12:41.160 us all some things and one of the big lessons 0:12:41.240 --> 0:12:43.800 is that the life, the way we were living before 0:12:44.559 --> 0:12:47.400 was just it was insane. It was absolutely insane, and 0:12:47.360 --> 0:12:49.800 that was considered normal. You know, I think, you know, 0:12:49.840 --> 0:12:52.560 I think about myself. I mean when you know you 0:12:52.640 --> 0:12:56.199 have always been a teacher and a guide for me, 0:12:56.520 --> 0:13:01.760 like through various struggle points of my life. And one 0:13:01.800 --> 0:13:04.120 of my things that I have noticed over the past year, 0:13:04.160 --> 0:13:07.040 I mean what I was doing was just not sustainable, 0:13:07.400 --> 0:13:10.480 right like that that that the pace of running, the 0:13:11.240 --> 0:13:15.679 pace of the work, um, the consistency in always finding 0:13:15.679 --> 0:13:19.160 a flaw and and never feeling like enough, so needing 0:13:19.200 --> 0:13:22.560 to produce more because just you're I'm trying to fill 0:13:22.600 --> 0:13:26.400 a hole that the work is not going to fill um. 0:13:26.440 --> 0:13:28.520 And I think that for a lot of people like 0:13:28.600 --> 0:13:32.880 myself who are incredibly ambitious, it was it's like, well, 0:13:33.200 --> 0:13:36.640 what happens when all of those things are stripped away? Right, 0:13:36.720 --> 0:13:38.680 like what are you? What are you left with? And 0:13:39.080 --> 0:13:43.480 you know, pre pandemic, I was thirty pounds overweight, I 0:13:43.520 --> 0:13:49.160 was not sleeping, I you know, was drinking like a fish, 0:13:49.400 --> 0:13:53.319 um and doing a lot of things that were set 0:13:53.440 --> 0:13:57.240 up to make me feel better, but we're actually making 0:13:57.280 --> 0:14:00.679 me feel worse right, and it's just there's also the 0:14:01.080 --> 0:14:06.760 assigning value to those behaviors as some form of success 0:14:06.840 --> 0:14:10.959 or some form of prosperity, an abundance. Because I can 0:14:11.040 --> 0:14:13.120 drink and because I can eat, and because I can 0:14:13.200 --> 0:14:16.480 be out in here, I'm actually doing things. But it's 0:14:16.520 --> 0:14:20.840 really not. It's not sustaining, it's not fulfilling. We found 0:14:20.840 --> 0:14:23.560 out because once those things get stripped away, you start 0:14:23.600 --> 0:14:25.360 to find there are other things that are far more 0:14:25.360 --> 0:14:29.800 important to you than whether or not you you got 0:14:29.840 --> 0:14:32.600 this particular thing done. The other thing I'll say, as 0:14:32.640 --> 0:14:34.440 you know, someone who has been part of your life, 0:14:34.480 --> 0:14:39.320 I'm incredibly proud of you, the shift and energy, the 0:14:39.360 --> 0:14:43.640 shift and focus like what gayf is. I love what 0:14:43.760 --> 0:14:46.520 you do because we need that kind of righteous anger 0:14:46.560 --> 0:14:49.280 and indignation and we need it in the way that 0:14:49.320 --> 0:14:52.240 you do it because you know other places are trying 0:14:52.240 --> 0:14:53.720 to be nice about it, and I love the way 0:14:53.760 --> 0:14:56.640 you just shoot straight. But in order to sustain that 0:14:56.720 --> 0:14:58.440 kind that give you know, I see that as part 0:14:58.440 --> 0:15:00.400 of your soul contract and what you're supposed So you're 0:15:00.400 --> 0:15:02.520 supposed to beat the drum and wake everybody up, and 0:15:02.960 --> 0:15:06.560 that's what you're doing. But as we have become more 0:15:06.600 --> 0:15:09.040 and more been forced more and more to sort of 0:15:09.160 --> 0:15:11.320 slow down and sort of think. I feel like the 0:15:11.360 --> 0:15:15.280 show has become even hotter, like the Blade is just 0:15:15.320 --> 0:15:17.320 like you are out here like joking people, and then 0:15:17.360 --> 0:15:19.800 I love to see it. But I also see someone 0:15:19.920 --> 0:15:22.680 who has found her rhythm, someone who like you, got 0:15:22.720 --> 0:15:27.240 the energy. You know, Yeah, you be like holler and 0:15:27.320 --> 0:15:29.320 holler and holler and hollerand and like call God Dan, 0:15:29.360 --> 0:15:30.920 you'll need to drink water, but be like did k 0:15:32.600 --> 0:15:34.640 And now you're like juicy and holleran and it's a 0:15:34.640 --> 0:15:36.760 whole different kind of holler. When you know, when you 0:15:36.840 --> 0:15:40.040 have the energy for your righteous indignation, it just hits 0:15:40.080 --> 0:15:43.000 a bit differently. And I see how much work you've 0:15:43.040 --> 0:15:46.120 been doing, and I see, honestly how much you're enjoying this, 0:15:46.320 --> 0:15:51.000 and so I'm proud of you as your basics a 0:15:51.000 --> 0:15:53.960 fantastic job. And I think that your transparency in all 0:15:53.960 --> 0:15:56.440 of this is really what we need. We need people 0:15:56.480 --> 0:15:59.120 to be transparent that this is not easy and that 0:15:59.280 --> 0:16:01.320 you know you've been doing you're producing this every day, 0:16:01.520 --> 0:16:03.800 and I'm just like, yo, I'm proud of you, but 0:16:03.880 --> 0:16:05.840 you don't look the worst for wear it does. It's 0:16:05.840 --> 0:16:08.120 not it's like there's something about it now that's changed. 0:16:08.200 --> 0:16:12.000 It's there's an exchange happening, and I'm just incredibly excited 0:16:12.040 --> 0:16:14.360 to see what comes next, because like, if this is 0:16:14.360 --> 0:16:16.440 where you are now, once we're able to kind of 0:16:16.440 --> 0:16:21.640 be back out, yeah, I appreciate that so very much. 0:16:21.680 --> 0:16:24.840 And I think that, you know, I finally it's like 0:16:25.240 --> 0:16:27.640 all of the lessons, all of the advice, all of 0:16:27.680 --> 0:16:29.720 the things that people have given to me, from you, 0:16:29.920 --> 0:16:32.920 my mother, and my sister, you know, the yogis, the 0:16:32.960 --> 0:16:37.640 people that are deeply grounded and meditative. I feel like 0:16:37.720 --> 0:16:42.080 I have finally woken up and listened to that that like, 0:16:42.480 --> 0:16:46.920 in order to do this work, you need to preserve energy, 0:16:47.200 --> 0:16:50.720 you need to be in flow and aligned with what 0:16:50.800 --> 0:16:54.400 the calling is. And I think that pre COVID, for me, 0:16:54.720 --> 0:16:58.240 it was more so about like the drive and the push, 0:16:58.480 --> 0:17:01.800 but I wasn't pulling anything back in and so that 0:17:01.960 --> 0:17:06.600 left me depleted. And so I want to talk about 0:17:06.800 --> 0:17:10.719 Strobe the apothecary and like why now, like why in 0:17:10.840 --> 0:17:15.119 this moment are you are you doing this work of 0:17:15.240 --> 0:17:19.520 bringing that type of energies, healing crystals, tease, all of 0:17:19.520 --> 0:17:24.960 these things to people. So Strobe is a five person collective. 0:17:25.720 --> 0:17:27.840 All of us have a couple of things in common. 0:17:27.880 --> 0:17:31.760 We all worked at the same earth Shop over time, 0:17:32.240 --> 0:17:35.720 and in the middle of the pandemic, as the pandemic 0:17:35.760 --> 0:17:38.520 was sort of getting up, I happen to stop by, 0:17:38.600 --> 0:17:42.080 and you know, we had some conversations. I've always wanted 0:17:42.119 --> 0:17:45.480 to have my own sort of apothecary space. Black Magic 0:17:45.520 --> 0:17:48.560 Sisters is really about ritual tools. So it's me taking 0:17:48.840 --> 0:17:51.760 the knowledge that I learned actually over time working at 0:17:51.760 --> 0:17:54.600 the Earth Shop and just experimenting and trying to figure 0:17:54.600 --> 0:17:58.840 out ways to make ritual easy and to make ritual 0:17:58.920 --> 0:18:02.399 something that you can do intentionally every day. I believe 0:18:02.400 --> 0:18:05.520 in ritual. I mean everything from the colors that I 0:18:05.600 --> 0:18:07.800 wore today to the stuff I chose to bathe with 0:18:08.000 --> 0:18:10.480 is all part of my daily understanding of how I 0:18:10.520 --> 0:18:13.119 get ready for the world and so what wait but 0:18:13.240 --> 0:18:17.840 for you, but tell us about ritual and why that's 0:18:18.200 --> 0:18:21.640 why that's important for how we develop and show up 0:18:21.760 --> 0:18:25.159 in the world. So for me, ritual is something you 0:18:25.200 --> 0:18:27.240 do with intention. There are a lot of things we 0:18:27.320 --> 0:18:30.720 do out of habit, and you know, the issue with 0:18:30.800 --> 0:18:32.679 habit is that there's no thought to it. It's just 0:18:32.720 --> 0:18:35.720 something that you do, so it becomes easy over time 0:18:36.200 --> 0:18:40.199 to not realize that you're doing it, or to not 0:18:40.359 --> 0:18:42.320 realize that you might be harming people and doing it 0:18:42.359 --> 0:18:44.000 because it's just like if you have people say, well, 0:18:44.000 --> 0:18:46.520 that's just the way we've always done it. For me, 0:18:46.720 --> 0:18:50.439 ritual is really about being intentional. And I think anything 0:18:50.440 --> 0:18:52.680 can be ritualized if you take a minute to think 0:18:52.680 --> 0:18:57.520 about what it is that you're doing. So, for example, transparency, 0:18:57.680 --> 0:18:59.879 because it's going to be transparent. I sat with an 0:18:59.880 --> 0:19:03.720 astrologer I'm yesterday to go through my chart because of 0:19:03.800 --> 0:19:07.760 just everything that's happened. And planets don't lie where they 0:19:07.800 --> 0:19:09.680 are and how they sit. They you know, they kind 0:19:09.720 --> 0:19:11.679 of give you so truth and he kind of he 0:19:11.760 --> 0:19:14.800 gave me some amazing insights. And you know, I know 0:19:14.880 --> 0:19:16.600 that I'm in a grief spiral, but I also know 0:19:16.680 --> 0:19:18.880 that there's some things that I've been neglecting because I'm 0:19:18.880 --> 0:19:21.639 in a grief spiral. So when I got up this morning, 0:19:22.200 --> 0:19:26.040 I made and I was very intentional about you know what. 0:19:26.240 --> 0:19:29.000 I looked at myself as I washed my face, I 0:19:29.040 --> 0:19:31.600 thought about the oils that I was going to use Afterwards, 0:19:32.359 --> 0:19:35.320 I decided that because I, you know, because of where 0:19:35.320 --> 0:19:37.680 I am, there were certain herbs that I was going 0:19:37.760 --> 0:19:40.520 to you know, pull together. Today I haven't I have 0:19:40.520 --> 0:19:42.800 a personal apothecary at home. My kitchen in my living 0:19:42.840 --> 0:19:48.400 room looked crazy, and so that I needed to sustain myself. 0:19:48.640 --> 0:19:50.639 And so when I think of ritual, I think of 0:19:50.840 --> 0:19:54.760 this is self preservation at its sort of basic form. 0:19:54.800 --> 0:19:57.600 It is literally, before I step out of my before 0:19:57.640 --> 0:20:00.280 I get out of bed, what am I doing with 0:20:00.359 --> 0:20:02.399 my day, and what are the things that I'm going 0:20:02.440 --> 0:20:04.440 to use to align So even before I got in 0:20:04.480 --> 0:20:06.600 the shower, I did this. You know, I'd been doing 0:20:06.600 --> 0:20:08.359 this thing where I forgot what the poses where you 0:20:08.359 --> 0:20:10.560 put your feet up against the wall and your legs 0:20:10.560 --> 0:20:13.400 are straight up, and I've read up about that, and 0:20:13.840 --> 0:20:15.840 I was like, okay. And at the same time, I 0:20:15.880 --> 0:20:19.960 was listening to this really great podcast on Newer Diversity. 0:20:20.440 --> 0:20:23.200 I'm not a meditator by nature. I'm just my mind 0:20:23.320 --> 0:20:24.800 is all over the place and it's just too hard 0:20:24.840 --> 0:20:27.160 for me to sit. But when I get in that position, 0:20:27.240 --> 0:20:29.760 I'm make a decision on what I'm going to listen to. 0:20:30.119 --> 0:20:32.800 So that for at least twenty minutes I'm in this pose, 0:20:33.359 --> 0:20:37.000 and I took in that information. It was around this 0:20:37.040 --> 0:20:41.240 one was around metabolism and insulin resistance. It's fascinating topic. 0:20:41.359 --> 0:20:43.320 I felt it, you know, I just happened on it. 0:20:43.520 --> 0:20:45.640 I was like, let me listen, and so listen to that, 0:20:45.880 --> 0:20:47.679 and then it went about my day. And when you 0:20:47.800 --> 0:20:51.160 do this, what it does is it tells the universe 0:20:51.560 --> 0:20:54.080 in a lot of ways that you're ready to go 0:20:54.119 --> 0:20:56.600 about your day. But you've also set this intention of 0:20:56.640 --> 0:20:59.320 how you're going to receive in exchange. I think a 0:20:59.320 --> 0:21:02.360 lot of our way of being there's not enough exchanging. 0:21:02.400 --> 0:21:05.760 There's a lot of putting out information, putting out energy, 0:21:06.160 --> 0:21:07.800 but there's not a lot of getting it back. And 0:21:07.840 --> 0:21:10.119 sometimes when you get it back, it's really just you know, 0:21:10.240 --> 0:21:13.600 low level you know, low level demon energy that's not 0:21:13.600 --> 0:21:17.639 really helpful to anybody. So when you get into a 0:21:17.720 --> 0:21:20.680 space where ritual is sort of how you leave your day, 0:21:21.160 --> 0:21:24.679 what ends up happening is you prepare yourself. And some 0:21:24.720 --> 0:21:26.919 of us, let's be honest, we live in spaces. We 0:21:27.000 --> 0:21:30.320 operate in spaces. Our soul contracts require us to be 0:21:31.320 --> 0:21:34.760 to be in service. You are in service, and so 0:21:35.119 --> 0:21:37.600 those of us who are born to be in service 0:21:37.640 --> 0:21:42.679 and to lead as servant leaders. Oftentimes we don't have caretakers. 0:21:43.040 --> 0:21:46.520 It's it's just it's this weird thing. But what happens 0:21:46.720 --> 0:21:49.120 is that you have been given certain amount of knowledge 0:21:49.359 --> 0:21:51.840 and you are surrounded by people who can show you 0:21:51.880 --> 0:21:54.639 how to care for yourself. And when you remove the 0:21:56.119 --> 0:21:58.960 sort of the the sort of human aspect of oh, well, 0:21:58.960 --> 0:22:00.480 what I want to want to take care of me? Yes, 0:22:00.520 --> 0:22:02.560 we would all love that. But in order for you 0:22:02.600 --> 0:22:04.080 to do your job, in order for you to do 0:22:04.119 --> 0:22:06.960 what you came to do, you have to be fully charged. 0:22:07.040 --> 0:22:08.879 That means that you have to be intentional about what 0:22:08.920 --> 0:22:10.920 you put in your body. You have to be intentional 0:22:10.960 --> 0:22:13.119 about the colors that you might wear that day, or 0:22:13.160 --> 0:22:15.440 intentional about you know, who you talk to that day, 0:22:15.480 --> 0:22:18.000 just because if your goal is to get this information 0:22:18.040 --> 0:22:19.760 out and you know that there's going to be very 0:22:19.800 --> 0:22:23.119 little reciprocity, then that means you charge up and you 0:22:23.160 --> 0:22:26.680 go out into the world protected and you can sustain yourself. 0:22:26.840 --> 0:22:29.520 So for me, anything can be a ritual making that 0:22:29.720 --> 0:22:31.760 tea because the moment that I decided what I was 0:22:31.800 --> 0:22:34.120 going to do, everything else stopped and I was very 0:22:34.119 --> 0:22:36.560 present about how much tea for each of the thing 0:22:36.640 --> 0:22:38.720