A spread for Stillness

Finding the peace you already possess.

I’ve been thinking about intentionality lately and what creates calm. The question I’ve been working with is “How am I bringing stillness towards me?” It’s a trickier question than it may first appear. You think: oh, I can do yoga, I can read my tarot cards more often, I should meditate. The question though is not what can you do, it’s what are you doing? Because there absolutely are actions you’re taking that bring stillness towards you, and I bet you’re overlooking them for what you think you should be doing.

I’ve rekindled my love of perfume-as a teenager recently. I had a whole collection of celebrity fragrances and drugstore body mists. Over time, my interests changed and I let go of pretty much all of it, but last month I was compelled to reignite this old hobby. I ordered a sample set from an indie perfumer and while I waited for it to arrive I rummaged through my parent’s bathroom closet and unearthed 8 surviving bottles! Choosing a fragrance in the morning and catching small whiffs of it through the day is such a joy. I’ve come to recognize this rediscovered interest as a safe, calming pocket of stillness; a welcome choice in days full of things outside my control. This got me looking for other rituals that slow me down, by listing them I realized a whole slew of conscious and unconscious habits I use to bring stillness towards me:

starting each morning by looking out my bedroom window
trimming candle wicks before I light them
choosing a perfume for the day
buying my favourite cookies to enjoy with a cup of tea
letting my dog stop for every sniff on our walks
noticing when I’m alone on the especially beautiful parts of the walking trail
doing a NYT puzzle before bed
watering my houseplants
browsing magazines at the grocery store
doing an evening reading
closing all my tabs at the end of a work week

This months tarot spread is about finding stillness. It’s an invitation to step away for a moment and reconnect with ourselves. I hope you make your own stillness list and find new things to appreciate within your existing habits.

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