Happy Monday, friends!

Before we start today I need to let you know that, for the next few weeks, Magical Mondays will be *on hiatus*. Much travelling and excitement is in store for the month of June, so we'll be back with weekly readings and guidance in July. In the meantime, feel free to peruse the archives for weekly guidance or, even better, practice doing your own tarot or oracle card draws to start off your week!

So, with that out of the way, our card for this week is...

The Apple Tree.

The first message from the apple tree is not to let up right now. Getting ready for the harvest is a process that continues all the way through the summer months. You can't rush it, but you also can't stop, or your apple trees won't give you the results you need.

This is a fun message for summertime because it feels a little... off. In our modern world, most of us think of summer as a time to relax and unwind, or go on vacation. All the marketing and media around this time is about hanging at the pool or the beach, or going to rooftop parties. Maybe this comes from our kids all being off from school, or from the culture makers in Manhattan fleeing the too-hot city for beach houses on Long Island.

But the *reason* the kids are off from school is because, until fairly recently in human history, summer was when every household needed every able-bodied member home to work their crops, fields, and gardens. Our country turns 250 years old this summer, and when it started? Every family would have had their own garden, if not their own farm. When we created the public school system it was essential that children had the summers off so they could help their families with the seemingly unending work that must be done.

The Apple Tree appears to us now to remind us that, in fact, the summer is a time to keep working, slow but steady, towards our goals. Not rushing or pushing, but also not letting up. We talk an awful lot about "living seasonally" when its winter and that means we get to hibernate. This week our challenge is to do the same when it's gorgeous out and we'd rather be at the beach. Are you up for the challenge? The Apple Tree thinks you are.

What is sacred in your life?

The apple is also a deeply symbolic fruit. We bring apples, not oranges, to our teachers. Our children are the apples of our eye, and they don't fall far from our trees. An apple each day keeps the doctor away. And many people even associate apples with the fruit of knowledge, the one Eve ate off that tricky tricky tree way back in the day.

The Apple can represent something sacred, sustaining, and deeply meaningful. Begging the question: what is sacred in your life this week?

The Apple might be your top priority, or a passion project you're working on. Or perhaps this week it's someone you hold very dear that you're ready to step up for. Maybe the apple this week is you, and your own self care. (Yep, you get to be sacred too!)

Whatever your Apple is, keep it sacred this week and don't let it get pushed out of first place by the inevitable challenges life throws at you.

Tips for tending your Apple Tree:

1. Work hard/play hard/rest hard. This doesn't mean you have to go full out or party any harder than you normally do. But take a lesson to the farmers of old and give your whole focus to the task you are on. When you're working, stay focused and get shit done. When you're resting? Deep rest, meditation, sleep, nap, or relaxing by the pool. When you're playing? PLAY. In person, with your body, your friends, your children. Try to stay off your phone while resting & playing because it will steal your rest and play time and turn it into something else if you're not careful!
2. "Pomme"odoro - Ok, I played with the name a bit to make it more appley. The Pomodoro method is one where you work in 25 minute intervals with a 5 minute break, and then start again, taking a longer break after every 4 sessions. It's my go-to tool when I have a lot of focused work to do, and not a lot of time to do it in. If you've never tried it, give it a go this week and let me know how it works for you! I'm always surprised by how much I'm able to get done in 25 minutes.
3. Enjoy the fruits of your labor. Like our ancestors, we need to focus on the whole year's harvest. But that doesn't mean we ignore what's fresh and ready to eat now. Make time in your schedule to enjoy the things that are only happening Right Now, whether that's a town festival, a birthday, or a show you're excited to see. Working hard doesn't mean leaving no time for joy, at least not anymore. <3

P.S. Magical Mondays started a little over a year ago, and I can't believe how it's evolved! I started doing it just... to write something when I didn't know what to write. It's become a powerful tool for me to plan my weeks and live in magical alignment. I know some of you feel the same way. If you've been enjoying this newsletter, I would love it if you could reply to this email and introduce yourself, if I haven't met you yet, and let me know how you use Magical Mondays and how it's helped you! Or, if you'd rather, tell me about a reading that felt WAYYY off and how badly I got it wrong 😂. I can't wait to hear from you!