Good morning, Reader

My brain loves a hit of dopamine.

What it's less thrilled about is the long, sustained, repetitive work that it takes to actually achieve my goals.

I know I'm not alone here.

This weekend I was having a conversation with a friend who is working on a new project. "I'm not telling anyone about it yet", she said. Her worry was that if she told people, that would be enough of a high, and she'd never follow through. I've been in that exact spot - the planning of the project & the telling people about it gives me the same dopamine hit that actually completing the project would give me (with less effort, and no real risk!). And afterwards, I find it hard to motivate myself to do the actual work. (You can read a bit more about this phenomenon here.)

This week's card: 8 of Pentacles

This is a week for dedicated practice in service of your goals. Solitary practice, for the most part, without letting other people weigh in or even validate what you're working on. Just keep practicing- again and again and again.

The Eight of Pentacles reminds us that the work itself, the practice itself, is it's own reward.

It reminds us to slow down, to take the time to get good at something. Which, honestly, feels all the more meaningful in a world where AI is writing everything from people's term papers to their ad campaigns (and making their art as well).

This is a week to embrace Practice over Perfection.

Often, the work itself IS practice. Don't hold yourself back from taking action because you're not "good enough" yet. Instead, embrace that you will learn each time you run through the script, even though you may stumble along the way.

Don't let this message be an excuse to put off starting the "real thing" until you've had "enough practice".

Practical:

Pick a skill or habit you want to improve at and schedule time to practice it this week. It could be a new recipe, a new song, or even a new-to-you habit like morning walks or journalling.

Set the intention to practice it as many times as you can this week - without pressuring yourself to do a good job at all.

Magical:

This week, both the practical and magical guidance are exactly the same.

When I started all my magical practices - from basic meditation all the way to channelling and tarot reading and more - every single one felt as awkward and silly as walking around in my mom's heels when I was a toddler.

But, like with anything, sustained practice (not daily practice - just consistent, more or less, over time) means the magic comes more easily, more smoothly, and with more powerful results.

This week pick a new or new-ish magical practice and plan to do it multiple times this week with the goal of gaining comfort and confidence in the practice itself. I've listed a few ideas below, but feel free to add in your own!

And please, respond to this email and let me know how it goes, and what you learn! (But not until the end of the week, please. See above re: loss of motivation!)

You might:

• Draw a tarot card each morning and give yourself a reading
• Cast an energy-shield before you go in (or log on) to work each day
• Reclaim your energy after leaving (or logging off of) work each day
• Do a chakra cleansing meditation
• Say your affirmations in the mirror as you start your day

Don't worry if you don't feel it "work" the first time. Just keep practicing.

P.S. - Magical Mondays has a new look this week courtesy of artist (and friend) Julia Guzzio. Did you realize Magical Mondays is a year old this month??? When I realized, I reached out to Julia, who had generously offered me some custom digital art to celebrate! You can follow Julia on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/juliaguzzio/,

P.P.S. - Not sure what you need to be practicing this week to reach your goals? You can get a personal 3-card tarot reading from yours truly starting at $10! Just click here - you don't even need to schedule a zoom call.