Happy First Anniversary!

to me 🎉

Today is August 7th, one year after I started writing on Substack. A day before the pinnacle of potent 8/8 Lion’s Gate portal energy.

For anyone wondering what is she talking about?? Click here.

Alyonna Angelica on Instagram

I felt such an intense surge of creative energy during this portal last year and am feeling it again, along with all of the upgrades and symptoms that come with it. How about you?

I will admit that this year has been much more intense and challenging than last year. There are a lot of other big things happening astrologically that are affecting many of us. I’m kind of hanging on by a thread this year.

A friend recently asked me what I meant when I said the energy was intense. I’m so used to speaking in energy language that I sometimes forget not everyone does.

We are energetic beings, surrounded by our energy field, living on an energetic planet. We are vibrationally affected by everyone and everything around us.

We all know this, deep down. But, some of us have spent a lifetime being extra sensitive to energy. We can read a roomful of people like nobody’s business. Sometimes we can even feel the energy before we’re physically present there. If that makes any sense.

As I’ve grown older and more aware, I have learned to guard my boundaries like a Lioness. Remember her?

The energy from the Lion’s Gate last year had me ditch my website and newsletter, and in one day, I’d opened up my Substack and started writing.

Sixty-two posts later, the ideas are still flying at me. I have several posts in my Dashboard waiting for completion.

This is not normal for me! I once went an entire year without writing a post on my WordPress site. A whole year! I am notorious for long periods of inertia and artist/writer’s block.

I want to thank each and every one of my subscribers - free or paid - from the bottom of my heart. Your support and beautiful comments mean the world to me. I’m blown away by the depth of many of them. To write something and then know that it resonates with others, is such a gift to a writer.

I also want to thank Substack for giving me the opportunity to write, uncensored, and for making the process so seamless.

Here’s something I don’t think many people realize. Substack exists solely on a portion of paid subscriptions. This is the reason we have an ad-free platform to write and read on. No annoying algorithms. I don’t know about you, but I really appreciate having an uncluttered reading experience.

I am a small potato writer here. I’m okay with that. I love potatoes - all of them -small, medium, and large. Substack is staying afloat from the big potatoes, no doubt. I appreciate that they let the small potatoes like me stick around.

My proud first-ever (small) potato harvest!

So far, I have kept my content free and plan on keeping it that way. But, I am deeply grateful to those of you who have reached into your pockets to buy a paid subscription.

Nobody, I mean nobody, hates talking about money more than me. My Taurus Moon and Rising signs want to run and hide when the subject comes up. They are cringing right now. And, of course, in this lifetime, I chose to be an artist, a writer, and a healer (for lack of a better word.) And self-employed, at that.

I look forward to the day when we don’t need money. But for now, there’s still rent to be paid, groceries to be bought, and Willow runs on gas.

Anyway, enough said. It’s an old story that I’m letting go of.

Also, I want to add - please - no uncomfortable feelings of obligation here.

I have an offer to share with you throughout the Lion’s Gate and the rest of August. Anyone who signs up for a paid subscription - monthly or yearly, doesn’t matter - will receive a little thank you something from me.

Each little offering will be unique. It might be a drawing or a poem or photography or a gift from the land here. It will be a surprise.

This offer is retroactive to the sweet peas who already took out paid subscriptions this month.

You know what? I’m going to make it retroactive to all of you who took out paid subscriptions this past year.

Please note - this is important! If you take out a paid subscription and you would like to receive a gift, please email me at barbarasinclair11@protonmail.com and give me your address. This is open to my dear international readers, as well. 🌎

One last thing. I just got a little nudge to pick a card from my favorite animal spirit deck for all of us.

Well, what do you know? Turtle just FLEW out of the deck while I was shuffling! I’m not a bit surprised. When I sat down to write my Pigeon dream post, I picked the Turtle card as well.

She has been such an important animal spirit guide for me. For someone who was reticent to tell her stories (me) this card says it all. Maybe if some of you are reticent about writing your stories, Turtle will inspire you, as well.

“The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit” by Kim Krans

TURTLE: Ancient Soul, Grounded, Trusting, At Home in the Self

It is wonderful to be in the presence of a Turtle personality. Like the Beaver, the Turtle has a strong relationship with the Earth and Water elements simultaneously. This helps to ground and connect them to the deeper truths of life, no matter where their travels lead them. Turtle energy is behind all great writers and storytellers as they collect life experiences under their shells for later use. The most potent Turtle energy helps us close all the other books and begin to tell our own true tale. — Kim Krans

Thank you so much for reading and listening to my stories this past year. It has been a Joy for me to write in this space to all of you dear readers.

Much Love,
Barbara