My Sabbatical Month Shared in Photos

Today’s blog is a photo journal of experiences throughout my sabbatical! I’ll share a photo and a little context for each underneath as I reflect back on the beautiful moments.

It was interesting looking through my photo gallery because I actually took very few pictures over the course of the month. I take this as a good sign. I was so blessedly “unhooked” from the need to show up on socials and be on tech that I had many blissful days of hardly touching my phone. What joy!

(A note on formatting: I apologize for the photos’ quality here on the blog! I wanted to post as many as I could and not have large file sizes, but SquareSpace also doesn’t happen to have a great system for showcasing individual photos, especially not when you’re trying to upload nearly 30 of them! ;) Also, you can “zoom out” on your browser to see the pictures better by holding down the control key and scrolling your mouse wheel.)

Ari, aka Dingus McMingus

We've gotta start out with some pet pics.

My feline companions are important members of my family. This lil man is my bonus cat as he's actually my metamour's companion.

Isn't he such a cutie?

I started out the month hanging with my polycule. We enjoy sitting on the porch with the cats, and this lil guy was happy for snuggles in the heat.

Tuesday Lounging

Tuesday, aka Baby Cat, is one of the sweetest cats I've ever known. She looooves to stretch out on the porch on hot days! She really reminds me how important it is to slow down and savor the moments.

My Garden Flowers Are Giving Me Life!

I could fill an entire blog with the sheer amount of flower pictures I took this month. Of all the photos I did stop to take, I'd wager about 70% of them were wildflowers, greenery, and just the abundance of nature (as you'll see).

This particular flower really foreshadowed the month to come where I'd work deeply with my root, sacral, and solar plexus chakras to heal and revitalize!

I Finally Received Author Copies of My Poetry Book!

While A Woman's Work launched in May, I didn't get my copies until the beginning of June! Holding my poetry book in my hands was such a magical moment.

Flipping through the pages reminded me how far I've come and where I am going. I can't wait to publish more books!!!

A Butterfly Birthday Buddy

On the morning of my 35th birthday, I sat on the porch sipping cacao. This little buddy came and sat with me.

The photo looks blurry as heck because my camera is zoomed in about 80% of it's capacity!

If you're unfamiliar, butterflies are very important to me and symbolize so much in my life. My friends and community often associate me with butterflies due to how much I bring butterfly medicine into my intuitive guidance and healing work. They're so important to me, I ran an entire 4 week workshop for becoming the butterfly in ourselves last year!

Miss Kes Does Yoga

Throughout June, I stretched and did a lot more yoga than my usual month. This was definitely because I felt I had more "spoons" or energetic capacity to nourish myself in these ways.

Miss Kes, aka Miss Baby, is my constant shadow. She really took to getting on the mat with me, mostly to be cute and distract, but sometimes to lay at the head of it while I did my poses. I love this little girl!

Homemade Noodles for My Birthday Supper!

My partner Justin (he's a private/retreat chef) made me SO many tasty foods this month.

For my birthday, he handmade herbed noodles for a vegan take on fettuccini alfredo, which has long stood as one of my favorite dishes!

I ended up helping a bit due to the sheer number of noodles we ended up making, and I got to play around with the extra dough, experimenting with different shapes the next day. So much fun.

A Rustic Strawberry Cake

My wife and partner, Ikenna, volunteered to make my birthday cake this year! This beauty turned out so tasty, with lemon buttercream and strawberries stuffed inside. YUM!!! I ate it for breakfast for three days in a row!

Getting a Haircut!

I finally got my hair cut after avoiding it for a while.

I've been struggling for some time now due to stress and chronic illness with my hair falling out by the handful in the shower (or any time I brush). When it gets like this, sometimes I hang on for dear life out of fear I'll end up with no hair at all!

But, my metamour Kristen recommended Kellen's Kalediscope in Hagerstown MD and I braved it and went! Kellen was absolutely incredible, knowledgeable about hair and products, and very calming. Highly recommended.

I was definitely feeling it after she gave me some temporary curls to celebrate my special month.

Hiking in Wild & Beautiful West Virginia

West Virginia is such a beautiful state, brimming with greenery and life. The land there is just stunning, and I can't help but stop to admire all the natural wonders when I take a stroll there.

One day, Justin and I headed into a park in Shepherdstown, WV, to get some steps in. I found myself enthralled and drawn to the greenery growing out of every crack on sidewalks and stone walls.

Mama Nature teaches us perseverance!

I'd Never Seen a Thistle Bloom

Because we tend to weed out thistle plants in our yard quickly for fear of them going to seed, I've never actually seen a thistle flower.

OH MY GOSH!!!

Just look at these stunning beauties! The pop of purple. The spikes. Just Chef's Kiss to nature!

Homemade Vegan Bahn Mi Sandwiches!

Justin outdid himself again.

It started with me declaring I wanted a fresh baguette one night before bed. The next morning, he did just that and made two lovely baguettes, one of which we devoured with butter straight away.

The next day, I wanted something fresh and out of the ordinary from what we usually eat. So he used the leftover bread to make us these incredible tofu Bahn mi sandwiches with tons of good veggies and a satisfying crunch.

Rituals In the Woods

While I took two trips this month, one to camp, and the other to just have some quiet time with my wife, as I said, I took so few pictures! This one certainly captures the essence of my camping trip, though.

During the course of my three days there, I went through the butterfly phases on a mini-immersion, navigating the caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly phases. I also paired the elements, Earth, Water, Fire, and Air (in that order) with each phase, with Earth being the Caterpillar, Water and Fire being the Chrysalis, and Air being the Butterfly. The rituals went beautifully and brought forward clarity around my Inner Child, my creativity, and where I am at presently in my healing journey.

Pictured on the morning of the Chrysalis phase, the card I pulled was Water itself! Overflowing with life and abundance. I certainly felt that profoundly, immersed in the forest.

Strawberry Salad

Can you tell it's strawberry season? Because I'm not done with the strawberries yet!

This is one of my favorite meals of all time: fresh greens (I prefer spinach or spring greens), hearts of palm, strawberries, and a simple oil & vinegar dressing. So refreshing and a fabulous camping meal.

I Feel So At Home Amongst the Boulders

The place I went camping I often call "Little Lemuria." It's a long story I won't get into here, but it's enough to say for now that I feel very at home here, especially when I'm perched on top of the boulders.

This year, I noticed a slip in my vitality and physical power. It was harder to get up on the rocks than it was last year. This experience brought home the sacredness of the body, the need for deep care, and gratitude for the moments NOW because we're ever changing.

Skinks & Salamanders Abound

Out in the woods, I saw about a trillion critters. From ants and spiders to salamanders, skinks, squirrels, deer, hawks, crows, and other birds, I was surrounded by the diversity of life, and I am here for it!

This buddy was kind enough to pose for me while sunning!

Catching Up With Friends & Fellow Poets

This month had many moments of reconnection for me.

I had a lovely coffee date with my friend Dan, aka poet Harmony Lee. Dan gifted me a copy of his debut poetry book, and I gifted him a signed copy of A Woman's Work!

Dan was one of my incredible beta readers, and I am forever grateful for his feedback before I released the final manuscript.

Deconstructing Sushi is Fun!

For a tasty dinner, I made these simple deconstructed sushi bowls with spicy mayo hearts of palm (think of it like spicy tuna mash!) and asparagus.

So so so yum. Can you tell yet how much of a foodie I am?

Celebrating Juneteenth

I was invited to attend the Zenimax Juneteenth celebration, where we cheered on the workers' progress toward negotiating better working contracts for Zenimax employees.

Part of their negotiations included advocating for more observed holidays or opportunities for employees to take time for their own cultural and spiritual traditions with flexible PTO. They won the day and have now seen better conditions brought to the contract table!!! WOOO!!!

Another fun fact about me was that I was the Union teacher rep for my building when I was a public school teacher. I truly believe in supportive and healthy working conditions across all career fields. All Americans (and all people) deserve to live a life of dignity while well supported.

Reigniting My Art

I've been disconnected from visual art for some time now, only occasionally actually finishing a piece.

I'm back again celebrating strawberries as I was inspired by the stunning red fruits my wife brought on our little getaway.

I did this piece while we listened to music and read poetry. It's a mixed-media piece using watercolor and pen, and was very soothing to do (even though my wrist did NOT like all the tiny ink circles).

My New Favorite Homemade Dessert: Strawberry Turnovers

Part of living with the seasons means honoring when something is in season vs. out of season. Right now, strawberries are very much in, and I've devoured as many of them as I can.

This was probably round 3 of making turnovers throughout the month, and I loved every moment of eating these sticky flaky perfect pastries.

Our Garden Really Bloomed!

This is our first year gardening in our yard, and it's been all over the place!

From very very hot days and constant sun to downpours and lightning, we weren't really sure what was going to make it!

But, this month brought an abundance of homegrown green onions, kale, beets, patty pan squash, and yukon gold potatoes!

Cooking with them has been incredible. I legit took down about 5 more photos of garden hauls from this blog because I know it's already getting quite long! :P

Reading a Book with a Shadow

Azuki, aka Madame Spook, has been feeling ill this month. She had to take a pretty stressful trip to the vet for her chronic ear condition. So, despite the fact that she's usually not cuddly, she was a shadow all month.

I finally got back into reading fiction again, devouring two whole books this month! I read Marking Time and Tempting Fate, stories very much like a Young Adult Outlander but with a whole lot more magic. Time traveling, young romance, vampires, and secret societies. You know, the good stuff!

A Month of Spiders

I kid you not when I say I met over 25 different sorts of spiders this month.

This miniscule jumping spider joined me for yoga on the porch one morning as the month waned. They hopped onto my leg at one point and I had to be sure not to crush them getting up.

Spiders are a messenger for me: a reminder to write. So, I'd say I got a pretty loud and clear message throughout the month that I should keep on writing!

Light Codes & Dryads

I was called this month to connect with the dryad spirit that lives in a redbud tree in our yard.

This is a place of magic and potency, anchoring into ley lines and the power grid beneath our feet.

Look at the wave of the branches and the sun peeking through! Tell me that's not magical as heck!?

Gladiolas Bloom

Our gladiolas began blooming right as the month came to a close. We've got peach, indigo, crimson, and these bright red-orange flowers. These were the first to open, and what a stunning conclusion to my adventurous sabbatical month, like a gift from spirit.

This is my power color!

Overall, this month was filled with joy, beauty, rest, play, delicious foods, and lots of nature. I’ve still got all the lessons to share, but like I said yesterday, I want to CELEBRATE all the loveliness and sense of awe first. My Inner Child really came to life at a whole new depth during my sabbatical, and for that I will be forever grateful!

What were some of your most beautiful June moments?

What filled you with awe, wonder, and joy?

How can you connect with nature (animals, plants, the outdoors, sun, moon, etc) in the months ahead?

With All My Love & In Celebration,
Safrianna

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This month, I hope to participate in the Ultimate Blog Challenge and share wisdom gleaned from my sabbatical, butterfly medicine, and more. Feel free to follow along if you want to learn more about my story! #UltimateBlogChallenge https://www.ultimateblogchallenge.com/