Day 7: My Favorite Superstition

Protecting My Money and My Magic

Superstitions are funny because half the time we do not even realize how deeply they’ve rooted themselves into our lives. They show up in the small things we do without thinking. The little actions we take “just in case.” The tiny rituals we adopt because someone, somewhere, passed it down with enough conviction that our spirit said, “Okay, noted.”

Some of the superstitions I carry are tied to my Dominican upbringing. But the biggest one? The one that shaped me the quickest? That one actually came from one of my Filipino friends.

One day I casually put my purse on the floor and she looked at me like I had just slapped God across the face.

I was confused.
She was horrified.

She said, “You do not respect money. Why would you put your purse on the floor if you want abundance to come into your life?”

The way she said it unlocked something in my chest.
Not in a shameful way, but in a wake up, bruja kind of way.

Because let’s be real. I am not ashamed of wanting abundance.
Not ashamed of wanting money.
Not ashamed of wanting life to be easier.
Not ashamed of wanting generational wealth for my kids.
Not ashamed of wanting enough to bless other people too.

Money is not evil.
Money is a tool.
And life is kinder when you have enough of it.

So once she explained the meaning behind the superstition, I rectified the situation immediately. I picked up my purse like it was a baby I had dropped and made a mental note that lives in my brain rent-free to this day:

Do not put your bag on the floor.
Ever.

And I haven’t since.

Superstition or not, the symbolism lines up with something spiritual inside me. If abundance is energy, why place it on the ground where it can leak out? Why disrespect what I’m calling in? Why ask for blessings if I treat them carelessly?

I also hold onto another superstition:
If my palm itches, that’s money coming in.

But I don’t just let the itch happen.
I press my palm into my pocket, because that is where I want the money to go.
Into my pockets.
Into my home.
Into my life.
Into my future.

The superstition makes me laugh, but it also makes sense energetically.
It is intention.
It is visualization.
It is claiming abundance before it arrives.

These little rituals help me stay connected to the idea that I deserve prosperity. That I deserve ease. That I deserve more than just survival. And it connects me to a long line of women across cultures who learned to blend intuition, ritual, superstition, prayer, and humor into a working spiritual system.

They did not always have the language to explain energy.
They just felt it.
And they trusted the feeling.

So today’s Soft Bruja Challenge prompt is for anyone who has ever held onto a superstition and felt comfort in it. Anyone who whispers “just in case” while doing something that makes no logical sense but all the spiritual sense.

Hold onto the ones that nourish you.
Let go of the ones that fear-monger you.
And always choose the ones that make you feel aligned, empowered, and a little magical.

And please… if your purse is on the floor right now, go pick it up.
Let’s be rich brujas together.
Let’s claim abundance with intention.
Let’s honor the little rituals that remind us we are powerful and deserving of more.

#abundanceMindset #attractingWealth #brujaRituals #culturalBeliefs #identityAndCulture #intuitiveLiving #latinaSpirituality #moneySuperstitions #prosperityRituals #purseOnTheFloorSuperstition #softBrujaChallenge #spiritualSelfCare #theOrdinaryBruja

A Cozy Spooky Ritual for a Cozy Spooky Book

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Day 5: My Familiar — Dila, The Little Warrior Who Mirrors Me

If you have ever rescued an animal, you know it is never really you doing the rescuing. Somehow, without warning, they end up rescuing parts of you too. That is exactly what happened with Dila, my little feral kitten with the wounded eye, the fragile body, and the spirit of someone who has already lived a thousand lives.

Dila came into my life through my son. He found her in El Paso, tiny, injured, and fighting to survive among a pack of outdoor cats. Her eye had been scratched badly. She had ear mites. A severe skin allergy. Mange. The kind of list that makes you wonder how such a small creature could endure so much at once. And still, she fought.

When my son sent me the video of her on the Ring camera, something inside me cracked open. Because there she was: this little cat who looked different from the group, who might be shunned or abandoned because of it. A cat who was trying to balance feral instincts with the desire to be touched, cared for, and safe.

A cat who had every reason to run, yet still wanted to belong.
If that is not me, I don’t know what is.

I was born with a lazy eye. I know what it feels like to have a face that people stare at. I know what it feels like to be misjudged before you even speak. I know what it feels like to grow up aware that you look “different,” even when you’re just trying to exist.

So when I saw Dila, I didn’t see a stray.
I saw my younger self.
I saw the parts of me that felt out of place.
I saw the girl who always felt like she had to prove she belonged.

From that moment, I knew we had to save her.

When my son rescued her, I made time to drive back home because I knew she needed more than food and shelter. She needed care. She needed treatment. She needed someone who understood that healing takes patience, softness, and fight.

The wild thing is that even though I am trying so hard to keep her alive, she still battles me every step of the way. She wants to lick her wounds. Scratch her healing skin. Do things the way her instincts tell her to, even though it makes everything harder. And honestly? That is me too.

I know what it feels like to self-sabotage in the name of comfort.
To cling to old habits even when they hurt.
To want freedom even when I’m not ready for it.
To fight the very things that are trying to heal me.

Dila is a familiar not just because she is a cat I love, but because she mirrors my spirit.
She is me, and she is not me.
She needs me, and in a strange way, I need her too.

Little by little, we have been treating each issue. Disinfecting wounds. Treating the mange. Handling the allergy flare-ups. Eliminating the ear mites. And once she stabilizes, we can finally do the surgery on her eye. That surgery feels symbolic too — a reminder that the things that make us different do not make us unworthy of love or survival.

I cannot wait for the day when Dila feels strong enough to walk around the house like she owns it. I cannot wait for her to play with Octavia. I cannot wait for her to feel what it is like to be safe.

I cannot wait for her to know she belongs.

Because she does.
And so do I.
And so do you.

Familiar energy is real. Sometimes it looks like a black cat with bright eyes. Sometimes it looks like a stray kitten who refuses to give up. Sometimes it looks like a reflection of the parts of you that needed love long before you ever realized it.

Dila is my familiar because she is a reminder that growth takes time. Healing takes patience. And even those of us who seem hard on the outside can be tender and gooey in the center.

I am rooting for her healing.
And for my own.
And if you are reading this, I am rooting for yours too.

Day 2: My Morning Ritual — Learning to Water Myself Again

Stepping Into Softness: Introducing the 30-Day Soft Bruja Challenge and a Little Bit of Me

The 30-Day Soft Bruja Challenge: A Cozy Ritual for Anyone Reclaiming Their Magic

#animalFamiliars #authorLife #brujaSymbolism #emotionalHealing #familiarEnergy #feralKittenRescue #healingJourney #identityAndCulture #intuitiveLiving #latinaSpirituality #petBonding #softBrujaChallenge #spiritualSelfCare #theOrdinaryBruja

Day 2: My Morning Ritual — Learning to Water Myself Again

There is something sacred about the first moments of the morning. Before the world asks anything of you. Before the to-do lists and the responsibilities and the emotions you did not ask to carry begin to spill into your day. Those first minutes feel like a soft doorway. A quiet invitation. A chance to choose how you want to show up.

My morning ritual has shifted many times throughout the years, but one part has stayed consistent no matter the season of my life: I water myself.

It sounds simple, but it is everything.

Every morning, before anything else, I walk to the sink and let the cool water run through my fingers. I throw water over my face and let it wake me gently. I brush my teeth, take my vitamins, and drink water before rushing into the world. There is something grounding about that moment. Something that pulls me back into my body. Something that reminds me that before I pour into anyone else, I need to start by pouring into myself.

Water is cleansing. Water is clarity. Water is life.
And this tiny ritual reminds me that I deserve those things too.

Lately, though, I have felt the weight of the season. The stress. The worry. The pressure to keep going even when my spirit is asking for rest. And because of that, I dropped a habit that used to shape my mornings in the best way: journaling what I am grateful for.

I am not going to lie. I fell off.
Life got loud, and gratitude got quiet.

But this challenge is my return to the things that nourish me. Gratitude journaling used to be my anchor. It reminded me that even in chaos, there are small blessings that keep me going. It reminded me that my story is both heavy and beautiful. And it set the tone for my entire day.

When I start my morning with water and gratitude, everything shifts.
My mind feels clearer.
My body feels lighter.
My spirit feels supported.
And the day unfolds with more intention, more softness, and more hope.

So today, I chose to return to that practice.
Not perfectly.
Not aesthetically.
Just honestly.

I sat with my journal and wrote down three things I am grateful for.
The first was simple: “I woke up.”
The second was softer: “I am still here, even when things feel overwhelming.”
And the third was tender: “I am choosing to water myself again.”

Morning rituals do not have to be elaborate to be meaningful.
Sometimes the most magical routines are the ones that reconnect you to yourself in the smallest ways. And that is what today taught me.

If you are joining me in this challenge, I hope you find a ritual that grounds you, even if it is as simple as running water over your face and whispering a quiet thank you to the day ahead.

Because how you start your morning matters.
Because you matter.
And because watering yourself is the first spell of the day.

You Want to Join the Challenge?

Day 1 of the 75-Day Joa Challenge: Why I Started and What I Already Learned

Why Familiarity Breeds Contempt: Being Undervalued by Those Who Know You Best

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#authorLife #cozyBrujaAesthetic #dailySelfCareHabits #emotionalWellness #gentleWitchcraft #gratitudeJournaling #healingRituals #identityAndCulture #intuitiveLiving #latinaSelfCare #mindfulMorningRoutine #morningRitual #softBrujaChallenge #spiritualGrounding #theOrdinaryBruja

Stepping Into Softness: Introducing the 30-Day Soft Bruja Challenge and a Little Bit of Me

There are seasons in life when the world feels too loud, too heavy, too demanding. Seasons when your mind is cluttered with a thousand to-do lists. Seasons when you feel stretched thin between caring for others, pursuing your dreams, and trying to hold on to the tiny rituals that remind you who you are. Lately, I have been in one of those seasons. My writing, my family, my career, my creative journey, and the emotional weight I carry all collided at once. And while I kept moving, I could feel myself drifting further away from the quiet parts of my spirit.

So instead of pushing harder, I decided to soften.
I needed a gentle reset.
I needed ritual.
I needed magic.
I needed a return to self.

That is how the 30-Day Soft Bruja Challenge was born.

Before I tell you what the challenge looks like, let me introduce myself to those who are new here, because who I am deeply shapes what this challenge is about.

Who I Am and Why I Created This Space

My name is Johanny “Joa” Ortega, a Dominican American writer, indie author, and storyteller who lives at the crossroads of magical realism, psychological horror, and cultural identity. I write for the girl who felt split between two cultures. The girl who grew up with her mother’s stories, her grandmother’s rituals, and the unspoken rules of survival in immigrant households. The girl who felt ordinary on the outside but carried storms on the inside.

That girl is me.
And that girl is Marisol, the main character of my novel The Ordinary Bruja.

I grew up around a particular kind of magic. Not the witchy aesthetic that dominates social media, but the quiet, subtle magic that lives in immigrant homes. The rosaries that hang on door handles. The prayers whispered over boiling pots. The superstitions that become second nature. The spiritual cleansing your mother insists on even when she never calls it brujería. The moments that feel divine and ancestral at the same time.

I write from that place.
I create from that place.
I live from that place.

But somewhere in the last few months, as life became overwhelming, I drifted away from my softer routines. I forgot the power of slow mornings, intentional nights, grounding rituals, and ancestral whispers. I forgot the magic woven into the everyday.

So I created a challenge that would guide me back.
And then I realized… many of you might need that same gentle path too.

What Is the 30-Day Soft Bruja Challenge?

This challenge is a month-long journey designed to help you reconnect with yourself through small, cozy, witchy, culturally rooted prompts. It is not about becoming a witch or practicing a specific spiritual path. It is about honoring the ways magic naturally shows up in your life. It is about softness, self-care, intuition, and cultural memory.

Each day gives you a simple prompt that encourages reflection, creativity, and grounding energy. Some are practical. Some are emotional. Some are nostalgic. Some are spiritual. But none of them are overwhelming. This challenge is meant to feel nourishing, not stressful.

Some examples include:

• your morning ritual
• your favorite protective charm
• your favorite tea
• a superstition you still carry
• a cozy night routine
• your favorite tree
• a one word spell
• a message to your younger self
• a gratitude ritual

Every prompt is an invitation. A moment to slow down and reconnect with your intuition. A pause in your day to ask yourself what you need, what you remember, and what you hope to reclaim.

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Keeping Personal and Professional Lives Separate: The Art of Self-Preservation

Overcoming Envy and Learning from Others’ Successes

Why Soft Bruja Energy Matters Right Now

Soft bruja energy is gentle and grounding. It is the opposite of hustle culture, perfection culture, and the need to constantly perform. Soft bruja energy says:

You do not have to be powerful in loud ways to be powerful.
You do not have to be fierce to be worthy.
Your intuition deserves your attention.
Your softness is not a weakness.
Your culture is a source of magic.
Your emotions matter.
Your rituals matter.
Your spirit matters.

For many of us, especially those who grew up in immigrant families or culturally mixed spaces, softness was not always safe or encouraged. Strength meant silence. Survival meant hustle. Our mothers and grandmothers didn’t always have the luxury of softness.

We do.

This challenge honors them by honoring ourselves.
It is healing the line by healing the individual.

How the Challenge Connects to My Writing

If you have been following my journey, you know that my upcoming novel The Ordinary Bruja explores themes of identity, ancestral memory, psychological warfare, and the quiet magic that lives in the ordinary. Marisol, the main character, spends her life doubting herself. She feels small. She feels disconnected from her culture and her worth. She feels haunted in more ways than one.

Her journey is about remembering who she is.
Remembering where she comes from.
And remembering the magic she carries.

The Soft Bruja Challenge is not a marketing gimmick for the book. It is a reflection of its emotional heart. A way for readers to understand the atmosphere of the story through lived, gentle experience.

When you light a candle with intention, when you walk a path that grounds you, when you hold an object that reminds you of home, when you speak a word that feels like a spell, you are connecting to the same emotional world Marisol walks through.

This challenge invites you into the atmosphere of the book long before you turn the first page.

An Invitation to Begin

Whether you join every day or only some days, whether you post about it or keep it private, this challenge is yours to shape. You can journal, film, photograph, meditate, or simply take a quiet breath for each prompt. You can move through the days in order or follow them intuitively.

The point is not perfection.
The point is connection.

If you are feeling tired, overwhelmed, spiritually drained, creatively blocked, or simply curious about reconnecting with your inner magic, this challenge is your soft landing place.

I invite you to walk with me for the next thirty days.
To soften.
To remember.
To breathe.
To return.

Your magic has always been there. Let’s uncover it together.

#ancestralHealing #brujaPractices #cozyWitchRituals #dailyRitualChallenge #gentleWitchcraft #identityAndCulture #latinaSpirituality #magicalRealismInspiration #softBrujaChallenge #spiritualSelfCare #theOrdinaryBruja #writerLifestyle

The 30-Day Soft Bruja Challenge: A Cozy Ritual for Anyone Reclaiming Their Magic

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The Art of Fostering Well-Being in Communities and Individuals

#HumanConnection #CommunityPsychology #Psychodynamics #SocialEmbeddedness #IdentityAndCulture #HolisticHealth #Empathy #SelfUnderstanding #MentalHealth #SocialWellbeing #PersonalGrowth #CommunityBuilding #PsychologyInsights #SelfReflection

https://youtube.com/shorts/FUy2uVXoJxs?feature=share

Rediscovering Heritage & Emotion Through Storytelling : A Deep Dive into Lispeth of Kotgarh by Author Hiemannk

#LispethOfKotgarh #Hiemannk #RediscoveringHeritage #PostcolonialLiterature #StorytellingMagic #LiteraryReimagination #HistoricalFiction #KiplingReimagined #TragicLoveStory #ColonialIndia #ThematicExploration #IdentityAndCulture #CulturalClashes #WomenInLiterature #TraditionalVsContemporary #StageToPage #AuthorInsights #LiteraryVoices #AmazonReads

https://tycoonworld.in/rediscovering-heritage-emotion-through-storytelling-a-deep-dive-into-lispeth-of-kotgarh-by-author-hiemannk/