Day 8: My Go-To Herb — Lavender, My Softest Companion

If there is one herb that has followed me quietly throughout my life, it is lavender. I do not even remember the first time I smelled it. I just know that every time I catch its scent, something inside me exhales. Lavender makes my shoulders drop. My breath deepens. My spirit softens. It is the closest thing I have to an immediate grounding switch.

I am obsessed with it.
And honestly? I am not ashamed.

I drink lavender tea.
I buy lavender soaps.
I use lavender lotions.
I carry lavender essential oils like it is emotional first aid.
If a product comes in a lavender scent, I am probably grabbing it off the shelf like “thank you, this is mine.”

But the beauty of lavender is that it is not just a nice smell.
It is a spiritual ally.
A healer.
A protector.
A soft bruja’s best friend.

When I started researching herbs and their metaphysical properties, lavender came up again and again. Calm. Clarity. Cleansing. Protection. Intuition. Dreams. Peace. A balm for the nervous system, the mind, and the emotional body. It was like reading a list of things I desperately needed during some of the hardest seasons of my life.

And then I stumbled onto something that made everything click:
Lavender is deeply tied to my astrological sign.

According to multiple sources, including the one I found on Curious Cauldron, lavender aligns with my zodiac energy in a way that feels almost fated. The herb’s softness, its spiritual grounding, its calm clarity, and its connection to intuition are traits that mirror who I am and who I am constantly becoming. It felt like lavender had been whispering to me long before I ever understood its meaning.

It was always meant to be one of my herbs.

I think that is the magic of lavender. It is gentle without being weak. It is calming without being boring. It is soothing without making you numb. Lavender does not force anything; it invites. It lets you unclench slowly. It makes space for you to breathe. It comforts you without overwhelming your senses.

To me, lavender is the embodiment of soft bruja energy.

It is the herb of the woman who is tired but still trying.
The bruja who carries heaviness but still chooses light.
The girl who grew up learning hardness but is now learning softness.
The spirit who wants both grounding and magic.
The tender heart who needs peace in a world that feels too loud.

Lavender is that hand on your back saying, “Breathe. You’re safe.”

And I think that is why it has always been such a powerful companion for me. In every chapter of my life, lavender has been there — in a bottle, a tea cup, a candle, a lotion, a diffuser, a soap bar. It has always shown up when I needed to soothe my anxiety, calm my nervous system, or reconnect with my intuition.

It is not just an herb; it is a ritual.
A comfort.
A familiar scent that feels like home.
A reminder that softness is a strength too.

So yes, lavender is my go-to herb. It always has been. And now that I know how aligned it is with my spirit, my sign, and my path, it feels even more meaningful.

If you are on your own spiritual or emotional healing journey, I hope you find an herb that feels like this for you. One that makes you feel seen. One that speaks your language. One that holds you with gentleness.

For me, that herb is lavender.
Always has been.
Always will be.

Check out this article about the herb: https://curiouscauldron.com.au/blogs/sacred-space/magickal-properties-of-lavender?srsltid=AfmBOormeE6Rdk5veB4vxNaioLca_81dZSCpJm2nXQH3pwzGVlDmw0l1

#astrologicalHerbs #authorLife #brujaRituals #calmingHerbs #emotionalHealing #gentleWitchcraft #herbalMagic #intuitiveLiving #LatinaSpirituality #lavenderBenefits #lavenderHerbMagic #softBrujaChallenge #spiritualSelfCare #TheOrdinaryBruja

Day 3: My Favorite Protective Charm — The Evil Eye Bracelet I Never Take Off

Some people wake up and choose jewelry based on the outfit they’re wearing. I’m not one of those people. There is one piece I wear every single day, no matter what. One thing I never take off. One thing that has become so much a part of me that my wrist feels strange without it.

My evil eye bracelet.

I have always believed in mal de ojo. Growing up in a Dominican household, it is one of those cultural truths that you absorb long before you ever question it. The idea that people can consciously or subconsciously wish you harm. That envy has a weight. That someone’s negative thoughts can sit on your skin like a shadow. Even if they say it with a smile. Even if they pretend it isn’t there.

Some people hear that and roll their eyes.
But people who know… they know.

Life is already hard. There are bills, deadlines, family stress, grief, expectations, and the general chaos of just trying to be a functioning adult. I do not need anyone else’s negative energy sitting on top of all that. I am tired enough on my own. I am fighting my own battles. I cannot afford to carry someone else’s bitterness, jealousy, or bad intentions like a backpack full of rocks.

So I wear my evil eye bracelet like armor.

It is not flashy.
It is not for aesthetics.
It is for protection.

Every time I catch a glimpse of it when I am typing or washing my hands, I feel grounded. I feel watched over. I feel guarded. It reminds me that spiritual protection is just as important as emotional and physical protection. It reminds me that I am allowed to shield myself. I am allowed to create boundaries. I am allowed to say “not today” to anyone’s negativity.

People talk about cleansing their homes, cleansing their thoughts, cleansing their timelines. I love that. Cleansing is important. But protection is what keeps you from needing to cleanse constantly.

Some of us carry too much already.
Some of us are too sensitive to energy.
Some of us attract people who drain us.
Some of us are natural healers who others cling to.
Some of us feel the weight of mal de ojo even if no one explains it.

What is Mal de Ojo?

Mal de ojo, or the evil eye, is one of the oldest and most widespread spiritual beliefs across Latin America, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, and parts of the Middle East. If you grew up in a Dominican, Puerto Rican, Mexican, or broader Latine household, chances are you heard about it before you ever understood what it meant. It’s something our grandmothers and mothers warned us about long before we had the language for energy, intuition, or spiritual boundaries.

At its core, mal de ojo is the belief that someone’s envy, jealousy, or negative intention can harm you, even if they never say it out loud. It can be conscious or subconscious. Someone might not even realize they’re sending that energy your way, but you feel it. You absorb it. You carry it.

People who believe in mal de ojo see envy not just as an emotion but as a force.

A force that sticks to the body.
A force that drains your spirit.
A force that creates headaches, tiredness, bad luck, or emotional heaviness.
A force that babies and highly sensitive people are especially vulnerable to.

That is why so many Latine families place red bracelets or amulets on newborns. It is why abuelas pray over us. It is why we cleanse, sage, sweep, pray, salt-bath, rosary, and call on God and ancestors in the same breath.

What the Evil Eye Bracelet Does

This bracelet is my reminder that I deserve spiritual safety.
It is my reminder that not all connections are good ones.
It is my reminder that intuition is a real thing and should be honored.

Wearing my evil eye every day feels like claiming my space.
It feels like telling the universe, “I am here, I am trying, and I am protecting my peace with intention.”

If you have a charm, object, or symbol that protects you, I hope this challenge inspires you to honor it. Wear it proudly. Use it intentionally. Let it be your shield when the world gets heavy.

Because life is too hard to also carry other people’s negative energy.
And you deserve protection.
You deserve peace.
You deserve to move through your day without spiritual interference.

This is your reminder that your magic matters.
And so does your protection.

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

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#brujaProtection #culturalBeliefs #dailyRituals #dominicanTraditions #emotionalGrounding #energyProtection #evilEyeBracelet #gentleWitchcraft #latinaSpirituality #malDeOjo #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

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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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#ancestralMagic #bookInspiredChallenge #brujaLifestyle #cozyWitchRituals #creativeRituals #dailySelfCarePrompts #gentleWitchcraft #identityAndCulture #latinaSpirituality #magicalRealismInspiration #softBrujaChallenge #spiritualHealingPractices #theOrdinaryBruja