Day 20 — My Cozy Nook: Imagining the Sanctuary I Will Build

Right now, my cozy nook exists only in my mind. And honestly? There is something magical about that. I am in a season of transition — physically, emotionally, and creatively — and while transitions can be stressful, the part I always look forward to is the moment when I get to rebuild a space that feels like me. A space that holds my softness and my power. A space where I can write, read, rest, and breathe.

A space that feels like a bruja cottage with modern Latina flavor.

Because the truth is, I don’t have a physical cozy corner at the moment. Moving has thrown everything into boxes and suitcases, and until I settle back into my home, I am floating between spaces. But even without the physical nook, the vision is alive. It’s detailed. It’s intentional. It’s waiting for me.

And envisioning it feels like its own kind of magic.

The Vision: A Sanctuary of Softness & Strength

When I imagine my nook, the first thing that appears in my mind is warmth. Not temperature warmth, but emotional warmth. A place where my nervous system relaxes the second I sit down. A place that feels protective, intimate, and deeply personal.

I see:

• A comfortable chair or chaise that my body can melt into
• A throw blanket that matches my bruja aesthetic — maybe deep plum, forest green, or warm brown
• Soft lighting from a salt lamp or a golden-glow floor lamp
• A small altar or corner shelf with crystals, candles, and talismans
• A stack of books within arm’s reach — fiction, magical realism, witchy texts, and my notebooks
• A side table for my Girl Boss mug or a warm cup of chai
• A window nearby, allowing natural light to spill in during the day
• Plants that soften the edges of the room and breathe life into it

It is a place for rituals. A place for creativity. A place for grounding. A place where my inner world feels supported by the outer world. And even though it doesn’t exist physically right now, imagining it helps me stay connected to the softer version of myself I’m building through this challenge.

Why Cozy Nooks Matter So Much to Me

Growing up in a Dominican household, space wasn’t always about aesthetics. It was about practicality. There wasn’t always an invitation to create corners dedicated to emotional comfort or creative freedom. There was no “reading nook.” There was the living room, the kitchen, the bedroom, and that was that.

So as an adult, carving out a nook of my own feels like reclaiming something I didn’t know I needed: A place where I can decompress, create, or simply exist without being productive.

A cozy nook is like a soft exhale.
A place where healing can happen without effort.
A place where I can be all versions of myself:
The writer.
The bruja.
The mother.
The woman.
The dreamer.
The girl who survived.
The one who is still healing.

It is the space where I reconnect to everything that makes me feel grounded.

The Bruja Aesthetic

Let’s be honest: the nook will have bruja vibes. Soft, witchy, Dominican-coded bruja vibes.

I see candlelight flickering against walls.
I see crystals that remind me of my intuition.
I see herb bundles hung or placed carefully nearby.
I see a little dish for essential oils — mostly lavender, of course.
I see art that inspires me, maybe something featuring a kapok tree or a bruja silhouette.
I see a space where ancestors feel welcome and creativity feels at home.

A cozy nook is a bruja portal; a place where the spiritual and the practical meet. A place where rituals can happen effortlessly. A place where I can honor the parts of me that live in both worlds.

The Creative Corner

As an indie author, this nook is also going to be where I write. And writing requires a certain energy. A certain atmosphere. A certain closeness to myself.

This nook will hold:

• My manuscript pages
• My character notes
• My tarot deck for quick clarity pulls
• My laptop
• My favorite pens
• A corkboard or inspiration board
• Music playlists for each book

It is where Marisol lives when I write her.
Where Isadora breathes when I craft her story.
Where Josefina whispers her truths for Book 3.
Where my own memories uncoil so I can weave them into fiction.

A nook is not just a physical space.
It is a partnership between energy and creativity.

The Joy of Creating From Scratch

Not having the nook right now might sound disappointing, but the truth is, I’m excited. Creating a nook from scratch means I get to choose everything intentionally. Nothing will be accidental or leftover. Everything will be curated, chosen with care, and aligned with the softness I’m cultivating.

It will be a space built from healing, not survival.
From abundance, not scarcity.
From intention, not necessity.

There is something deeply symbolic about creating a physical sanctuary while I’m also creating an internal one throughout this challenge.

When I finally settle in El Paso and start decorating, I know the nook will feel like a manifestation of everything I’ve been working toward — peace, clarity, magic, joy, creativity, and emotional grounding.

A space that reflects who I am becoming.

A space where I can grow new roots.

A space that feels like home.

#authorLife #brujaCottageAesthetic #cozyNookIdeas #creativeSanctuary #homeDecorInspiration #IntentionalLiving #LatinaSpirituality #readingNook #softBrujaChallenge #TheOrdinaryBruja #writingNook

Day 19 — The Hobbies That Fill My Love Bucket: Tarot & Honoring the Moon

There are hobbies that pass the time, and then there are hobbies that pour something back into you. Hobbies that refill what the world drains out. Hobbies that feel like coming home to yourself. For me, the two practices that fill my love bucket, emotionally, spiritually, and intuitively, are reading tarot and honoring the moon.

These two rituals sit at the center of my soft bruja practice. They are grounding, clarifying, and deeply connected to the way my body and spirit move through the world. They remind me that I am not alone in my intuition, my cycles, or my emotions. They help me understand myself in a way nothing else does.

Tarot: My Mirror, My Guide, My Clarifier

Tarot is not about telling the future for me.
It is about revealing the present.

It’s about listening to the parts of myself I spend all day ignoring: the whispers, the gut feelings, the quiet truths underneath the noise. Tarot is a conversation between my spirit and my awareness. Every card is a reflection. A nudge. A reminder. A question. A key.

What I love most about tarot is how honest it is.
It doesn’t sugarcoat.
It doesn’t lie to make you comfortable.
It doesn’t flatter.
It doesn’t rush you.
It simply shows you what is there, whether you’re ready to see it or not.

That honesty has been a lifeline during times when my emotions felt tangled, when anxiety made it hard to think clearly, or when a decision felt too heavy to make alone. Tarot helps me interpret my own intuition, especially on days where fear tries to drown it out.

Tarot gives me:

• clarity, when my mind is noisy
• validation, when I feel unsure
• comfort, when I feel overwhelmed
• direction, when I feel lost
• a spiritual check-in, when I need grounding

Some spreads hit me so deeply that I sit with them for days. Others give me tiny answers that shift my whole mood. Tarot reminds me of my power by returning me to myself.

It is a devotion to hearing the truth, softly.

Honoring the Moon: Working With Her, Not Against Her

Just like me, and like my menstrual cycle, the moon has phases.

And each phase has its own energy.
It’s own emotional rhythm.
Its own sacred pull.

I feel these shifts clearly in my body. Some moons make me reflective. Some make me creative. Some make me restless. Some make me deeply calm. Over the years, I’ve learned that my spirit is not random. It is responsive. My energy often mirrors the moon’s cycle more than anything else.

So I honor her phases, not because I am trying to perform witchcraft perfectly, but because my body moves with her.

• During the new moon, I feel inward and quiet. I rest and reevaluate.
• During the waxing moon, I feel openings, creativity, momentum.
• During the full moon, emotions intensify and clarity rises to the surface.
• During the waning moon, I release what is heavy and prepare to start again.

My rituals change depending on what season of life I’m in. Sometimes honoring the moon means pulling a lunar-themed tarot spread. Sometimes it means praying. Sometimes it means journaling. Sometimes it means simply acknowledging her presence when I step outside at night.

There is no pressure. No performance.
Just awareness, attunement, and respect.

The Body-Spirit Connection

One thing I became aware of as I grew deeper into myself is how much the moon’s phases influence my physical and emotional sense of stability. I can feel when a full moon is near because something in my energy heightens, not in a chaotic way, but in an alert, observant way.

I can feel when the moon wanes because my spirit starts letting go of things I didn’t realize I was gripping tightly. I can feel when a new moon approaches because my intuition gets quieter, wanting rest and reflection.

Listening to my body has become a form of spiritual practice.

I ask:

• What do I need today?
• What emotion is rising?
• What is the moon doing, and how is that mirroring my own state?
• How can I work with this instead of against it?

The more I listen, the more aligned I feel.

How Tarot & the Moon Work Together

Both tarot and the moon help me understand my inner world.

Tarot shows me what is happening inside me.
The moon shows me when to act on it.

When a tarot reading reveals a message about release, and the moon is waning, it clicks. When a reading calls for intention and the new moon is approaching, it syncs. When a reading encourages expansion and the moon is waxing, I follow that flow.

These two practices make me feel spiritually supported. They remind me that cycles are natural. That change is natural. That clarity comes in waves. And that healing is not linear. It is lunar.

Why These Hobbies Fill My Love Bucket

Because they bring me:

• comfort
• clarity
• connection
• peace
• self-trust
• spiritual grounding

They refill me when the world drains me. They give me guidance when life feels confusing. They remind me that my intuition is valid. They help me honor my inner rhythms instead of fighting them.

Tarot and the moon do not demand perfection.
They ask for presence.

And that is why they will always be part of my soft bruja journey.

#brujaLifestyle #emotionalHealing #honoringTheMoon #intuitiveLiving #LatinaSpirituality #lunarRituals #moonPhases #selfCarePractices #softBrujaChallenge #tarotClarity #tarotReading #TheOrdinaryBruja

Day 16 — My Favorite Mug: The Girl Boss Mug That Reminds Me Who I Am

There are objects we own because they are practical, and then there are objects we keep because they hold something deeper. Something emotional. Something spiritual. Something that reminds us of the version of ourselves we are constantly becoming.

For me, that object is a mug.
A white and pink mug with bold gold lettering that says: Girl Boss.

It was my husband who spotted it first. We were at Marshall’s, walking through the home goods aisle, and he held it up with this little grin as if he already knew exactly what it would mean to me. I remember laughing when I saw it, because it felt so on-brand. So me. So unapologetically affirming. I didn’t buy it because I needed another mug. I bought it because something inside me said, “You’re going to need this.”

And I did.

The Girl Boss mug is not about hustle culture or capitalism or being busy for the sake of productivity. It is not about projecting strength 24/7 or pretending I have it all figured out. It is much more personal than that. For me, the phrase is spiritual. Emotional. A grounding reminder. A talisman of empowerment disguised as something ordinary.

There are days when I feel strong. Days when I feel aligned. Days when my bruja energy is intact, my spirit is centered, and I remember exactly who I am and what I am capable of. On those days, drinking from the mug feels like celebration.

But there are also days when I feel the exact opposite.

Days when I am overwhelmed.
Days when anxiety sits too close.
Days when my self-doubt gets loud.
Days when life hits harder than expected.
Days when I feel tired in places I cannot name.
Days when the version of me who is powerful feels distant.

On those days, the Girl Boss mug becomes something else entirely.
It becomes a reminder.

A reminder that I have survived worse.
A reminder that I have risen from things that were supposed to break me.
A reminder that even when I feel small, the core of me is still strong.
A reminder that my softness and my power coexist.

This is why, when I returned to El Paso and settled back into my routine, I moved the mug to my bedside table. It was an intuitive choice, an emotional one, a small shift that felt significant. Now, every night before bed, I drink water from it as I take my medication. It has become part of my nighttime ritual, part of the way I close my day with intention.

There is something about ending the night with water — the symbol of cleansing, release, and renewal — held in a mug that reminds me of who I am. It is a gentle ritual of empowerment. A pairing of softness and courage. A practice of meeting myself with compassion and truth.

Some nights I pick up the mug and stare at the words for a moment longer than usual. On those nights, I am not just reading a phrase. I am speaking to myself. I am mothering myself. I am coaching myself the way a good trainer hypes up a boxer before a fight.

You are strong.
You are capable.
You are resilient.
You are evolving.
You are that girl — even when you forget.

It is amazing how something as simple as a mug can hold so much emotional weight, but that is the beauty of ritual objects. They become charged with meaning. They become extensions of our inner worlds. They hold reminders, affirmations, and energy that we return to over and over again.

In my soft bruja practice, I believe in using what feels aligned, not what looks stereotypically witchy. And for me, this mug is part of my magic. It empowers me. Grounds me. Comforts me. It fits into my spiritual lifestyle the way crystals, herbs, and tarot do — not through tradition, but through intention.

To anyone else, it is just a mug.
To me, it is a daily affirmation in gold letters.

It is the reminder that even on my weakest days, I am still powerful.
It is the reminder that I am still the author of my life, my story, my path.
It is the reminder that I continue to build, grow, and become — even when the world feels heavy.

One day, when my new reading and writing nook is built, this mug will sit on the little side table next to my chair. It will be part of my creative ritual, part of my grounding ritual, part of the energy I bring into my storytelling.

For now, it sits beside my bed like a quiet guardian — a daily reminder that strength doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it whispers through everyday objects. Sometimes it glows softly in gold letters. Sometimes it greets you at night, right before you close your eyes.

And sometimes, strength looks like taking a sip of water and remembering:
You are powerful. Even here. Even now.

#authorLife #brujaLifestyle #dailyEmpowerment #emotionalHealing #empoweringMug #GirlBossMug #intuitiveLiving #LatinaSpirituality #nightlyRitual #selfCareHabits #softBrujaChallenge #TheOrdinaryBruja

Day 13: My Favorite Witchy Song — “Brujas” by Princess Nokia

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#authorLife #brujaArc #brujaEmpowerment #culturalPride #intuitiveLiving #LatinaSpirituality #PrincessNokiaBrujas #reclaimingIdentity #softBrujaChallenge #spiritualAwakening #TheOrdinaryBrujaPlaylist #witchyMusic

Day 12: An Empowering Mantra — You Are Power Incarnate

There are moments in life when strength does not feel like strength.
Moments when your spirit feels tired.
Moments when the weight of everything you carry makes your chest tight.
Moments when you feel trapped in a situation with no clear exit.
Moments when you question yourself more than you trust yourself.

And in those moments, I remind myself:

You are power incarnate.

This mantra is not about being fearless or invincible or unshaken by life. I am human. I feel things deeply. I get overwhelmed. I doubt myself. I flinch when life hits too hard. But beneath all that softness is a core that has survived every version of me. A version that fought through things quietly, privately, consistently.

That is where this mantra comes from.

Because even when I forget it, I am powerful.
Even when life scares me, my spirit is stronger.
Even when I feel cornered, I always find a way out.
Even when my hands feel tied, my mind is still sharp.
Even when I want to give up, something inside me refuses.

This mantra is a reminder of that self.
The self that has walked through fire and come out with stories.
The self that has cried and kept going.
The self that has healed wounds that no one else knows about.
The self that has faced fear and still moved.
The self that refuses to die inside even when the world tries it.

“You are power incarnate” is the pep talk I give myself when I am standing in my metaphorical corner of the boxing ring. When the bell is about to ring and life is stepping back in. When the next round feels impossible. When the blows from the last round are still aching.

It is that moment when the coach looks at the boxer—bruised, sweating, exhausted—and still says,
You got this. You’re stronger than you think. Get back in there.

Except the coach is me.
For me.

This mantra recharges me.
It reconnects me to my resilience.
It reminds me that the version of me who got through everything before is still here.
It reminds me that I am not powerless even when I feel powerless.
It reminds me that I am capable of more than my fear wants me to believe.
It reminds me that my magic does not disappear just because I am tired.

And honestly? It’s the mantra I needed as a young girl, long before I ever knew the word “bruja.” Long before I understood my strength. Long before I realized that softness and power can live in the same body.

So I tell myself now, loudly and unapologetically:

You are power incarnate.
You have always been power incarnate.
And you will always be power incarnate.

This is my recharge.
My armor.
My reminder.
My spell.

#authorLife #brujaAffirmations #dailyRitual #emotionalResilience #empoweringMantra #innerStrength #intuitiveLiving #LatinaSpirituality #mindsetHealing #personalPower #softBrujaChallenge #spiritualSelfCare #TheOrdinaryBruja

Day 11: My One-Word Spell — Clarify

Some spells don’t need candles, herbs, or long incantations.
Some spells are simple. Soft. Direct.
Some spells are just a single word spoken with intention.

For me, that word is clarify.

I am the type of person who sometimes moves faster than she should. My mind tries to solve everything at once. My anxiety wants answers before I even finish asking the questions. My spirit starts jumping ahead while my body is still standing in place. And when I move that fast, things get blurry. Details slip. Emotions tangle. I miss the obvious because my thoughts are running marathons.

So I started working with a one-word spell — a word that grounds me, slows me down, and helps me see the full picture instead of reacting to the first thing in front of me.

Clarify.
To clear what is foggy.
To reveal what is hidden.
To calm what is chaotic.
To understand what is confusing.

When I whisper this word, I can feel my spirit soften. It is like telling my brain, “Pause. Breathe. Let me see what I need to see.” This single word becomes a signal for everything inside me to slow down and fall into alignment again.

Sometimes I repeat it out loud.
Sometimes I say it in my mind.
Sometimes I write it on a scrap of paper.
Sometimes I hold it in my heart.

But my favorite ritual is when I speak it before sleep.

There is something powerful about asking for clarity right before surrendering to rest. I will go to bed thinking on this word and trusting that my spirit will do the sorting while my body sleeps. And almost every time, I wake up with a spark of understanding. A softened truth. A direction. A gut feeling that clicks into place.

An a-ha moment.

Clarify is not a spell to force answers.
It is a spell to invite them.
A spell that says, “Show me what I missed. Show me what I need. Show me the truth.”

And clarity always comes.
Maybe not instantly.
Maybe not dramatically.
But gently. Softly. Quietly.
Like mist lifting from a morning field.

This word has saved me from spiraling.
It has saved me from reacting when I needed to observe.
It has saved me from assuming the worst.
It has saved me from my own anxious urgency.

Clarify helps me return to myself.
It helps me move with intention instead of fear.
It helps me trust that answers will come when I am ready to receive them.

One-word spells are powerful because they carry pure intention without distraction.
They bring your focus back.
They sharpen your intuition.
They call your spirit into stillness.

And for a soft bruja like me, clarity is magic.

#brujaMagic #clarityRitual #dailyRitual #emotionalGrounding #intuitiveGuidance #intuitiveLiving #LatinaSpirituality #mindfulnessPractice #oneWordSpell #slowingDown #softBrujaChallenge #spiritualSelfCare #TheOrdinaryBruja

Day 10: My Go-To Crystal — Citrine, The Light I Chose on Purpose

For a long time, I didn’t understand crystals beyond “oh, that’s pretty.” But then I discovered citrine — the bright, warm, sun-kissed stone known as the “happy” crystal — and something clicked. The moment I learned what it represented, I said, “Give me. I need that. Immediately.”

Citrine is all about joy, positivity, abundance, and shifting energy. It is the crystal of choosing light. Choosing optimism. Choosing softness. Choosing hope. And if I’m being completely honest, I needed every single one of those things.

Because I like to joke that I am a recovering pessimist.

For most of my life, I lived with a glass-half-empty mindset. Not in a dramatic way, but in a survival way. I always expected the shoe to drop. If I had too many good days in a row, I would start looking over my shoulder like, “Okay, what’s coming?” If something good happened, I braced myself for something bad to balance it out. I lived in a constant state of emotional preparation.

And it was exhausting y’all!

It took therapy, reflection, and witchcraft for me to understand that this mindset was not protecting me. It was harming me. It was keeping me small. It was attracting people and situations that matched that negativity. It was feeding the parts of me that believed I didn’t deserve joy without consequences.

Once I realized that, I knew I had to change something.

And that is when citrine entered my life.

This little crystal became a physical reminder that happiness is not suspicious. Joy is not a threat. Peace does not have to be earned by suffering first. Good days do not mean bad things are around the corner. And most importantly, energy flows where attention goes.

If I kept expecting things to fall apart, my spirit would keep searching for proof.
But if I trained my mind to look for light, my spirit would follow that too.

Citrine taught me that mindset is magic.

Holding it, meditating with it, or simply having it near me became a small ritual of shifting my perspective. Not to toxic positivity, but to balanced reality. Understanding that both good and bad days are on rotation, and neither defines me. Understanding that life is cycles, not punishments. Understanding that joy is allowed to stay.

Citrine helped me soften the part of me that expected disappointment.
It helped me breathe easier.
It helped me open my heart a little more.
It helped me trust myself again.

This crystal was never about fixing my problems.
It was about reminding me that I deserve happiness even while I’m healing.
It was about teaching me that fear and joy can coexist without canceling each other out.
It was about helping me unlearn the belief that peace is temporary.

Now, whenever I look at citrine’s warm glow, I hear it whisper:
“You’re allowed to be happy. You’re allowed to trust the moment you’re in. You’re allowed to believe good things can last.”

And honestly? That alone is magic.

You can read a little bit more about citrine here.

#abundanceCrystal #authorLife #brujaCrystals #citrineMeaning #crystalHealing #emotionalHealing #intuitiveLiving #LatinaSpirituality #MindsetShift #positivityRituals #recoveringPessimist #softBrujaChallenge #spiritualSelfCare #TheOrdinaryBruja

Day 9: My Favorite Tea — Chai, The Cup That Holds My Spirit

There are certain drinks that feel less like beverages and more like anchors. For me, that is chai.
Chai is one of the few things that can bring me back into my body instantly. The moment the scent hits me — that warm mix of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger, and black tea — my spirit settles. My shoulders relax. My mind slows. My heart softens.

I feel comfortable in my own skin.
I feel safe.
I feel like I am returning to myself.

Chai is magical in that way.
It holds you.

The richness of the flavor, the creaminess, the warmth. It’s like a hug in a cup. A grounding spell disguised as a drink. It reminds me to breathe deeper and move slower. It reminds me that softness is allowed. It reminds me that I am allowed to take up space in the world with warmth instead of tension.

But chai is not just comforting.
It comes with a history so deep and beautiful that the first time I read about it, it made my connection to it feel even more sacred.

According to the Chai Guys’ history of chai, the drink goes back thousands of years to India, where it began not as the sweet café version most of us know, but as an Ayurvedic medicinal tonic. Each spice had a healing purpose:

• Ginger for digestion
• Cinnamon for circulation
• Cardamom for cleansing
• Cloves for pain relief
• Peppercorn for metabolic fire

It wasn’t even made with tea leaves at first. It was a spicy healing brew meant to warm the body, support the immune system, and align the energetic centers.

Once colonial trade routes introduced black tea, the drink evolved into the chai we know today: sweet, milky, spiced, comforting, and deeply cultural.

Chai is more than a drink.
It is lineage.
It is medicine.
It is ritual.
It is story.

And maybe that is why it resonates with me.

Because as a Dominican-American woman walking her own spiritual path, I am drawn to things that carry both comfort and history. Things that make me feel rooted. Things that connect me to something older and wiser. Things that remind me that healing is not new. Women have been simmering herbs, spices, roots, and remedies for centuries — not just for the body, but for the soul.

When I hold a warm cup of chai, I feel like I am participating in something ancient.
Something intentional.
Something that has soothed generations of people.

And on days when my mind is busy and my heart feels heavy, chai becomes my grounding ritual. My warm medicine. My soft bruja spell. My reminder that calm is possible, even when life is chaotic.

Chai brings me back to myself.
And for me, that is magic.

#authorLife #AyurvedicHistory #chaiTea #comfortingTeas #cozyWitchAesthetic #DailyRituals #emotionalHealing #groundingRituals #intuitiveLiving #LatinaSpirituality #softBrujaChallenge #spiritualSelfCare #teaMagic #TheOrdinaryBruja

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 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.

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