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.

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

Day 6: Favorite Witchy Book(s)

Books have always been one of my portals. Not just for escape, but for understanding myself, my identity, my spirituality, and the parts of me I never had language for growing up. When I started walking a more intentional spiritual path, I didn’t have a mentor. I didn’t have a coven. I didn’t have someone guiding me step by step. What I did have was curiosity, intuition, and a lifelong love of reading.

So I did what I always do.
I found books that helped me make sense of the magic I could feel living inside me.

Today’s Soft Bruja Challenge prompt is all about those witchy books. The ones that opened my eyes, grounded my rituals, deepened my understanding, and shaped the way I walk through the world as a spiritual Latina woman. Some are nonfiction guides that taught me about my inner bruja. Some are fiction stories that reminded me that our magic is real because it is rooted in our emotions, our culture, and our humanity.

Here are the ones that have stayed with me.

NonFiction

Witch: Unleashed. Untamed. Unapologetic. — Lisa Lister

This was the first book I read cover to cover when I intentionally stepped onto my spiritual path. And honestly? It changed everything. Lisa Lister doesn’t just talk about witchcraft. She talks about womanhood. She talks about intuition. She talks about the power of living in sync with the moon, our bodies, and the rhythm of the world around us.

I loved how she explained the historical violence women experienced simply for being healers, midwives, herbalists, or intuitive women. And then she flipped it, showing how the witch is reawakening in all of us today. This book gave me reasons for the things I felt but never voiced. It gave me clarity. It made me feel less alone in my intuition. And it made me feel empowered.

If you are new to the spiritual path, this book is a grounding, validating, energizing place to start.

The Green Witch — Arin Murphy-Hiscock

This book is soft bruja energy in paper form. It is a gentle, practical guide to working with nature: herbs, flowers, essential oils, roots, and the elements. Since I have a green thumb, this book made everything click. It helped me understand how to blend the medicinal and the spiritual. How to turn my plants into partners. How to use herbs for both healing and magic.

It also gave me language for things I had already been doing instinctively.
Dominican households are full of plant magic.
We just never called it witchcraft.
We called it “remedios.”
We called it “lo que hacía tu abuela.”

This book helped me see the lineage in that.

Santa Muerte: The History, Rituals, and Magic of Our Lady of the Holy Death — Tracey Rollin

This book called to me from the shelf. You know that feeling. When something in your chest says, “Pick this one up.” So I did. And I read it cover to cover.

Santa Muerte is often sensationalized, misunderstood, or demonized, but this book breaks the stereotype. It explains her history, her purpose, her rituals, and why she is beloved by so many marginalized communities. She is a protector. A guide. A guardian for those who walk dangerous paths, whether physically, spiritually, or emotionally.

This book helped me understand her without fear.
It helped me understand the devotion.
It helped me understand why her energy resonates with certain people.

And it gave me a deeper respect for her as a spiritual force.

Fiction

Fiction has its own magic. It carries emotion, cultural nuance, inner journeys, and the psychological depth that mirrors our real lives. These are the fiction books that have nourished me lately:

Salt Bones — Jennifer Givhan

Dark, atmospheric, culturally layered, and beautifully written. This book woke up all the parts of me that love gothic, magical realism storytelling through a Latina lens.

Signal To Noise — Silvia Moreno-Garcia

A perfect blend of nostalgia, magic, and emotional complexity. Silvia always delivers stories that feel deeply human and culturally alive.

https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/signal-to-noise/9400848/#isbn=1786186446

The Ordinary Bruja — Johanny Ortega

My own story. My heart. My lineage. My attempt at writing a girl who believes she is ordinary until life forces her to remember her magic. This is the book of my soul, and it belongs on my witchy shelf too.

Why These Books Matter to Me

Each of these books came to me at the exact moment I needed them. They taught me something different:

Witch taught me to honor my intuition.
The Green Witch taught me to work with nature.
Santa Muerte taught me to understand sacred things without judgment.
Salt Bones and Signal To Noise reminded me how powerful our stories are.
The Ordinary Bruja reminded me why I write.

These books are more than recommendations.
They are stepping stones.
Ritual companions.
Pieces of my healing.
Pieces of my identity.
Pieces of my bruja journey.

And if you’re walking your own path, maybe one of these books will become part of your story too.

***Some book links are Bookshop affiliate links. If you buy a book through them, I earn a small commission that helps me keep writing and sharing stories. Thank you for supporting indie authors and indie bookstores.

#bookshopAffiliate #brujaIdentity #greenWitchBooks #healingThroughBooks #herbalMagic #intuitiveReadingList #latinaSpirituality #magicalRealismFiction #santaMuerteGuide #softBrujaChallenge #spiritualSelfCare #theOrdinaryBruja #witchyBookRecommendations

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 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.

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#brujaProtection #culturalBeliefs #dailyRituals #dominicanTraditions #emotionalGrounding #energyProtection #evilEyeBracelet #gentleWitchcraft #latinaSpirituality #malDeOjo #softBrujaChallenge #spiritualSelfCare #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.

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