The mind is willing, but the body is unable: that is the thesis statement of my summer. My chronic illness has been at an 11 these last few weeks, and I have not been able to write nearly as much as I’d like. But self-recrimination for an inherited illness that is weather-reactive and beyond my control profits me nothing.
There is only today, and tomorrow after it.
Because the dog days of summer are here and so many of us are stuck in the sweltering thick of it, I’ve decided to un-paywall this Week Ahead so that everyone can get some extra support. As always, take what you need and leave the rest. May it serve as a touchstone for the first days of eclipse season.
Creatively speaking, it’s bound to be an incredibly generative and possibly overwhelming week as both Mercury and Mars change signs amidst LOTS of activity between the inner and outer planets. The Leo eclipse mid-week (which as always will get its own newsletter) only underlines so very much of what is already going on.
Before we get into the Writing Do’s and Don’t’s, a quick reminder that registration for Book Deal Breakthrough closes this week, on Wednesday, August 12th. (I will say, because I have been very sick and not able to promote it as much as I’d like, I have been debating about keeping registration open for longer, but my hope is that enough folks sign up by Wednesday that I can take some proper recovery time before the cohort starts.)
The first Book Deal Breakthrough cohort had wild success. People got agents, but folks also grew so much in their spiritual practice and confidence with magic. We hate ~that one author who shall not be named~ in this house, but one BDB alum affectionately called Book Deal Breakthrough “Publishing Hogwarts,” and like, they weren’t wrong. Where else are you going to get to talk to a Big 5 editor one week and then do a ritual where you meet Spirits of your book a few days later?
If you’re actively working on a book project and plan to query agents within the next year or two, and want to be confident in both your publishing path AND the magic you are doing to support it, you are Officially Invited to Book Deal Breakthrough.
(And folks who are low or fixed income — there’s a scholarship application. I got you!)
And NOW for the week ahead —
Writing Do’s & Don’t’s for the week of August 9, 2026
DO show up to the work this week — in a reasonable way. Set low word count goals: one sentence, 50 words, 100 words. Lower your resistance to the work, and the work will meet you where you are.
DON’T overdo it — and my fellow Chronic Illness girlies, I am ESPECIALLY talking to you! Not only is it an eclipse this week, but Mars also enters Cancer on Tuesday, which means that Brute Forcing is especially costly. (This also applies to folks who are grieving. Be kind to yourself.)
DO go for a walk without headphones, or simply stare at the wall while Bricking your phone, on Wednesday. There’s the eclipse, yes, but there’s ALSO a zingy, lightning-quick Mercury-Uranus moment that may unlock or illuminate something for you. The key is being awake and aware enough for it to happen.
DON’T forget that Inputs are just as key as Outputs. Do something you love on Thursday that intentionally puts you in relationship with the world. Whether it’s gardening or drinks with a writer friend or going to a museum, take some time to fill your cup.
DO take care of your body in the back half of the week. Writing is intellectual, yes, but we use the body to do it, and in eclipse season, we need all the rest (and baths and massages and gentle movement and and and) that we can get. Plus, with Mars in Cancer, gentle movement and touch are key to processing whatever is emotionally and spiritually backburnering.
DON’T miss out on Saturday morning’s SUPER POTENT burst of generative creative energy (aka the Mercury-Jupiter conjunction). Even if all you do is bust out a journal with your morning coffee, this is some beautiful reflective energy to bask in.
Listening: Shaboozey’s new concept album, The Outlaw Cherie Lee and Other Western Tales. Goddamn it’s good.
Learning: I have been teaching myself the Geomancy system of divination with self-paced classes from the good doctor Al Cummins, one of the precious few white men in occultism whose work I am confident in recommending. Al is having a sale on his classes this month, and if you’re curious about necromancy, grimoires, or geomancy, you should check them out.
Playing: Loads of D&D with my Oops All Witches party of Maeg Keane, Sasha Ravitch, and my wife Meg Jones Wall. (If you want to hear us wax poetic about the intersection of D&D and witchcraft, check out this podcast episode.)
This week’s astrology, technically speaking:
Sunday, August 9: Mercury enters Leo
Monday, August 10: Venus in Libra trine Pluto Rx in Aquarius (3*); Venus in Libra opposite Neptune Rx in Aries (4*)
Tuesday, August 11: Mars enters Cancer; Mercury in Leo opposite Pluto Rx in Aquarius (3*); Mercury in Leo trine Neptune Rx in Aries (4*); Venus in Libra trine Uranus in Gemini (5*)
Wednesday, August 12: Total Solar Eclipse (New Moon) at 20* Leo (will get its own newsletter); Mercury in Leo sextile Uranus in Gemini (5*)
Thursday, August 13: Mercury in Leo sextile Venus in Libra (6*)
Saturday, August 15: Mercury in Leo conjunct Jupiter in Leo (10*)
P.S. Registration CLOSES this week for Book Deal Breakthrough, my 10-week open-genre workshop that blends magical ritual with practical planning, for writers who want to get published in a way that’s both smart and soulful.
Book Deal Breakthrough is a high-touch 10-week intensive that includes:
8 ritual workshops
9 live Q&As featuring publishing industry guests including my literary agent Dana Murphy, my Astrology for Artists Hachette editor Natalie Bautista, indie publicist Cassie Mannes Murray of Pine State Publicity, NYT bestselling memoirist Lyz Lenz, USA Today bestselling romantasy author Nikki St. Crowe, and award-winning YA horror and sci-fi author AND indie bookstore manager Nino Cipri.
Query letter workshop in the final week
(Traditional) Publishing 101
Witchcraft 101
Recorded instructions for Get an Agent and Get a Book Deal spells
A sugar jar spell that I work on behalf of all participants throughout the container
Book Deal Breakthrough is $2250, or 3 monthly payments of $750. Folks who pay in full will get a 30-minute 1:1 video call with me during the ten weeks.
The cohort starts on September 13th and goes until November 15th.
