2023: The Year of Enchantment
+ Equinox Reflections
Happy Equinox and Aries New Moon!
Welcome, welcome, dear reader!
Welcome enchanted yearnings.
Welcome dreams and wild things
And passion purpose burnings.
Welcome reimaginings
And welcome questions churning
May this be a space for us
To explore our deepest learning.
The equinox, a day of balance, the midway point between the solstices when there is even sunlight and darkness, is a great day to begin something new, as is a new moon, and we are, in the moment I send this, between them. So thank you, dear reader, for beginning this Enchantable Substack journey with me at this auspicious moment!
By way of a brief introduction: I am Stephanie (Marie Knox Steiner), PhD, mother, scholar, peace educator, education reimaginer, witchy mindfulness practitioner, dreamer, and writer, among other things. My vocational work is around cultivating a more peaceful, just, loving world through education, and I am an Assistant Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies at the University for Peace in Costa Rica.
On enchantment
As part of my annual reflection process on the (Northern hemisphere) winter solstice, I write a spell, and this past year, part of my spell looking forward was to get more of my writing out into the world. This Substack is part of that (along with publishing articles, writing a book proposal, and other avenues). I also choose a word of the year, and this year, my word is Enchantment. The invitation, here, is to be enchantable.
In January, I had a very vivid dream in which I declared I would write a book “that helped people remember and experience that the book they are holding was once a tree.” I awoke from this dream feeling like it was a directive from the universe. But what does that mean, and how do I write this book? I wondered. As I write the proposal and beginning chapters for this book, this will be a space for working out and exploring some of that meaning.
Then I wrote an article for a magazine special issue on enchantment (Peace Chronicle, forthcoming) about (re)enchanting education and teaching as magical praxis. In the process of writing, I realized I had much more to say on this topic, so this will be a space for expanding - but not limited to - this theme. In this article, I ask the question, “Is the academy enchantable?” My brilliant friend Kimberlyn David, after reading it, said, “I think that’s the name of your Substack,” and thus, Enchantable was born (Thanks, KD! :)
I am intentionally launching it today because of the energy of the equinox and the Aries new moon, which tells you a little bit about my approach and some of the writing you might find here. I work with the moon and natural cycles as part of my magical practice, which for me simply means an active collaboration with the natural world, the more-than-human, the unseen and unseeable, the great mystery. I see writing and words as ways we actively collaborate with the natural world, and part of my intention with this writing platform is seeing it as an avenue of spell casting. I invite you to cast spells with me!
Who is this for?
If you are reading this, I hope you get the sense that this is for you! Through writing this Substack, I am hoping to connect with folks who are interested in things like
reimagining and reenchanting (peace) education
inspiration for their teaching practice (whatever/wherever/whoever you teach!)
incorporating more magic and enchantment into their everyday lives
practicing mindfulness
exploring the tensions and complexities of mothering (and teaching and being human) in modern times
playing/working with dreams, especially in community.
I’ll be writing about things like (but not limited to):
I am committed to posting once a week, which may or may not align with lunar cycles and astrological occurrences. I will probably post things that I am teaching, dreaming about, spells, things I am inspired by…but this will very much be a work in progress and I leave the container permeable to inspiration and the creative process.
If this sounds like you, I invite you to join me by subscribing! I also welcome your feedback about what you would like to read more about.
Equinox Reflection Questions
If you did the year-end reflection process with me or did your own, the equinox (March 20th) is a great day to check in and see how it’s going. You might want to revisit the seeds you planted and spells you cast, and see what is beginning to grow. One of my seeds/intentions was to get more writing out into the world, and this Substack is a part of that!
Some equinox reflection questions:
How is it going at this quarter turn of the year?
What seeds are taking root and sprouting? (Celebrate them!)
What intentions have you forgotten about but want to invest energy in and reinvigorate?
What seeds have not taken root that you can let go of to make room for other things to grow?
If you didn’t do a year-end reflection, guess what - today is also the start of the year (astrologically, and happy Nowruz!). So if you feel inspired to do some reflecting, seed planting, spell casting and intention setting, check out my Making New Year Magic document for some guidance.
A closing wish for us
May we be protected
May we be nourished and inspired through this space
May we dwell in and live in the questions together
And may this space generate more questions than it does answers.
May our unknowing and uncertainty be generative
Towards worlds that are more livable
Towards relationships grounded in caring, trust, and reciprocity
Towards thriving for all of life.
May we be courageous in the deepest sense
Heart-forward
May we turn towards what is difficult
And be willing to compost it into fecund soil
Where new life can grow.
May we be wild in our meanderings
Not seeking too much clarity, assurance or certainty.
Willing to be bewildered and surprised,
Willing to change our minds.
May we feel into our interbeing
The connections we are weaving
And may they strengthen with each exchange.
May the words that join us together enrich us
May they weave our relational web a little stronger
And through this web, may we spread
Joy, love, beauty, abundance,
and
enchantment.
Here's to new beginnings--and a *whole* year of cultivating enchantment. May all our seeds root and thrive. <3
I'm looking forward to being enchanted through your eyes, Stephanie! I really love the invocation you ended this post with; it reminds me a bit of the student-teacher mantra from our Kripalu yoga teacher training. With your permission, I could see folding parts of it into my dance-movement gatherings, giving attribution to the creator, of course. :-)