Dear Readers,
As the moon crosses over my north node in Sagittarius this morning, it’s time to share some news of hopeful expansion. This beautiful photograph taken last Winter Solstice during a break in a storm by a young neighbor who used to live across the street from me came into my head as a good companion image to this message. It reminds me what a beautiful gift it is to see where I actually am from a perspective I can’t have without someone’s else’s generosity. In that spirit, I’m inviting you to affirm the space I’ve created here on Maria’s StarGarden from where you are in a way I cannot do without you.
I love my house by the sea and would like to stay in it as long as I possibly can. Next year my financial situation will downshift in a way that requires I look for some additional income to help me meet the basic expenses involved in staying here, while still living at a pace that allows my health to remain stable. I love the hours I put in to write you a new and full moon musing and the time I have spent illustrating these. I very much appreciate the gratitude and affirmation I sometimes receive in emails and messages from you as well. In writing this newsletter I am carrying on a tradition of mine from years ago when I did something similar on a community radio station in Moscow, Idaho. At that time it was also volunteer and free of charge and slightly shorter and un-illustrated. I remember one of my college age neighbors trying to tell me about itunes and how I should put it on there and I just could not understand what in the world he meant or was talking about.
I still am not a very tech savvy elder, but the time has come to face my difficulties with how to proceed and my worry that no one will pay for it and learn how to set up a paying subscriber option. It won’t be exorbitant; the going rate here on Substack for non-business newsletters is $5.00 a month, and that’s what I’ll go with. I’m not sure if I can make it optional, or if I will provide a preview (like the first paragraph) for free while those who subscribe will see it all. There may also be a way for those of you who want to support me further to choose an extra option. Or maybe that will involve a “podcast” at some point in which I read my musings and horoscopes to you out loud. I’ll keep you posted as things develop.
At the moment my audience here is small but mighty; I appreciate every one of you for reading, and a special thanks to those who have encouraged me to take this step. I hope to get this going by the next new moon of October 6, 2021. Please let me know what you think. I hope you’ll come along with me on this new chapter of Maria’s StarGarden. It would be an honor!
Perhaps some day I’ll migrate my blog Plant-Based Slow Motion Miracle over to another newsletter here as well, so those of you who are unfamiliar with it can learn about my health journey with low fat whole plant foods. Or maybe I’ll have a poetry podcast where I read my poems or favorite stories. There are lots of possibilities to help me and my house stay together. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being a part of that from the beginning.
Blessings
Maria