Mending the Gap

Previously on The Journal of Wonders and Curiosities…

• I was chosen as the Resident Something or Other at the Museum of The Mystery, which resides inside of the Library of Wonders and Curiosities that lives at the end of my drive.

• When I went to actually enter the museum, the door to the space was locked.

• One key was found in the chaos of my studio space.

• The 2nd key, I was told, could be found within the impossible.

• To assist me in finding that precious second key, I set up a brainstorming date to venture as deeply into the realm of impossibility as possible (thank you to those who joined me…your presence was greatly appreciated).

Now on with the show…

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Music played, prompts were offered and my mind went to work, uncovering bigger, grander, more wild dreams.
—A maze of thresholds in my yard, each helping us shed a skin we no longer need to carry.
—A storefront of my very own, where I could house an apothecary that tended to the aches of the heart.
—A traveling circus where every guest was given the experience their soul craved most…curated by me.

Each notion sparked a firework of delight, leading me further down a maze of new ideas. But, every time I looked around, no key was to be found.

As time ticked down, I began to get frustrated. I wanted the key. I wanted to begin. But I knew I was not quite where I needed to be. There was something I wasn’t seeing. Something, that perhaps, truly felt impossible.

In a fit, I began writing the word IMPOSSIBLE on the top of each page and then just jotting down whatever came to mind. Everything that had felt difficult in my work flowed out of me.
Then I wrote something that I knew was the key…or at least a clue to the key…the moment I wrote it.

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Sometimes it feels as if there is a divide within what I do…a gap that I long to mend. One I have not yet been able to.
There is my work as a healer. As an oracle. The work that I do with people one on one, where I see deeply into the adventure of one’s soul.
And then there is my work as a creator…the creator of quests and experiences.
The weaver of a new mythology.
The crafter of a land of make believe made real.

Though I know that these are connected, there is still something so far unnamable that has not allowed me to bring it all together in a way I need. The space between these facets leaves me foggy…both in form and vision.

But on that day, in my yellow notebook, I wrote…

I think the first step is to be clear about the why…so that it can guide me or be the foundation.

Under that, I immediately put a star and wrote in big letters…

I THINK THIS IS THE KEY!

I was elated. And startled.
I didn’t want to push or rush…I wanted to keep going into the impossible and so I did.

I let it all simmer for a day or so before I settled into the stillness to try and find the words to my why…to once again try to bring the edges, so that I could hold it all and maybe find this key.

But the words got tangled on my tongue and never made it to the page.

At least they not yet. And that is ok. It is all part of this adventure.

(Please know that I am not asking for assistance in parsing this out. In fact, I do not want that at all…this piece is for me to untangle.)

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I wasn’t particularly hopeful when I went to get the mail last night…after the sun had set…and noticed a light shining from the back of the Library. But when I peeked in, I saw it was coming from the Museum of the Mystery.
The door to the Museum was still locked, but a new plaque was on the door. And under that a note.

The plaque read…
Hours:
12pm to 4pm Monday - Friday.
Saturday and Sunday – 12pm to 3pm

So I didn’t have the key yet , but perhaps someone saw that I was on my way and at least will unlock the door occasionally.

I grabbed the note and was confused by what I read…

Your first task is to prepare for Wish Night.

That was a phrase I did not know. I supposed I would have to wait until the morning to hopefully find out more.

I am currently sitting at a desk in the Museum, amidst books and boxes and tiny stars. This is exciting!
I will fill you in soon. I promise.

With love, fire and mystery~
Jo Anna

P.S. Each week paid Substack subscribers receive a secret message. This week I am offering a clue from the mystery.
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