Sometimes we need the mythical...

to discover our truth.

For a long time, I did not have a dream for myself.
I did not have a big, grand vision pulling me forward.
It was rather lovely.
I had spent a long enough time following maps of others' makings.
But they led to treasures that were not my own.

Dreaming another’s dream was easy.
And.
Eventually.
It got caught in my throat and made it hard to be.
Hard to breathe fully.
So I shed those skins.
I came undone.
I wrapped myself together with wonder and went on my way.

But one day, a seed took hold.
Its roots grew deep.
Its tendrils wove their way into my being.
And in time I began to see.
Something.
On the horizon.
Something that called to me with a fierce song I did not want to ignore.

The Evers.
A phrase I used in passing, but one that found me time and again.
The Evers.
The space of make believe made real.
Of story and play.
Of mystery and magic.

The Evers.
Because what I want is to call people in.
To a world of our making.
To play.
Not in the bright and shiny way, necessarily.
But the play of children.
Where shadows dance and dragons are befriended.

I don’t want to solve a problem.
Or hit a pain point.
I want people to have the experience of crossing thresholds.
Of meeting oracles.
Of finding treasures conjured just for them.
I want people to live in a world where I…and my spark of magic…exists.
And maybe, from there, they become more of who they are than ever before.

I want to create experiences.
Live.
In person.
Experiences.
That call you into the Evers.
That take you on adventures.
That offer you a glimpse into the magic you know is there.
Waiting.

I think we crave it.
I think we long for experiences like this.
Because sometimes what we need.
Is to inhabit the mystery.
And explore.
Discover.
Remember.
Sometimes we need the mythical.
To learn the truth.

This is the world I am playing in.
This is the dream I am weaving.
I am making it real.
Solid.
Alive.

It is an experiment, of course.
As there is freedom there.
There is also an Instagram account, The Evers.
To give you glimpses of the magic I am creating.

And.
Below.
Another glimpse.
Into an experience.
Of make believe made real.

*****

Ms. Ethel Green Volk Sparkwell found herself walking through The Evers once upon a time.
She was young.
And could still remember the magic from which we all spring.
She, unlike most, carried that magic with her through all of her days.
Meeting the most remarkable beings.
Having the most incredible of adventures.

Ettie, as she was known to friends, knew of the wilds that lay just beyond our gaze.
And she invited them into her world with regularity.
They, inturn, invited her into theirs.

On her 7th birthday, Ettie became the keeper of a rare species of fireflies, the
Stellalibre Lampyridae. In the summer months, these lightning bugs spend their time in the green spaces of nature, as do their compatriots. But in the winter, the Stellalibre take up residence in books filled with adventure and magic. Come late February or early March, they are usually ready to be seen again…in the warmth and safety of someone’s parlor, of course. They are also ready to share the magic of their illumination. In exchange for a story one is no longer wanting to carry, they will offer a spark. They will peer in deep and give you the message that you need to hear. The stories sustain them until the summer. And any use of their magic makes them glow that much brighter.

Ethel was renowned for her Fireflies in February (or Magic in March when the fireflies were being fickle) tea parties. They were the talk of a certain society set. When Ethel died, the fireflies were bequeathed to another…in hopes that the tradition would be passed on.

We are thrilled to report that the tradition has indeed been passed on. The StellaLibre were celebrated and nourished for another season. The fireflies will take up residence in the Library of Wonders and Curiosities where they eagerly await their summer debut in Asheville, NC. Next year’s tea party is already in the works.

*****

In darkness and density…
With love and fire~
Jo Anna

P.S. This week, paid subscribers can ask the oracle a question of their choosing and receive the answer that rises up.