Newsletter January 2026 Volume 18
Hello there!
I hope the new year is treating you well. And I hope that you’re finding a balance between engaging with challenging current events and taking care of yourself and your loved ones.
But truthfully, it feels impossible to find that balance at this point.
Because no matter what you do, there’s still so much to be done managing the day to day expectations of practical life and also trying to respond to and witness the huge hurting of the world.
This poem by Warshan Shire speaks to me whenever I see it.
“later that night
i held an atlas in my lap
ran my fingers across the whole world
and whispered
where does it hurt?
it answered
everywhere
everywhere
everywhere.”
― Warsan Shire
But there are so many ways to help .
We have talked about many of them, but this week maybe you can join me. I am donating the $200 from the 2 recent Full Moon circles to support the people of Minnesota who are trying to stand against the ruthless violence and cruelty that has engulfed their city.
This link is a collection of organizations on the ground there and many are small and local so every bit helps people support their neighbors if you are inspired to donate.
We’ve had such beautiful moon circles these previous months! I was able to capture an image of the full moon over Thorne’s market just before the circle! It was so beautiful and bright!
And so was the circle.
Sadly, I actually have to cancel February’s Full Moon Circle because I have a commitment in NYC but I am looking forward to engaging with you and the Full Moon Circle at Sanctuary on Friday March 6th.
I love the process of picking poems and songs and creating the guided meditation each month, but I’m going to put all that energy into working on my online moon class Flourish with the Moon which I have been creating for a while but haven’t been able to fully complete yet!
So for all of you who we’re making resolutions to come every month I’m sorry, but I will see you in March and we will have a magnificent Full Moon Circle!
So, a focus for me in the new year is to try and engage with more art.
Art reminds us we are not alone. It shows us the suffering and beauty of the world through other people’s eyes and hearts. It also gives us insight into how others have endured during perilous times.
I just saw Hamnet in the theater and it was so beautiful.
The acting was so exquisite that I forgot I was watching a movie and was given the gift of experiencing grief and loss, magic and joy. The film also was an example of how art helps us move through grief or deep emotion while also connecting to others.
I highly recommend the film, but maybe read a bit about it so the grief doesn’t catch you by surprise?
Or maybe that’s just me that needs to do that.
There are new insights about how much awe and art can impact our bodies and health. The following quote is from the Washington Post.
“New research out of King’s College London gauged people’s physiological responses while they viewed works by Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Edouard Manet and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec for 20 minutes. The study, now in preprint, found that participants’ levels of the stress hormone cortisol dropped by 22 percent on average, while markers of inflammation dropped even more sharply and heart rhythms indicated greater relaxation.
This is consistent with other recent research connecting immersion in visual art to human flourishing, including by reducing pain and illness, raising levels of neurotransmitters associated with well-being such as serotonin and oxytocin, and increasing feelings of altruism and cooperation.
“Simply slowing down to take in the simple beauties around us is an antidote to the moral ugliness of our attention-captured, online life, and visual art and the spaces of such contemplation a gym for such training,” Keltner writes in a forthcoming book.
“It’s mind-blowing,” the Berkeley psychologist told me, “that experiencing awe standing in front of a painting makes you feel more compassionate … and it makes you more interested in being a good citizen.”
And a study is here:
When things are so difficult, action can be a counter to despair. Do something. Whatever you can. Whenever you can to help make this world more human, more kind, more just.
I do believe that everything we do reverberates endlessly creating ongoing impact. We cannot even imagine how every kindness we give and every dollar we donate makes a difference. Making a choice to donate, to volunteer, to protest, to check on your neighbor, nurture your family, take care of the earth, engage in community and support the arts are all so important.
I saw this quote from the Lord of the Rings- The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien and it moved me:
King Theoden despairs to Aragorn
“My heart is doubtful. The world changes, and all that once was strong now proves unsure. How shall any tower withstand such numbers and such reckless hate?”
And Aragorn replies,
“Ride out with me. Ride out and meet them.”
So let’s ride out in whatever way we can; in speaking up, in listening to those who are not listened to, in donating money or time to help shore up the goodness of the world and support our neighbors and do whatever we can to create a more just and loving world.
Much love,
Katherine
The link to donate to Minnesota:
