A Change of Place: A Facebook excerpt...

It’s such a small thing, really… just a change of place.


For more than a decade, my writing sanctuary was always the same, my dining table. My words flowed there, my spirit settled there, my Tarot spreads unfolded there. Houses changed, but the table stayed the faithful anchor for my laptop and my dancing fingers.


Looking back, the directions tell a quiet story of evolution:


In my first two homes, where my writing first grew, I always faced South—the direction of the Fire element: passion, illumination, inspiration, fame, and radiant energy. That blazing sun-at-its-peak vibe felt perfect for years of intense, expressive poetry—helping my creative fire burn bright and visible.


Then, about 5 years ago with my most recent move, I shifted to facing West—the Metal element direction of clarity, precision, productivity, communication, and refined creativity. It supported a sharpening of my voice, a more structured flow, and perhaps even deeper introspection into the world around me.


These past few days, though, something new is stirring. I’ve been writing with the laptop on my lap (ergonomics police, I know ), and my focus has forked onto a gentler path: easing away from poetry about what I see in the world—its manipulations, divisions, and urgent calls to wake up—into reflective prose that lingers, unfolds, and breathes deeper.


This shift is bringing me back to my roots of writing, similar in rhythm to my initial foray into blog posts, that one for a spiritualist blog, and then onwards to my first book.  It’s taking away the pressure, the angst, the anger, the intense desire to wake people up. Each time that rises up in me now, I step back, inhale, and let it be. I’ve done my part… the baton is passed. Now is time for me to be me again. Difficult but necessary. 


The biggest shift? I’m no longer facing West. Now, by day I’m in the living room chair facing Northeast, and evenings find me on the couch turned toward East. It simply feels… right. More comfortable. More inspiring. The light, the energy, the openness—it all aligns in a fresh way.


In Feng Shui, facing Northeast now means I gaze toward the sacred corner of knowledge, wisdom, spiritual growth, clear thinking, and deep contemplation—the grounding Earth element that supports diving into reflective insight. Facing East invites the fresh dawn of new beginnings, growth, vitality, renewal, and family harmony (the vibrant Wood element, like spring's awakening—perfectly suited to this softer, unfolding creativity).


And the timing? We’re just ready to close the Year of the Wood Snake (2025), a cycle all about shedding old skin for transformation and rebirth. This feels like one more gentle shedding in my life: of rigid routines, of one creative form making way for another, and even of that well-worn rigid chair perch (my posterior is already grateful … though my back is still in negotiations!).


Not permanent, I trust—just a seasonal pivot, from fiery South to refined West, and now into wiser, dawning Northeast/East.

Whatever the blend of cosmic nudges, body wisdom, and the simple need to relax more and shake things up—I’m listening. I’m leaning in. The writing already feels freer, deeper, more like home. 

~ yours in ink ML

https://www.facebook.com/mlwordsmithauthor/

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