Four things I'm delighting in right now
A Venus Day Love List
1. The Clash
“You have the right not to be killed / Murder is a crime /Unless it was done / By a Policeman”
Nothing beats militant socialist rock with a sprinkling of ska. In re-listening to the Sumer Solstice playlist I shared with you last week, I was inspired to listen to a full album by The Clash (since they’re featured in the playlist). Combat Rock rocks my world. Especially as ICE abducts people from the streets of LA, I’m grateful for the bards, who throughout history have rallied us to stand up in solidarity for all. If your music isn’t revolutionary, then I don’t want to dance to it.
2. Lifting Weights
Speaking of dancing. The other day I was at the Gym, listening to Combat Rock on my headphones and dancing my little heart out while I stood catching my breath by the dumbbells and I thought: I need to tell my witches about weight-lifting!
The past few years have been so hard on my body. I’ve been feeling HORRIBLE. Part of it is that perimenopause has made me feel like SHIT, exhausted, in pain, sluggish. Secondly, school (and commuting 🤮), has had me so busy that I feel like all I ever do is hunch over a computer or the steering wheel, hardly moving, eating crap because I don’t have time to cook. I’ve been in so much pain and feeling so poorly, I’ve literally had the thought (sometimes multiple times A DAY), “I’m working myself to death.” And because of my age (48) I’ve thought, what if it just keeps getting worse??
Finally, when the quarter ended and I had a bit more free time, in desperation, I went back to the gym and instead of doing cardio and HIIT classes like I normally would (and would resist because it’s not that fun), I started lifting weights three times per week through this APP, FitBod, that tells you exactly what to do.
Witches! I can’t tell you what a difference weight lifting has made in my life like overnight.
I immediately started feeling stronger, more alive. In our culture, we’re trained to believe we’re supposed to look a certain way and have a certain body type (you know the type). We’re trained everywhere we look to scrutinize and evaluate our bodies from the outside, constantly critiquing. I am not immune to this.
But the crazy thing is — I can barely believe it myself — that as SOON as I started lifting weights, I just… didn’t feel critical of my body anymore. I started feeling the pleasure of being in my body, appreciating my body, enjoying the way I felt rather than the way I looked. And I felt GOOD!
I kept seeing these perimenopause peeps on Instagram saying “women over 40 have to lift weights because blah, blah, blah,” and I didn’t believe them because I just thought they were trying to sell something. But, I tried it. And now I’m a believer.
I am not saying weightlifting is the right path for everyone, you know your body best. But I will say I am SO GLAD I did this, and I just wanted to share it with you. I’d love to know what keeps you feeling good in your body too!
Sacred Economics
One of our dear Mystery Cult members, Kathy, said something on the Substack chat that I felt proud of and wanted to share with you.
“The information that has helped me make the most sense of what the USA is going through has been Amanda's Between the World podcast about Sacred Economics. How money is made in our country through leveraging assets and loans. Amanda so succinctly explained the issue [on the Four of Pentacles episode].”
In the 4 of Pentacles episode, I was talking about (among other things) Charles Eisenstein’s book Sacred Economics. I have some caveats about Eisenstein’s views more generally, but this book helpfully articulates the problems with our economic system and more importantly how we can fix them. I condense it for you in the episode, you can have a listen below, or read the book!
Monday Night 6/30/25 6pm PST - Come to Tarot Studio and study the Chariot!
Why is the Chariot card — card of the warrior — associated with the astrological sign of Cancer — the archetypal mother?
What other cards in the tarot deck speak to Mother/child energy?
What does it mean when the Chariot card comes up in your readings, or as your card of the year?
What rituals should you recommend to your clients if the Chariot card comes up in a tarot reading?
Find the answers to all of these questions and more on Monday night at Tarot studio!
Tarot studio is our quarterly tarot drop-in tarot class for paid subscribers. We discuss topical tarot cards (this one is for Cancer season) and participants get time to practice their tarot skills and build community. I hope to see you there.
6pm PST on Monday 6/30/25. Click here and scroll down to join us on Zoom!
**If you’re experiencing income insecurity, but want to join Mystery Cult, don’t be shy, please email us at guardian@oracleoflosangeles.com to find out about our scholarship opportunities.
If you like these posts, please give them a ❤️ , like ‘em, share ‘em, keep the magic flowing.