1~~ You're noticing something new, aren't you?
I've been silently working on a rebrand since July this year, and we're so close to revealing it to the world. I was tempted to show a little teaser in this newsletter - because those of you who receive, open and engage with my letters are my most intimate community members <3 I had the pleasure of working with graphic designer Nandini Misra - recommended by a beloved member and IG friend Malavika - for this redesign, and I can't recommend her enough. She's intuitive, sincere, tasteful and made it a breeze to make my vision come to life. I love how everything I am and everything I do is somehow, somewhere, co-created by you. When I put up an IG story asking for help in finding graphic designers who fit my vibe and vision, you all poured in with so many reccs and helped me align to the best designer for this project. I wouldn’t have found someone so perfectly aligned without you, so thank you for being the fuel to my fire so many times over.
2 ~~ I am officially studying Indian Aesthetics at my dream institute.
I am now a student of Jnanapravaha Mumbai, a wish come true from many, many moons ago. I'm in the cohort of their acclaimed Indian Aesthetics course. While I've realised that academic writing is so not for me, lol, academic reading is such a joy. If you're in Mumbai, I highly recommend joining us for one of the occasional open-to-public lectures. The space, the scholars, the knowledge, the ambience - it is an Indian academia nayika’s dream in brick and mortar.
3 ~~ I'm in the kitchen, everyday, and I happened to get published for writing about it in the most artful, beautiful, delicious magazine about cooking, kitchens, recipes and their stories.
A life change has led to me being primary nurturer, nourisher and chef of my home. I went from cooking once in a while as a hobby, to cooking everyday as a contributor to the health and well being of my family. I wrote a little something about ancestral recipes, kitchen magick and our relationship to being in the kitchen as women, reflecting on anecdotes over three generations of my matrilineal line and my conversations with fellow women about all that it is to be a woman in the kitchen. This is getting published in a beautiful, beautiful brainchild of The Alipore Post x Nivaala, and I'd love for you to enjoy it! A visual treat of poetry, art, stories and recipes from Indian kitchens around the globe that feels like a collector's dream. Here’s a link to pre-order this delightful publication <3
If the romance, magic and mystery of kitchens is your thing, this book on food, folklore and fairy tales from the kitchen is worth having a look at.
4 ~~ I've been dancing every day, self-pleasuring more, dressing up to feel pretty for WFH, connecting with women and talking about stuff we thought we’re not supposed to talk about, and making my life more romantic (and sexy) in every way because I’m attuning myself more and more to Venusian energy
Lately, I keep collecting books that feel like a siren's call. You know that adding books to my TBR and actually reading them are my two separate hobbies, right? ;) My juicy, sensual, reinvigorating, sacrally-charged bedside book stack has been looking like - The Book of The Courtesans by Susan Griffin, The Arts of Seduction by Seema Anand, and the OG that I keep rereading - Pussy by Regena Thomashauer. I recently discovered, thanks to my lovely coach and friend Shivaani Baghel, a women's study group where we're going to read Women Who Run With The Wolves by Dr Clarissa Pinkola Estés together, online. That book can be heavy and intense, and it’s a once in a lifetime read for a reason. I feel glad to have found a space where I can read it together with other women. Online book clubs are so sacred!
PS: the sexiest books on my shelf
5 ~~ Our frequent banter and daydreaming about having a circle dance around a bonfire is a real thing now, we're doing it together digitally and in spirit because of this Substack.
If my letters spark joy for you, consider supporting deeper writing by becoming a paid patron of my Substack (INR 333). This gives you access for looooongform, intimate stories shared bi-weekly, it enables commenting on posts, connecting with my circle, co-creating this space with your energy, and having access to an archive of my posts that you can always go back to. I want to make this secret little circle of paid subscribers have it’s own book club, maybe even become a coven, maybe both and more ;) Although the charge is nominal, it helps to support me in writing to you regularly. As more of you join, I’ll be empowered to start writing to you every week instead of once in a while. Read about and explore this old internet energy blog that I share to social media very rarely because I want it to have only selective patrons. If you’re reading this, you’re one of them!
I hope you enjoyed these 5 stories from my life lately, and I'm excited to share many more with you in the coming months. As always, I'm so grateful for your support and love having this opportunity to write to you.
Here's my Libra season moodboard, an idealistic representation of how I'm romancing life this month. I wake up and view these images every morning, it's my favourite way to manifest <3
We're in a Venus ruled season. Flirting with life, romanticizing the everyday, enjoying beauty and caring about the finer things in life, art galleries and museums, listening to classical piano as I cook, shopping a few treats, I’m loving tuning into this cosmic theme of beauty, balance and harmony. For a deeper dive into Libra season energetics and some beautiful words on the mood of this time, here's a read about the beauty in the mundane and the energy of Libra szn, from a lovely astrologer.
With love—
O