The Mystics Refuge

I feel more beautiful as I age. More comfortable in my skin. Sometimes I look back at my anxieties in my 20s, and early 30s and wonder who infected me with that mentality.
Always picking myself apart, always playing small, always feeling like everything I did, did not measure up to anyone else. Because I had this idea that other people were better than me.
I’d shrink in front of others, I’d put men on pedestals, I’d make myself so small I’d lose myself completely.

But I’ve grown, I’ve changed. I no longer measure myself up to others. That voice, that told me to shrink myself, I almost never hear it. And if I do, I take a deep breath I smile and say “I don’t think so”.
I don’t compete with others. I don’t try to be better than others. I try to be better than I was yesterday. I try to conquer the fears I have and take one step in front of the other.
Life is short, and I want to feel deeply, and experience it fully with all my senses. All the while being grateful for every experience that brought me here today. The good, the bad, the joyful and the ugly.

Thank you.

I’m so excited to invite you to the next Women’s Crafting Circle.

This gathering is an invitation to slow down, step away from the busyness of everyday life, and spend an afternoon creating something meaningful with your own hands.

Together, we’ll create:

🌿 A handcrafted batch of natural incense (approximately 12–15 sticks), using a beautiful blend of cedar, frankincense, orange peel, cinnamon, and makko.

🤍 A unique air-dry clay incense holder, textured with natural elements so that you leave with a beautiful piece that’s entirely your own.

This isn’t about creating something perfect.

It’s about slowing down.
Connecting.
Creating with intention.
And sharing an afternoon in community with other women.

Included:
• All incense-making materials
• Air-dry clay and tools
• Step-by-step guidance
• Herbal tea & snacks made by the wonderful Home Baked with K
• A softly held, welcoming space

📅 Sunday, July 26, 2026
⏰ Time: 11:00am - 2:00pm
📍 Location: TBD

Exchange: $70

✨ To reserve your place, please send an e-Transfer to:

[email protected]

Your space will be confirmed once payment has been received.

Spaces are intentionally limited to keep our circle intimate.

I can’t wait to welcome you into the Refuge for an afternoon of creativity, connection, and sacred stillness. 🤍

Some places aren’t meant to be rushed through.

In early August, we followed the coast of Albania, beginning in Vlorë, where we slept on the beach beneath the stars and woke with the sea. Days unfolded slowly, without needing to be planned.

Through Gjirokastër, Përmet, Langarica Canyon and all the spaces in between, it felt like time softened. Nothing to chase, nowhere to get to, just the rhythm of the road, the mountains, the water and friends.

There’s a certain clarity that comes when you stop trying to hold onto a moment… and just let yourself be inside it.

Lately, I’ve been returning to these memories, a reminder of how simple things can be when you let them be ❤️

In late August, I traveled to Theth, a place I had dreamed of seeing before returning to Canada.

I set out to hike the trail from Theth to Valbona. Historically known as the only mountain route that once served as a vital, and often treacherous, pedestrian connection between the remote communities of Theth and the Valbona Valley.

I had no real sense of what the terrain would be like, only that it would be long, and that I would be doing it alone. Roughly 7-10 hours with a 3500 ft elevation. 🥲

With a backpack carrying weeks’ worth of my life, I began the climb.

Somewhere along the way, I met another traveler, and for part of the journey, we walked together. What felt uncertain at first became lighter, even as the path led us steadily upward.

Like all things in travel, we eventually went our separate ways.

That night, in a small mountain lodge, I experienced something I still can’t fully explain. Every time I closed my eyes, I was met with vivid, almost surreal images. As if I were standing at the top of the mountains, looking down from above. As soon as I felt the sense of dropping I was transformed into a thousand butterflies or rats of sunlight scattered throughout.

There was a strange duality in it. A deep, overwhelming sense of aliveness… and at the same time, a quiet, grounding fear as I looked out over the vastness below.

And somehow, within that feeling, there was peace.

The mountains have a way of leaving a mark on you.