Welcome to the 9th issue of The Magic Heron Newsletter, a fortnightly newsletter with a focus on journaling, writing, and learning nature’s wisdom through midlife. Thanks for being here. I appreciate you.

North Carolina, June 6, 2021

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Hi there!

This week was International Nature Journaling Week and I watched the videos each day they presented. I learned a ton of new skills, techniques, and prompts to enhance both my journaling and nature journaling. I wrote a blog post about it here.

I also published several new notebooks this week. Since I’ve been here in North Carolina, I’ve fallen in love with the ocean and decided to make some ocean animal notebooks that I can use for my writing and journaling. When I move back to Texas they will always bring back my memories of staying here.

My best friend loves both bicycles and coffee, so I made two notebooks for her. The bicycle notebook is titled “Cottagecore Spring Flowers & Bicycle” and the coffee notebook has Coffee Gnomes on the cover with the funny saying / coffee pun “First I Do the Coffee Then I Do the Things”. You can see them here.

My son has his next surgery this week, so we are getting everything in order for that. They will do a knee manipulation to break up all the scar tissue that built up in the joint and hopefully this will be his last surgery. This is the 9^th one in just a little over a year. I worry each time he goes under anesthesia.

Have a great week and be sure to check out all the videos on the International Nature Journaling Week website!

This week’s newsletter Spirit Animal

Wren Symbolism and Meanings:

This week I’ve been enjoying the Carolina Wren who has been showing up in the backyard.

Each day, she swoops down to the middle railing of the wooden fence, hops along it looking for insects, and then flies up to the bird feeder for a few bites and then is gone. This is her routine every time she enters the backyard.

Then the Wren was featured in one of the videos for International Nature Journaling Week. So Wren is the Spirit Animal for this week.

Wren meanings are themed around joy, connection, and free-spirit. Both the female and male wrens care for their young. This symbology for sharing tasks within in the home reminds us not to get stuck in traditional gender roles, and share the responsibilities of raising the family.

Wrens are little birds but very active! Vibrancy, alertness, and efficiency are symbolic meanings we can adapt for making progress each day in our own lives.

Wrens are sociable and remind us to be kind to each other and keep a happy heart.

Symbolic meanings of Wren

Free-Spirited
Light-Hearted
Active
Friendliness
Sharing
Determined
Quick-Witted
Agile
Active

Celtic bards were inspired by Wren’s songs and held them in high status as a symbol of musical poetry.

Here where I live, the Carolina Wren has a loud song in contrast to its tiny body. It is a new bird for me to enjoy and I look forward to her coming to the backyard every day.

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Recently Published . . .

Here are a few recently published items that may be of interest to you . . .

1. Ocean Animal and Sea Life Notebooks

2. Coffee Gnomes and Cottagecore Notebooks

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summer foraging and botany course package

Online Herbal Courses . . .

The Herbal Academy has 2 courses you might be interested in that are only open for a few more days:

1. Entrepreneur Herbal Course—This program is designed for those who want to learn the art, science, and business skills of making and selling herbal products. Registration closes permanently June 11, 2021.

2. Summer Foraging & Botany Course Package—This course prepares you to get started on identifying and foraging wild edibles and herbs safely, ethically, and sustainably. The discounted price is only available through June 20, 2021.

3. Sign up for the FREE webinar here, to learn how to identify plants and forage for your own herbs starting this summer, which will air June 17, 2021.

Blog Posts . . .

Here are my latest blog posts:

1. Journal Entry #13—Keeping a Birding Journal

2. Journal Entry #14 International Nature Journaling Week

Interesting links . . .

Here are some interesting links I came across on my ventures through Internet Land this week that I thought you might enjoy:

1. Plantain by Susun Weed

2. Hawthorn: What’s It Good For? by: EagleSong Gardener

3. How a $5 Walmart Journal Changed My Life

4. How to Find (and Live) Your Life’s Purpose—by the Crappy Childhood Fairy

5. 8 Hours Nature Sounds-Relaxing Forest Waterfall-Soothing Birdsong-Natural Sleep Sound-Meditation

6. Wild Food Foraging- Season 2- Grape, Raspberry, Clover, Morel, Cedar, Ramps, Birch

Different Ways to Journal . . .

1. 30 Fun and Effective Ways to Use a Blank Notebook

2. 10 Creative Ways to Fill Your Journal

3. Make a Notebook from a Paper Bag in 5 Minutes

Articles on Journaling . . .

So many good articles on journaling. Here are a few you might like.

1. 17 Journaling Tips for Beginners (and How to Start)

2. 10 Journaling Tips to Help You Heal, Grow and Thrive

3. Top 8 Benefits to Keep a Journal or a Diary

Random Nature Fact . . .

Starfish have five eyes – one at the end of each leg!

Nature Journal video . . .

I loved this workshop on animal tracking. Can you tell the difference between a canine and a feline track? Roseann Hanson discusses this and more.

What tracks do you notice where you are every day?

Field Arts Workshop: Animal Tracking 101 for Field Notebooks

Nature Journal Prompt . . .

This week’s nature journal prompt is the Wren. Here are some fun facts!

Wren facts:

Order: Passeriformes

Lifespan: oldest recorded were 7-9 years

Scientific name: Troglodytidae

Weight: .32 oz (white-bellied wren) to 1.8 oz (giant wren)

Length: 3.9 in (white-bellied wren) to 8.7 in (giant wren)

Habitat: wide range of habitats—dry, sparsely wooded country to rainforests.

What it eats: Wrens generally eat insects, spiders, small arthropods, but some eat seeds, berries as well as frogs and lizards.

What eats it: cats, rats, opossums, woodpeckers, foxes, raccoons, squirrels, snakes, owls, hawks

Nest: dome-shaped

What species of wren lives where you are?

Did you know?

The scientific name for the wren – ‘troglodytes’ – comes from the Greek meaning ‘cave-dweller’!

What I’m watching . . .

1. This is hilarious! Menopause Rhapsody – Bohemian Rhapsody Parody Song for every Queen

2. International Nature Journaling Week long series of videos

3. MEN IN BLACK 3 – Official Trailer (HD)

What I’m reading . . .

1. Writing From Life For Women With Stories to Tell by Susan Wittig Albert – Yep, I’m still working on this one on Kindle. I’m going to have to buy the paperback version soon because I’m ‘dog-earing’ so many pages and there are a lot of exercises I want to do out of this book.

2. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. I read this book last summer and fell in love with the imagery. I am rereading parts of it now because the author describes the marshes, rivers, and creeks with such vivid descriptions, it pulls you right into the landscape.

I’m not far from where the author chose the setting and when I read the book, it feels like I’m out there on the hiking trails again with my son, like we did last summer.

And I love the main character, I really resonate with her.

Quote I’m pondering . . .

“One touch from nature makes the whole world kin.”

–Shakespeare

Questions I’m considering journaling on . . .

How can I add more joy and connection to my life this week and be more of a free-spirit instead of confined to self-made rules?

Journal Prompt . . .

Look through your photographs and choose a few to write about.

Leaf through a couple of magazines and cut out any images that catch your attention. Use each one as a prompt.

Happy Journaling!

. . . Shanna

P.S. Is there something you like or would rather see in the newsletter? Hit reply and let me know!

I’ll be back on June 20th.

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