the mess and magic of moving

and what's keeping me afloat in the flood of it all

Moving….moving…what a journey it has already been. I’ve eluded to my family’s move here and there and while we’ve been talking about it for months, it’s started really happening this past month. We will be selling and leaving our beloved, sweet house in Waynesboro and moving to my in-law’s farm in Greenwood, a dreamy 6 acres, 1920s stone farmhouse, with the most gorgeous 360 mountain views you’ve ever seen. Endless fields and gardens for our family to frolic through. It’s a literal dream, like the ones that seem almost too good to be true. We’ll also be building my in-laws a small house on the property to live in.

As you can imagine there have been so many moving pieces involved in moving…selling our current home, getting ownership of the farmhouse and land transferred to my husband, Reid, and I, the construction of the small house, renovations to the farmhouse, buying an RV to live in on the property while the construction and renovations are happening, my kids starting third grade at a new school, and of course, figuring out all the financial pieces.

It’s been a lot, to say the least. While this time has been full of excitement, gratitude, and joy, it’s also been full of grief, overwhelm, and stress. I can feel my nervous system often operating in overdrive, my mind running at a pace much faster than normal. Rest feels far away. My spiritual practice and ritual work have taken a pause. Friendships feel harder and harder to prioritize. My business and work are, in a lot of ways, sitting on the back burner.

I completely acknowledge the immense privilege present in being able to take on this move for myself and my family and all that it involves, the immense privilege present in being able to slow down with my work and business. This is not something I ever take lightly.

And it’s a lot to navigate. It’s bringing up parts of me from the depths. I’m learning every day. I wanted to share with you some of what’s helping me stay afloat in the flood of it all.

microdosing

The sacred mushrooms are helping me come back to myself when I’m lost, helping me compost and decompose all that is preventing presence. I have a practice and prayer, a gratitude ritual I do when taking the medicine (it’s about the only ritual that I’ve been able to make space for). This helps me to set clear intentions and be in communication with the medicine. I have microdosed on and off for years and feel grateful every day to have this practice and this medicine’s sacred support through so much of my life.

It’s important to clarify that I’m not a medical professional and this is not medical information or advice. I am not condoning the use of any illegal substances. If you have specific questions about what I’ve shared here feel free to email me waverly@waverlydavis.com

herbal infusions

Herbal infusions are not only full of physical benefits but, like microdosing, also help me find presence. I love to fill the mason jar with dried herbs and watch the boiling water swirl them about. Such a simple thing brings me back to presence and pleasure. I’m currently working with nettle and milky oat tops in my daily infusions and will be adding alfalfa and dandelion leaf soon.

To make the infusion I add 4 heaping tablespoons of each herb into a large mason jar, fill it with boiling water, put the cap on the jar, and let it sit for at least 4 hours. Then I strain it and drink it throughout the day and evening. I’ve been meaning to start giving my kids herbal infusions too, but alas, I haven’t gotten there yet. Again, I couldn’t be more grateful for these sacred earth medicines.

Another note — it’s important to clarify that I’m not an herbalist and this is not medical information. This herbal infusion is what’s working for me, tune into yourself and consult your herbalist or medical professional when working with herbs.

expressing

Crying, screaming, letting all the sounds come up and out of me. There have been many sounds, of all shapes and sizes. There have also been moments of expression that I regret — screaming at my kids at 8pm after packing, cleaning, and organizing our house, readying it for sale, at my wits end, with not an ounce of patience left in me. Slumping away full of shame as their tear-filled eyes watched me leave the room. And there have been moments of expression that I will cherish forever, sitting in our veggie garden and on our front porch, both kids in my arms and Reid at my side, packing all the moments and memories of this beautiful home into our hearts.

Oh, and the crying — there has been a lot of crying, crying in grief, crying in joy, crying in anger, crying in gratitude. Crying is (and always has been) cathartic for me. Letting myself cry and letting myself be seen crying has been at the top of the support system throughout this process.

asking for help

My mom and mother-in-law have been an incredible support throughout this process. I have asked them for help with so many things, from moving boxes, desks, and couches, to watching the kids, to offering a shoulder to cry on, and they have shown up, my goddess have they shown up. I truly don’t know what I’d do without them and the privilege and gift of being able to ask for their support. Accepting their help and their unconditional love is something I will cherish for all my days.

Don’t even get me started on asking Reid and the kids for help, they are saints and while certain moments of this journey have been hell, together we are truly enacting a labor of love.

There have been other supports along the way, phone calls and river hangs with friends, offering me moments where I’ve felt held and like I can take a deep breath. There have also been occasional late-night potato chip snacks — yes, everything in moderation AND potato chips do bring pleasure :)

All in all, through the chaos and the calm of moving, I can say if nothing else that I’m learning a WHOLE lot about myself.

Moving is helping me listen to myself in new and important ways.

I’m learning to hear myself, to trust my intuition when making big decisions (of which there have been MANY), to feel my yes, and my no. For that, I’ll take the chaos with the calm. I’ll continue on with the journey of moving, grieving what was, and giving gratitude for what will be.

Before I go, some important updates!

Season 3 of my podcast, A Wave Away, is scheduled to release in mid-August, so stay tuned for some incredible episodes coming your way soon! Subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify to make sure you don’t miss an episode.

I have some beautiful public sound baths coming up — including TWO at Swannanoa Palace THIS Saturday, August 5th — AND my SOUND BATH SALE is happening through the end of August — all the details are on my website.

I’m continuing to take more space and distance from Instagram as I just don’t have the time and space (or frankly much interest) in engaging there. This newsletter and my podcast are great ways to stay connected. You can also always email me with questions, love notes, fun and interesting stories, or jokes :) waverly@waverlydavis.com

I think that’s it for now loves, until soon,

Waverly