agballa updates various musings (and an occasional prompt) on the intersections of creativity, wellness, ancestors, and maybe a little mama/auntiehood :)
agballa notes - issue 27 - ourĀ firstĀ homeĀ isĀ ourselves
|
hey Reader, blessed new moon in cancer! whatās been coming up for you emotionally lately? how is it showing up in your work, home, and creative practice? feel free to reply if youād like to share, or use this as a journal prompt. Iāve been thinking about āself-careā vs. āself-centered,ā and the deep connection between care, home, and belonging. water, memory, ancestors, emotionāthese are the themes of this cycle. so hereās lesson three from my recent fallow period: our first home is ourselves.we need to center ourselves. not in a rigid or inconsiderate way, but in the oxygen-mask way. because home is a feeling, and it starts from the inside, from feeling at home in your own body. our ancestors want this for us too: to live from a place of delight, abundance, and simplicity. when you donāt design your life around your true being, inherited programming and external expectations wreak havoc. you might adopt a business model that feels hollow, follow a cleaning routine that leaves you exhausted, or say yes to every family, community, or work demand until youāre depleted (like emptying our your bank account for mutual aid o0). boundaries help, but what we really need is a restructuring of our lifeās architecture. you, first. this looks different for everyone, often starting with small shifts that create ripples. for me, it was swapping morning coffee for matcha, replacing afternoon caffeine with tulsi & rose tea, and realizing I didnāt have to carry my business alone. instead of buying another coaching program, I brought on someone who can hold it with me. slowly, my energy returned. my focus sharpened. the way i move through my days, the way I mother, the way I work & play, the way I āself-care,ā is fundamentally different. I feel more at home in myself and in my decisions, in the way I move through the world. what small shift might bring you back to yourself right now? letās connect over a virtual tea (or coffee, if thatās your thing. no shame here, I still love coffee lol) & just talk story.
in other newsIdk if you know this, but I have two daughters. two beautiful bonus, step, hanai, Native Hawaiian daughters. their mother, my partner, our daughters, and now our babies, are a blended powwow family. our daughtersā mother and my partner have been in the Native community for decades. Iām a little newbie. our thirteen-year-old, Moonlight (or as I call her, Kapawa), has been serving as the first ever Honolulu Intertribal Powwow Princess, nominated by the matriarch of the HoŹ»opili Tribal Council, Auntie Mae, even though we have since left OŹ»ahu. Moonlight has presented at over 15 powwows across OŹ»ahu, HawaiŹ»i Island, and Turtle Island. we are so very proud of her and all sheās accomplished, representing not only her Ź»ohana, but HawaiŹ»i & sharing Ź»Ålelo Hawaii with the world. we are returning to OŹ»ahu for the 50th Annual Honolulu Intertribal Powwow on Magic Island, so that Moonlight can pass on her crown, and weāre offering gifts to both the Head Staff of and hosting a jingle dance special for young jingle dancers. so on behalf of Moonlight, weāre seeking sponsors and donations for this outgoing special & giveaway. you are welcome to send a monetary gift, big or small, here:
our goal is to raise $600. and if youād like to join us in celebrating Kapawa & see her and the other young dancers, come through, August 29 & 30, 2026! would LOVE to see you and consensually hug you!!
mahalo nui, agyamanak, maraming salamat, from our blended family & ancestors to yours. take good, sweet care, friends! teresa TL;DR:self-care is often small shifts that restructure the architecture of your life. what small shift might bring you back to yourself right now? reply or we can talk story about this over tea or coffee. my family and I are fundraising for our daughterās outgoing special as the Honolulu Intertribal Powwow Princess at the 50th Annual Honolulu Intertribal Powwow on Magic Island, August 29 & 30, 2026. you can donate here. If you ever feel the need to unsubscribe, I respect that. The button is below. Thank you for reading this far. |
āagballa creatives
agballa updates various musings (and an occasional prompt) on the intersections of creativity, wellness, ancestors, and maybe a little mama/auntiehood :)
read time: ~7 min happy full moon aquarius, jupiter in leo cazimi, Reader! this past weekend, my family and I were invited to join my partnerās brotherās friends/chosen family on their annual camping trip. we said yes, and it was a beautiful, unexpected three days āoff-the-grid.ā no reception, no phone, no tech. I believe hollywood grooms us to be afraid of moments like these, and Iām also not naive to the fact that could have been a dangerous situation, but we were in good company. we were...
hey Reader! this mercury rx has been slapping me right around š hbu? lots has been going on behind-the-scenes, lots of ideas and movement and what we call in our house, action jaction!! all good things, really, and I feel incredibly blessed and grateful that the things Iāve been asking for are being shown in real time. and also, Iāve been rushing through things to check them off the list (iykyk). like, last week, I fired off this newsletter cuz it was on the list WITHOUT double checking,...
we hold a lot. all of us, even men, but especially those of us with multiple, marginalized identities & responsibilities, both inherited & chosen. during this most recent fallow period, too, Iāve been leaning all the way into the rabbit holes that pique my interest. that make my mind & senses light up. the two Iām down at the moment are astrology and herbalism, and how they go together. weaving the commonalities across indigenous systems & thought & time. and the deeper I get into astrology &...