Moving Into a New-ish Sphere

The seasons are changing yet again, and with it brings new changes to Circle of Light Healing Arts.

Hello Friends,

We are now offering Reiki and Intuitive Energy work as our main occupation. Over the summer I reevaluated why I do this work, and after some soul-searching it came back to me: I am here for the energy exchange.

When I give my intuitive work, as my Guides guide me, I feel like I am doing my true Spirit work; as I am both recharged and fulfilled emotionally/spiritually —and even sometimes physically— by providing Intuitive Guidance through healing. And so it became very clear to me: it is time to let go of providing massage via this private practice. I have been lucky to be able to provide many, many massages to many clients in the past nearly four years of having my private practice open. And I am, and do, count myself lucky. Not every business thrives beyond the first three years and I have been able to do so through my hard work and persistence, and not least because of each of YOU.

My clients are the absolute BEST! I have truly enjoyed working on each individual person in my practice and I have had a difficult time saying “Goodbye for now,” to those who have stuck with me through this change, as well as the MANY changes Circle of Light has been through over my years of being open (Hello, price increases, and decreases, and inflation, and office moves, and sublets, and now; working without any office at all.) I am eternally grateful for each of you who have been my clients and allowed me the privilege of working on your precious bodies and spirits.

Now, as I shift my focus, I hope that each of my past clients will tell someone who may benefit from my Spiritual services. My current offer is Reiki with some possibility for Tarot reading, or some intuitive guidance, should that be available between your guides/angels and mine on the day of your particular healing. I will also continue to expand my apothecary and my herbal skills, with the door open in the future for more handmade botanical products to be made available via my body brands: Noemiekai Organic Botanicals and Queer Bruja.

You may also be interested to know that I have finally opened my queer youth arts collective- QueerIxchel Collective, and we are doing live events now! I’ll have links up to our website and current events we are sponsoring/running on the new Instagram account once the website is live: Follow us @queerixchel_collective in IG and also on FB.

Give us a follow and share what we are up to with your networks! Word of mouth is how this stuff gets around! We are doing monthly writing meetups for transgender youth ages 14-25, poetry open mics, and, our Trans Free Store makes its debut this weekend at Brick Road Coffee’s Queer Arts and Makers Market. Curated Clothes of a vintage and modern variety are available for a small, low cost contribution or absolutely free to Transgender youth, and made available for sale to anyone who would like to shop our inventory. We are taking small donations of gently worn clothing, which we will further curate and provide in our shop. Donations of brand-new socks and underwear are also accepted, as well as monetary gifts* and period products such as moon cups, luna pads and period underwear.

I am also recruiting volunteer writers and artists as teachers to teach a skills share in the spring at our Spring Arts Retreat March 23, 2024 in Tempe, AZ. If you have an interest in presenting a topic such as zine making, personal essay writing, speculative fiction, poetry , or another writing topic/ or any visual arts/ media that can be taught outside with picnic tables in the Retreat Center backyard let me know ASAP. My email is noemie (at) noemiluce (dot) com.

Peace and Light always, and thank you most Sincerely for your continued patronage!

Love,

Noemie Luce

*All monetary gifts are considered donations to QueerIxchel Collective, and will be used exclusively to pay to provide spaces for meetups, pay small stipends or travel expense such as fuel to our guest teachers, snacks at our events, and to rent storage for the boutique until a secure, permanent location can be found. If you have access to a building where a room or a corner can be dedicated to our free store (open and staffed on certain days by our volunteers) please get in contact with me! If you are interested in volunteering or attending our events please send me an email (noemie at noemiluce dot com) to be added to our distribution list. You can also follow our substack @QueerIxchelcollective for updates.

Summer Full Moon - Tales of Resiliency (My Story)

Good Full Moon Day Friends!

I want to share my 12-week Somatic Resilience Coaching program with you, because I think it can be really helpful to have support when you’re trying to make big (and sometimes small) changes! If you are going through a transitionary time, whether kids going to school for the first time or off to camp, changing careers, graduating, a new puppy, birth, menopause, perimenopause, or starting a new project, like a solo-business– take it from me: it’s a LOT easier with someone on your side rooting for you, showing you where you may be thinking crazy* thoughts AND telling you when your crazy thoughts are no more crazy than anyone else’s.  

Here is the thing: being in proximity with other people creates a resonance with those other people’s nervous systems. When those we are in close proximity to have resourced, well-grounded, and resilient nervous systems we are more likely to feel resourced, grounded, and resilient ourselves. You may be asking, ‘okay but what does all of that mean?’

“Resourced” and “Resilient” are words that we use in Positive Psychology and Trauma Aware care, to indicate when someone has the tools– and the ability to draw on those tools– to create within themselves an environment where they can draw closer to even-keeled when things are a bit wonky. In other words: resilient, resourced people often seem like people who would feel good to be around. They may have a sense of calm in the face of tragedy or crisis, or they may exude something that makes you say “I want to feel like that, how’d they get to be so together all the time?” 

Well the honest truth is, no one has it together ALL the time, no matter how polished they may appear to be on the outside. But there are definitely people who have found a sense of peace and serenity, most of the time. And I can guarantee you that none of those people got there without going through some major life shifts, learning some life-altering hard lessons, and receiving major support. 

My journey, as it were,  began maybe 8-10 years ago. I found myself– for the second time– at what felt like I’d bottomed out.  I didn’t think I had reached a cross-road, I felt like I had reached The End. (The end of life as I knew it, without having really any desire or knowledge of how to pick myself up again.) 

The first time I felt that I’d lost my way, when I separated from my kids’ dad at 29, felt like I didn’t know how to, and didn’t want to keep living. The second time I bottomed out also happened around an ending; or in this case three endings, and a death.

I was in school trying to finish my Bachelor’s Degree for the third time, and I had recently ended a 7 year relationship with my second husband, closely followed by ending a 2 year relationship with another partner. At the same time I had quit/lost my steady source of income and health insurance via a job that I hated. I couldn’t qualify for unemployment insurance, had ZERO savings in the bank, and I had just ended a semester of school in which I scraped by with all C’s. (My Aunt Meg says that C stands for Complete, but as a lifelong perfectionist I only allowed myself to believe that A’s were what counted.) Oh, and then my Grandmother Cile died. 

The kids’ dad had just a baby with his new wife. The child was special needs and it was clear they did not have all of the support they needed so I didn’t feel I had the safety cushion I usually had to send the boys to their dad when things were too much to handle. 

Everything felt as though it had ground to a halt. It had, in fact. My life, as I had known it for the past seven years, had ended. And I didn’t know where to look for support, or even a ray of an inkling of hope. Things were Officially Really Bad. 

My one saving grace was that I was not homeless (yet.) And I had a little bit of money in a 401k, so after several months of job interviews with nothing panning out, I cashed in my 401k to live on for the next bit of time while I figured out my next steps. Thankfully I found Robin, my spiritual healer/friend who has been a true guiding light for me throughout the years. 

Over the next five years, I rebuilt myself again, this time standing taller than I had before, in the knowledge that I could get by and even thrive as a single mom. I started following my passions instead of only what I thought I *should* do (according to society’s expectations of a woman/mother.)

Through a lot of healing work and a lot of self-study I became the healer I am today. 

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And that brings us back to Coaching: 

Somatic Integration Coaching consists of 12 one-to-one weekly 1-hour meetings via Zoom, in order to assist you with integrating all of your human range of emotions and all of the other worldly-gunk (that’s a Very Official Term) that you are processing right now.  This work is part Nervous System realignment, part Spiritual tune-up, and part self-exploration. We delve deep, and we search out our shadows, and then we talk to it, extensively. We ask it what it wants. And then we ask our heart what she wants. We find parts of ourselves that we thought we’d lost, and we gain new parts that we haven’t met before. 

In order for me to best share with you what coaching with me consists of, and for me to hear more about your present situation and your desired changes, I offer a free 45-minute Discovery Call where we can both get to know each other a bit more; and together we can make a decision about whether this particular coaching is the right fit for *your needs* at this time. I know that you have seemingly endless choices when it comes to life coaches these days, but I'm a big believer that when we are ready to receive certain teachings, the teacher (or guide) will appear before us.

This has been consistent for me throughout my healing process/journey over the past 15 years. With each spiritual coach and teacher I have worked with, new layers have revealed themselves and I have journeyed deeply into my own soul’s consciousness and back up to the surface time and again, only to find that with each time I emerge more whole, more healed, more of My Self, so that I may serve my community in ever-deepening ways. 

The Discovery Call is also a great way for you to feel into it and get to know whether my work and teaching resonates with your *whole* being at this present time. Your intuition will tell you. 

My work is not singularly focused, because I know that the soul and the body-mind are not separable (unless we travel to other dimensions- which is a whole *other* level of Soul work, not typically covered in my coaching.) 😊 

So that's it in a nutshell, hahaha. I've never been known for my brevity. I hope that gives you a reasonable idea of whether you'd like to speak with me further! I'd love an opportunity to meet with you via Zoom to do some exploring together. 

In Resilience,

Noémie  

News from the healing sphere

It’s nearly April, and for me that means it’s Uterus/Cervix/Breast health-check time! To make my life easier, some years ago I started scheduling all of my women’s health appointments around the same time. This year I got a jump-start and I also decided to wrap my yearly health exam into the flow (so-to-speak.)

Today is mammogram day for me, and as I sat down to write my blog today, I wondered what I should write about for this month. Should I write about the changing of the seasons? Probably not– that would be a downer since spring is my least favorite season, with its onslaught of seasonal allergies for me and the onset of hotter temperatures for us here in Phoenix. When the temps start to reach around 90 (IN MARCH! FFS) I get more than a little cranky. I start to worry about the ending of outdoor exercise for the next 5-6 months. Soon my sweet hikes and long meandering neighborhood walks will be on pause for the duration of the hot season. I can’t even just call it summer anymore. Let’s face it, if it’s hot for half the year, we have a hot season and a warm to cool season. Let’s not fool around with Spring and Fall anymore. 

See? I told you, cranky. 

So instead I will tell you tales of mammograms past. And no, I won’t be telling any tales of PAPs– past or future– here. At least not this year, lol. My last mammogram, which you’ll know was last April if you’ve been paying attention, went pretty much the same as my previous ones. The only difference was now I’d be getting them every year instead of every 2-3 years. I got to the imaging place, was called back and the nice lady showed me where to change into a gown. Then she brought me into the imaging room where the mammography technology is, and asked if this was my first mammo. No. She continued to explain to me as if I hadn’t done this before, which I guess I appreciate. A little warm up doesn’t hurt before you place your breasts into the machine. 

Now right here is where I want to stress that mammograms are not that bad!!  So for those of you who have not yet been initiated into this particular rite-of-passage for people with chests that contain mammary tissue*, don’t let anyone’s horror stories stop you from scheduling when it’s time. So the nice lady tells me to untie my gown and scoot as close as I can to the machine with my feet spaced comfortably apart. She tells me to place my breast up on the flat surface which is marked with several white, right angled lines. I stand as close as I can, chest pressed up to the metal and glass. It’s a little cool, not freezing, so that’s nice. Then she explains to me that she is going to be lowering the top part of the machine and that I am going to feel it squeeze my breast tissue between the glass. It doesn’t hurt, rather I feel pressure and some of my skin pulling a bit. The machine scans, and we repeat this procedure three more times for a total of four images.

Voila! And we are done, just like that. The whole thing takes a total of about 10 minutes from start to finish. Then they send me back to the changing room to get dressed and gather my belongings. If everything is normal, they will send me the results in a week or two. If they see something they will call and have me come in again for further imaging.

I’ve been lucky in that my mammograms have all been normal so far. Breast cancer does not run in my family, another lucky draw.

Consider this your yearly reminder from me to get your breasts checked out! If you are 40 or more, you should be doing these yearly unless your doctor has instructed you otherwise. And this concludes my public service announcement!

Alt image description: A woman with long hair dances, arms spread out, on a sunset-colored background, with the waxing crescent moon in the sky. She is shown in profile only, a dark image in front of a colorful background. The sky behind her is orange/yellow/purple and the foreground is dark as well.

NEW MOON MEDITATION SERIES

The next thing you should know is I am hosting another New Moon Meditation online 6:00-7:00pm, Saturday April 2nd. Our last one was lovely, join us if you can! If you’d like to attend please reply to this email to get the Zoom link. $20 donation suggested.

Alt description: A single unfrosted chocolate cupcake in a white cupcake wrapper sits on a completely black background. In the cupcake there is a red star-shaped candle on a stick, with a flame alight.

ANNIVERSARY SALE! 5 hours FOR $500

You have two more days to get in on our anniversary sale! In case you missed it: I am offering returning clients the opportunity to purchase up to 5 one-hour sessions at $100 each. You won’t see this savings again! Massages purchased at this price must be used by May 1st (unless previous arrangements have been made with me.)

Offer ends 3/31/22 at 11:59pm.

Alt Image Description: A solo person walks in the middle of a labyrinth made of light-colored rocks, on the sand at the edge of an ocean cliff. A few large rocks abut the edge of the cliff overlooking a light blue ocean below.

RESILIENCE COACHING- FROM FROZEN TO FLOURISHING

Ongoing private coaching sessions are available! I have room in my schedule to take

Two new clients right now. If you have issues with anxiety, procrastination, overwhelm, lots of start-up energy but no follow-through, depression, insomnia, hypersomnia, chronic tension, chronic stress, a desire to make a big change in your life but don’t know where to start, then my coaching can help you!

Does this sound like you? In my coaching we go step by step to learn about the nervous system’s processes and how our own bodies can keep us stuck in survival modes; then learn real applicable ways to release you from your old patterns which keep you from achieving your desires so that you can become your truest expression of yourself!

If you see yourself described above and want to move past survival into thriving, then book a discovery call with me *right now* to learn whether my coaching is right for you!

TO RECAP: UPCOMING EVENTS

Saturday, 4/2/22 6:00-7:00pm New Moon Meditation, location: online (Zoom.) Hit reply to this email to be sent the Zoom link to join us. $20 donation suggested.

Now until 3/31/22 at 11:59pm: Help us celebrate our 2nd anniversary! Purchase up to 5 60-minute massages at $100 each– a 65% savings! (Offer applies to existing clients only, all sessions must be used by the purchaser, by 5/1/22.)  

Ongoing call to Register: Private Resilience/Nervous System Coaching. From Frozen to Flourishing! 12 weeks of personal coaching, weekly 1 hour sessions. Book a discovery call!

It's our anniversary! (Also last chance to make sure you continue receiving my emails)

Dear Friend of Circle O’Light,

There are a lot of birthdays in our family between Jan-March, and in my busy-ness, our 2nd anniversary rolled by in January and I didn’t even see it!

So instead we are celebrating our 2 years of being in business this March 17th! Lucky St. Patrick’s Day!

As a thank you for your loyal business over the last 2 years

 I’m offering 60-minute massages for returning clients for $100. 

You will not see a low price like this from me again! 

Treat yourself!  Buy up to 3 and save $195! Purchase up to 5 and you’ll save over $300!

Small print: Offer valid from today 3/15 until  3/25. Purchase limit per person is 5 total. Specially priced massages must be purchased and paid as a bundle. All FIVE of your discounted massages need to be used before Beltane, May 1, 2022 

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As an additional thank you, we are giving you 3 more of these special-rate $100 massages to pass on to friends/family/coworkers/loved ones and even to people you don’t like! (Maybe they’ll chill TF out after a massage from me, am I right?) 

Send these 3 new people my way for their one-hour $100 massage before April 1st, and I will gift you one for FREE. 

No foolin’! 

I truly, from the bottom of my heart, thank each and everyone of you all for believing in me, for continuing to come back, week over week, and month over month! Without you, I wouldn’t still be able to be here giving the services that I get to give you, after two years of Pandemic living. I know all of us are stressed, frayed, and some of us are dredging from the very bottoms of our barrels whatever energy we can muster to continue doing what we need to do every day to keep our lives and families functioning. Add to that our prayers for the Ukrainian people and the innocent Russian civilian people who have nothing to do with this war. Let’s all call up a Collective Prayer for Peace and for Health April 2nd at 9:00 a.m. Community prayer/meditation/and gathering with intention do make a difference in the suffering of others, I have to believe that’s true. 

My offering: Community Online Meditation (on Zoom) Saturday, April 2 at 9:00 a.m.

This will also serve as our monthly New Moon meditation for April. Please spread the word in your communities so we can gather as large a group as possible. 

$15, pay at www.PayPal.me/Okeyes

Please pre-pay or email me at noemie@nomiluce.com to sign up and receive the Zoom link.

*I will not be keeping track of all sign ups so if you pay via PayPal, make sure you receive my email with the link, and if you email me to register, please make sure to donate @ PayPal (If you can. Even a couple of bucks helps make sure I get paid for my time.)* 

And my last bit of housekeeping/business, is that this newsletter and mailing list are being closed down this week on Friday. If you wish to keep hearing from me, you must re-join!

Click here to join my new mailing list if you have not already done so. 

Love, love, and more love, 

Noemie

New SITES Coaching Cohort Begins, Moon Hikes, Refer a Friend Program

Happy January to you! My best wishes to you and yours as you come into this new year 2022!

What did you think you would be doing in the year 2022 when you were a child? Do you remember having futuristic fantasies of all of the flying cars you would be driving, and the machines that would pop out a pill to give you all of your nutrition for the day? Did you imagine we would all be living and working on space stations? No? Just me? Whatever your imaginings were, they probably were far from the busy and hectic lives most of us live today, in the real 2022.

Winter is upon us in our desert hamlet here in Phoenix. Nighttime temps have dipped below 35 degrees, and that’s chilly for us desert dwellers! Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, and New Years holidays have all passed us and now brings the quiet season. Winter naturally brings with it a slowness that the other seasons don’t generally employ. I would like to share with you some ways you can honor the cycle of slowing down for this season. Winter has traditionally been a season of turning inward and as such, it is a wonderful time to carve out a dedicated space in your days to do a little introspection and interoception.

If you are a writer, start a new journal and write about the things you would like to see for the future generations, or wax poetic about all of the amazing experiences you have had in this life so far! If you’re an artist, now might be a good time to take an inventory of all the works you have created, and of the works you’ve yet to make. Then give yourself time to dream or draw your ideas, letting anything flow in, no matter how outlandish or impossible it might seem to pull off. But resist the urge to begin any new large scale projects right now, at least until after the January full moon. January 2nd’s full Moon in Capricorn is about building a solid and soul-nourishing foundation for our goals. Give those goals some room to breathe before lurching forward with your plans.

All of you home chefs out there may want to clean out your old recipe books and remove recipes for the things that you wanted to make but never got around to, then choose three or five to make over the next few months. The key to all of this is to not go overboard and end up working harder than you need to! 

Take it very slow and easy, and give yourself lots of breaks for eating those leftover holiday cookies, or for doing nothing at all. 

Interoception is the experience of noticing the things that are happening inside of your body at a given moment. So as you slow down and start looking inward into the mind and spirit, also take the time to give attention to what it feels like to occupy this body you are currently in. Do you have particular sensations that are present in any area? Is there a temperature? A color, shape, or visual? Does it have a sound? Maybe certain sensations recur frequently, or feel like they never leave. Do you notice anything special about the recurring senses, sights or sounds?

This interoception is a practice that we can entertain at any given time; do it while you are in line, or waiting for the microwave to finish cooking that lasagna. Do it while going for a walk, or while sitting at your desk or in meditation. 

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Upcoming January Events:

SITES Small Group Coaching cohort begins this month! Jan 23-April 3, 2022

I am the creator of  Somatic Integration Techniques and Exercises, which is a series of specific exercises that you can do to balance your nervous system from a hyper-aroused (Sympathetic= Fight/Flight/Freeze) state to the parasympathetic, rest and digest mode. 

• Do you often feel scattered and overwhelmed, or over-tired and overworked?

• Are you frequently stressed to the point where you just wish that you could hit a pause button on the world so you can stop and catch your breath?

• Do you procrastinate, miss appointments, or otherwise feel like you can’t seem to get a handle on things or organize your life? 

• Do you wish you could stop to rest but feel like you can’t stop moving or everything will come crashing down around you? 

In our SITES group coaching sessions I will teach you about specific and practical techniques that you will practice in order to create your own balanced nervous system response to stress. 

Through this 12 week session, you will participate in group online sessions every two weeks, with one private half-hour video session with me on the alternate weeks, in order to delve even deeper into your personal blocks and so I can learn your healing style.  

In this 12 week coaching practice you’ll learn how to:

• Let go of self-limiting fears through Applied Somatic practices (truly simple exercises that you can put your body through to calm your nervous system)

• Command your personal Radical Power by strengthening your nervous system’s resiliency, activating Self-love, and utilizing proper boundaries

• Embrace your No (And also know how to truly listen when your deep YES is speaking up!)

• Set two or three attainable goals for this season of your life, and have a plan in place to carry them out.

Register for SITES

See the end of this newsletter for all of my pricing plan options.

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Full Moon Group Hiking on South Mountain

Thursday Jan 20th, 2022 6:00pm

Register Here

We will gather at the Geronimo Trailhead, and take a medium-paced hike for about two miles. This is a medium-difficulty hike for those who are in good health and have some hiking experience. If you are a beginner, I will be hosting beginner level herb hikes starting in February, nearer to the New Moon. 

Please wear good hiking shoes and bring your own water (at least 1.5 liters per person.) Children are welcome to attend if they can keep pace. Parking is street parking on the curve between Dobbin and 20th St. Please carpool if possible! Flashlights are advised on the way down, but we will try to hike with our night vision on the way up.

Click to register for Hike

email noemie@noemiluce.com with questions. 

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Book your next session with me for healing in the studio.

Now is a great time to re-up your package if you have not been in for a while!

Buy a Package 3PK 60 minute 3PK 90 min

As always, contact me with any questions at 602-576-9025, and make sure to tell your friends* about me!

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SITES Group Coaching Registration & Pricing

Early Bird Registration | Early Bird Payment Plan

Full Payment after Jan 20th, 2022 Payment Plan (Jan 21-March 1, 2022)

Ask me about Private coaching sessions!

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Not to hide this last bit at the very end of the email, but if you made it here you are a loyal reader and you deserve a deal! New Refer a Friend Special: tell one person who comes to book a session with me and you will receive 10% off your next package purchase! After five referrals, receive one free 60 minute session!

Best,

Noemie

Vibing Fall Vibes

I acknowledge that I am writing and living on unceded land of the Akimel O'odham, O’odham Jewed, and Pilpaash peoples. 

Hello Friends! 

Wow, mid-September already! (I feel like I start every post with “Wow it’s blank month already!” because what even is time anymore?) Does time seem to get away from you like it does for me? I feel the shift from summer towards fall already, and I’ve got Halloween (Samhain) plans happily stirring in my head. 

Melons are beautifully ripening in the garden, and like many Phoenix neighborhoods (all of Phoenix?) we recently had an influx of caterpillars to our yard in South Phoenix. They were absolutely covering all of the luscious “weeds” that had sprung up around our front yard thanks to our plentiful August monsoons!

Scroll down for current announcements,

including Small Group Somatic Coaching beginning in October and a new LGBTQ+ Reiki Saturday schedule!

One plant we have an abundance of growing along the front of our house this season is quelites, or amaranth. It’s apparently also sometimes called pigweed although that was news to me! The young leaves of this plant can be eaten raw in salads, and are full of nutrients like protein, iron, and available calcium. The more mature leaves can be cooked as greens, and are a native food to the Tohono O’odham. The seeds can be winnowed and make a nutritious cereal, flour, or can be popped and added to baked goods or candy. 

We also have plenty of London rocket this year. Also known as wild arugula or wild mustard, this plant’s leaves look very similar to dandelion leaves, but grow in close contact with the ground. They have a tall spine that shoots up with a yellow flower. The spicy greens can be steamed, added to salads, or juiced with your other green juice items. 

I found this recipe for London Rocket Pesto from Tenth Generation Farm in Casa Grande, AZ, and plan to try it out soon! I’ll let you know how it goes.

RECIPE: Fresh Wild Arugula Pesto (Sysimbrium irio)

4 large handfuls of fresh, young London rocket leaves

3 small garlic cloves

1/4 cup olive oil (or other oil of your choosing)

2 Tbsp walnuts

½ Tsp salt

Process in your food processor or if you want a more traditional pesto, mash everything with a mortar & pestle. Top pasta, bruschetta, or use as a sandwich spread or a dip for veggies. 

Be sure when using common weeds as a food source that you are identifying them correctly. You can call the AZ Master Gardeners’ Help Desk for help identifying your plants if you are unsure. 

Happy foraging/gathering!

Love, 

Noemie

*The nutritional information about these native plants was gathered from Jacqueline Soule and her blog https://savorthesouthwest.blog. 

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Read on for our current events calendar!

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What’s going on in the healing studio?
October:

Note: All of my offerings are LGBTQ+ safe spaces, and are trauma-aware, shame-free zones.

Next month we will begin another Small Group Somatic Coaching Cohort! 

In this class you will learn:

-Practical Techniques for applied self-compassion.

-Identify your attachment style to better understand your relationship to yourself and others.

-Stop the stress-cascade before it happens.

-Reduce your fight/flight/freeze response in everyday situations.

Register NOW for PSIT Group Coaching Cohort 1, beginning Oct 11, 2021

This class is for you if you:

-Have “unexplained” stress or anxiety.

-Have PTSD or C-PSD from unresolved trauma.

-Had parents who were absent/unavailable/not nurturing.

-You were “parentified” as a young child or teen, having to take care of younger siblings or parents, or supported the family financially at a young age.

-Are having continual problems in your relationships, or you see the same pattern arising repetitiously.

-Are the child of an addicted parent, or your parent was the child of addicts/alcoholics.

-Are a human living on this planet.

Our first group meeting will be October 11. We will meet monthly on second Sundays in the afternoons (2:45 pm AZ time.) The class lasts for three months, with monthly group meetings, do-at-home activities, and one private coaching session with me (Value: $260) for each group member. You’ll also gain access to our private Facebook group where we expand upon our thoughts and feelings that come up during the three-month session. The Facebook group is a place for group members to ask me any questions that may come up between sessions, and to gain insights about your experiences from fellow members of our group. 

Go to my website for registration information! Earlybird pricing is $285 until 9/25/21. After that the price will go up to $325, so make sure to register early! There are only FOUR more spots, don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity!

**Note, this website is currently password protected as it is under construction. Password: Lulu

Look for a free introductory 30-minute class on PSIT (Practical Somatic Integration Techniques)Via Facebook Live coming Sept 22! Via Facebook Live coming Sept 22!

Details will be posted to IG @noemielucecoach & on Facebook on the Urban Wellness PHX page as well as my Facebook. Follow me on Facebook: @LuceCoaching for more coaching updates!

Want to be added to the list to be emailed when all of the registration links go live?

Shoot me an email (Noemie@noemiluce.com)

Continuing Programs:

Yoga Nidra for LGBTQ+ 2SBIPOC community!

10:00 am every other Saturday.

Current Schedule: September 25| October 9, 23 | November 6, 27 (December TBD)

Meet at Urban Wellness for a Reiki and Yoga Nidra session. Classes are currently being held in the Citifarms building, behind the Giving Tree, follow the signs!

$5-25 Sliding scale. Pay what you can, community sliding scale. Proceeds are put towards PHX Mutual Aid and Nourish Phoenix. Both are mutual aid orgs, so we usually buy water for PHX Mutual Aid and pantry staples or fresh produce for Nourish.

Trans Flag happy face with Third Eye

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July and August ~ Circle of Light Studio's New Happenings

Hello Beautiful Beings! 

I have been enjoying this rainy season so much, how about you? And let’s hear it for the lower temperatures we have had this July. 

I spent a week in North Carolina this month, visiting with my sons. My 18 year old and I flew out to see my 25-year old who we hadn’t seen for 3 years. (Three YEARS.) How does that happen, that so much time can pass between visits? It was a thrilling reunion. I cried in the airport when I saw him because I did not recognize him, he looked like a man! 

And so it is that I have two grown children, two men. Both of them are the most sensitive, insightful, generous, kind-hearted and lovely people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Proud mama over here!

They are not without their troubles of course; as they navigate their transitions into adulthood things have been appropriately challenging for them. As much as I wish I could, as a parent I cannot take those hard lessons away from them without taking away their growth.

It is similar to how it felt when sending them off to their first days of kindergarten. It is time to let go a little more… while still making sure to be there for them when they need mama’s help!

As my clients have also been traveling a good bit this summer, it has given me valuable time to create more offerings in the studio, which I am excited to share with you! 

Saturday mornings, start your weekend off right with LGBTQ+ Community Reiki Circle at Urban Wellness Studio. These group Reiki sessions blend Yoga Nidra with short, individual reiki tune-ups, and offer you time for socializing after class! (Don’t worry, if you’re an introvert, socializing is optional.) This group is reserved for my LGBTQ+ fam. I started this group class in order to create space for the Queer/QTBIPOC folks in the Urban Wellness community to relax and restore in safe community. I especially welcome genderqueer/non-binary/Trans people to join us.

The Reiki Circle is by donation* ($10-25 suggested) on a sliding scale. See my New Events Page for more details. If you would like to purchase a monthly membership, you may do so via Venmo or Paypal. 

Venmo @Noemie_LuceLMT  or NoemieLuce on Paypal .

*20% of collected donations from Reiki Saturdays will go to a different mutual aid group each week. This week’s group is Mutual Aid Phoenix. (mutual aid is voluntary exchange, with the goal of redistributing resources within and between communities.) 

we know there is enough for everyone.
we keep each other safe.

The Small Group Somatic Coaching Series is ongoing, meeting once monthly on the second Saturday. Our next cohort begins September 4, 2021. In this series of workshops I coach through meditation exercises, breathing, and movement techniques for releasing held trauma* in the bodymind.

The exercises, based on Peter Levine’s work in healing trauma through physical movement, combined with orientating your nervous system into the Now give you needed skills to stay present with your goals. You will learn how to stay out of the dissociation/freeze nervous system loop, and how to create goals regarding your mental and physical awareness, allowing you to meet your personal and career goals.

Over the course of the three months together, I will teach you to:

• Set three goals

• Identify what is stopping you from following through on them

• Create a solid plan of action to reach your desired outcome

  • Throughout the series- via our group meetings and through your homework exercises- you will identify what is held in your body (from past trauma) which is holding you back in your life.  

  • Remember, in Somatic Integration Theory, *everyone has experienced some level of Trauma, whether it’s attachment-based, medical-based, or event-based.

If you’re excited about this offering, make sure you register now! $33-$55 deposit holds your spot. There are only 5 spaces for this cohort, so do not hesitate! Deadline to enroll is Aug 15, 2021. 

Read more.

Summer Specials in the Healing Studio:

Purchase two one hour Reiki Healing sessions with Chakra Balancing for $260. That is more than a 20% savings on my regular rate. (hint: Massage clients, try something new!) These sessions MUST be used in the month of August, but you are more than welcome to share one with a friend!

To those of you who are lucky to be traveling currently: Have a great rest of your summer! See you again in September!

To everyone who’s toughing it out here in the big, bad, Valley of the Sun, come by and see me! 

Your short visits are always welcome (Please call first to ensure I am not in session.) And you never know, you might just catch me on a day when I feel like giving out free head massages. ;) 

Love, love, love, 

Noemie

June Newsletter- Small Group Coaching Series

Blessings and Grand Rising to you! 

In honor of the upcoming Gemini new moon (taking place June 10th) and the annular solar eclipse that it brings along with it, I am sending you a whole lot of healing, nurturing energy to warm your soul. This new moon in Gemini brings with it Mercury Retrograde; the astrologers are saying the next few weeks will be a good time to ramp up your awareness around careful communication and good boundaries. It’s a perfect time to come in and receive a healing if you are overdue. I see a few of you who are long past due for your next healing session!! You know who you are... Contact me for your next booking or go to my online 24-hr booking site. You deserve to feel good, and to serve your Highest Potential!

A client pointed out it has been a few months since I’ve sent a newsletter, and this is absolutely true— not for lack of trying though! I’ve made several beautifully thought out, carefully laid out newsletters for April and then again for May. Unfortunately some technical difficulties with my domain host made it not possible for me to send those out to you. Sad face :(

But, such is life sometimes! We roll with what it brings us. Of course there was some anger and frustration too, and a few choice words for my computer. I’m human after all! And not without feelings, including the “bad” ones. You’ve gotta let yourself feel it all in order to move it through you. Do your best not to hang onto those thoughts of anger & frustration, instead let them vibrate right through you. (I can help you with that too, through my Somatic Integration Therapies and Reiki Healings.)

This leads me right to my announcement for the month of June… Just for you!!

I have a new class offering for you, a very special Small Group Coaching series I call Practical Somatic Integration Techniques, or PSIT (pronounced “sit”) for short. PSIT is a trademarked name that I coined to describe the particular kind of breathing, movement, and intrapersonal-explorative/meditative exercises that we will be exploring in this class.

The lessons you will learn through taking part in this series will assist you for the rest of your life! You’ll learn to heal the many types of stress that are held in the body. Everyone has somatic stress, it is a part of being a human in our fast paced, screen-obsessed culture. Somatic stress— held in the eyes, the muscle tissues, and the cells—creates nervous system patterns which can be detrimental to our personal growth.

Register Now! (PayPal @Okeyes)

Classes will be held in person at Urban Wellness in Phoenix, and our first Session will be open to Women and Gender Amazing Individuals— And it begins soon! BIPOC and LGBTQ to the front. Class size will be limited to 5 individuals, so don’t miss out!

{Register early to ensure your enrollment-- send your payment to Okeyes on PayPal.}

Class Calendar: Saturday, June 19, July 24, & August 21. All workshop sessions meet once monthly, Saturdays starting at 9:00 am & ending at 10:45am. Masks required.

Course enrollment information and registration are on my New Events link at Noemiluce.com

PayPal @ Okeyes to register.

Scientific studies by geneticists have now shown us that this kind of somatic stress can be passed down, generation to generation, through our very DNA. This type of science is called epigenetics. It proves that when parents or grandparents have experienced trauma, their children’s genome will reflect that stress. How the child’s system responds to those genetic differences depends upon many factors, including ACES- scores, environmental factors, and relationship to their primary caregivers. It’s a really interesting topic to study (at least it is to my brain!)

A few of my favorite recommended books on the topic of Somatic Integration are Peter Levine’s Freedom from Pain: Discover Your Body's Power to Overcome Physical Pain and Bessel Van der Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score.

Happy early-summer, folks! I look forward to seeing you in class and on the healing table!

Link to book personal bodywork sessions.

Link to book individual coaching discovery call.

Link to learn more and register for {Group Coaching: Practical Somatic Integration Workshop Series.}

Sun's Bounty and Mother Nature's Sex Drive, plus, Soup!

Welcome to Spring! The blossoms are blossoming. The bees are getting busy. In the mornings I usually sit at my desk, either to write my morning pages or a blog post, or to take care of some administrative business.

If I get here early enough, I get to watch the sun come out through my east facing window.

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Having the sun on my face in the early morning has a positive effect on my outlook for the day! My dear Maestra, Doña Patricia Ruiz , always recommends spending a little time in the sun each morning, taking in Sun's energy into your third eye for spiritual and energy health maintenance.

I'm lucky and grateful to live right by South Mountain, where the primary sounds I hear outside my window are bird songs, especially right now, at the start of spring! (My partner remarked yesterday that the birds are yelling "Sex! sex! Sex!" all day long. Yes, nature is alive, and she is horny, Lol.

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I would like to share a recipe with you that I love to make and eat in the Spring!

Spring Vegetable Soup

Serves 3-4

• 1 Tbs. olive oil

• 2 carrots, sliced

• 1 celery stick with leaves, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, smashed

• 1 zucchini, halved and quartered, then cut into small quarters

• 4 cremini mushrooms, optional

• 2 cups broth of choice (I use my homemade vegetable broth, but store bought is fine. Chicken broth can also work )

• Fresh peas, about 1/2 cup shelled, or snap peas

• 2 scallions, thinly sliced on a diagonal , or a handful of cilantro

• Salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Heat olive oil over med heat in a heavy stock pot or Dutch oven.

2. Add carrots, celery, and garlic, cook about 5-7 minutes until celery turns translucent and garlic* is quite fragrant. (*Be careful not to burn your garlic!)

3. Add zucchini and mushrooms, if using, stir to combine, and pour in your stock or broth.

4. Cover and simmer soup for about 15 minutes, checking after 10 min, not to over-cook the veggies. You don’t want mushy veggies! Unless that’s your thing & you do want mushy veggies, in which case do your thing.

5. Add peas and allow soup to cook for five more minutes, just until peas are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top bowls with fresh spring onions (scallions/green onion) or chopped cilantro. Serve with crusty bread.

6. This soup makes a lovely light dinner or can be served as an appetizer for some Pasta Primavera, or alongside a nice arugula pesto. (Check back next week for pesto recipe!)
   
   
   
   

“We have missed you! Check below for some great specials!”

Spring is also a wonderful time for some health maintenance~ You knew I was getting there, didn’t you? Pop in for a 90 minute massage if you haven’t seen me for a while, to get your body reset and rejuvenated for the new season. Or, schedule a weekly 60 minute reiki healing, shiatsu, or massage.

Tarot readings, SE exploratory work, energy healings and coaching also available. Set up a 45 minute consultation so we can discuss what best meets your needs, budget and schedule.

Don’t forget my $68 first time client session is still available through April 30th, and for blog & newsletter readers only:

Continuing Clients: Receive one $68 session when you leave a review on Yelp or Google! (Print your review, or show me on your phone when you come in to redeem this special offer.)

#natureappreciationpost #birdsandbees #sun #solarenergy #lifehacks #feelingoodinthehood #phoenixlmt #healyourspirit #emergence

Your Reviews Requested!

Do you want to know the best way to help my business grow?

Word of mouth and Google/Yelp reviews are the most helpful way to get the word out about my practice. If Circle of Light Healing is going to survive this pandemic, I need to continue to grow!

If you have received any type of session from me, then you have a unique perspective, and your review would be most helpful for people who are looking to learn more about my services!

You can use this link to leave me a short review on Google.

I would be most appreciative of your time. For any reviews posted, you can receive a $10 discount on your next service. Simply post a review and show me the posting on your phone at your next service. I will apply a $10 discount at checkout.

Thank you so much for your continued support! You are each the reason I am still able to continue to provide my services to the community. Thank you, I love you all!

What in the @*?! is Reiki and How Do I Know if it's for Me? --Your Questions Answered

Have you been curious about Reiki sessions? You’re not alone! Many of my clients ask me about Reiki-- What is it good for? Who gets it? Why? Does  it *really* work?

Among the services I offer is energy healing, and one of those is Reiki. In this hands-off approach to balancing your energy, I use my hands as portals to the universal flow of life force energy (or qi/chi/prana) that flows through everything, including you. 

After becoming attuned to Reiki energy via several intensive training sessions, I am now able to “turn it on” at times when I want to affect a person’s energy body, and use it to gently guide the energy that is stored in and around your body/your aura. . 

What does this all mean, though?

A little background: Energy is infused into all living and non-living matter. Sometimes as humans, plants, or animals go through their lives, energy can become clogged, stuck, or blocked. This is known by all cultures, from Indigenous groups, to Asia, India, and Africa, and now (over the past hundred years or so) to the Western healing world.

When energy is blocked, life force doesn’t flow freely and this can cause a number of symptoms: from ill-health, to a weakened immune system, to fatigue,  excess stress and anxiety.  If your energy is unbalanced, you might find yourself wired and unable to sleep at the end of the day, despite being exhausted. 

When energy is not flowing freely we may also have problems with communicating freely, brain fog, or difficulty completing tasks. 

So, who is Reiki for? Reiki is for virtually anyone who wants it!

Young children and babies can benefit from Reiki, especially after a surgery, illness, a big fright, or chaotic life moments such as moving or parents’ separation or divorce.  

Adults at any stage of life benefit from Reiki for the above mentioned reasons, as well as inner turmoil, caused by problems with making a big life decision, a marriage, a move to a new city or home, a job change or loss, and grief of any kind. People who’ve given birth recently benefit from reiki and so do pregnant people, or expectant parents. 

Elders benefit from it upon retirement or late in life career changes, or when any major life event has occurred. 

Our pets and plant brothers and sisters also benefit from Reiki healing. If you or a loved one is curious about Reiki healing, or any of the other services I offer in my healing practice, such as Coaching, Spiritual healings, or Shiatsu, please reach out to me via email at Noemie@NoemiLuce.com,  or book a session today using this scheduling link. Follow me on Instagram @CircleofLightHealing for weekly tarot readings, silly memes, social justice content, and more fun stuff.

As always, you may contact me via phone, if you have an urgent question: (602) 576-9025. And discovery calls (by appointment only) are always free! (Use link above to schedule.)

Many Blessings, 

Noémie

Un-Busy Your Life

It’s the first Monday back to work for many of us, of the year 2021. The Holiday Times are over. (Phew!) We are still in the midst of a global pandemic that, for the U.S. at least, doesn’t show signs of letting up anytime soon.

I’m scheduled to receive my vaccine in a few weeks because, as a healthcare-adjacent person who sees clients face-to-face, I am deemed eligible for one.

For so many others, this is not the case, and I have paused to take in the unfairness of this. And after my pause, I moved forward with making the appointment, because I do need to continue to see and work with my clients face to face to support my family. And I value keeping my clients, my family, and myself safe from Covid-19.

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***Let’s pause a moment and take a Deep Breath***

And now, another. Notice how you feel in your body. Did your shoulders drop a bit lower (even if a minuscule amount)? Do you feel more connected to your breath? 

For so many of us, it’s easy to get into a routine of being “muy busy.” Think about the last time you asked a friend or a stranger how they were doing. How many times is the answer “Busy”?

Do you find yourself in the Busy Trap? Do you lie awake at night because of stress? Do you find yourself lacking time to spend with your loved ones, to take vacations, or just to get a day to yourself?

Nearly 50% of Americans say that they lose sleep because of being under too much pressure. 33% report being under “extreme stress” daily. (1) 

Here is a small guide I’ve put together to begin un-busying yourself:

1. Take stock of your priorities. If you’re spending more time on things that make you feel drained than on things that fulfill your sense of purpose, it might be time to make some changes. Evaluate *what* you spend the most time doing. It may be household tasks or busy-work at your job. Does this activity feed your soul’s purpose, or does it make you feel more hungry? Do you in turn fill that hunger with caffeine, sugar, alcohol, nicotine, or some other not-so-good for you vice? Do you need CBD, or a sleeping pill to help you get some rest at night? Reducing busyness can help you improve things like sleep stress and day to day stress. 

2. Whether you would like to recognize it or not, being busy is a choice. As adults, we must recognize that we determine our own schedules. (Even when it feels like we don’t!) 

Are you dedicating your time to things that make you happy? We all have certain responsibilities that are non-negotiable. However, many of the things we feel we “must” do are in reality things we have absorbed from society or family as having more importance than they carry in our own version of a happy life. 

A good example of this is when I was mothering my two young sons, going to college, and working full time, I felt very stressed out by laundry. I felt that the task of doing laundry was never-ending and I always left it for last, when I was the most tired and the most worn-out from my other responsibilities. I was lamenting to a friend on the phone, probably while folding my younger son’s clothes, about how the laundry stressed me out so much. Her response? “Who is going to care if your son’s clothes are wrinkled? Can’t you just put his clean clothes in a basket in his room and let him sort his own clothes into the drawers? Or better yet, teach him to fold his own clothes?” The fact was, no one was going to be hurt by me eliminating this task from my already very full to-do list. It was simply an expectation I had carried over from the time when I was a home-maker and had space to do things like this. My life circumstances had changed, but I hadn’t let my task list grow and change with me. I was holding onto old expectations for myself that no longer served me. 

What is your never-ending laundry basket? The task you always reserve for last, because you hate doing it so much? 

It may be time to ask yourself: 

a) Can this task be farmed-out? Can I hire someone/get my kids/spouse/partner to do it instead? 

b) Is this task really important to me anymore? Is it time to let it go/find a new way to accomplish the same? 

3. Minimize Possessions The more stuff we own, the more time must be spent cleaning those things, organizing them, and perhaps paying extra money to store them outside of our living space if we do not have room to keep it all in our home. How many dishes, kitchen appliances, garden tools, clothes, or knick-knacks go unused, unloved, or gathering dust? I’m not suggesting you go 100% Mari Kondo. But are there a few items you could stand to part with?

If it helps, start by taking a cardboard box and walking around your home or apartment, placing 3-5 objects in it. Choose things that you haven’t used in a year or more. Place the box near a back door or in your garage, and wait a week. If you haven’t gone back to the box to retrieve something from it, then give yourself permission to let go or say goodbye to the items. We have an ongoing “giveaway box” in our house, which is really two large plastic Ikea bags. We fill them up, and away they go to the Goodwill. If you don’t like Goodwill, find another charity or mutual aid group who can put your items to better use, or sell them on OfferUp or Poshmark and donate the money to a charitable organization/put it in a rainy day fund. 

4. Get comfortable with saying “No.” If you are someone who gets approached often to help others execute their own mission or tasks-- Learn to discern, and employ the use of No as a tool to help you stay clear on what you want to spend your time on. Using our discernment allows us to make sure that our Yeses are a True North Yes, before we commit to another PTA meeting, or Board Membership, or committee. If someone asks you to do something for them or volunteer with their group, make sure you are feeling a clear Yes before proceeding.

If your heart is neutral or if you feel some resistance in your body when you think about committing your time to this other person’s task, then you will know that your answer should be No.

When we free ourselves to say No more often, we are also freeing up a chunk of time for ourselves. We can choose to dedicate that time to our self-care, our hobbies, or simply to spend that time resting. Kick your feet up, at least once a week! Preferably more!

Does this post resonate for you? What steps are you going to take to give yourself more time-freedom? If you need help discerning what to let go of, I am here for you! Schedule a discovery call with me to see if my 12-week Zoom coaching package is right for you. Get free from the time crunch! Have more space for yourself, your family, or your relationships.  Together we can heal from the kind of thinking that got us to value being  “Muy Busy.”

Click the link to reach my scheduling page. Discovery calls are always 100% free! I would love to talk with you!

Things I Left Behind

I wrote this as a response to the prompt from Lasara Firefox Allen (follow them on Instagram @Lasara_Firefox_Allen) from the Wayward Writers Group.

Wayward Writers is a group that grew out of the Literary Kitchen, of Ariel Gore’s writing classes, and is administered by Elisa Sinnett. Ariel is an amazing writer and teacher and has gathered together an extraordinary group of teachers who all guide some of the most wonderful writing courses I have had the pleasure of being a part of.

Things I Left Behind (copywrite Noémie Luce, Jan 2, 2021. All rights reserved.)

• A job I disliked

• My old name

• A daily commute

• Identifying with shame

• Thinking I was not worthy of earning large amounts of money

One of my most prized possessions of 2020 (dare say my *only* prized possession?) was the framed art that I bought from Ariel Gore. It’s a pen & ink drawing of a deer-owl with a speech bubble saying, “You don’t have to return to doing anything you didn’t love.” 

The moment I saw that drawing on Instagram I knew that I would be quitting my job before the pandemic was over. 

I ordered the 8x10 drawing, received it, put it in a black frame, and placed it on top of my dresser in the bedroom. I looked at it every day when I was choosing what underwear to wear underneath my sweat pants, from March to June, while we were closed for quarantine, and then from June to November, when I was back at the old job, doing one massage a day in a five-hour shift. I looked at it every time I got a paycheck that was for under $200. That’s for two weeks’ pay. I looked at it when my unemployment ran out, I looked at it when my body hurt from giving one too many deep tissue massages. 

Finally, on October 30 I gave my notice at the job. I was not going to be giving away my services anymore for less than a fifth of what I was worth. I had begun my own business, Circle of Light Healing Therapies, in February, exactly a month before the quarantine began. Roughly two weeks before the news began to report that we’d see a half a million American deaths within the next year.

I hadn’t believed it when my partner told me-- I never listened to the news back then. I had stopped as soon as Trump took office in 2016. 

Speaking of Trump, we got to leave that Orange Fuck behind in 2020! We got out the fucking vote and ousted him! 

I left behind my trust of any police officer. I left behind the idea that I could be a non-racist without being Anti-racist. I attended my first protest since the Trump Rally in 2016. My friend Kat and my partner and I handed out gatorade and water and masks and hand sanitizer to the protesters. I brought ice to the other protests that were happening in the middle of the Phoenix summer, in 110 degree temps, to the people who were more brave than I against the harsh summer.

I left behind parties, barbeques, weddings, and even funerals. 

I said goodbye to my mother-in-law from my first marriage, my sons’ grandmother Rene. She succumbed to the disease in fewer than 4 weeks from her first symptom. My son Kai and I attended her funeral virtually on Facebook. We cried together for our loss, and I cried when her daughter Lisa read the eulogy, expressing how their mom had always encouraged art, singing, music, and creativity among her siblings as they grew up. How she encouraged them to always care for each other, because when push comes to shove, family is all you’ve got. Rene knew this: she had raised six kids on her own, with no child support and a $26,000/year single mother’s salary. Government-issued tubs of peanut butter and blocks of yellow cheese. Hot dogs wrapped in a tortilla for a snack. But those kids knew, above all else, that they were loved. 

I cried for all of my friends who also lost parents during this year. Avery’s dad. Megan’s dad. Grandmothers and grandfathers returning to the Ancestors, but far too soon. Leaving behind grandchildren for whom they were the primary carer. Leaving behind so many young grandbabies who would never know their grandmother or grandfather. Elliot & Benjamin both under three. Alex and Evelyn and Indi all under six. Babies who would never get to hug their grandma, or bake cookies with her, or cuddle up on her lap. 

I left behind my tears when the tears became too much. 

But I also left depression and anxiety, thanks to a prescription for Prozac. I left my ever-present body pain. I left not sleeping through the night. I left a job I hated. I left not valuing myself. I left shame. I left worrying about wearing makeup, because who was going to see me anyway? I left behind caring about every new grey hair and wrinkle. I began to know, deep in my heart that I had earned each of those age lines and wisdom locks. I left thinking that I was not powerful. I regained my Power. I left behind any remnants of the little girl I had been. I left behind playing small. I witnessed myself being born again, and then again. I christened myself Noémie Luce, the LightBringer. 

I left trying to control my youngest son’s every choice, and began to see him as an adult, though he hasn’t yet turned 18. 

I left behind trusting that my government would keep us safe in the event of a global catastrophe. The sense that I would be helped financially by any safety net the government may provide. There were no safety nets. Too many people faced eviction by unkind landlords/corporate apartments and condos. Too many hungry, houseless, scared. Too many ill, dying. Doctors and nurses getting it too, passing it on to their children and spouses.

I left behind any sense of control. I left behind thinking that control was ever possible. I left behind control, but I gained wisdom, and a new kind of faith. Faith in community. In mutual aid, in organizing. In family and friends scooping each other up, and holding space for each others’ sorrows.

I left behind illusions of capitalism and bootstraps economics. I gained a new kind of joy.

My Sincere Ask

Hello Sweet Humans,

For every $100 you spend in gift card purchases during this last two weeks of December, I am offering $25 in virtual cash directly back to you for use on a future service!

Purchase your gift cards here

I want to thank you for your business this year! In keeping with the spirit of giving, I am offering you this special discount for being a valued customer of Circle of Light Healing Therapies. Without your support, I would not have been able to stay open this year!!

But thanks to each one of you, this small business owner was able to not only support her first year of being open (Wow! I'll be celebrating my one year anniversary in January!) but also to help support her family during this time of Covid-19 while many local small businesses are going under, sadly.

So I have this offer for you now, and it's not just an offer, but also a heartfelt plea--

Circle of Light Healing needs your help!

December has been a very slow month for appointments, and I am now in imminent danger of not being able to pay the rent on my studio for January.

Can we pull together as a community and help me stay open?

I am very hopeful that with this email campaign (and a few other channels where I will be reaching out for your help) I will be able to bring in enough cash to keep me afloat into the New Year! Let's make 2021 even better, by allowing me to keep providing you the support services that I offer all year long!

So, my ask is this:

1. Please purchase as many gift cards and/or packages as you are able to right now.

For every $100 you spend on gift cards, I am offering $25 in virtual cash towards your own healing sessions. (Note: you CAN. buy gift cards for yourself and use the discounts on future sessions.)

2. Donate to my Trans/Queer scholarship fund:

Every dollar you spend on donations goes DIRECTLY to a person in need of massage and Spiritual healing work, who cannot otherwise pay for the services.

By helping people to heal, we heal our communities at the root. This donation goes far beyond any philanthropic act-- Remember, Deep Spiritual healing goes 7 generations forward and 7 generations back. So you are not only helping a single person receive massage, but allowing their children, and their grandchildren, etc. etc. to be healed.

3. Make a donation directly to Circle of Light.

This money will go towards paying my own bills and my office rent, internet, phone, etc. (All the things that make it possible for me to continue doing what I do.) In the future, I will match your donation, dollar for dollar, on healing sessions, if you so choose.

With so much love for all of you, your families, and your communities, I honor you all and wish you the best holiday season possible during this time of social distancing and quarantining!

Love, Love, Love,

Noémie Luce
(*Omy Keyes, for those of you who do not know that I changed my name this year.)

Welcome December! -- *New* Spa Treatments

Hello Dear Friends and Clients, 

Happy last day of November! Falling headlong into December and the holiday season already in in full swing at my house, I’ve had family on my mind lately. More specifically, family traditions. 

How does one celebrate long-held and well-loved family traditions in the face of Covid Times?

What old ways am I ready to let go of? How to transform the ones we want to hold onto into activities that are new & relevant to our times-- not only the Covid times, but also a more socially-and-racially aware world?

My son Kai and I spent time discussing whether we still want to hold any form of “Thanksgiving” this year, or whether it’s time to let that go by the wayside, given our country’s historical (and continuing) atrocious crimes against Indigenous peoples. One thing we have decided for sure is that we will no longer be cooking the “traditional”  dishes (from our white and colonialized/assimilated Mexican-American families’ traditions), but will explore creating some dishes of the local Indigenous tribes who also live on this land that we occupy. I am grateful to my friend Felicia (@kitchencurandera) and Chef Maria over at @Sanasanafoods who are doing the work of educating about--and feeding folks-- delicious indigenous foods. 

We made Kitchen Curandera’s Third Eye Sweet Potato Soup along with a savory mushroom dish with fresh herbs. 

More importantly, I think, than what we cooked is that we spent time in awareness, and also took the time to RELAX together for most of the day rather than working all day in the kitchen. Whatever your family chose to do on November 24th, I hope that you had a good day and stayed sage and socially distanced as necessary.

Going into this December, a month of short days and long nights, I am also contemplating the beautiful full moon I can see out of my window. I’ve heard her called both the “Cold moon” and the “Beaver Moon”. The moon’s cycles have drawn me close these past several months, as I observe more closely my relationship to the lunar cycles and my own body’s rhythms. I have noticed lately a very clear correlation to the upcoming full moons and my own energy levels peaking (often in a way that feels like anxiety or “manic” energy.) Then as the moon begins to wane, my energy too softens and slows, to a place of contemplation and a deep need for rest. 

I’ve been doing my best to honor these cycles in light of schedules and busyness. It is not always easy, or possible- or maybe even desirable- to set things aside for a day or two, but when I can, I do. I try to take some slow walks around the neighborhood, or listen to more music, or write or draw, or nap!

How luxurious to give in to that early afternoon nap, when it is so needed, rather than reaching for another cup of coffee or tea. Take a moment right now to notice what your body is asking for… and see if it might be possible to give it to yourself! Make a date with yourself for a nap or an afternoon stroll. Or now might be a good time to pause and make your next massage appointment. ;) However you choose to take care of yourself in this moment-- or this evening when you stop work for the day-- I honor that. 

You might be wondering what sales we have going on, so you can get a jump on holiday shopping-- we’re offering 15% off all gift cards purchased now until December 15: available in increments for one hour, 90 minute, and 2 hour sessions. (CODE: GIFT15. Click where it says “15% off all Gift Cards to purchase.)

As promised, we also have a host of new offerings, including couples massage, Spiritual Spa Days, and— soon to come— 4 Hands Massage!

****SPECIAL NEW OFFERINGS*****

Spiritual Spa Days

I will be offering my Spiritual Spa Day Starting Dec 7th. This service is full of rich, juicy goodness, and you won’t want to miss it. SALE: Buy before Dec 14th to save 15% off the full value. (Use code: SPA15)

Couples Massage 

My extremely talented and skillful colleague Braden Jones of Muscle + Memory Bodywork and I are collaborating to offer couples massage therapy!  We are set up to begin offering this service now, so don’t wait!  GIFT CARD SALE: Applies to couples massages until Dec 22. (Code: COUPLES)

Cyber Monday Special

Buy a ten pack of my massage sessions and get two for absolutely free! This package deal saves you $280! Set up your monthly massages for the whole year, or use ten and gift the two free sessions to a loved one!  (Code: GET10) Offer valid Nov 30- Dec 1, 2020.

Love, Love, Love you all & Have a happy and safe December! Peace,

Noémie

GIVING TUESDAY & Scholarship DONATIONS

We now have a scholarship fund to assist BIPOC and LGBTQ folks of limited means to receive Massage and Spiritual Coaching from me, at no cost to them. This is a project that is very, very close to my heart. Link below to donate to the fund. (Non-Tax deductible at this time.)

TQBIPOC SCHOLARSHIP FUND

Coorie In

It’s November 12, and it has finally cooled down in AZ. It is 72 degrees inside of my house and I am wearing warm socks, fuzzy slippers, cozy PJs, and sipping hot tea. Thanks, thin native-Arizonan blood. Granted, it’s 47 outside, which I think most people would agree is a bit chilly. But as per usual for November, it will be 74 for a high temperature today and the jackets and sweaters will be shed and tossed aside until nightfall. 

The snowbirds have arrived. We met a couple at our local enchilada joint yesterday while we were picking up our lunch. The kindly older man, in his 70s, kept saying, “Sorry, we’re new at this.” 

Whether he was speaking to the guy preparing his order, or to us, or just to the room, was unclear. They took their tacos and sat outside on the patio, in the sun. That’s how you spot the snowbirds-- they flock to the sunlight, while us natives know that it is the shade you should be seeking. Protection from the harsh sun, even in winter, is something we are trained to. 

Heading into these winter months, where it will be cool and comforting, and full of cozy sipping chocolates, comfort foods, and fuzzy blankets if you enjoy the cold; or dark and complicated with shadow work if you don’t, we all are preparing for a deep slowing down.

Which is weird to say in these times, where time seems to have stopped for all intents and purposes— unless you are in a health-related, or the mental-healthcare field. For the rest of us, I’ve begun to call this time The Great Slow Down. Or The Great Pause. 

So what do you do in the middle of a pandemic to “coorie in,” as my Scottish friend Mary Elizabeth would say? How do you create a safe haven for yourself when just the idea of the word Holidays can put you into a tailspin, or seasonal depression is threatening to set in?

This year in particular, I am looking forward to the holidays in a way that I haven’t in many years, and the reason for that is that many of the obligations I usually feel during holiday times are naturally taken away by Covid-times. Gone are the stresses of “Where will we have Thanksgiving this year?” and “Will we have to celebrate Yule separately again?”

My partner usually goes to see their mom for one or the other, and my son has had to celebrate his Christmases split between two households for as long as he can remember. This year, my eldest son is off living in North Carolina with his spouse, and my younger one is 17 and so busy with his school/work/life/Dungeons and Dragons stuff that we hardly see him anymore. He and I talked about plans for Thanksgiving and he wants to cook the meal for our family this year. I feel like that will be a welcome relief. Not having to leave home, just staying in and celebrating our little family and our gratitudes together. 

I am also planning a list of all sorts of small winter projects: Things to Do Inside.

While I love being outdoors at this time of year, I feel that the winter months are a time for quiet reflection. A time in which to take extra care of self. And if you know me, you know that I am what some people might classify as a self-care junkie. My favorite way to take care of me is taking baths. I think that my winter baths this year will be full of flowers:

Fresh flower petals, dried roses, and fresh lavender, if I can get my hands on some. And herbal soaks also. In my next few newsletters I will share some of my favorite recipes for an herbal bath, best to be taken while drinking from a cup of hot tea, and even better if your mug that you choose to sip from is a sacred-to-you vessel. Perhaps a cup or mug that belonged to an ancestor, or a clay vessel that was made for you by a dear friend- or yourself!

On my Things to do Inside list is also a goal to finish my embroidery project that I began during the summer, and to begin several more. I’d like to start embroidering the small bags that I send my herbal potions in, to add an extra-special, personal touch. Embroidery and needle work are things that connect me to my grandmothers, both of whom spent time on needlepoint and cross-stitch during their lives. I still recall my Grandmother Doro Dee buying me beginner cross-stitch patterns when I was a small kid, and her bundles of colorful embroidery thread. The first pattern she got me was a brown horse.

Counting out those numbers and stitches, and using the prescribed colors, the browns and tans and yellows that came with the pattern was never for me, though. Now I embroider free-hand using all the colors of the rainbow, or I draw my own patterns.  

What would you put on your list? What brings you happy, and a sense of calm and comfort? What makes you feel like you want to Coorie in?