To celebrate the release of her memoir A Year of Mystical Thinking: Make Life Feel Magical Again, author and mother-of-two Emma Howarth reflects on the challenges that inspired her to spend a year exploring the mystical world and the positive effect that embracing spiritual practices has had on her children. Read on for tips, tools and ancient wisdom that you too can use to help ease the pressures of life in the modern world.
By Emma Howarth
Photography courtesy of Emma Howarth
We all know motherhood has its ups and downs: first smiles and sleepless nights, tiny toes and toddler tantrums, elation and exhaustion. One minute you’re gazing adoringly at the magical being(s) you have created thinking you’ve finally found the answer to life, the universe and everything; the next you’re eating a discarded fish finger off the kitchen floor wondering quite how it came to this. It’s not just me, is it?
Ever dreamt of escaping the ‘motherload’? Or wished you could get away from it all (even if just for a little while)? Perhaps you’ve fantasised about jetting off on an Eat Pray Love-style quest for inner peace? Or simply wondered if there’s more to life than this? Or where the magic went? If you’re reading this beside a mountain of laundry while the To Do list in your head spirals out of control, I’m going to take a guess there’s a ‘Yes’ in there somewhere.
A few years ago, I found myself at the bottom of a down that had me dreaming of just such an escape. A perfect storm of stressful life events (a relocation, a couple of big work moves, an untimely death in the family) left me feeling exhausted, broken and totally burnt out. I felt lost and hopeless and like a one-way ticket to paradise was exactly the answer I was looking for.
Sunsets, scenic views, yoga at dawn… I was pretty sure that would solve everything! But then I remembered I had two daughters, a job, a husband and a diary filled to bursting with dentist appointments and soft play birthday parties! When you’re a mother, the show must go on, right? There was no way I was going to be running away to meditate on a rock anytime soon.
Even though I couldn’t disappear off to India or Italy or Indonesia to find inner peace, I still wanted to find a way to feel better, live better and explore new ways of being – and so in the eye of that storm I hit upon an idea. An idea that became a year-long project in which I explored a different mystical or spiritual practice (everything from meditation to manifestation) every month from the comfort of my own home. A project that became a book: A Year of Mystical Thinking. A book that tells the story of how I made my life feel magical again and explains how you can do it too – even if you don’t have much in the way of disposable income, free time or opportunities to fly off on a solo jaunt to Bali.
That’s not the half of it, though. Because it wasn’t just about me! One of the most surprising take-homes of my mystical year was actually the impact it had on my two daughters (aged six and eight at the time). Children are natural believers! Unicorns and magic are as real to them as bedtime and broccoli, so it wasn’t long before they joined me on my path to inner peace! And the knock-on effect was magical. As we got stuck in to a slower and more mindful pace of life, we discovered new and inspiring ways to deal with classic childhood troubles like bad dreams, playground squabbles and spelling test stress.
Whether you’re a believer or a sceptic, there’s magic to be found in the mystical world – myriad ways to ease life’s stresses and rise above its strains. And if you can take the small people in your life along for the ride too, all the better! Here’s how to get started and make your own life feel magical again.
Mystical Kids
Take your children on a mystical adventure with this toolkit of tips and tricks. For more information on all of the below, check out A Year of Mystical Thinking: Make Life Feel Magical Again.
Vision Boards
A vision board is a visual representation of hopes, dreams and life goals that serves to focus the mind and send a message to the universe about what you’re calling in! And given that making one is basically a long grown-up cutting and sticking session (you simply gather inspirational images you love and stick them to a piece of cardboard), it’s pretty much impossible to keep the kids away. You can make a vision board anytime you like but the start of a new school year and/or January are particularly poignant. Creating one together can be a great conversation starter about what matters most and about our hopes for the future. My girls love covering sheets of card in pictures of dream pets, toys and holidays. And you know what? Once it gets on that vision board, a lot of it comes true!
Crystals
Children are natural magpies so chances are that if you get into crystals, they will too. Powerhouses of the earth, these beautiful stones are said to hold vibrational energy that can help soothe anxiety and boost our self-love vibes. Pop a selenite tower by the bedside of a sleepless baby or offer your school age child a selection of tumble stones to stash in their school coat pocket. Rose quartz for love; citrine for positivity; tiger’s eye for creative prowess. Use them as handy pocket-sized symbols of strength and resilience and/or reminders that someone cares.
Affirmation cards
School-age children in particular can benefit from using affirmation cards: cards featuring positive statements to repeat out loud each morning. We love to start the day right with the YesMum Mini cards by Hollie de Cruz. A quick card pull on the walk to school sets the scene for positive thinking in the best possible way.
Aromatherapy
Investing in an essential oil diffuser is an easy way to tap into the soothing power of aromatherapy. Try lavender for sleep, peppermint for concentration (great for homework time), orange for good vibes or eucalyptus to clear the air (and nasal passages!).
Moon magic
A big part of our mystical year incorporated slowing down enough to notice the seasons, watch the sunset and get up close and personal with the moon. And kids love a spot of moon magic (plus it’s basically a science lesson). Teach them the difference between the full moon (the one you can see) and the new moon (the one you can’t) and all the phases in between and they’ll soon become experts on waxing, waning and when you can spot an afternoon moon. We like to make a wish on the first crescent after the new moon and leave our crystals out to charge on the full moon, but the biggest benefit of tuning into lunar energy is the way it creates an easy way to acknowledge the ebb and flow and cycle of life.
A Year of Mystical Thinking: Make Life Feel Magical Again is published by Hay House on 14 September 2021.
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