Life | Happy new year!

Well... Sort of! September always feels more like New Year to me than January, what with having either attended or worked in a school environment pretty much non-stop since I was three years old! I went from sitting exams to taking a position as a Learning Support Assistant for four years and so September has always signified fresh starts and clean slates. I also feel much more connected to nature and the world around me during Autumn. I love heading outside with blankets and candles, setting up little meditation spots in the garden under the moon on crisp Autumn evenings, and I find myself drawn to my tarot cards a lot more as the days get shorter and the nights grow longer.

This Autumn will be the first time I won't be returning to the classroom *gulp* I'm no longer a Learning Support Assistant; instead I'm striking out and figuring out a different path for myself. It feels both strange and sort of exhilarating to realise that I don't have a term time job ready and waiting for me to step back into; I won't be helping my students settle into Year 11 or be supporting them in preparing for their GCSEs. I've got a blank slate full of unlimited potential and while it's exciting plotting and planning my next steps, it's also quite scary! 

I thought I'd write a little post featuring my aims and 'occupations' this 'new year', as although I'm not working at the moment I do have lots of ventures I'd like to begin to monetise this Autumn and Winter! Plus, there are lots of fun things going on in my life at the moment and so there's really no need for me to feel frightened or alarmed at not having a school to return to this week. I can still treat September as a fresh start and a brand new beginning. What a blessing to have such an unwritten and open opportunity in my palms!  

The first week of October marks the beginning of the final module of my undergraduate degree. I'm so excited to get cracking and finish up, finally! For the past few years I've stalled a little as I've been so worried about what to do next and haven't felt able to take the final step. Now that I'm getting a hold on anxiety and have lots of CBT tools at hand, I feel truly ready to get going again and reach the finish line. I study with The Open University via distance learning, and my final course is a Shakespeare module. I've always enjoyed Shakespeare so this seems the perfect conclusion to my English Literature degree. Plus, it's a great excuse to visit The Globe theatre as many times as possible! I'll be sitting my final exam in May/June and then... Well, I'll be a graduate! 

I'm determined to design a website for tarot readings as this is something I'm aiming  to turn into a career. I'd like to offer readings via Skype and email, and in person locally, as well as attend events and parties to read for groups. I'm also planning on qualifying as a Reiki Healer during 2014 and can't wait to be able to offer Reiki healing as well as tarot. In addition to tarot and Reiki I'm determined to learn to read the runes! I purchased the beautiful Amethyst runes pictured from Pagan Dreams and they're so stunning it would be a real shame to not teach myself how to use them properly. I do have a loose grasp of the different symbols and corresponding meanings but I'd like to get to know the stones inside out, and offer rune readings at some point in the future. The smaller cards in the top left hand corner are Lenormand cards, another divination system I'd like to get to grips with this year. 

The main area of excitement for me at the moment is my upcoming wedding! I'm getting hitched in January and although the planning has proven to be a little stressful at times I'm trying my best to soak it all up and enjoy the moment. I really want to appreciate this magical time! One of the first things I did upon getting engaged was order a wedding planning folder, and Mindy Weiss' one is by far the best one. It's HUGE! It has pockets and dividers for absolutely everything and I'm always using it to store ideas and plans. We picked January for our wedding date as it will be our 7th anniversary, and I've always dreamed of a winter wedding as I'm such a huge fan of all things wintry  It's such a cosy and romantic season! I'm hoping it will be a crisp, clear day with only a dusting of snow... But of course it might rain instead! That's OK though; as long as I marry my best friend, the most amazing man in the whole wide world, then everything else is fine by me!

Of course, I will be doing a whole lot of blogging alongside the above! I'm thoroughly enjoying reviewing beauty products, writing up lifestyle posts and composing my weekly Anxiety Diaries series. I'm so glad I decided to revamp my blog during the summer as it feels much more 'me' now and I'm enjoying having everything in one place, rather than spread across three blogs! I've found the blogging community to be extremely supportive and encouraging, and I've met some truly wonderful people over the past year or so. I'm addicted to the #fblchat, #bbloggers and #lbloggers chats and love browsing through Bloglovin' while drinking my morning cup of tea. I've really come out of my shell and am far less shy about commenting on posts and starting conversations with fellow bloggers, although I'm yet to attend a blogger meet-up and do find the idea a little scary! Perhaps this year will be the year I meet some bloggers in person? 

I find the process of writing and editing extremely therapeutic and blogging has given me a great focus, especially over the past few months. I'm learning all sorts of things to add to my CV, which is always a nice bonus! Including dabbling in the worlds of HTML and photo editing, although taking photos is still my number one blogging bug bear as my house seems to have the worst lighting in the whole world *sigh* I'm going to carry on writing from the heart and see where it takes me... who knows? I've come so far, and I'm looking forward to seeing where the Bluebird & the Robin takes me next!

There are a million other things I love about Autumn: steaming mugs of frothy hot chocolate,  wrapping up in thick knitted jumpers, snuggling up on the sofa and watching countless movies on Netflix, celebrating my birthday in October, lighting scrummy cinnamon and spice scented candles, preparing for Yule and Christmas... The list goes on! This time last year was when everything started to go wrong anxiety-wise, but a year later I'm making a fresh start and walking my very own path. Liberating, scary, exciting all at once!

What do you like about Autumn? Does September feel like a fresh start to you? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Baci e abbracci,

                                                        

Bloglovin' | Twitter | Instagram