Hope, humanity, and the promise of renewal 🌱

Volume 4, Issue 3
February 17, 2026
New Moon/Solar Eclipse in Aquarius 🌑 ♒
Sun in Aquarius 🌞 ♒

Eclipse Greetings, Dear Friends❣️

In the quiet morning hours before the sun rises, I sip my coffee and whisper my wishes aloud, offering them to the Universe. I call on Spirit and the host of supportive guides that reside in a softer, more expansive realm to hear me and send signs that I am on the right path. I ask to be receptive to those signs. Then I ask for the strength to trust that the process will unfold in its own perfect timing.

After that, I simply sit and listen.

There is something sacred about this liminal hour, when the world outside the walls and windows of my century-old home begins to stir. This is when the magic happens. This is when I feel most hopeful—the promise of a new day. The quiet knowing that today will be a good day simply because I am alive and woven into this mysterious, diverse, and colorful web of life on the planet I call home alongside all of you.

I hear the chorus of birds growing more animated each morning. I notice the subtle shifts in light, the sun rising earlier, its angles changing with the Earth’s tilt. We are inching toward the Spring Equinox here in the Northern Hemisphere, warmer temperatures gently coaxing all living beings back from winter’s slumber. All in its own time. All in its own rhythm. Exactly perfect as designed.

The steadiness of the sun rising each day without fail reminds me to be steady, too. It reminds me to be hopeful.

Over the weekend, as I wrote this note to you, I noticed small but meaningful signs that brightened my outlook. They reminded me to stay steady, to continue along this path, and to double down on my belief that love, kindness, and beauty will ultimately prevail. Sometimes this belief sits firmly at the forefront of my mind. Other times, it becomes clouded by confusion, especially when I forget my boundaries and allow the full weight of the world’s complexities to pour in.

I am just one human soul longing for a more just and compassionate world, a world where our systems serve the many, not just the few, and where no one is left behind. Yet I know I am not alone. Many of us are speaking up, envisioning a future rooted in fairness and shared humanity. I see you. I hear you. And I feel more empowered than ever to share this dream openly and to do the work, one sunrise at a time.

This winter has been exceptional. And still, people are gathering outdoors, standing together for the common good, inspiring one another despite winter’s grip. Even the recent thaw has felt symbolic. In a single day last week, three-foot icicles melted from my gutters, and half of my gravel driveway reappeared. Drop by drop, the long freeze is loosening. Beneath the snow and ice, the sidewalks, garden beds, and soil remain dormant, but alive.

Renewal is coming. I’m hopeful that the tides are shifting.

Instead of immersing myself in the news cycle, I’ve been tuning into the Winter Olympics, and it has been gentler on my heart and soul. I’ve loved the Games since I first watched them as a child in the 1970s. This year’s Olympics, held in the breathtaking winter landscape of Milan and Cortina in the Italian Alps, feel especially inspiring.

The Games remind me that, regardless of where we come from, we are human beings longing for many of the same things. The Games celebrate dedication, resilience, unity, and the extraordinary diversity of human expression. They inspire playfulness and movement. They remind me to embrace winter fully, to step outside, feel the cold air on my skin, and marvel at the miracle of each unique snowflake. No two alike. Just like us.

How dull this world would be if we were all the same in appearance, in perspective, in belief. It is our differences that make life vivid and interesting. The planet’s landscape and its many inhabitants are beautifully diverse. I feel deep appreciation for that diversity. I also feel sorrow for those who are conditioned to see the world in narrow terms, missing the richness of its color and complexity.

As I write to you, my heart beats one steady beat at a time. I breathe one breath at a time. Just like you.

I am choosing hope. I am choosing to believe that my life matters and that yours does, too. That every being sharing this planet belongs here. No one is inherently better. No one is disposable. Holding this belief requires practice. It requires returning again and again to what is real, grounded, and true when the world feels chaotic.

I refuse to surrender my thinking to cruelty or fear. I refuse to believe that greed and division will have the final word. Fairness, kindness, beauty, and care that the intricate diversity of life are far more powerful and enduring.

I believe in what is right in front of me. What I see and feel with my own miraculous senses. The light is increasing. The temperatures are rising. The ice is thawing. The Earth will renew itself this spring, just as it always has.

That knowing is enough to steady me.

Thank you for reading, for reflecting, for walking this path with me. In a world that often feels loud and fractured, your presence here, your willingness to pause and consider a more mindful way of being, means more than I can say.

May you find steadiness in the rising light. May hope take root in you like seeds beneath thawing soil. May you trust your own breath, your own heart, and the quiet wisdom that meets you at sunrise.

With gratitude for your presence on this shared journey, and with faith in the tides that are always, always turning.

Jennifer 💫💖💫

Hope & Renewal — A Two-Minute Mindfulness Practice 🌱

Find a comfortable position, either seated or standing.
 Allow your spine to lengthen gently, your shoulders to soften.

Close your eyes, or lower your gaze.

Take one slow breath in through your nose…
 and release it softly through your mouth.

Again, breathe in…
 and breathe out.

Feel the simple rhythm of your breathing.
 Steady. Reliable. Always returning.

Imagine now that you are standing at the edge of winter and spring.
 Behind you, the long season of cold and stillness.
 Before you, the first subtle signs of renewal.

Picture sunlight gently warming the earth.
 Snow softening. Ice melting.
 Beneath the surface, something unseen is beginning to stir.

With your next inhale, imagine drawing in that warmth.
 With your exhale, release anything heavy you’ve been carrying.

Inhale hope.
 Exhale doubt.

Inhale light.
 Exhale what feels stuck or frozen.

There is wisdom in seasons.
 Nothing blooms all year.
 Nothing stays dormant forever.

Place one hand over your heart if that feels comfortable.

Feel your heartbeat. Steady, persistent.
 Even in uncertain times, your heart continues.
 Even after the longest winter, life continues.

Silently repeat to yourself:

Renewal is possible.
 Hope lives in me.
 I trust the turning of the seasons.

Take one final, nourishing breath in…
 and release it slowly.

When you’re ready, gently open your eyes.

Carry this quiet knowing with you:
 The light is returning.
 And so are you.

The Planets🪐

  • New Moon & Solar Eclipse in Aquarius today, February 17, 2026 🌑 ♒
  • Sun in Aquarius moves into Pisces on February 18, 2026 ♒ ➡️ ♓
  • 🌟 Saturn conjunct Neptune in Aries on February 20, 2026 ↔️ ♈
  • Waxing half-moon in Gemini on February 24, 2026 🌓 ♊
  • 🔙 Mercury in Pisces ♓ stations retrograde on February 26, 2026
  • Full Moon in Virgo on March 3, 2026 🌕 ♍

🌄 Sunrise in Cleveland today: 7:18 AM
🌇 Sunset in Cleveland today:  6:02 PM
🌆 Moonrise in Cleveland today: 7:28 AM
🌃 Moonset in Cleveland today: 6:26 PM

New Moon Intentions: Under this New Moon Eclipse in Aquarius, I nurture hope that is rooted in the collective possibility and new ways of living that honor all beings. I celebrate and protect the beautiful diversity of life on Earth, recognizing that our differences are not threats but gifts that expand our shared humanity. 

🔎 Go Deeper:

Current Offerings 💚

For current paid subscribers, the Midweek Mindfulness Break is back! These mindfulness practices are uploaded to the YouTube playlist every Wednesday, offering a peaceful pause each week to recharge, reset, and connect with your inner wisdom.

👀 Looking Ahead
Free Seasonal Livestream Meditation Series – You’re warmly invited to join us.
March 2026 · Mondays at 7:30 p.m. ET (Substack App)
Begin your week with a quiet, mindful pause. These 10–15-minute live sessions offer a gentle reset, inviting you to slow down, soften, and reconnect with calm through simple, accessible presence practices. 

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