Stirring Beneath the Soil

... and stirring within the soul

I don’t have anything prepared for you today, and with reason, because I wanted to come back from my “Hermit hibernation” (which was both thrilling and nourishing) with a fresh, unscripted hello.

Hey, y’all.

I hope this message is finding you warm and safe — heart, body, mind, and spirit.

As I’m surfacing back to life, back to reality (you’re welcome, Gen X), I’m focusing on un-focusing — unwinding, unyielding, unpacking and undoing years and years of overthinking, anxious attachments, and unraveling longstanding expectations.

I’m also learning and sharing and growing, out loud and wide open.

And so, here’s what I have unplanned for 2024

In my life, with this blog, and through social media, my endeavors for this year are:

• Unlearning shame and fear, both about my body and the ideas I find most curious

• Reclaiming my curiosity in the unusual and untraditional. No longer will I be sacrificing my happiness “for the greater good”

• Unbelieving that God is fickle and controlling, and embracing a Spirit that moves through me with unconditional love and acceptance

• Rebuking how much presence The Devil has in my life, and revisiting the deep-seated expectations of GRITS: Girls Raised in the South

As such, you’ll be seeing more of me

…sharing stories about new experiences, where I've been and where I’m going, and I’ll also be diving headfirst into an exploration of my ancestral blood, bones, and folklore.

I’ll be sharing details about my pandemic project… my first nonfiction book and companion tarot deck being published this year by La Panthère Studio!

Writing a seven-book series inspired by the magnificence and mayhem of the Deep South. I'm whippin' up a doozy of a story, y’all — one carved from gnarled roots and casting bones, washed with Florida water, steeped in muddy water, and seasoned with graveyard dirt. I'm using my favorite tarot and oracle cards to map out a magickal Southern Gothic plot line.

And lastly, I will continue teaching other writers how to use tarot cards to inspire their own creative inspiration… and I’ll soon be doing that with my very own deck!

If any of this sounds interesting to you, do hang around.

Every new announcement, idea, lesson, free resource, and story will flow through this Substack account, meaning YOU will be the first to receive these updates and gifts. Because if you are receptive of my work,

You are a gift.

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In her more than thirty years as a storyteller and visual designer, Amanda “Mandy” Hughes has written and designed over a dozen works of literary, Southern Gothic, and women’s fiction under pen names A. Lee Hughes and Mandy Lee.

Mandy is the founder of Haint Blue Creative^®, a space for readers and storytellers to explore, learn, and create. She holds a Bachelor and Master of Science in Psychology, and she has worked as an instructional designer for nearly twenty years.

When she’s not writing, Mandy enjoys the movies, theater, music, traveling, nature walks, birdwatching, and binging The Office. She is a tarot enthusiast who uses the cards to enhance creativity and foster wellness. She lives in Georgia with her husband and four sons, two of whom are furrier than the others (but not by much). Visit her website at haintbluecreative.com and follow her on Instagram @haintbluecreative.