https://linktr.ee/mavenalchemy, http://www.mavenalchemy.com/

Maven Alchemy, 5570 Harbor Avenue, Unit A, Langley, WA (2026)

07/25/2026

This Little Light of Mine ☀️ 💛

One of my earliest memories is singing, This Little Light of Mine, at Sunday School as a preschooler. After many, many years of not hearing or singing it, it popped in my mind last Sunday. Later that day when I listened to Chani Nicolas's weekly podcast, she began with similar words, "It is time to make sure that you are not dimming your shine."

One of the roles of the Heart's Shen is purely shining the light of our unique self out into the world without filtering, restraining, or restricting. It's an innate expression of self is to shine. Life experiences often teach us to diminish our light, or in the case of trauma, the Shen scatters into the stars, leaving us feeling like we're without a True North or a light to shine.

The Heart belongs to the Fire element, which is the only element that has 4 energetic organs associated with it. It's the Monarch and is protected by the other 3 Fire organs...San Jiao (or Triple Heater), Pericardium, & Small Intestine. How well these protect our Heart & Shen can impact the strength, presence, & quality of our light.

The San Jiao is the outer most layer and balances the movement & flow between the inside and outside, like a drawbridge. It controls the temperature & fluid regulation in the whole body and the flow of information the moves between our inner & outer worlds. It's our boundaries and asks the question, can something be allowed in or out?

It's yin partner is the Pericardium, the sac that surrounds & protects the Heart. It's energetically like a semi-permeable membrane, opening to allow warmth, love, & other supportive energies to enter while closing off with negative energies. It asks the question, yes or no? Will it support me? Is it worthy of my time & energy? Is it aligned with my Heart, True North, or Tao?

The final layer of protection, the Small Intestine, is yang partner to the Heart and discerns what will support the Heart's integrity & wellbeing.

Link in bio to keep reading & learn about ways to support your light:
☀️ Recalibration Series
☀️ Yoga+Acu+Sauna Event
☀️ Moon Cycle Acuncture

📷 Shyamli Kashyap via Unsplash

07/09/2026

It's time to rest, review how life is going, and revise how you want to move forward for the rest of the year of the Fire Horse, during this Mercury retrograde in Cancer. The energy is picking up. Can you feel it?

When our nervous systems feel supported and nurtured, we have more space for recalibration and reframing.

Are you at home in your body? What are you devoted to in your life? What values need realignment?

☀️ Introducing the Summer Recalibration Series...☀️

☀️ 3 private, 45 minute acupuncture session
☀️ points focusing on relaxation, restoration, and recalibration
☀️ take time to breathe and be
☀️ no detailed intake
☀️ just time for your nervous system to unwind, let go, and create space for wellness & restructuring
☀️feel cared for and nourished

In these final weeks of Summer,
☀️ ignite the potential for a spark of joy and thriving
☀️ realign with your north star and inner compass

At your first session, you'll pay $265 for the series of 3 sessions. *Must use all sessions by Virgo New Moon on September 10th*

Link in bio to book or text Vanessa at 512-934-1917.

📍 Insula Yoga on Whidbey Island, 5570 S Harbor Ave, Unit A, Freeland, 98249

📷 : the office daisies soaking in the Summer Solstice light and revealing their shadow side darkness.

06/18/2026

🌺 Summer Solstice Gathering 🌺
Acupuncture + Yoga Nidra

Saturday, June 20th
12:30-2 pm
$45

Gather in community to connect with the Fire Element and Blossoming energy of Summer.

You’ll rest in a supported savasana, receive acupuncture, and be guided through a yoga nidra to support the body, mind, & soul during the most Yang time of the year.

Link in bio to register or text Vanessa 512-934-1917

5570 S Harbor Ave, Unit A, Freeland

06/13/2026

Intensifying Fire 🌺 ☀️ 🔥
Last week I wrote about the symptoms that we can experience during this Yang building and Fire element season, and this week I was reminded how it can actually feel in the body. Lucky for me, I had an appointment booked with the pelvic floor acupuncturist in Fremont on Tuesday, so now my Heart feels more balanced and ready for the heat that's coming.

I forgot how uneasy palpitations feel. The heart beating at a rhythm that may or may not feel faster than normal but feels like it's about to fly right out of your chest. A building sensation of something being off and not quite right, often growing into anxiety. The mind racing and hard to settle, even with all the the deep breathing and calming techniques that I know how to do.

I told my acupuncturist that I'd been feeling like I should needle Heart 7 but don't love needling myself. It's exactly what I needed. As she put the needles in me, I felt everything settling into place. My mind slowed, and the Red Bird of my Heart settled back into its nest.

Yesterday, I felt my focus wane when the Qi cycle was in the Heart (11am-1pm) and realized that the days leading up to the palpitations starting, I'd thought about doing a yoga nidra and brushed it off because it was mid-day. Yesterday & today, I listened. It was magic. I plan on intentionally resting in the window through the Summer.

We have a Gemini New Moon this weekend (completeness on Sunday at 7:53 pm). Gemini is all about communication, adaptability, duality (represented by twins), quick thinking, holding two ideas at the same time, and being the bridge between them. It's ruled by Mercury and rules the lungs, shoulders, arms, hands, capillaries, and the nervous system.

The Gemini New Moon pattern calms your nervous system during the intensity of the Fire element; helps you to adapt to what you need; and helps you to listen...to what your Heart needs, what you need in relationships, and whether or not your boundaries are healthy & aligned.

👯 🌚 Join the Moon Cycle Community Acupuncture session on Saturday at 6 by texting Vanessa at 512-934-1917. $50

🧘‍♀️ Two spots open for Yoga + Acu + Sauna on Sunday 1-4:30. Text to join! $108

06/06/2026

I woke up this morning with a heaviness. Grumpy. Feeling like I wanted to stay curled up in a cave of darkness. Nesting, protected.

My affinity for the Water element, extreme yin energy, & darkness was screaming today. It's always been my nature, but I didn't understand it quite the way I am becoming to.

Before, it was depression, sadness, dysfunction, shyness, introversion. All of those were accurate, true things about me, but they weren't the whole story. I am a sensitive soul who feels the shifts in weather & seasons strongly. And, the building yang energy isn't always welcomed.

I've always been drawn to shadows. Walking my Dobermans at night in Chicago and Denver, I was obsessed with capturing shadows of grass, flowers, & trees on sidewalks and walls. In my moodiness today, I looked up to see my Japanese Maple & vibrant pink Peony creating a beautiful shadow on my dining room wall.

It was breath taking & a fleeting moment. The Sun came out just long enough for me to snap a few photos and be reminded that shadows only exist with light. Without that light source, shining brilliantly behind it, the Japanese Maple & Peony wouldn't be able to show up on my wall.

Yang & Yin must dance together through the year. Yang building until Summer Solstice in June & then depleting as the Yin builds until Winter Solstice. And, it flips once again. It's the rhythm of the Cosmic Wheel of the Year.

All of the building Yang energy can feel like a lot for those of us who prefer staying drawn inward, quite, & nesting. The Fire element can feel loud, immense, & hard to hide from. It's the energy of a flower blossoming & on display for everyone to see and admire. Everyone's suppose to love Summer, right?

It's not that ease. And even when you love Summer, it can bring imbalance & show up as...
🔥 too much heat
🔥 insomnia or very restless sleep
🔥 dream-disturbed sleep
🔥 indigestion or acid reflux
🔥 anxiety
🔥 palpitations
🔥 hyperactivity or restlessness
🔥 inability to concentrate

When the building yang feels like too much, taking a short nap at 11am-1pm, during the time of the Heart energy. I've added private acupuncture sessions M/T/W in that window.

Link in bio to book

05/31/2026

🔥 Embodying the Seasonal Elements: Yoga + Acupuncture + Sauna

🔥 Sunday, June 14th, 1-4:30pm
🔥 $108

🔥 ✨ Begin your Summer Solstice week by connecting in community and embodying the Airy New Moon energy and seasonal elements: Earth, Metal, Water, Wood, and Fire.

We'll begin at Insula Yoga in Freeland with Emily's grounding Slow Flow Yoga class. You'll settle into a supported savasana and receive acupuncture from Vanessa, guiding your nervous system into deep relaxation and ready to receive the yang energies of Summer.

You'll have time to change before traveling to Robinson Beach to Good Medicine Whidbey's sauna with optional cold plunge to deepen your connection with the elements & Whidbey.

1-2:30 Yoga + Acupuncture
2:30-3 Time to change & travel 5 minutes to Robinson Beach
3-4:30 Sauna and optional cold plunge

Limited to 8

✨ Link in bio to register or text Vanessa 512-934-1917

Collaboration of the Heart Found Path, Maven Alchemy, and Good Medicine Whidbey.

🏠 Insula Yoga: 5570 S Harbor Ave, Unit A, Freeland
🏖️ Robinson Beach: 6020 Robinson Rd, Freeland

📷 Robinson Beach by:

05/29/2026

Once in a Blue Moon 🏹 🌕

We have a blue moon in Sagittarius in the wee hours of Sunday (totally full at 1:44 am). It's the second Full Moon in May, which is gives us a rare opportunity to let go and bring something to completion within the same month. I get a double dose of Once in a Blue Moon energy with my dad arriving onto the island for the first time tomorrow.

Sagittarius energy is about adventure, travel, knowledge & wisdom from the world outside of us. It rules the thighs, hips, sacrum, lumbar region, and liver. It's a fire sign and giving us a taste of the Summer's Fire element.

It's so interesting that my father is traveling here during this Sagittarius Blue Moon energy. He rarely leaves Texas and likes to stay within a 2 hour radius from home. It's quite the opposite of his 3 children who all have lived in many different states and countries and traveled around the world.

In my experience, leaving home and traveling is what opened up my eyes, heart, and soul to all things beyond the great state of Texas. It sparked interest in how others do things and deeply influenced my growth as a human and what I'm doing with my life. This is everything that Sagittarius is about.

Join me tomorrow (Friday, 5/29) for Moon Cycle Community Acupuncture. One session remains for the 4:30 group and 3 remain at 6pm.

The pattern that I created for the Sagittarius Full Moon energy and to prepare for the transition from Spring to Summer. It'll inspire you to...

🏹 see decisions with fresh insight, giving clarity to your vision and fire to new ideas & growth
🏹 open the gateway to the beauty of your Spirit to see your inner riches & beauty, bringing nourished warmth & love and security & stability to your Heart
🏹 knowledge & generosity allow the gateway to open and the Spirit of love to flow, regulating & nourishing life with compassion & joy
🏹 prepares you for the building yang energy and fire element of Summer
🏹 works with the Crown, 3rd Eye, Heart, and Root Chakras and all 5 elements

Link in bio to register or text Vanessa at 512-934-1917.

Moon Cycle patterns can be done at private sessions, too.

📷 Robinson Beach by: JShank Photography

05/23/2026

On this Memorial Day Weekend, I wanted to pause & take a moment to acknowledge all who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. When I became a Marine, the meaning & purpose of this weekend shifted. Before, it was the weekend marking the end of the school year & beginning of Summer's long, hot days in Texas.

I was fortunate to serve during times of peace & don't personally know anyone who I should be remembering. My husband, however, lost a very close friend in Iraq. The loss of his buddy, forever changed him & still impacts him today. I think for him, there doesn't need to be a Memorial Day. Every day is a day of remembrance that his friend is forever 22 & not getting to experience life on Earth.

Ironically, President Harry Truman proclaimed Memorial Day to also be a day of Prayer for Permanent Peace in 1950. I learned that TODAY. So, this year will be different as I intentionally bring that into my pause.

I will be doing a Loving Kindness Meditation, too. Visit the link in the bio to listen the one that I recorded for you back in January. Doing variations of Loving Kindness, or Maitrī, has been helpful on the days when our world feels like a lot & there's nothing that I can do to change it.

It's an ancient Buddhist practice that helps us to connect with compassion, kindness, & good will towards ourselves and others. It can also be a powerful form of self-care & collective healing & have a positive effect on stress, anxiety, health, & empathy.

UW-Madison did a study on the impact of compassion meditation on the brain. They found that it changed the activity in the Insula, which is one of the reasons I named the studio Insula Yoga (it also means island in Latin)..."The insula is extremely important in detecting emotions in general and specifically in mapping bodily responses to emotion — such as heart rate and blood pressure — and making that information available to other parts of the brain."

May you take time to pause this weekend to breathe & consider adding prayers for permanent peace. If more of us knew that Memorial Day holds duality in remembering deaths from war & praying for permanent peace, maybe we could inch closer to that grand reality.

05/20/2026

☀️ Summer is almost here! Take a break from your Memorial Day Weekend fun with 45 minutes of relaxation and stress relief.

Memorial Day Weekend = end of school year for parents & teachers. It can be A LOT of extra juggling, special events, and stress.

When you take care of you, you have more space to breath and greater capacity to show up for others.

You are worth a pause. It ripples out into your whole week...how you sleep, how you digest your food, how you breathe each breath, whether you feel like socializing or staying home.

You show up more authentically you when you are well rested, resourced, and feeling at peace within.

Community Acupuncture takes place in Insula Yoga studio in zero gravity chairs with 1-3 others recharging their chill batteries.

Like practicing yoga or meditation in a community, the collective intention of healing taps into the ventral vagal state, creating an optimal environment for health & well-being. You'll be surprised by the collective healing potential.

☀️ Saturday, May 23rd
☀️ 1-2:30
☀️ Reservations required, but feel free to text last minute to see if there's availability

😴 $50
😴 Everyone receives the same pattern to support stress relief, relaxation, & nervous system calming
😴 Wear loose, comfy clothes
😴 45-55 minutes to relax in a safe, quiet space

📍 5570 S Harbor Ave, Unit A, Freeland

🌟 END OF MAY SPECIAL OFFER FOR PRIVATE SESSIONS: Receive a complimentary roller bottle of Bergamot essential oil. I'll show you the acupressure points and how to apply.

🍋‍🟩 Bergamot (the Bringer of Balance) is an excellent oil to relax the nervous system and relive stress & tension. It's on of my favorite go to oils when I'm feeling stressed and want to relax.

⚡Link in bio to book or text Vanessa at 512-934-1917

05/16/2026

🐂 🌚 The Ta**us New Moon (peaks tomorrow at 1 pm) wants us to slow down, rest, and care for ourselves. Ta**us is an Earth sign, it's stabilizing & grounding, and is the gateway between the mind & body. It rules the ears, throat, neck, jaw, & sense organs and is ruled by Venus. It's all about nourishment, safety, stability, security, and value.

New Moons are a time of new beginnings and a new cycle that will complete 6 months from now when we have the Ta**us Full Moon on October 25th. We plant seeds of intention that we hope will grow, bloom, and harvest in 23 weeks.

The pattern for the Ta**us New Moon (Saturday at 1pm) supports our connection with the Earth, nourishment, our 5 senses, & stability and the transition from the Becoming energy of Spring (Wood) to the Blossoming energy of Summer (Fire).

It'll inspire you to...
🐂 Unknot the tangled thoughts of your mind and come back into your body & the authentic needs of the self through your Heart's wisdom & Earthy stability
🐂 Listen deeply to your Heart to see old patterns that impact your roots, contributing to anxiety, worry, or no longer aligned protection. Find clarity, discernment, and wisdom.
🐂 Connect with the nurturing & caring stability of Earth
🐂 Wash old ways, fears, angers, and anxieties away to discover new ways to grow
🐂 Stabilize in the midst of season changes to feel regenerated, cleansed, and revitalized with clarity, vitality, and flexibility
🐂 Honor your own way of seeing & being in the world. Believe in yourself and bring your plans into action to grow & bloom.

What roots, stabilizes, and nourishes you? What value do you bring to the world?

🌟 5 SPOTS open 🌟
🎱 Reservations Required 🎱
✨ 60-75 minute sessions at 4:30 & 6 ✨
🌝 Moon Cycle Acupuncture sessions are $50
🌝 Zero gravity chairs with 1-3 other community members
🌝 Everyone receives the same pattern to work with Moon's energy
🌝 Wear loose, comfy clothes

🔮 Link in bio or text me to join 512-934-1917

🏠 Located at 5570 Harbor Ave, Unit A, Freeland

Book a private session for this Ta**us New Moon on Sunday at 1:30, 2:45, or 4 ✨ New patient fee waived ✨

🌝 🌚 Ongoing offering near each New & Full Moon 🌚 🌝

Maven Alchemy

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