StarryPines Studio - Hosted by Alicia Upchurch - Reiki Master & Coach

My first review as a host at StarryPines Studio!! I am committed to helping others share their gifts and talents while I grow my own offers as well. Hope you will join us in this inspiring space soon!

Need to release some rage?? A new offer is coming tomorrow to StarryPines 1:30-3:30. Donation based! Come move, drum and scream with us. Excited to host and join in.

Coming this Saturday at 1:30-3:30pm. A deep dive womens workshop that includes movement, drumming and best of all screaming !!! If you need to get your rage out.

Book your spot here: https://www.hallowmoth.com/events

Oya. Goddess of the winds. Showing us that change is at our fingertips. We need only decide.

Love her this time

I think there is something very true about that. Somewhere along the way, many of us spend years trying to become what life asks of us, and then one day we quietly begin returning to the parts of ourselves that were there before all the noise. The things we loved, the way we naturally felt at home, the little pieces of personality that never really left, they just waited patiently for us to welcome them back. Midlife often feels less like becoming someone new and more like finally making peace with who we were all along, only this time with more tenderness, more wisdom, and far less apology. 🌿✨

💛

Self partnering before romantic partnerships makes all the difference. The shift is in you. Pointing fingers and saying “all guys/girls are crazy” isn’t how to change happens. Use the reactivity as a mirror. Value each soul that crosses your path for what they were meant to reflect back to you.

WHY THIS LOVE FEELS SACRED … AND WHAT IT COST ME TO EXPERIENCE IT

I’ve been in love before.

At least I thought I was.

I’ve felt chemistry that knocked me sideways. I’ve chased sparks. I’ve confused intensity for intimacy. I’ve stayed in relationships where attraction was strong but emotional safety was thin. I’ve tolerated misalignment because I didn’t want to be alone. I’ve performed the role of “good partner” while quietly abandoning myself.

This time is different.

Not because she’s perfect.
Not because we don’t have friction.
Not because we float through life in some fantasy bubble.

It’s different because I’m different.

Sacred love isn’t fireworks. It’s nervous system safety.

In my past, love often felt like proving. Proving I was worthy. Proving I was strong. Proving I was desirable. Even after losing my career, my money, my marriage… even after losing my son… there was still a part of me trying to win love instead of simply receive it.

This time, I’m not trying to win.

I’m not chasing the high of being chosen. I’m not overlooking red flags because the chemistry is intoxicating. I’m not avoiding conflict to preserve attraction. When friction shows up, we talk. When differences emerge, we lean in. When old wounds get activated, we don’t weaponize them … we metabolize them.

That’s new for me.

Sacred doesn’t mean easy. It means conscious.

It means choosing understanding over defensiveness.
It means choosing repair over ego.
It means choosing partnership over performance.

I used to believe love would fix my loneliness. Now I understand that love expands when two whole people show up without asking the other to complete them.

The biggest shift?

I like who I am inside this relationship.

I’m softer. More honest. Less reactive. Less afraid of being seen. And the wild part is … I don’t feel like I’m trying.

That’s what makes this sacred.

It didn’t happen because I got lucky.

It happened because I stopped outsourcing my worth, stopped romanticizing chaos, and started valuing emotional safety over adrenaline.

If you’re wondering whether this kind of love exists … it does.

But it usually shows up after you become the person who can hold it.

And that part?
That part costs something.

And it’s worth every penny.

If you're a man (or woman) reading this and it resonates with you, I'm here if you want to talk... I'm listening.


* This post is my thoughts, my feelings, and my story, along with assistance from AI.

Bravo to Dan Price!! Showing that there are real leaders that put their staff first and that it DOES pay in the long run.

Remember Dan Price...that CEO who took a pay cut so he could pay all his employees a minimum annual wage of $70,000? Here’s what happened next:
“Six years later after the decision that others said would destroy his business, Dan reports that revenue has tripled, the customer base has doubled, 70% of his employees have paid down debt, many bought homes for the first time, 401(k) contributions grew by 155% and turnover dropped in half. His business is now a Harvard Business School case study.”
In his own words:
“6 years ago today I raised my company's min annual salary to $70k. Fox News called me a socialist whose employees would be on bread lines.
Since then our revenue tripled, we're a Harvard Business School case study & our employees had a 10x boom in homes bought.
Always invest in people.”
Courtesy of Craig Henley

Everything counts

“Instead of protecting my image, I protected the connection.”

WHAT HAPPENED AFTER I MADE A JACKASS REMARK TO HER

This weekend, my beloved and I celebrated her magic birthday with a group of close friends. It was joyful, meaningful, and full of love.

And… at some point during the evening, I said something careless.

No sugarcoating it. It was a jackass comment. A jackal word.

My guess is, it was a bid for attention, even though it was her day. One of those moments where unconsciousness sneaks in wearing a smile. And the truth is, I didn’t even remember saying it.

The next morning, she gently brought it to my attention...

Not with blame.
Not with accusation.
She calmly shared how it landed for her and asked what was coming up for me.
She spoke her truth with compassion and care.

And in that moment, everything in me wanted to defend myself… minimize it… joke it away. But had I done that, I would have avoided responsibility. I would have chosen ego over intimacy.

Instead, I listened. I owned it. I took accountability.

Because that’s what emotionally mature people do. They don’t protect their image… they protect the connection.

I’m not sharing this to pat myself on the back. I’m sharing it because grown-up relationships require grown-up conversations… and intimacy is built in the moments when we choose responsibility over righteousness.

Can anyone relate? Thoughts...