Completion Is a Kind of Spell

What we finish, shapes us. Letter Eight {Seeds of Poetry}

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." - Seneca

Dear friends,

This week, I turned 44. My birthday always falls during finals so I know this rhythm well. It’s the end of the school year and for many of us that means class field trips, spirit week, recitals, plays, playoffs, and graduations. The chaotic bustle of transition; a time when everything is both ending and beginning at once.

This is also our final week of Seeds of Poetry. And like any ending worth its salt, for me it carries a tangle of emotions: completion, celebration, a pinch of grief, and that sweet, strange relief that comes with crossing a threshold.

Over the past 8 weeks, we’ve wandered through doors, we’ve followed the fox and imagined new identities. We’ve dreamt of a better world, and written in community, and I have had a really wonderful Spring journey with you all.

I chose two cards to wrap things up

1. The World Tree (21 – Major Arcana, traditionally “The World”)

The World Tree represents wholeness, fulfillment, and the completion of a cycle. It’s the moment where everything comes together: the roots, the branches, the seasons, and the labyrinth path at its base symbolizing the soul’s journey. In the Wildwood Tarot, this card marks the end of a major phase and the wisdom gathered along the way. It suggests a moment to pause, integrate, and honor all that has been learned.

Keywords: Integration, cosmic unity, culmination, rebirth through completion.

2. Four of Bows – Celebration (Traditionally Four of Wands)

This is a card of joy, shared success, and communal ritual. In Wildwood, it’s specifically tied to ancient celebrations—dancing around the fire, honoring the seasons, and coming together to acknowledge milestones. It marks a joyful moment: not just the work done, but the deep satisfaction of honoring it with others.

Keywords: Community, joy, rituals of transition, appreciation of effort and connection.

What we finish, shapes us.

I invite you to consider how you navigate endings. Do you avoid them, pressing forward to the next thing, keeping busy, not wanting to feel the closure? Or are you more of a sprint, rest, sprint kind of a person?

I’ve always been a future-oriented person, excited about building something new, and less excited about putting the finishing touches on things I’ve done. That being said, as a writer, the ending is as important (if not more important) than the beginning so I I’ve had to learn to take more time with them.

Endings can leave your audience with a sense of satisfaction or longing, a rewarding clarity or a devastating kind of lingering. It is our job, as creatives, to make sure we are leaving the impression we want to leave.

When we decide something is done, we enter into a space of great vulnerability. We eventually have to say, “this is good enough,” and release that inner critic to the wind.

To complete something is to bravely buck perfectionism in favor of courage.

The final poems in two of my collections

Creative Prompts for Transitional Times

Let these serve as seeds for reflection, ritual, writing, or whatever form your magic takes.

• What do you hope you’ll remember from this season? What will carry over into summer?

• Create a list of everything you’ve completed lately, big and small. Add something silly. Add something sacred.

• Write a four-line poem that begins and ends with the same word. Let it circle itself like the World Tree.

• Choose a single line from a piece you’ve written this spring and post it in the comments below as a way to complete the program (even if you didn’t do everything or you’re just finding Earth & Verse now!).

• Use that same line as a title or a beginning of something new.

Thank you for being part of this circle! Our live writing call will be today (May 24th) at 4pm Eastern - Zoom link can be found here but I’ll also send another email to paid subscribers before the call with the info. Our next live call will be Sunday, June 15th at 4pm Eastern if you want to mark your calendars!

Live writing calls are for paid subscribers, just $5/mo or $50/yr! Your financial support allows me to keep writing, and I am so so grateful for it!

With love and a bow to the turning wheel,
Alix 🌸

It’s been such a joy to journey with you this season! I’d love to gather a few short testimonials to share on my Substack and website. These will help future writers know what to expect and your words carry more weight than any sales pitch ever could. I made a Google Form to make it super easy!

Thank you so much for being part of this community and for helping me spread the word out there.

Coming soon: Chapbook Summer…

A dreamy, 5-week class that will help you gather your poems into a little book that makes a big impression! You can join the waitlist here or just keep your eye out for the sign-up in June. Paid subscribers to Earth & Verse will get first dibs on enrollment and a big discount!

Chapbook Summer Waiting list