Welcome to the first ever BlessedBe newsletter!

Amanda Edwards, LCSW, Inc.

This has been floating around in my psyche for a few years now. I have wanted a place where I could reach out and connect with others, talk more openly about what is alive for me, in our community, and in the world. I hadn't yet felt that the time was right or made it a priority, but with the help of a friend providing the structure and a gentle suggestion, just a week or so ago I sat down and this content came pouring through.

This beautiful time of the Equinox also felt right; A time for new beginnings and a celebration of cycles and rebirth. I have felt especially connected to this lately, in feeling like a dissolving mess to a fiery goddess, sometimes all in one day! The days are getting longer, the flowers are blooming, and my 44th birthday is nearing. NOW feels like a potent and auspicious time!

If you're receiving this email, it is because we have worked together in some capacity; perhaps coaching or a psychedelic medicine experience, or maybe you've expressed interest in knowing what I'm up to. I'm seeing this as an occasional update, as well as a space for inquiry around what is going on in our community, and what is still needed.

I'm hoping this can become a place where we can communicate about offerings, hopes, dreams, desires, and resources: Here is what I'm reading (The Wild Edge of Sorrow by Francis Weller, I Feel Love by Rachel Nuwer, Towards Bodily Autonomy by Justice Rivera), here is an interesting podcast (The Revolution Will Not Be Psychologized; The Emerald), here is a group I'm facilitating (a 4-part series for therapists exploring sexuality and intimacy, a 3-session treatment arc group with intramuscular ketamine), that kind of thing. I also want to know what you're up to. What kind of group, class, circle, medicine experience, or coaching are you interested in? Doesn't exist yet? Let's design it! Like the physical space at BlessedBe, let's make this our laboratory, and create what we want and need.

What's been up for me?

If we have worked together, you probably know a little bit about my story. It's been a pretty wild ride the last few years, and I have been increasingly called to reach out and share.

A whopping seven years have passed since I started my journey with the Somatica Institute, which was an amazing turning point in my life. In 2021, I left my job at hospice and became self-employed as a coach, only to develop a full-time psychedelic medicine practice within weeks thereafter! The two practices have created a magical alchemy for me, both personally and professionally.

The last 18 months have held extreme highs and lows for me, including the death of my father in October of 2022, followed by the unexpected death of a very dear friend that December. A long and painful break-up which left me confused (how did I end up here, again?) and angry (a new emotion for me, so uncomfortable), as well as other interpersonal revelations, tapped a deep well of grief and have given me TONS of material to work on with my coach and therapist. I've learned more about how to take good care of myself in the last 18 months than in my entire life prior to that.

The highs have included welcoming my extraordinary niece to this side of the universe and witnessing my sister be a kick-ass parent, attending the Psychedelic Science Conference in Denver last June where I finally felt competent, confident and like I "belong," a reparative Burning Man, developing regular journaling, medicine, dance and meditation practices, and this list just keeps growing, including but not limited to this newsletter! I'm feeling the momentum of broadening horizons, new opportunities, connection, ease and spaciousness.

Thanks for being on this journey with me y'all, stay tuned for more updates and offerings!

💫 BlessedBe 💫