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# A New Beginning...
- URL: https://ofstarlightandsoil.ghost.io/coming-soon/
- Published: 2026-10-19T21:11:11.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-21T18:14:27.000Z
- Author: Ari
- Tags: News, 2026, Keperani Sanctuary

# Of Starlight And Soil: The Stories We Choose to Grow

*An introduction, an October full moon, and the beginning of something new.*

**October 19, 2026**

Here we are. My first post on Of Starlight and Soil!

I have approximately seventeen thousand things I want to say, approximately seventeen thousand ideas floating around in my head, and absolutely no idea where to begin.

So naturally, I’m going to attempt to put my entire soul into one blog post. Because apparently that’s how my brain works. 😂

Hi, I’m Ari. I’m an artist, a poet, a songwriter, a mother, a deeply curious human, a professional overthinker, and someone who has spent a whole lot of time trying to understand herself, other people, the world we live in, and the weird, beautiful, sometimes horrifying experience of being alive.

I’m also someone who has spent years unlearning things I was taught to believe, healing things I didn’t always have words for, and trying to figure out what the hell I actually want my life to look like.

And lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about stories.

The stories we inherit. The stories we tell ourselves. The stories that shape our families, our relationships, our beliefs, and the way we understand our place in the world.

And the stories we get to create for ourselves.

Because I’m starting to realize that I don’t have to keep living inside a story someone else wrote for me.

I can write a new one.

Not by pretending the past didn’t happen. Not by slapping glitter over the painful parts and calling everything a blessing in disguise. But by taking what I’ve lived through, learning from it, deciding what I want to carry forward, and choosing what I want to build from here.

And that, in a lot of ways, is what **Of Starlight And Soil** is about.

## 🌕 An October full moon, and a new chapter

On October 25, we’ll gather beneath the full moon.

I’ve been preparing for an Aelunara gathering, a name I’ve created for my full moon gatherings, and thinking about what it means to bring people together in a world that can feel so disconnected.

There’s something beautiful about pausing in the middle of our busy lives to ask ourselves a few questions.

What am I ready to release?

What am I ready to nurture?

What am I creating through the choices I make every single day?

And what kind of world am I helping to build?

I don’t believe we need to wait for a particular moon phase to change our lives. But I do love having moments that invite us to slow down, reflect, reconnect, and be intentional about where we’re going.

The moon gives us a rhythm to gather around. A reason to step outside, look up, and remember that we are living on a planet that keeps moving through these beautiful cycles whether we’re paying attention or not.

And honestly, I think we could use more moments like that.

More time outside. More conversations that go deeper than the usual small talk. More creativity. More community. More opportunities to be honest about what we’re going through without feeling like we have to package it into something pretty and palatable.

More reminders that we are human beings, not productivity machines.

I want to create spaces where we can bring our whole selves. The grief, the joy, the anger, the wonder, the confusion, the weird spiritual questions we’re afraid to ask out loud, and the dreams we haven’t quite figured out how to explain yet.

Spaces where we can celebrate, cry, dance, make art, sit in silence, question things, and remember that we don’t have to navigate everything alone.

That’s the kind of community I want to help grow.

And this full moon feels like a lovely place to begin talking about it.

## ✨ The family mythology I’m creating for Atlas and me

One of the things I’ve been thinking about lately is the idea of creating a new family mythology.

Not mythology as in making up a bunch of stories and pretending they’re historical facts. I mean the stories, symbols, traditions, values, and rituals that help a family understand who they are and what matters to them.

Every family has a mythology, whether they realize it or not.

Some families inherit stories about what they’re supposed to be. What makes someone good. What makes someone successful. What a woman should be. What a mother should sacrifice. What a family should look like. What is acceptable to question and what is absolutely, positively NOT to be questioned.

Some of those stories are beautiful and worth keeping.

Others deserve a closer look.

I’ve spent a lot of my life questioning the stories I inherited. Some of that questioning has been painful. Some of it has been liberating. A lot of it has been confusing as hell.

But becoming a mother has made me think about it in a different way.

My daughter, Atlas Capri, is growing up in a world full of stories. Stories about women, religion, power, love, nature, success, beauty, belonging, and what it means to be human.

And while I know I can’t protect her from every painful thing in this world, I can be intentional about the stories we build at home.

I want her to grow up knowing that she is allowed to ask questions.

That kindness doesn't mean tolerating mistreatment.

That love and accountability belong together.

That apologizing is a strength, not a weakness.

That her body belongs to her.

That the Earth is not merely a resource for us to consume, but a living world we are responsible for caring for.

That she can be both soft and fierce. Curious and discerning. Imaginative and grounded.

That she doesn't have to shrink herself to make other people comfortable.

That spirituality doesn't have to mean surrendering her ability to think critically.

That she can change her mind when she learns something new.

That she is allowed to be a whole, complicated person.

And that she is loved even when she makes mistakes, struggles, gets things wrong, or has no idea what she's doing.

Because, let's be real, neither do I.

I am not writing this as someone who has mastered motherhood or figured out the secrets of the universe. I'm writing this as a mother who is learning in real time, who will absolutely make mistakes, and who wants to keep showing up, repairing what needs repairing, and doing better when she knows better.

I want us to have traditions that belong to us.

Stories about the moon and the changing seasons. Art and music. Family adventures. Time spent tending the land. Little rituals that help us mark beginnings and endings. Space for grief and celebration. Room for questions about the stars, the soil, the divine, and everything in between.

I want our family mythology to be something we create together over time.

Something alive.

Something that can grow and change as we do.

I want Atlas to know that she comes from people who questioned, created, healed, dreamed, and kept trying.

And I want her to know that she gets to write her own story, too.

## 🌱 Starlight AND soil

I chose the name **Of Starlight And Soil** because it holds two things that I want to keep bringing together.

The mystical and the practical.

The cosmic and the earthly.

The imagination and the work it takes to bring an idea into reality.

I love the stars, the moon, ancient mythology, spiritual symbolism, sacred geometry, dragons, wolves, and all the strange, beautiful questions that make existence feel so much bigger than our everyday routines.

I also care about dirt. Actual dirt.

Growing food. Restoring land. Learning how to live more sustainably. Building things with our hands. Making spaces where people can gather. Figuring out how to turn a beautiful idea into something tangible.

I don't want a spirituality that encourages us to float above the world and ignore what's happening on the ground.

I want a spirituality that brings us closer to it.

Closer to our bodies. Closer to one another. Closer to the natural world. Closer to the consequences of our choices.

I want to make art that helps people feel something, and I want to build things that help people live differently.

I want room for the mystical questions and the practical questions.

What does this symbol mean to me? What can we learn from this ancient story? What evidence do we actually have? How do I turn this idea into a song? How do I turn this patch of land into a thriving ecosystem? How do I make a community gathering affordable for someone who is struggling financially?

All of those questions belong here.

I don't have every answer. I don't expect to.

I'm interested in staying curious, being willing to learn, and making room for wonder without abandoning discernment.

And I want this little corner of the internet to reflect that.

## 🎶 The art, the music, and the messy human behind it

I'm AELLA//ARI, the artist behind my music and a whole lot of creative projects that tend to multiply when I'm not looking.

Music has been one of the ways I've learned to process emotions that were too big, too tangled, or too difficult to explain in an ordinary conversation.

I love music that feels ancient and futuristic at the same time. Dark alt-pop, deep bass, tribal rhythms, haunting melodies, celestial sounds, fierce feminine energy, and lyrics that reach into the places we don't always know how to talk about.

I write about grief, rage, love, trauma, transformation, spirituality, justice, and the experience of trying to reclaim yourself.

Sometimes that looks like a song.

Sometimes it looks like poetry.

Sometimes it's a journal entry that starts with one sentence and ends three pages later with me staring at the paper like, *Well, apparently THAT was in there.*

Writing has helped me understand myself in ways I couldn't always access by thinking alone.

It gives emotions somewhere to go. It helps me notice patterns, find language for experiences I couldn't previously explain, and sometimes discover what I actually feel underneath all the noise.

I'm interested in sharing more of that process here.

Not because I think poetry magically fixes everything, but because creativity can give us tools for listening to ourselves. We can make meaning from experiences without pretending those experiences were okay.

We can tell the truth about what hurt us and still leave room for the possibility of becoming something new.

And we can make some really fucking beautiful things along the way.

## 🌿 The land, the dream, and Keperani Sanctuary

There is another part of this story that has been living in my heart for years.

A dream of creating a place where people can reconnect with themselves, one another, and the Earth.

I have land now, and I want to slowly turn that dream into something real: **Keperani Sanctuary.**

It's a work in progress. A very real, very earthly, occasionally overwhelming work in progress.

The vision is to create a regenerative, land-based space where women, mothers, children, families, elders, and community members can gather, learn, create, rest, and support one another.

A place for healing and connection.

A place where we can share knowledge, exchange skills, practice mutual aid, and learn more sustainable ways of living.

A place that might one day include food forests, ecological restoration, earthen architecture, creative workshops, retreats, community gatherings, and spaces to simply sit outside and remember what it feels like to breathe.

I dream of hosting affordable retreats and workshops where people can spend time on the land, explore their creativity, reconnect with their bodies, and experience community without the expectation that they need to spend a fortune to deserve it.

I want to create spaces that are welcoming to people who might not otherwise have access to these kinds of experiences.

Because healing, creativity, and connection shouldn't be luxuries reserved only for people with extra money.

Of course, land takes work. Projects take resources. Buildings don't magically appear because you had a beautiful vision while staring at the moon.

Rude, honestly.

There is so much to learn, so much to build, and so much I haven't figured out yet.

But I don't want to wait until everything is perfect to start sharing the dream.

I want to share the process. The progress, the setbacks, the ideas, the learning, and the little victories that make a big vision feel possible.

I want Atlas to grow up seeing that we can dream boldly while also doing the unglamorous work those dreams require.

And I hope the Sanctuary eventually becomes more than a place that belongs to my family. I hope it becomes a place where people can come together to care for the land and one another.

That's the dream, anyway.

One step, one seed, one gathering, one muddy pair of boots at a time.

## 💛 What I'm beginning to offer

Here's another piece of why I'm writing this introduction now.

I want to start opening up more ways for people to connect with my work, not just through what I create online, but through actual experiences together.

Some of these offerings are ready to begin taking shape. Others are dreams I'm developing, and I'll share more as I work out the details.

I want to keep these experiences as affordable and accessible as I reasonably can. Some offerings will cost more because they require equipment, preparation, materials, or a significant amount of time. Photography will likely be my more premium offering, while I hope to keep many of the gatherings and community experiences low-cost.

Here's what I'm working toward.

### 📸 Photography: capturing the magic of being human

I'm offering photography, including **divine feminine portraits and lifestyle family and couples sessions.**

I'm drawn to photographs that feel alive. Images that capture the little details, the connection between people, the softness and strength of a person, the way someone looks at the person they love, the beautiful chaos of family life.

For divine feminine portraits, I want to create space for women to explore how they want to see themselves. Powerful, tender, wild, sensual, playful, grounded, radiant, or something entirely their own.

Not just what you look like, but how you feel when you're allowed to take up space and be seen.

For couples and families, I want to capture connection rather than manufacture perfection. The little glances, the laughter, the affection, the wonderfully imperfect moments that make your relationships yours.

More details about sessions, pricing, and booking will be shared as I get everything organized.

### 🚶‍♀️ Walks, Words & Unraveling: coaching and creative connection

This is the offering I'm still figuring out how to name, but I know what I want it to feel like.

Sometimes we don't need another person telling us what to do.

Sometimes we need a safe, nonjudgmental space to talk things out, move our bodies, untangle our thoughts, and hear ourselves a little more clearly.

I want to offer one-on-one coaching and walk-and-talk sessions where we can go for a walk, have a vent session, explore what's weighing on you, and make room for the thoughts and feelings that have been bouncing around your head.

No pressure to show up perfectly put together. No need to have a five-step plan for your life. You can arrive as the human you are that day.

I'm also interested in helping people explore journaling and poetry as tools for self-expression and reflection. I'll share some of the writing practices that have helped me process difficult experiences, recognize patterns, and find words for feelings I couldn't previously explain.

You don't have to think of yourself as a writer. You don't need to make your writing beautiful. You don't even need to show it to anyone.

Sometimes the point is simply to get the words out of your head and onto a page.

Sometimes a messy paragraph can reveal something a hundred hours of overthinking couldn't.

And sometimes you need to walk around outside and talk about the same thing for the fifteenth time before you can finally see it from a different angle.

I've been there.

I want these sessions to feel human, collaborative, and grounded in your own goals, with room for laughter as well as the hard stuff.

A note on boundaries: these would be coaching and creative-support sessions, not psychotherapy or EMDR treatment. Walking can be a helpful way for some people to reflect and talk, but it isn't a substitute for mental health care when that care is needed. I'm not offering to diagnose or treat trauma. I want to be transparent about what this space is and what it isn't.

I'm still shaping the format, name, and pricing, but this is one of the offerings I'm most excited to develop.

### 🌕 Aelunara: monthly full moon gatherings

I want to host monthly gatherings around the full moon, bringing people together for connection, reflection, creativity, and a little bit of magic.

These gatherings might include journaling, poetry, music, conversation, seasonal rituals, card pulls, time outside, or simply being together with people who are interested in living a little more intentionally.

They won't all have to look the same.

Some might be intimate and reflective. Others might be playful, celebratory, or full of music and movement.

My hope is to create welcoming spaces where you can come as you are, participate in the ways that feel right to you, and connect with others without needing to share every personal detail of your life.

The next gathering is planned for **October 25**, and I'm excited to keep growing this practice over time.

### 🔔 Sound baths with Jacob

Jacob and I also want to explore offering sound baths together.

Sound can be such a powerful part of creating an atmosphere where people can slow down, settle in, and give themselves permission to rest.

I'd love to build experiences that combine sound, stillness, and intentional space, giving people a chance to step away from the constant demands of everyday life.

We'll share more about dates, locations, and what these sessions will look like as we develop them.

### 💃 Ecstatic dance and music gatherings

I also want to create gatherings centered around movement and music, including ecstatic dance experiences featuring my own music.

I love the idea of creating a space where people can move without worrying about looking cool, knowing the right steps, or performing for anyone.

Just music, movement, and the freedom to experience your body in your own way.

You can dance like nobody's watching. You can sway gently in the corner. You can close your eyes, stomp your feet, or look a little ridiculous.

Honestly, looking a little ridiculous is underrated.

I want these gatherings to be welcoming, consent-centered, and accessible to people with different bodies, abilities, and comfort levels.

### 🌱 Gatherings and retreats at Keperani Sanctuary

As the land develops, I want to bring more of these experiences there.

Think creative workshops, poetry and journaling sessions, sound and movement gatherings, seasonal celebrations, opportunities to learn about regenerative living, and eventually my own retreats.

I want the land itself to become part of the experience. A place to spend time outside, learn from the natural world, get your hands in the soil, make something, share a meal, or simply take a breath.

These offerings will grow alongside the Sanctuary. I don't want to promise a fully developed retreat space before it exists, and I want to build things thoughtfully rather than rush them into being.

But I can start with what I have.

I can invite people to gather. I can share what I'm learning. I can create experiences with the resources available to me now and build from there.

And I can keep coming back to the question that matters most to me:

**How can we make more room for people to feel connected, supported, creative, and alive without making those experiences financially out of reach?**

I don't have every answer, but affordability is going to be an important part of how I approach this work.

If any of these offerings speak to you, I'd love for you to follow along as they take shape.

## 🔥 The things I give a shit about

I can't write an introduction to myself without talking about the things that matter deeply to me.

I care about survivors being heard.

I care about children being protected.

I care about women having autonomy over their own bodies and lives.

I care about accountability, restorative justice, and the willingness to look honestly at the harm we cause, even when it makes us uncomfortable.

I care about ending war, genocide, child abuse, and ecocide.

I care about the way our choices affect people we may never meet, communities we may never visit, and ecosystems that cannot speak for themselves in the language our institutions are willing to hear.

And I care about what happens when we decide something isn't our problem.

I don't believe any of us can solve everything alone. I don't think caring about the world means we have to destroy ourselves trying to fix every terrible thing that happens.

But I do believe that our choices matter.

The way we treat people matters. The things we buy, the systems we support, the conversations we avoid, the information we share, the people we believe, and the ways we respond when harm happens all matter.

We don't have to be perfect to make better choices.

We do have to be willing to look at ourselves, keep learning, and take responsibility for what we can change.

That's part of what I want this space to explore: not just what we believe, but how those beliefs show up in the way we live.

How do we turn compassion into action?

How do we build alternatives instead of only criticizing what isn't working?

How do we take care of one another while also taking care of ourselves?

How do we make room for wonder without turning away from reality?

I want to ask those questions here, even when the answers are complicated.

Especially then.

## 🌙 An invitation for this full moon

As we approach the October 25 full moon, I've been thinking about the things I want to nurture in this next chapter of my life.

I want to nurture my relationship with Atlas, and the family mythology we're creating together.

I want to nurture my art, my music, my writing, and the courage to share more of it.

I want to nurture the land and keep learning how to care for it.

I want to nurture community, friendship, mutual aid, and spaces where people can show up without pretending to be someone they're not.

I want to nurture the part of me that dreams big, and the part of me that knows big dreams are built through small, ordinary actions.

And I want to keep learning how to hold both the beautiful and the difficult parts of being human without letting either one erase the other.

So here's my invitation to you.

As we approach this full moon, take a little time to ask yourself:

**What story am I ready to stop living inside?**

**What do I want to teach the next generation through the way I live?**

**What am I ready to create, even if I don't know exactly how yet?**

And maybe, just maybe:

**What is one small thing I can do this week to bring that vision a little closer to reality?**

You don't need to have a perfect answer.

You don't need to reinvent your entire life before the next full moon.

Maybe you write one honest page in a journal. Maybe you apologize to someone. Maybe you set a boundary. Maybe you go outside and put your bare feet on the Earth. Maybe you reach out to a friend you've been missing. Maybe you plant something, make something, or finally let yourself admit what you want.

Maybe you just rest.

That counts, too.

I think the stories we create are shaped by those little choices as much as the big declarations.

And I want to keep paying attention to mine.

## Welcome to Of Starlight And Soil 💛✨

This is my introduction, but it isn't the whole story.

There will be music here. Poetry. Essays. Personal reflections. Spiritual rabbit holes. Questions about the world and the stories we've inherited. Updates from the land. Creative experiments. Gatherings, offerings, and probably a few ideas that make perfect sense to me at 2 a.m. and require some explaining in the morning.

There will be beauty, but I don't want to pretend life is always beautiful.

There will be spirituality, but I don't want to stop asking questions.

There will be big dreams, but I want to stay connected to the actual work of bringing them to life.

And there will be a lot of learning as I go.

I'm a mother, an artist, a survivor, a dreamer, a human with a brain that has approximately forty-seven tabs open at any given moment, and someone who is still figuring out what it means to build a life that feels genuinely aligned with what I value.

I'm not here because I've mastered it.

I'm here because I'm living it.

Because I want to make things that mean something.

Because I want to create spaces where people can connect.

Because I want to give my daughter a family story rooted in curiosity, creativity, compassion, courage, and connection to the Earth.

Because I want to turn some of these wild ideas into something tangible.

And because I think we need more places where we can be a little strange, a little vulnerable, a little hopeful, and a whole lot more honest.

So, welcome.

Welcome to the starlight, the soil, the poetry, the music, the moonlit questions, the messy healing, the dragons, the dreams, and the very human work of becoming.

I'm Ari.

This is **Of Starlight And Soil**.

Let's make some beautiful, meaningful, occasionally weird-ass shit.

And maybe, while we're at it, let's grow something worth caring for.

See you under the moon. 🌕✨