may 2026

sister is a verb

May 01, 2026

I’m Aja. Welcome to every thing changes, a newsletter about navigating change from the inside out. Honest reflection, wisdom from the earth and the cards, and tools that work when things get hard. Written by Aja, ocean advocate, psychedelic facilitator, and accredited coach.

This is a monthly roundup. This month, it's all about other amazing people.

This is an array of flowers from a 5 min walk around my block. Seattle is a beautiful bejeweled lady this time of year!

Happy May!

One of my goals this year was to focus on building community. April surprised me. I was healing from a big surgery, but the month felt overflowing with connection. My existing deep connections showed up in force with flowers and food. I’m healing quickly and don’t have the symptoms that led to the surgery. This meant I had energy and some genuinely life-giving chances to meet new people. This month’s roundup will feature those connections.

I’d love it if you’d share something that brought you new energy over the last month in the comments.

My dear, talented friend Melissa Small led a box beading workshop at Common Area Maintenance in downtown Seattle. Fine motor skills, creativity, and learning a very fiddly new art form was perfect for meeting new friends. Melissa flitted around the room helping people through tricky transitions, and my heart warmed to watch those people turn and pass the knowledge on to others in the group. What if we did that more in life every day? Just helped out a stranger when we figured out something tricky? Check out her most recent post, on returning to old practices to learn something new.
I attended one of Denise Shanté Brown’s Shared Dreaming Sanctuaries. Denise Shante created a soft, cozy space for a small group of us to lend our creative fire to each other to imagine new directions for our dream projects. The whole thing was an honor: to witness someone in the vulnerability of sharing an idea they’re still working through, and to fan their passion with new ideas. I left the meetings hopeful – people are still making art and willing to help each other. In her latest post, she recites one of her poems: if I left this world today, I’d be OK.

feeling our futures

if I left this world today, I'd be OK

Y’all didn’t know I also write poetry and used to perform spoken word during college years in Atlanta? In honor of National Poetry Month and being the daughter of a p…

9 days ago · 5 likes · 4 comments · Denise Shanté Brown

The Zome hosted a potluck bonfire picnic to celebrate Bicycle Day on April 19. Bicycle Day is the anniversary of the world’s first LSD trip in 1943. It was a gorgeous night on the sound in Seattle - groups picnicking around fires all along the beach, and big groups of harbor seals playing in the water to mirror the joy on the shore. While I have a pretty strong psychedelic community across Oregon and Colorado through my facilitator training, I’m still building community in Seattle. This will be a big focus for me for the rest of the year.

I had a reading with a gifted astrologer, Charlice Hurst. I’ve studied my own chart and use tools like the CHANI app to understand my placements. However, this is the first time I’ve had someone weave my chart together into a cohesive story. Charlice has a gift with words and keen insight. She gave me new perspective and pride in my rising sign, Virgo. I’ve always struggled to connect with Virgo because the world likes to flatten her into an uptight type-A taskmaster. I also tend to ignore the outer planets. Charlice highlighted that Pluto, planet of transformation (every thing changes!), looms large in my chart. I’ve got a lot more to ponder about what she shared. Her most recent post fits right in here: we all need to throw our wild, gutsy imagination into creating a better world.
Vision Alchemy
An Economics of Imagination
Hi friends. So, first of all, the publication’s name has changed from Decision Alchemy to Vision Alchemy. The new name reflects the direction my interests and business have taken over the past few months. It’s a natural progression. I was able to embrace my vision only after I learned to make decisions that belonged to me. This post tumbled out as I was…
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9 days ago · 7 likes · Charlice Hurst
I ended the month with two events at LANGSTON Performing Arts Institute in Seattle. The first was the Black Futures Book Club, this month featuring the graphic novel Abbott. The second was the lively opening night of the Seattle Black Film Festival, where they screened TCB - The Toni Cade Bambara School of Organizing. The film shares the “life of the Black feminist writer, filmmaker and cultural worker Toni Cade Bambara…reconstructed through her words and stories of colleagues and friends.” If you’re interested in seeing it, there are upcoming screenings throughout the summer.

It is fitting to end a month that felt so much more connected celebrating the life of one of the most gifted organizers. I’ll share two things – an essay by her granddaughter titled “Do you know your neighbor’s name?” and a poem collectively written by a group contemplating Toni’s statement that “Sister is a verb.”

I hope we all do a lot of sistering in May.