Melissa Cynova About a year ago, i spoke with Darla Antoine, author of the Divina Journal for Magical Babes. I was completely obsessed with her daily journal and reached out like the serious fangirl I am. Since then, we’ve become friends, and after our first Skype, I’m pretty sure we’re on our way to becoming BFF’s forever (omg).
Darla has two new journals coming out – the second part of the 2016 Divina Journal, and the new version that is undated and unisex. I honestly can’t decide which I want more.
Volume 2 of the original Divina Journal still includes all of the elements we’ve come to love: daily phases and zodiac positions of the moon, a section for recording your dreams (now with more room!), a section for recording daily divination practices, as well as areas to create a gratitude list, intentions for the day and to record your moods and menstrual cycle as well. The layout has evolved slightly from Divina Volume 1 but its essence remains the same.
The unisex version of Divina has a gorgeous midnight blue cover with gold foil text. In addition to being unisex it is also has six months worth of undated pages– it never expires! The layout is similar to the original Divina journal but eliminates the menstrual cycle section (it can still be recorded in a section titled “Other”) and also lacks the daily moon phase and location– but not to worry! Darla is launching a free email subscription service that will daily deliver the moon’s phase, location, a pithy quote and a small ritual or journal prompt for the day.
During our last conversation, she told me that she created the Divina journal because she stopped dreaming when her children were born. So did I. So did lots of my friends. By giving us this tool, she’s essentially changed our lives along with hers. Dreaming time is so important, and so is meditation. This journal gives you both. I take ten minutes every morning to sit down and breathe. I choose a card for the day. I write about the dreams I had the night before. I see the connections my cards have with my life. I have ten minutes all to myself – not for my partner, not for my kids and not for my animals. Just for me.
I asked her this time why she shared this with all of us, and it’s because of that. Because of my ten minutes, and Keva’s, and Anne’s, and Susan’s and Darla’s. And for yours, too.This journal changed my life and it can change yours, too. She also did it so she could find her people. (That’s us, too)
Darla has some big plans in the future (and some of them include me!) and I would keep a close eye on her Instagram and website for giveaways, new programs and more of these wonderful journals. She might have a pink journal, but there is nothing fluffy about this woman. We both bemoaned the fluffy woo and Darla summed it up with “There is some dark shit in the world and we need to deal with it.” With our gifts, with our spirits, and with our handy dandy badass journals.
In fact, we would both argue that the only (responsible) way to deal with the dark shit in the world, and in ourselves, is to first really know and understand ourselves. “Know Thyself” instructed the Greek Oracle at Delphi. Taking a few moments everyday to examine the dreams in our subconscious, to think about what we’re grateful for in this life and to make connections between our emotions, our behavior and the natural cycles of this world is at once a simple and profound way to come to know ourselves.
Darla is celebrating the launch of Divina Vol. 2 and Divina: The Evergreen Volume the entire month of June with giveaways– including a Little Fox Tarot collaboration! She will also be launching the Divina School of Dreams and Divination this summer and has a lot more up her sleeve.
You can learn more about Darla and the Divina journal system at www.divinadreammagic.com
Xo! LFT
