40 | nov: connect with your native soul

i decided that i wanted to make a special playlist for november. well, i have actually promised myself to make a playlist for every month throughout the entire year – up until my 41st birthday next september. – but i just had some sort of feeling about november’s playlist. i wanted something spiritual and grounded, but something that also honored the history of this land – but with a different focus. something not so traditionally  pilgrim-white man-eurocentric focused.

i was excited about creating my november playlist, but i had not really given it any thought at all. and here it was only a day away from november. well, i started gathering some songs on tuesday and finished thursday morning. in between, as i selected songs, i decided on a theme. i don’t remember how i came up with the idea of letting november become “native november“, but the moment that the word “native” snuck out of my mouth, i knew that it was perfect.

think about it: in both hemispheres we have beautiful natural transformations happening, with the autumn + spring giving way to winter + summer. so, i wanted to honor the earth. and i wanted to celebrate the thanksgiving holiday in a way that i never have before: by spending the weeks leading up to it by focusing on native americans rather than pilgrims, even if one of my direct descendants was one of the original pilgrims. but, this year, i wanted the focus of my thanksgiving, my november, to be natural, organic, ceremonial, spiritual, and wild + free.

then i began searching high + low for songs whose titles had something to do with nature – and/or native american culture and symbols. i gathered music that sounded a bit like bluegrass, or music that was clearly meant for the wild west., and, of course some native chants.

finally, it all came together. and i was so very excited. it felt so right. with the music part completed, i moved on to designing an image to capture the essence and the vibe of my native november. after that was done, all i needed to do was put it out there for y’all to find.

so here it is. i truly hope that you like it, and that it beckons you to a simpler, more grounded + grateful month.

click here to go to the playlist on spotify.

may your november days be filled with simplicity, good food + drink, family + friends, and a natural, spiritual connection with all people + the earth.

light + love.