Welcome to January’s Issue of The Other Way

This month’s theme is Selective Growth: The Discipline of Staying Without Feedback. A counterpoint to the familiar cultural story that February is where momentum fades or resolutions fail. We see it differently. February is not a loss of energy. It is a test of trust.

Imbolc on February 1st marks the quiet turning of the year, when something has already begun beneath the surface. The light is returning, but slowly. In nature, this is not a time for proof or performance. It is a time for rooting. For stabilising what has been set in motion before it asks to be seen.

You’ll notice a small but intentional evolution in this edition. Over the past year, Giggle Gallery has explored the science and medicine of laughter, reminding us not to take ourselves, or wellness, quite so seriously. That work matters. Laughter remains one of the most accessible regulators we have. But as our conversations have deepened, so has our curiosity.

This month, The Body Knows takes its place. Not as a replacement, but as a natural continuation. A space to explore the nervous system more directly. How it responds to modern life, to pressure, to speed, and to the quiet signals we’re often taught to ignore. Our hope is that this new section offers you not more information, but better orientation. Less fixing. More understanding.

This Issue is an invitation to resist the reflex to rush, optimise, or abandon what has not yet offered proof. To notice where immediacy has become the measure of worth. And to explore what becomes possible when we stay, not blindly, but with discernment and care, long enough for something real to take shape.

February’s Quiet Test

February unfolds under skies that quietly test our relationship with reassurance and proof. Around Imbolc (1st Feb), the seasonal marker of early spring, the spark of renewal has already been lit. Something has begun, even if there is little to show for it yet. In nature, this is the moment when energy turns, roots deepen, and growth moves underground. This is the essence of Selective Growth. Not everything pushes upward at once. Not everything needs to be visible to be real.

An early Full Moon on 1st Feb brings illumination and emotional clarity, but it can also heighten the desire to be seen, validated, or reflected back to ourselves. When that feedback doesn’t arrive, restlessness can surface, not because something is wrong, but because the system is craving confirmation.

Mid-month, a Solar Eclipse on 17th Feb adds another layer. Eclipses tend to work beneath the surface, rearranging patterns and trajectories before outcomes are visible. This can amplify the sense that something is shifting without offering immediate explanation or evidence.

As the month draws on, Mercury slows before turning retrograde on 26th Feb, reinforcing the need for review over declaration. February is not designed for loud progress or instant results. It is a stabilising phase. One that asks for patience, discernment, and the discipline to stay with what has begun before it reveals itself.

Collectively, the skies echo a message nature has always known: early growth is quiet, unseen, and easily disrupted if rushed.

If you’d like to explore February’s sky stories more deeply, these three perspectives bring the month’s energies to life from different angles.

Moon Omens – February 2026 Astrology Forecast

This month’s detailed forecast explores the lunar rhythms, eclipse energy, and planetary movements shaping February’s emotional and intuitive landscape. A great way to sense into the month’s unfolding theme of staying with the unseen before it becomes visible.

👉 Read it here 

Between Breath Tarot The Astrology of February 2026 –  on Medium

This atmospheric essay moves beyond mechanics to describe the inner experience of February’s skies - exploring how eclipses, transitions, and planetary rhythms invite depth, courage, and subtle transformation. It’s less about prediction and more about feeling into the field of the month ahead.

👉 Check it out here 

Girl and Her Moon - February 2026 Astrology Forecast 

A grounded forecast focused on the eclipse portal opening this month, emerging liberation themes, and the shift from fear toward trust and soul-guided choice, especially relevant to the Selective Growth theme.

👉 Go read it now 

In Curated Treasures, we gather soul-stirring resources from across the web, be that articles, podcasts, talks etc, that echo the month’s energetic theme. Each selection is chosen not to instruct, but to invite: a perspective to consider, a voice to sit with, a truth to feel into. Whether it sparks reflection, ignites curiosity, or simply soothes your system, let each piece be a gentle companion on your journey through The Other Way.

✨ Curated Treasures: Selective Growth

This month’s theme, Selective Growth: The Discipline of Staying Without Feedback, invites us to question the reflex to rush, pivot, or abandon what hasn’t yet proven itself. February is not short on potential, but it does ask for patience, trust, and a willingness to stay with what’s forming beneath the surface. These three treasures explore that space from different angles, reflective, philosophical, and grounded in nature.

🎧 Podcast – On Being with Krista Tippett: Pico Iyer on The Art of Stillness

In this timeless conversation, Pico Iyer  speaks about stillness not as withdrawal, but as a radical act of presence in a culture obsessed with speed and certainty. He reflects on patience, waiting, and the quiet intelligence of staying put long enough for life to reveal itself.

A beautiful companion for anyone learning to trust a direction before it offers reassurance.

Listen here › 

📝 Read – The Space Between: Learning to Stay with Something Before It Gives Us Feedback

We're going rogue here and sharing one of our own articles. This is from our Seasonal Intelligence series on LinkedIn. In it Charlotte explores February as the often-overlooked bridge between initiation and emergence. After the spark of Imbolc, when something has already begun, this piece speaks to the discomfort of not yet knowing whether it’s “working”.

It reframes staying as a form of discernment, not inertia, and reminds us that many meaningful paths are abandoned not because they’re wrong, but because they haven’t yet had time to reveal themselves.

Read on LinkedIn › 

🎥 Watch – Suzanne Simard: How Trees Talk to Each Other (TED Talk)

This visually rich and deeply moving TED Talk reveals the hidden underground networks that allow forests to thrive. Long before growth is visible above ground, roots are forming relationships, sharing resources, and stabilising the system.

It’s a powerful metaphor for selective growth. For the unseen work that makes future emergence possible, and for why patience and protection matter more than pressure.

Watch on TED › 

Whether one of these meets you exactly where you are, or simply lingers at the edges of your awareness, trust what resonates. These aren’t instructions. They’re companions for the quieter work of staying with what matters before it asks to be seen.

You can find many more talks, essays, and inspirations inside our Resource Centre.

In Myth & Mindfulness, we shine a light on common misconceptions in the complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) world, then shatter them with the hammer of science and reason. Each month, we'll tackle a well-established myth, dissecting it with neuroscience, evidence, and logical analysis. Our goal? To empower you with knowledge, challenge assumptions, and open new pathways of understanding. Get ready to have your mind expanded as we separate fact from fiction in the realm of wellness and transformation!

In The Body Knows, we explore the quiet intelligence of the nervous system and how it responds to modern life long before the mind catches up. Each month, we highlight an often-overlooked way our bodies adapt to stress, pressure, and expectation, and offer simple, supportive insights to help restore balance. This isn’t about fixing yourself. It’s about learning to listen to what your body has been telling you all along.

In Witty Wonders, we share a cleverly curated meme, cartoon, or humorous video that resonates deeply with us. Each selection provokes thought through its cleverness, sarcasm, or revelatory nature, reminding us that a good laugh can spark insight and add a touch of joy to our lives. Get ready to chuckle or reflect!

Selective growth rarely announces itself. More often, it unfolds quietly, asking for steadiness rather than certainty, and trust rather than proof.

It asks a different question than most of modern wellness does.

Not how quickly can this work?

But what happens if I don’t rush to change it?

If this issue challenged the idea that progress should be obvious by now, that’s intentional. Much of what matters most unfolds without applause, metrics, or early confirmation. Learning to stay with that discomfort is a skill we rarely practise, but one that changes everything.

If this brought someone to mind, someone questioning whether they should stick or switch, you’re welcome to share it with them. These ideas tend to travel best when they arrive through trust, not algorithms.

And if something here sparked a thought, a pushback, or a moment of recognition, you can always reply. We read every message, and the conversation doesn’t need to be polished or complete to be worth having.

Until next time,

Blessed Be, 

If you were forwarded this message, then don't forget to sign up to receive it here. It's free. We never spam. 

Missed a newsletter? Want to see the archive before you subscribed? You can check them out here.

Check us out on our socials for more fab stuff