welcome. thank you for being here.

Hi, I’m Sebene (said like Seven-A with a b instead of a v).

I am trained as a meditation teacher, an integral coach, an Indigenous Focusing Oriented Therapy for Complex Trauma (IFOT) practitioner, and am a NY State licensed hiking guide. I am a devoted student of mystical traditions, including astrology. I make collages (for this newsletter). I like jokes.

I am known for my relational and relatable way of teaching profound material. I lead meditation, creativity, and nature-based practices that center the sacred, invite embodiment, honor our diverse experiences, and engage intuition & imagination as catalysts for change. I teach workshops, courses, and retreats using contemplative, creative & culturally relevant practices that are engaging and joyful.

My first book, You Belong: A Call for Connection, is published by HarperOne.

a moonly newsletter?

Why the moon? Because ancient wisdom and modern science both confirm our intimate connection to celestial rhythms. Because in a world that demands we produce constantly, lunar time invites us into cycles of rest and renewal, death and rebirth, visibility and hiddenness. Because nature. Because witches. 🌙

for fellow students of love?

This newsletter exists because love is both the most ordinary and most revolutionary force available to us, and yet somehow we need constant reminding to choose it — for ourselves, each other, and this magnificent and wild world we share.

what to expect in your inbox

I send essays aligned with the lunar rhythms because the Moon doesn't care about our silly human time systems, and there's something beautifully rebellious about that. Plus, looking to the sky helps me build perspective when earthly things feel overwhelming (which, let's be honest, is often).

🌑 New Moon & 🌕 Full Moon essays arrive with original writing that weaves my messy, beautiful human experience with spiritual insights. Each includes:

• A unique collage I create

• An audio version read by me

• A guided meditation

• Image descriptions for accessibility

🌗 Last Quarter Lists share what I'm reading, seeing, hearing, and experiencing — because curiosity is contagious and community curation feels good.

🌓 First Quarter Chats happen in our Substack community space, where we connect around themes from the essays.

weclome to the paradox party!

I write from my own experience as someone who has lived with cancer for almost 20 years, as a Black woman navigating predominantly white spiritual spaces, as someone whose marriage imploded while learning to teach about love, as a meditation teacher who sometimes can't sit still, as an immigrant who both belongs and doesn't belong everywhere I go.

I talk a lot about paradox (like, a lot, a lot) because life is gloriously contradictory. We are not separate AND we are not the same. Personal healing and collective liberation are not different projects. Joy and grief can coexist. Aspiration and acceptance dance together in the most beautiful ways.

All offerings here are grounded in generosity (no paywalls!), written non-prescriptively (I share my experience, not instructions for yours), and rooted in love.

Come remember love with me.

What people say about this newsletter:

Thank you for this, you have no idea how validating it feels to read the words I have been searching for in all the wrong places. I'm grateful the world has brought your message to me.

Your words touch me so deeply, in a place that needs to be touched with gentleness and with encouragement. I truly cannot thank you enough Sebene for sharing yourself in this way. You have made a profound difference in the way I am building a relationship with myself and I am incredibly grateful.

I love getting your newsletters so much. Every time I feel resonance - and because you are just you in them, it feels like we are hanging out!

Among my thank yous is you being willing to write long pieces, not bowing to the conventions of quick in and out. Short attention spans.  You get down and real. 

Your newsletters are such an inspiration as they are open, honest and real life. Why is it that our trials are what reach others so deeply? It is a daunting task you have taken on as there is incredible suffering in this world.

I feel like I take my time to read these newsletters so closely- there is so much wisdom, and honesty, and humor in here.

I so appreciate the contemplative, honest, deep, vulnerable and kindred quality of your writing.