Discarding borrowed maps, the paradox of strength, and October is pink.
MONTHLY REMINDERReader, you cannot use someone else's map to find yourself. Your path is your own: uncharted, winding, luminous in places only you can walk. Trust the turns, the pauses, the shortcuts and the long ways round. REFLECTION PROMPTS:
OCTOBER'S REFLECTION PROMPTIn October, I will embrace the turning season by... Autumn invites us to notice change, to honour the natural rhythm of letting go and making space. In October, the world around us shifts: leaves turn, light softens, and the air carries both stillness and motion. This month, embrace the turning season by tuning in, noticing the subtle shifts within and around you, and allowing yourself to move with them. 2 QUOTES WORTH PONDERING
I asked God to take away my pride,
And God said, “No.” He said it was not for Him to take it away, But for me to give it up. I asked God to make my handicapped child whole,
And God said, “No.” He said her spirit already is, While her body is only temporary. I asked God to grant me patience,
And God said, “No.” He said patience is a by-product of tribulation; It isn’t granted, it is earned. I asked God to give me happiness,
And God said, “No.” He said “I give blessings; Happiness is up to you.” I asked God to spare me pain,
And God said, “No.” He said, “Suffering draws you apart from Worldly cares and brings you closer to Me.” I asked God to make my spirit grow,
And God said, “No.” He said I must grow on my own, But He will prune me to make me fruitful. I asked God if He loved me,
And God said, “Yes.” He gave me His only Son, who died for me. And I will be in heaven someday. I asked God to help me love others
As much as He loves me, And God said, “Ah, finally, you have the idea.” REFLECTION PROMPTS:
2. American author, Neil Strauss on the duality of our vices and virtues: “Your biggest strength and your biggest vulnerability are most likely the same trait.” REFLECTION PROMPTS:
NOW AVAILABLE
(STILL) POPULAR IN SEPTEMBERBLOG POST + PODCAST EPISODE: Five Soul Wounds and Grief In June, I explored the five soul wounds—abandonment, rejection, betrayal, injustice, and humiliation—and how they quietly shape our relationships, self-perception, and healing journeys. The blog post offered a deeper dive into their origins and impact, while the podcast held space for raw reflections and embodied insight. If you’ve ever wondered why some pain feels ancestral, primal, or hard to name, this is a sound place to begin. (a 60-minute listen)
INSTAGRAM (@noticingwithrebeccamonique and @rbccmnq) OCTOBER IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTHOctober is Breast Cancer Awareness Month — a global invitation to pause, reflect, and take action. It’s a reminder of how vital it is to know your body, to notice changes, and to check your breasts regularly. You can learn the key signs and symptoms here. Early detection can save lives. Black women and women of colour are often diagnosed at later stages and with more aggressive forms of breast cancer, and women under 50 are frequently overlooked in standard screening pathways. This is why self-awareness, monthly checks, and trusting your intuition matter so deeply. This month, I encourage you to take a quiet moment for yourself: feel, notice, and honour the body that carries you (including men, even though they make up less than 1% of cases). And please, gently remind the people you love to do the same. In early August I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I shared openly about it on Instagram – the loss, grief, trauma, inner-healing and self-care that comes with it – and from that tender space I created what I needed most: a reflective journal to walk me through the first 30 days. 30 Days Through Breast Cancer is now available as a free resource for anyone affected. Please feel welcome to pass it on to those who may need it. COMING IN 2026Daughter of the Soil -Volume 1 is a collection of 12 reflective essays on grief, healing, womanhood, and race—rooted in memory, ancestral ache, and quiet becoming. Each piece is an offering, a mirror, and a soft rebellion against invisibility. Muse-letter subscribers will be the first to know when it’s released into the world. SPOTIFY PLAYLISTSSoul-stirring. Empowering. Wholesome. This one’s for the moments when you remember who you are. A musical exhale—part prayer, part power, part poetic awakening. Let it carry you into the marrow of your truth, especially on days when you forget how luminous you’ve always been.
Griefy. A playlist for the ache that won’t be rushed. 'Griefy' is a tender companion for the days when your heart feels too full, too empty, or both at once. These songs don’t try to fix it—they sit with you in the softness, the silence, the sacred unraveling.
SUBSCRIBER RESOURCESNEW: Racial Trauma and Grief – Reflective Journal Who do you know would benefit from or appreciate this content? Be sure to share this muse-letter with them by forwarding on this email. USEFUL LINKSLet's stay connected. Here's where else you can find me: Website | Podcast | Blog | Instagram | Recommended Reading List* You can view the muse-letter archive here. Not yet subscribed? You can sign up to this muse-letter here. New to the mailing list? You can view the archive of the first few editions here. About this muse-letter: You're receiving this email because you've subscribed to my mailing list. You'll typically receive an email from me once a month. Rarely will I send stand-alone emails about promotions, new products or services, and partnerships. Affiliate links within my emails are marked with an asterisk (*). Update your subscription preferences: You can unsubscribe from 'Reflect with Rebecca-Monique', or manage your subscriber profile via the respective links below. |
Rebecca-Monique (rbccmnq)
MONTHLY REMINDER Reader, the bad news is: there are an astonishing amount of things completely out of our control; the good news is: there are an astonishing amount of things completely within our control. The bad news: there are countless things beyond our grasp — other people’s choices, life’s sudden turns, the weather of fate itself. The good news: there are just as many things we do hold in our hands — our responses, our rituals, our breath, our way of telling our story. Freedom lives in...
MONTHLY REMINDER Reader, your body is not an inconvenience — it is a compass. Rest. Listen to your body’s wisdom. It is not betraying you — it is beckoning you. Calling you back to care. To movement, to stillness, to being held. To tenderness and ease. You don’t have to prove your strength every single day. You can honour the softness. REFLECTION PROMPTS: What is my body trying to tell me today — and how can I respond with care rather than correction? Where in my life have I confused...
MONTHLY REMINDER Reader, you don’t need a sign—you are the signal. There is power in choosing yourself, in declaring the reset, in deciding this is the moment. Let July be the permission slip you write with your own hand to begin again, to course-correct. Mid-year is not too late, too far gone, or too messy. It’s a doorway. Step through as many times as you need. REFLECTION PROMPTS: Where in my life do I crave a fresh beginning, no permission required? What would I do differently if I truly...