How in the hell did we get here?

I've been asking myself that a LOT lately. Because it's not like it happened overnight.

So I did a little digging, and it turns out, this has been a long time coming.

If you've been asking yourself how we went from our grandaddies fighting nazis to our neighbors becoming them, today's post is for you.

NEW ON SUBSTACK:
From Fighting Fascists to Demonizing Anti-Fascists: How Did We Get Here?

My granddaddy fought in World War II. He was just a farm boy from the hills who got sent across the ocean to help stop a monster. He didn’t think of himself as a hero, he thought of himself as a man doing what was right. Back then, it wasn’t complicated.
Fascism was evil. Standing up to it was good.

Now here we are, eighty-some years later, and somehow being anti-fascist is considered the bad guys. The same spirit that filled the bellies of men and women who risked everything to fight tyranny is now being painted as dangerous.

Tell me how the hell that makes sense?

Illumine subscriptions now open

Since I started publishing Illumine in January, the trajectory of growth has 100% been by listening to you - the readers.

I thought I was just creating a digital magazine, then you asked for a print version. Then after a few months of doing print versions, you asked for subscriptions.

But since I'm making this all up as I go, I had to figure out how to run a magazine by myself and still make subscriptions possible. Which is why they are only open once a quarter.

If you've been waiting, subscriptions are NOW OPEN. The window only lasts a few days so I can get your November issues out to you on time, so if you've been waiting to sign up - now's your chance!

Pandora Playlist: Cottagecore Autumn

I'm still trying to figure out the best music playlist platform to keep sharing them with you... so this time I thought we'd try Pandora. I used them years ago before Spotify became all the rage, but now that Spotify is running recruitment ads for ICE, it's time to find a new place to source music to share.

This playlist is a beautiful one that starts with the theme from Practical Magic... so you know it has a place in my heart.

And if you have any suggestions on which platforms you prefer to listen to music on, please feel free to hit reply and share them.

Hope you're having a wonderful week!

Love you.
Mean it.
Big time.
xoxo,
gina