| THE EPISTOLARIAN |

Every January, before I've shaped the dough of the year into any form, I sit down and write a letter dated nearly twelve months in the future. It arrives, at least on paper, from the end of a year I haven't lived yet.

It is a kind of time-traveling anamnesis. In it, I describe what happened as if real memories. I write about the many gifts, the people I saw, the things I wanted arriving with ease, and how each moment felt. I speak from the vantage point of the person I have already become, as though another version of me is writing across time.

Letters are uniquely suited to this. They've always traveled across distance and delay. They carry memory for us, and don't mind if we stretch time.

This year's letter moved me deeply. I wrote about leaving my day job to become an artist full time, which I did. I wrote about new collectors finding my work, how it would change their lives, and about all ninety-nine Hastings Étuis finding their homes, which they did. I wrote about my health returning, about chronic back pain loosening its grip, which it did. 

I have hesitated to speak openly about this practice. I never want to sound like I am selling certainty or spectacle. But I also cannot deny what has unfolded. For years, magically and consistently, I have written my life into being, into marriage, motherhood, artistry, entrepreneurship, health, travel, and a deeply felt sense of abundance and trust. I feel the world conspiring in my favor.

This year, I am inviting you into this practice with me.

On January 11 at 11:11 a.m. Pacific, I will host a live Letter of Becoming Workshop. We will begin with a guided meditation designed to help you move through the year ahead and step into the perspective of your future self. Then we will write together, in real time. You will leave with the letter written, not deferred to a future you.

We will close with a simple ceremony, sealing our letters, and for those who wish, sharing what we are calling in for 2026.

Spelling isn’t really about the arrangement of letters on a page. It’s the spell our words cast when we write from our deepest knowing. There is a reason for your desires, and they need space to speak. This letter is a way to deepen your intuition, and feel into the person you’ve always wanted to be, and are actually becoming. I hope you can join me!

NYC Workshop Registration

The Spring Gathering in NYC is filling quickly, and early bird pricing ends this month. There are two ticket options for this two-day workshop. It’s going to be so much fun. Of course, you’ll meet me, but I imagine you’ll also make new friends too. 

If taking a workshop with me is on your bucket list, this is a beautiful moment to take the leap. You can also plan any extra fun things in NYC before or after.

Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21, 2026

The 2nd Edition Hastings Étui and Newest Penny

The new moon this week is on Friday, December 19. It’s a special day in the Hastings Universe, because three new things are arriving at once.

First, the newest penny will be unveiled on Wednesday, then available to purchase on Friday.

Second, I’ll be going live to reveal the 2nd Edition of the Hastings Étui, and it will open for pre-order immediately after (shipping in January). I’m limiting the initial quantity, so if you want one from the first wave, plan to pre-order as soon as it’s unveiled.

A quick note about edition numbers: they’re determined by order time, so you can’t choose your number. If you’d like to secure an early edition sight unseen, reply to this email and I’ll send you an invoice to pre-order now. This will ensure you are listed among the first patrons of the newest edition.

And third, there’s one more little something coming on Friday during the live. I’ll go live at 11 a.m. Pacific (2 p.m. Eastern) on Instagram, and I’ll share the recording as soon as I’m done.

Feeling Festive

Last night, I attended my neighborhood art walk here in Seattle. I had wax warmed and poured with my favorite holiday seals as people wandered through. I spent the evening sharing this work with them and leading them through pressing their first wax seals, which felt like a gift in itself to me. It brings me so much joy bringing this tradition to new folks.

I came with an assortment of holiday seals. These are the current ones that are still available if you’re looking for holiday seals. I’ll be fulfilling orders that come in through December 21 before going on holiday break.

The Champagne Dove Penny

Heads: Ad Vitas Effusas
A champagne bottle bursts open, cork flying, a small celebration captured in brass. It is a reminder not to live bottled up. Pour yourself freely. Rise. Shimmer. Let your joy spill over. Ad vitas effusas means “toward poured out lives,” a call to stop shrinking and to welcome more beauty, more delight, and more magic into your days.

Tails: J’Apporte La Paix
A peace dove arrives with an olive branch, offering calm in the middle of celebration. It reminds you to return to yourself, to breathe, to soften. J’Apporte La Paix means “I bring peace.” The dove has carried this message for centuries. Light returns. Hope arrives. Peace is possible.

Color of the Week: Borealis

This color debuted during the Twelve Days of Christmas. Named for the aurora borealis, it carries symbolism of wisdom, magic, and ancestral memory. It calls to mind ice fields, northern night skies, and the vast, living beauty of the natural world, making it well suited for winter correspondence, ceremonial letters, and seals meant to feel enduring rather than seasonal.

With gratitude,

Kathryn