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2: The Debut with Soft Power (and other things I'm doing)

My life has been pretty intensely focused on transformation for years, and although I will rebirth through the rest of my life, this feels like a particularly formative time and I know I’ll look back in gratitude for these experiences and mementos. That was part of my thinking when I decided to become more intentional about blogging again earlier this year. It may note be as frequently as I desire yet, because I’m harmonizing my nervous system. As I’ve developed greater capacity and resilience, I’ve become more consistent because of my intention to continuously shift into alignment where that flow state just.. works. The pieces are coming together, and while the final picture is still becoming clear, I can feel the frequency and embodiment is delicious.

Here’s a little glimpse of what I’ve been up to lately…

Creating

Cutting to the chase on this one, I’m really excited to promote an event that is so much more than an event!

On December 14th, Church of Soft Power presents an Altar Ego Variety show: The Debut (LIVE!)

And you’re invited to our last show of 2025!

Image is promo for The Debut and features headshots of all the performers and hosts on a vibrant pink background with neon and pastel pink clouds and highlights.

This evening, co-hosted by the Wu Priestesses, is the culmination of two months worth of heart-led dedication and devotion to transformation led by Dr. Kiernan M. Steiner, with Flo @thefairygodsis 🧚🏼‍♀️, MIDORI, and Siobhán Diores. In the course of the curriculum, our cohort has been pouring so much love, creativity, and medicine into our performances. This process has been changing lives among us, and we’re so excited to share what we’ve co-created! I will be performing as SYZYGY.

It’s amazing night that you’re gonna want to experience!

Image is screenshot of The Dragon Playhouse Ticket Box website page.

Help us celebrate the grand opening of The Dragon Playhouse and get your FREE tickets in the Ticket Box, where you can also make donations that will ensure the performers and organizers get paid and support the ongoing mission of the Church of Soft Power community (make sure to check Cast Fan Club at checkout!). You can also read a message from the co-founders and learn more about Soft Power!

✨💫🐲🐉✨Click here to enter The Dragon Playhouse Ticket Box!✨🐉🐲💫✨

Listening

Mostly it’s been a combination of the music on my SYZYGY Altar Ego performance setlist, so I can complete the recordings for my video project. It also helps me get in the zone for audio AND video recording sessions, and I’ll definitely use it as part of an expanding playlist for ongoing and future SYZYGY sessions of all sorts.

Image is a screenshot of SYZYGY’s performance playlist: Everything You Know Is Wrong (Weird Al), Loving (Claire Brooks), Creep (Radiohead), I Can Do Both (Todrick Hall), Stay In My Lane (SIAT), Multi-Love (UMO), and Pure Imagination (Willy Wonka).

Before I record, I always ground my nervous system with a combination of tools from SYZYGY's Altar Ego Somatic Toolbox Playlist (on YouTube) where I included several of my favorite videos. For any time, actually, I play Maggie Kelly videos throughout most days and Flo @thefairygodsis 🧚🏼‍♀️’s 10-min Qi Gong is a daily non-negotiable. And while it’s not on YouTube, I’ve been enjoying some of Dr. Kiernan M. Steiner’s sonic healing shares, including “I Am Rooted” for vagal toning and stimming delight!

Image is a screenshot of SYZYGY’s YouTube playlist.

Watching

I wrapped up Scorpio season this year with a recommendation from Aryn the Alchemist’s Filmoscope post that had me SOBBING for the last 20 minutes or so in the most cathartic and devastatingly beautiful ways, just as I intuited and my comment on Aryn’s post was unintentionally SO Libra-coded lol…

Image is a screenshot of Aryn’s IG post and Merrick’s comments, “I’m a Libra Rising, and I gotta say… this feels like a trap LMAO” … “but also I’m excited to find out why lol”

The Worst Person in the World follows Julie a free-spirited creative, who could perhaps be labeled, “manic pixie dream girl” by U.S. storytelling standards, as she navigates love and loss, including herself, through a series of relatable events approached with brilliant magickal realism. Julie could be you, me, or any number of creative folks facing a rapidly changing world where we try to find our own footing without stomping on everyone else’s feet in the process (and don’t always succeed).

11/10 recommend… with tissues.

Reading

Dance of Oneness by Banafsheh Sayyad is my latest Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) for review, and I chose the timing to coincide with the Altar Ego curriculum so I could integrate the resonant lessons, and it has been as complimentary as I’d hoped.
A mystical fusion of science and spirituality through the medicine of movement that I’m excited to tell you more about in my upcoming review!

Image is a screenshot of Merrick’s Goodreads profile.

If you want to read some of my recent other reviews, you can find them on my Goodreads account until I migrate them here to my Substack along with my post for Katherine W. Bogen’s audaciously, successfully ambitious debut novel, Queering Him (speaking of cathartic and devastating!) which will be released January 13, 2026 and is available for purchase from major and indie booksellers world-wide!

Doing

Aside from creating a few performance pieces and some promotional materials for The Debut and transforming myself through resonant curriculum that coincides with all the work I’ve been doing and wanting to do for years with the people I’ve been wanting to work with doing some of my favorite things?

I’m also studying copywriting to become a more magnetic writer, along with soft sales and marketing, so I can bring those skills into my communities and my own work ✨

There’s collaborations with friends near and far, both for what I’m working on and in support of my beloveds, with some timelines extending well into 2026 and beyond.

I’ll share more about those things, that’s just a little teaser of what’s unfolding, and I have several personal projects and offerings to launch in the near future!!

So that’s what I’ve been up to! And I’m excited to share so much more about my process, my transformations, and all the other juicy updates from this life-changing experience in the Altar Ego journey!

Thanks for joining me in the stacks, and I hope to see you in the virtual audience December 14th at 5:30pm PST! (And if you can’t make it live, the recording will live on the Soft Power YouTube channel!)

So get your FREE tickets now! 👉 The Dragon Playhouse Ticket Box

Image is a selfie of Merrick and JC sitting on the floor. Merrick is wearing a light pink onesie covered with pastel dino prints and holding a white mug.