Loto Journal
Through personal storytelling and letter writing, follow our Founder, Jennifer Axcell, as she travels the 🌎 globe as a digital nomad and Desert Mother, exploring cultural expressions of rest and Self-care.
Including thoughtfully created blog content about somatic healing practices, nervous system self-regulation techniques, and faith-based spiritual practices, Loto Wellness Collective’s blog focuses on the art and science of rest and renewal, drawing inspiration from the life of Jesus, monastic wisdom, and modern science.
Reader’s Note: In the Loto Wellness Collective blog content, except for direct quotes, the pronouns often used for God are They/Them in reference to the genderless personhood of I AM. When referencing Jesus specifically, the pronouns He/Him are used.
Morning Altars: Beauty as Creation Care
Nothing stirs my heart like stepping into nature, with open hands and heart, to gather what the earth offers in each season—fallen leaves, pinecones, stones, seeds, petals, feathers. Out of these humble materials, beauty is born. This is the practice of Morning Altars, nature mandalas created as impermanent works of art, meant to honor both the earth and the Spirit that animates it.
The practice, founded by artist and teacher Day Schildkret (morningaltars.com), invites us into a conversation with creation itself. It is part ritual, part meditation, part play. We collect what has already fallen, arrange it with intention, and witness the patterns of symmetry, surprise, and story that emerge. Each altar is temporary—eventually scattered by wind, rain, or passing animals. This impermanence reminds us of the fleeting nature of life and the call to treasure the present moment.
One Who Wrestles With God
Perhaps that is what the mystics knew all along: that sometimes the only way to find YHWH is through the body that breaks, the fever that humbles, and the desert that strips us down to the soul.
Dreams Do Come True
This impromptu ceremony transcended language barriers (thanks to my translator) and culminated in a collective “surrender” water altar and blessing done in the natural pools—all of it in honor of the Sacred Feminine embodied by Mary Magdalene and experienced through water. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to share and receive a timely reminder that dreams really do come true, sometimes in the most unexpected ways.
An Orphan Mindset
The Lord is doing a new thing in the world today, and we are being asked to follow Him out of old paradigms and to confront orphan mindsets.
Sharing My Joy
Enjoying the Moment
My Second Page ✈️
Contributors & Collaborators
Loto Living and Loto Journal, would not be possible without the ongoing support and generous contributions from an incredible team of writers, artists, healers, editors, creatives, and pastors.