Jo’s Journal – March 2021

As February draws to a close, and we now have the roadmap for coming out of lockdown, we can also see and feel that Spring is on its way, with lighter evenings and milder temperatures – so it really does seem like we are turning a corner now.

I loved February, with Valentine’s Day, Pancake Day and my husband’s birthday, all in the same month. It always feels quite different to me than January, with different mood music and a completely different flow. Again, I have done a lot of walking and a lot of cooking – and I have even dressed up for dinner, putting a frock on for the first time in a long time! It has been a peaceful month for me.

Now that Spring is coming, there is a sense of the earth awakening and life brightening. In this forward-looking mood, we have been designing new necklaces to release as a celebration of overcoming the worst of the pandemic. Last year, we created Mantra pieces that came out of our learnings from 2020 – messages of hope, gratitude, and getting life in balance. But this year, we have a different feeling about the national mood, and what it is we all want.

We sense a need for freedom and adventure, as people have been cooped up for too long. We see a real desire to celebrate, as the vaccine saves lives and societies re-open. We feel a renewed sense of connectedness to people, which we have all been longing for. And we are embracing change, as the old ways fall away after such a period of disruption. 

Our new designs are currently at the draft stage: as you know, we always start with the mantra, then decide what is the best way of bringing it to life in the most powerful and accessible way. We have half a dozen shortlisted mantras, on the themes of freedom, connection, celebration, and embracing change – which we are currently working on. And more than a dozen different versions of designs in process – not all of which will make it into production - before we finalise the new releases. Keep an eye on our social media for early updates!

March is the month of International Women’s Day, and the month of Mother’s Day – so we are taking the opportunity all month to celebrate women, in our social media posts and our homepage. 

As an all-female team here at Mantra, we are committed to empowering and supporting women and girls to be strong, confident individuals, and are keen supporters of International Women's Day. This global day celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, as well as marking a call to action for accelerating women's equality.

Many of our charity necklaces raise funds for charities that help and support women – including Women for Women International, Care International, and PANDAS. You can do your bit to help by choosing one of these pieces as a gift or self-purchase, as 25% of the selling price goes straight to charity.

We have chosen PANDAS Foundation – a charity that provides pre- and post-natal mental health support – as our charity of the month in March, and I was delighted to interview Annie Belasco, the Head of the Charity, for our Q&A this month. Read my interview here.

We have already seen many orders coming through for Mother’s Day this month, which is lovely to see. Honouring and thanking your mum for all her love and support is really important throughout our lives, but particularly in such tough times.

For me - and many others like me, who have lost our mums – Mother’s Day is a day to reflect on how wonderful she was, and how much she meant to me. I feel grateful every day that I had my mum in my life for fifty whole years, and I still miss her every day. But I try to celebrate her life, rather than dwell on her passing.

As lockdown continues for at least the next month, it is still a little early to get excited about all the things we will soon be able to do. But I have treated myself to our ‘Dreamcatcher’ myMantra necklace, with ‘Live the life we have imagined’ engraved on the reverse, as my mantra for the next stage of mine and my husband's life together. We are all in charge of setting an intention for the life we want, and of taking steps to make it happen – so this is my reminder to do just that.  

 I look forward to catching up next month – when we will be getting ready to re-open our shop!  

Jo xx