No matter what nonsense 2020 tries, Buffalo Firefly is here to stay. If a new business can survive 2020, it can survive anything. That's my story and I'm sticking to it, and sticking with it.

In August of 2019 when I left my last role in a decades-long career in the design and tech industry, I had no clue where I'd be today. I just knew my career wasn't aligned with my life purpose. I remember the day I announced I was leaving to my amazing design team at Zillow where I was Design Director that year. I was fortunate to be well-liked by my team and their response and the flood of love was overwhelming. They asked me what I was going to do next? I said I'd be doing yoga, meditating, and waiting for an answer to that question. I made a few 'jokes' about buying a food-truck and renovating it to give Tarot readings. The business would be called 'Tarot for Techies TM' — I'd drive around Seattle posting up at various tech campuses. Well, I was actually joking at that time, but turns out that my very first client was a Tarot-fueled Career Coaching session. I was a relatively new Reiki Master and my 2nd paying client was my friend Morgan who I knew from my bike racing years (yes, I used to race bikes... more on that in a future post on resilience). Morgan came to my house for a Reiki session and I knew I was on the right track doing energy work. It just felt right. I mean, the Tarot truck would have turned out to be a bad investment in a year of a pandemic anyway, and part of my business plan is to have a diverse set of interconnected offerings.

Enter Buffalo Firefly — officially launched on November 1, 2019. She's a fire sign with a worker moon — Scorpio Sun, Scorpio Rising, Capricorn Moon. I can't think of a better birth chart for a business! Working hard with heat and passion! She was also born in a Mercury Retrograde. Some people say that's a bad idea, but others say if you're born in a Mercury Retrograde period that its energetic twitches will affect you less than others. You may still have technology glitches and communication breakdowns, but you're born in that energy and it doesn't shake you. I was also born in a Mercury Retrograde, so our vibrations align on that front.

In the photo:

  • The first crystal I ever bought.. a piece of clear quartz which I bought from Dandelion Botanicals... a business that sadly left Seattle during the pandemic.

  • My business cards designed after I launched.

  • The 7 1/2 pound Natural Citrine from Brazil that I will continue to swear is responsible for the expansion and abundance I've begun to see in the business this year. The moment it entered my life things started clicking.

  • The gorgeous Wick lantern, designed by a dear friend at Graypants in Seattle. The lantern represents the light I've been following this year, the personal growth, and the beauty of energy.

  • Last but not least, the Buffalo and Firefly cards from the Kim Krans Wild Unknown Animal Spirit Deck. 

The day I pulled the Buffalo and Firefly cards in this photo, I was going through a naming crisis. I had notebooks of name brainstorms, but nothing was resonating. I was about to start working on the name again and I glanced at the two cards on the table in front of me from my morning routine reflecting with cards. I lit up. PERFECT! BUFFALO FIREFLY!

I liked the name because it felt like it was given to me by my higher self, by the universe, by my spirit guides. I also liked it for its meaning to me and its flexibility as a business name, allowing me to expand the business over time beyond Reiki, beyond Tarot, beyond Coaching — without having to constantly rename.

Buffalo is an animal of the Earth, representing grounding, but also highly spiritual. I love the high vibe of this gravity-bound animal. Firefly is inspired and fantastic light. The energy behind a poem or a song. Sparks of creativity. I have a personal connection to Fireflies, having grown up in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia where they flocked my yard every June. Honestly, I have reparations to pay the Firefly for putting them in mason jars to trap their light for myself... I mean, frankly, it's rude to put them in jars. I don't know if that's still a thing, but it feels outdated now. There's a type of Firefly in the mountains there called the Synchronous Firefly. They blink their tail lights with 6 flashes at a time. It's a signal to their mates to know who they are. The number 6 is part of my story too, so it all felt so perfect — it's the number of sides to a quartz crystal, my life path number (based on my birthday and year), and the number of sides in a hexagon which soon became my logo... and probably a foreshadowing to opening the crystal shop this summer.

As I wrap up 2020, I can't even express how excited I am for 2021! I have so many things coming for you! 2020 brought you all to me and I'm so grateful for each of you and your support for my endeavor. People have reached out through the year to tell me how much my big career change inspires them. It hadn't even occurred to me how much that would affect people — knowing that anything is possible. I'm so happy to be a beacon for that!

In 2021, I'll continue with 1:1 sessions, teaching more classes, and hosting more events. I'll continue selling energetic tools, supplying budding gem collectors, and providing all the other goodies to heal our bodies, minds and spirits. Stay tuned for Reiki, Tarot, Meditation & Crystal classes — for group opportunities for energy healing, for more collaborations with other healers and small businesses. I love my job and that's a gift that I feel so blessed to have. I have so many more things to share about the road that brought me here and what lies ahead, but I'll save that for another post.

Sending each of you my love and gratitude to bring you into 2021 at the highest vibration possible!

December 24, 2020 — Mary-Lynne Williams