March was a month of healing, of energy shifts, of transformation.
It was the month of chainsawing and no longer feeling Raw,
Integrating my Story Mammal learnings, and moving from weekend pancakes to weekend waffles.
Five folks left, Craig came back for a blink, new folks arrived again.
And so it is, that I’m looking back on the month through the lens of my Q1 intentions.
Q1 Intentions: March (Looking Back)
1. Spirituality
- Story Mammal. The close of this experience felt natural and full; I wrote a song and made a snail print to remember our time together. And new containers have since arisen to keep Story Mammaling with some of the women I met—in Polos and monthly freewrite gatherings. Endings give rise to beginnings…
- Gratitude journal. This is a nightly practice I enjoy and want to continue.
- Daily ACIM. This practice was not daily, and I want to place more of my attention here in April.
March Spirituality Actions:
- (x) New quotes for room. Two weekends ago I painted these
- (x) Listen to Reclaiming chants. I’m slowly (that’s the way!) integrating these. There was a day this month where I had ~15-10 minutes until dinner time, and I wasn’t sure what to do with myself. And then the chants came to mind—so I put on a playlist and listened during that time.
- (x) Use Spirituality notebook to take notes/digest learnings.
2. Feldenkrais
(x) Finish “For Standing, Walking, and Running” collection. I finished this collection yesterday, though the hour+ long lessons in this collection still feel long. A half hour or 45-minutes feels better, so sometimes I stop early. This was definitely was not the priority of March, but was still present in spurts. Although my body needs care, this doesn’t feel like something I want to prioritize in April.
3. Close Loops
(x) Photos from phone –> computer
(x) Back up photos on external hard drive
(x) Trf Plane Tales
(x) English camp #1 (deleted)
(x) English camp #2 (deleted)
(x) Finished and passed along two magazines
(x) Left a no longer right-fit community
Closing loops has been great these past three months. I like returning to that question weekly/monthly: Are there any open loops I can close? What have I been dragging along, which would feel freeing to release?
Some ideas taking up more mind-space lately:
-Weekly “close tabs” practice. My norm is that I always have lots of tabs open. (At this moment, there are 7 including WordPress, and that feels low. Four are from the same site, different pages.) I can have same tabs open for months because it’s something I want to read or is a reminder for a larger task.
-Weekly paper scraps collecting. Similar to the previous, but I’ll write things down, ideas, addresses, whatnot on various scraps of paper. A more regular going-through sounds like a practice I would like to adopt. Part of my Sunday gleaming.
-Monthly phone to computer photo transfer. Just make it more concrete and scheduled.
Bonus
- [Woo!] Participated in Alex Franzen’s Give/Ask/Receive challenge.
- [Yay!] Left the property earlier in the month; drove to a trailhead and beach 30 minutes from here. Since then, went to two more places (someone else driving) two hours from here. It’s really felt like a gradual return to society, building up energy and capacity for new spaces, faces, and driving on winding roads.
Goodbye with Gratitude, Greeting with Grace
Thank you, March, for blowing new winds my way.
For protecting my loved ones,
Changing what was into what is,
Reminding me of your gifts and magic.
I welcome you, April, and your transformative power.
May seeds begin to sprout, with your nourishing.
May I have opportunities to practice being in a new way,
May you help me to release and say goodbye, assuring me that I’m part of nature’s cycles, as I move to a new place.
And may I see these changes as blessings, celebrating the gifts bestowed upon me.
So mote it be.
April Guiding Goddess
Butterfly Maiden.
Transformation.
“You are experiencing enormous change right now, which brings great blessings.”
Q2 Intentions
-
Spiritual Devotion
When I reflected in the Redwoods, a journey illuminated that I’m seeking greater devotion to my spiritual practices. For April, this will look like reestablishing a simple morning and nightly 5-minute practice.
2. Creating
I’m feeling increasingly creative energy with words, a realm that’s been hibernating. I wrote a song earlier in the month, and perhaps would benefit from a creative container this quarter, like last year when I had the strips for playful creation.
Ideas:
-Shorter zines
-Poetry play with prompts
-A song each month?
A good chunk of my energy will be going towards transition later this month, though: packing, driving, moving, starting new job, reintegrating into society, etc. So I will re-evaluate once I’m settled in Arizona. In fact, that will be a good time to reassess my intentions, as April feels a continuation of the last quarter, since I’m in the same environment.
3. Closing Loops Weekly
I liked closing loops so much this past quarter, why not experiment with what a weekly loop-closing could look like? Will play around here, as long as it still feels resonant and fun.
As always, this snapshot is merely a sliver of the month’s experiences, as seen through the lens of these intentions.
You are very welcome to use this space as an invitation to reflect as well. Set an intention. Make a wish. Notice what’s pulling you. Notice what’s not calling your name.
A deep breath in and out, here and now.
Sending a breath of peace to you.