Hello dot, in a world of webs,
I hope you’re doing great and that the eternity that is January has left you feeling hopeful for the crisp shortness of Feb.
I’m personally just diving in, and I want to share with you a small, subtle yet significant realization, that allows me to float into this new year rather than to tread the swamp.
In this story, it’s Monday morning, a day I know there’s nothing to “get done” in a city like Berlin, that is still retreating from a sunday well spent, slow, foggy and reluctantly waking up into the new week. With plans on my mind but nothing so specific to get done, I start into my day, treading through the slow swamp of Monday in Berlin. I used to wanna jump start into a new week, “get things done”, organize, structure the week ahead, as this is how they do it in, Munich for example, where the well-behaved, committed worker does not leave a minute undone with sluggishness on a Monday. Nono, rush to work before 8 am, in a hectic, people-condemning way, that doesn’t leave room for social, not with the other nor with the self. Well luckily, we don’t run on that clock anymore. In Berlin, Mondays are for waking up.
I have once again the great pleasure to take part in the life-giving, community program that is The Muses by a grand muse of mine, Amanda Norgaard. A container full of juice, creativity, Kundalini Yoga and amazing women. We’re all about bringing the heavenly visions into the body, the earth, the here and now. We’re about taking aligned action, step by step, day by day. Taking responsibility, making it (whatever IT is, you’re secretly or openly dreaming of) happen.
For me personally, IT is the craving of reinforcing my inner structures, that which holds the honey pot of creative energy, consistency and prosperity, in a thick, nourishing liquid, waiting to be tapped into. With reinforcing these inner structures, I cultivate self-reliance, the art of receiving, as the feminine principle and confidence. c o n f i d e n c e. My word for 2023, remember?!
So, I’ve decided to commit to a few daily tasks, which are all nothing but relaxing, rejuvenating and rebellious from the eye of the busy workingmen. They are:
cooking a healthy, nourishing meal for myself daily
treating myself with a GuaSha face massage daily
reading (at least) 1 page in a book daily
Sounds easy right? Sounds simple. And it is. Yet, training the mind to accept, that cultivating doesn’t have to be complex, is another story. My mind goes running of, my body is rushed, as I stand in front of my bathroom mirror, putting oil on my face.
“I have to do this, I have to do that …” my brain goes. Like I have anywhere more important to be than right here right now. This is where I realized: No matter the task, the attitude I do it with ultimately leaves me with the same restless mindset of rushing to the office on a Monday commute. packed, trapped and smelling like coffee breath. This is when I changed my mind.
I am actually ALLOWED to take my time. I’m allowed to use this time for a pleasureful task in presence. I’m allowed to pause and read a book. I’m allowed to take enough time out of my day to cook myself a rich vegetable soup, its warmth grounding me. its earthy qualities landing the visions, the thoughts, the mental clutter into embodiment. into stillness, into being.
So, this is a follow up on “priorities”, which I talked about in my last letter to you. It essentially unites with the pursuit of having a choice. and the quality of listening how you talk to yourself. and others. I reframed my daily “tasks” into pleasures.
They are no longer things “I have to get done…” they are now a luxury. Now say it with me. “I am allowed to take time for…”
What are you allowing yourself to take time for today?
Warmly,
yet another dot, in a world of webs,
Ray.
LISTEN: Monday morning music on a Wednesday
READ: Der Koch by Martin Suter (german)
COMFORT: coming soon, upon request: handmade-to-order ceramic cups and other shapes as part of my new project “Capsules of Comfort”.