Hello Beautiful Friend,
If you’re reading this (or hearing this - I really recommend listening to the audio for this post if possible), thank you for sharing a part of your day or night here and welcome in. Get cozy for a moment.
I want to go back in time a bit - go back to the start of November so that I can tell you about this deep practice I’ve been in.
This is my third year intentionally celebrating “energetic new year” at Samhain, Halloween, October 31st. What I mean by “energetic new year” is that at the end of October/start of November, I intentionally walk into this time portal many cultures (in the Northern Hemisphere to my limited knowledge) have called in one name or another a time of “the hinning of the veils”. For me, this means one thing has gone, and the next thing is unknown, or has not come into form yet.
Maybe you are here too my friend, in the time between times. Maybe you’ve walked here intentionally, or maybe you’ve been dragged here. Maybe you too are geographically experiencing mid-fall, or maybe on the inside you are in that hollow place between projects, knowings, loves, life stages, dreams. For me, it is many of the above.
This is my third year intentionally celebrating this time, holding it separate by “ending” this past year, and not yet beginning the next.
And this year, I got really serious about this practice/celebration. I’m tearful writing that because maybe it sounds easy. Maybe it sounds nice, like a retreat, and from where I sit writing this to you now it is very nice - but I met so many fears to arrive here - at this place between places.
I stopped over-giving and met the fear: “what if I’m not wanted?”.
I stopped commitments that my heart wasn’t in anymore, that felt obligatory: “what if I lose momentum in what I’ve worked for?”.
I paused teaching for the first time since March 2020: “what if no one wants to come back?”.
I got serious this year because I recognized something:
While Burnout has been and continues to be an important teacher to me, I feel I’m ready to see other teachers. I’m tired of learning this lesson over and over again. I’m ready to learn new ones.
So, the past few weeks, I am sitting in the dark more. I have spent multiple consecutive evening dreaming of what could be next. And most importantly, I have spent every morning and every evening bringing my life force into my body and listening to her.
So, in my third spiral with what one of my teachers calls “Slow-vember” I’ve sparked this curiosity I want to share with you…
What if every year we got slower?
Slower?! Morgan are you crazy?!! I’m ready to go faster!
Me too! (In fact, one of the intentions, the mantras that birthed Postcards and Full Circle was me repeating to the universe “I am ready to go faster”)
But hear me out:
What if every year we had more time?
(Paradoxical right?)
Because the slower we move, the more we can feel. It’s a paradox I know, but when we slow down, we are creating more time to feel.
If you have a moment, I’d like to show you what I mean:
If you feel safe to do so, close your eyes or soften your gaze
Lay one hand on your lap, or on a surface or on the floor so your hand isn’t suspended, but supported, your palm facing up.
Now, very slowly, begin to open and close your hand, so your fingers come away from your palm, and towards it again. Just really softly and really small, not making a fist, not making any work for yourself at all. Maybe it’s so small a movement someone sitting across from you wouldn’t be able to tell your moving your hand at all.
Do that a few times. Very slowly. Feeling your hand open and close, like a jelly fish moves in the water.
Feel that as you open your hand, just that small little bit, like you are opening a space in your belly for your breath.
Feel if your fingers come apart from one another.
Feel the shape of air in your palm change.
Then pause your hand. And open your eyes.
Do you feel what I mean? Whether you felt lovely bathing in attention and sensation, or whether that felt excruciating and like you had 3,000 thoughts in that few minutes, can you feel how your movement (and quality of attention) literally changes how you experience time?
So, this has been my practice, this intentionally slowing down and listening to what’s already here. Because - despite my stated intention of being able to plan ahead when I can’t plan - I am looking onto a blank unknown year ahead. And before plans undoubtedly come into form, I am taking this time to listen to energy.
Below are some fruitful questions I’ve asked myself - and even some excerpts from my own process to help inspire yours. Happy November friend, happy “energetic new year” and all my love.
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Listening Questions:
(Please note: these can be internals or externals. I.e. “leadership” could me taking on an external role, or claiming authority over some aspect of your life)
What am I ready to experience? What experiences do I crave?
What values will shape the year?
Where am I being called into leadership?
Where am I being called into “studentship”?
What support am I calling in?
Snippets from my own process:
Full Circle | Time Between Times