What a great perspective: "...for the reminder that even when we aren’t yet where we want to be... there’s still beauty to be found in the journey of getting there. There’s beauty in the blue of distance".
I have trouble being patient in the middle of a journey, when there are unknowns and endless possibilities. I had a vision 2 weeks ago that I was in the middle of a flurry of butterflies taking off. I described it to my husband as chaos - not being able to tell one butterfly apart from the other and desperately wanting them to all land and settle; thinking that the landing of the butterflies would help me get my bearings.
My husband told me that this is not the case at all. The only butterfly that takes off as a group is the monarch butterfly. And the explosive action is not a sign of transformation, they have already turned into butterflies. Nothing new is going on. Rather, this group soul of harmonized movement is an instinctive knowing that the next phase in life has come, the time for migration. Migration is a time of united action. No one flies into anyone, and they fly together, as a group, knowing that some will be sacrificed on the edge, eaten by predators, to protect the majority of the group. It is magnetic, a soul murmuring, and they are guided by the aura or energetic force from each other butterfly around them.
It really helped me reframe my vision. And this reminder to see the beauty in the journey is another reminder to stop and enjoy rather than grasping anything to move forward.
Amanda, this is all so fascinating to read and learn about -- thank you so much (and thank you to your husband as well!) for taking the time to share it. I have a feeling that there might even be an illustrated essay on monarchs in the future of Dandelion Seeds :)
I'm also so grateful to hear that what I shared here today connected with where you're at on your own path. I could not understand more with feeling impatient in the middle of a journey -- Jose and I are in the middle of some life changes right now as well, and it's amazing how easy it is to slip into the mindset of wishing everything was sorted and solved already.
Thank you so much again for reading and sharing, and please know I'm sending you lots of thoughts for peace and trust in the unfolding of your journey 🦋
Ah, Candace, your words of encouragement truly minister to my heart.
Can't wait to see a (possible) monarch illustrated essay!! As I was typing that story, I was envisioning the flight coming to life through your illustration. Excited to see what comes next for you! Until then, we sit and hold space for the change to unfold as it will ;)
Gorgeous! Solnit’s words take my breath away every time. That’s one of my favorite books. I would love to be able to share an image in this comment - that deep blue line is the same I’ve painted my way into observing at a serene, special place called Brewster Flats on Cape Cod. (Indigo+ultramarine in my watercolors) I love that it brings you joy. And me, as well, looking at your painting and hearing about your process. Thank you!
Ahh, I'm so glad to hear you love "A Field Guide to Getting Lost" too, Julie -- it's such a powerful book, and so many lines have stayed with me over the years.
And yes! It would be great to have the option to share photos in a comment on Substack (especially as artists), maybe that's something we'll be able to do one day :) Until then, I would still love to see your paintings of Brewster Flats -- they sound beautiful, and I loved hearing that we share a love for the indigo blue of distance! If you'd like to email them to me, my address is candacerardon@gmail.com.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read and say hello today, it's lovely to hear from you! 🤍
Hi Joanne, I'm not sure what phone you have, but once you click on one of the download buttons above on an iPhone for example, you should have the option to save the image to your phone, and then you can go and select it as your wallpaper. Please let me know if that helps, and thanks so much as well for your kind words -- they mean a lot! 🤍
Ooo, I read this in another newsletter, and I had to share it to this thread!
"I'm not here to give you a pep talk about "enjoying the journey". The truth is, freelance life is a pain in the ass. As soon as you find your flow, some client decides to change things, and you have to deal with it. And then you're so busy helping clients make great products that you never seem to have time to market yourself. One way to make this less painful is to accept the fact that your business, like your life, is constantly evolving. Any balance and harmony you achieve is temporary. It's like this quote from Maya Angelou: "Success is liking yourself, liking what you do and liking how you do it." "
I was reading about the archetype of the Death Mother this morning in the book "Belonging" by Toko-pa Turner. The scarcity and unworthiness that the Death Mother breeds is also a direct attack on the feminine. The Death Mother says we need status. She is always hungry and never satiated. What we do is never enough; she is never proud of us and we never fulfil her expectations. In culture, the Death Mother encourages us to climb the corporate ladder, stay in the relationship for the status it gives us, rape and pillage the earth as if resources are infinite. The Death Mother has no room for rest, enoughness, "being" over doing, sensuality, creativity or fullness.
This morning read was a struggle for me, because it put me in the drivers seat. For years, I've worked to fix everyone else, never slowing to invest the time with myself (which is very different than on myself which would include self care like a bath or massage. Spending time with myself is sitting in undistracted stillness and turning away from the constant addiction for a project or challenge or innovation).
On my journey to create community, I've known that I first need to find belonging in myself. Otherwise I will still never believe that I am enough. Apparently it's been a year that I've tossed this idea around of first ministering to myself. It was exactly a year ago that I recorded a podcast episode on this topic (it's only 15 minutes if you have a moment to listen: https://soulyogaretreat.substack.com/p/004-the-desire-to-be-seen-and-ministering-8cf#details).
How would you say your journey in belonging to yourself - how is it going?
What a great perspective: "...for the reminder that even when we aren’t yet where we want to be... there’s still beauty to be found in the journey of getting there. There’s beauty in the blue of distance".
I have trouble being patient in the middle of a journey, when there are unknowns and endless possibilities. I had a vision 2 weeks ago that I was in the middle of a flurry of butterflies taking off. I described it to my husband as chaos - not being able to tell one butterfly apart from the other and desperately wanting them to all land and settle; thinking that the landing of the butterflies would help me get my bearings.
My husband told me that this is not the case at all. The only butterfly that takes off as a group is the monarch butterfly. And the explosive action is not a sign of transformation, they have already turned into butterflies. Nothing new is going on. Rather, this group soul of harmonized movement is an instinctive knowing that the next phase in life has come, the time for migration. Migration is a time of united action. No one flies into anyone, and they fly together, as a group, knowing that some will be sacrificed on the edge, eaten by predators, to protect the majority of the group. It is magnetic, a soul murmuring, and they are guided by the aura or energetic force from each other butterfly around them.
It really helped me reframe my vision. And this reminder to see the beauty in the journey is another reminder to stop and enjoy rather than grasping anything to move forward.
Amanda, this is all so fascinating to read and learn about -- thank you so much (and thank you to your husband as well!) for taking the time to share it. I have a feeling that there might even be an illustrated essay on monarchs in the future of Dandelion Seeds :)
I'm also so grateful to hear that what I shared here today connected with where you're at on your own path. I could not understand more with feeling impatient in the middle of a journey -- Jose and I are in the middle of some life changes right now as well, and it's amazing how easy it is to slip into the mindset of wishing everything was sorted and solved already.
Thank you so much again for reading and sharing, and please know I'm sending you lots of thoughts for peace and trust in the unfolding of your journey 🦋
Ah, Candace, your words of encouragement truly minister to my heart.
Can't wait to see a (possible) monarch illustrated essay!! As I was typing that story, I was envisioning the flight coming to life through your illustration. Excited to see what comes next for you! Until then, we sit and hold space for the change to unfold as it will ;)
Gorgeous! Solnit’s words take my breath away every time. That’s one of my favorite books. I would love to be able to share an image in this comment - that deep blue line is the same I’ve painted my way into observing at a serene, special place called Brewster Flats on Cape Cod. (Indigo+ultramarine in my watercolors) I love that it brings you joy. And me, as well, looking at your painting and hearing about your process. Thank you!
Ahh, I'm so glad to hear you love "A Field Guide to Getting Lost" too, Julie -- it's such a powerful book, and so many lines have stayed with me over the years.
And yes! It would be great to have the option to share photos in a comment on Substack (especially as artists), maybe that's something we'll be able to do one day :) Until then, I would still love to see your paintings of Brewster Flats -- they sound beautiful, and I loved hearing that we share a love for the indigo blue of distance! If you'd like to email them to me, my address is candacerardon@gmail.com.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read and say hello today, it's lovely to hear from you! 🤍
Beautiful. And super generous of you!
Thank you, Medha! 🤍
Divine timing. I bought a new phone 2 days ago and was just searching for a wallpaper image! Thanks for your generosity with your work ❤️
Ohh, that makes me so happy to hear, Vicki -- what perfect timing indeed :) Thanks so much for your kind words, and I so hope you enjoy the artwork! 🤍
Just out of curiosity, where do these images download to?
And also, I love your work. It’s beautiful and poignant.
Hi Joanne, I'm not sure what phone you have, but once you click on one of the download buttons above on an iPhone for example, you should have the option to save the image to your phone, and then you can go and select it as your wallpaper. Please let me know if that helps, and thanks so much as well for your kind words -- they mean a lot! 🤍
Not sure if it’s just for me, but the link for Download #2 seems to carry through to the same image as for Download #1
Ah! Thank you so much for catching that, the right link should be there now 🙏
Ooo, I read this in another newsletter, and I had to share it to this thread!
"I'm not here to give you a pep talk about "enjoying the journey". The truth is, freelance life is a pain in the ass. As soon as you find your flow, some client decides to change things, and you have to deal with it. And then you're so busy helping clients make great products that you never seem to have time to market yourself. One way to make this less painful is to accept the fact that your business, like your life, is constantly evolving. Any balance and harmony you achieve is temporary. It's like this quote from Maya Angelou: "Success is liking yourself, liking what you do and liking how you do it." "
I was reading about the archetype of the Death Mother this morning in the book "Belonging" by Toko-pa Turner. The scarcity and unworthiness that the Death Mother breeds is also a direct attack on the feminine. The Death Mother says we need status. She is always hungry and never satiated. What we do is never enough; she is never proud of us and we never fulfil her expectations. In culture, the Death Mother encourages us to climb the corporate ladder, stay in the relationship for the status it gives us, rape and pillage the earth as if resources are infinite. The Death Mother has no room for rest, enoughness, "being" over doing, sensuality, creativity or fullness.
This morning read was a struggle for me, because it put me in the drivers seat. For years, I've worked to fix everyone else, never slowing to invest the time with myself (which is very different than on myself which would include self care like a bath or massage. Spending time with myself is sitting in undistracted stillness and turning away from the constant addiction for a project or challenge or innovation).
On my journey to create community, I've known that I first need to find belonging in myself. Otherwise I will still never believe that I am enough. Apparently it's been a year that I've tossed this idea around of first ministering to myself. It was exactly a year ago that I recorded a podcast episode on this topic (it's only 15 minutes if you have a moment to listen: https://soulyogaretreat.substack.com/p/004-the-desire-to-be-seen-and-ministering-8cf#details).
How would you say your journey in belonging to yourself - how is it going?
Thank you for writing these beautiful sentiments and painting them for us! Your kindness and love of being alive shone through your words!!