For those just tuning in, this monthly series gives readers a look into some of my simple terrestrial - and sometimes aquatic - lifestyle choices that are currently lighting me up.
I get a lot of questions about what I am eating, reading, watching, wearing, doing, being fulfilled by, etc; when I am not off on a wild adventure. So, I thought I could share in a creatively ecological way - through using sensory and seasonal dialogue.
This month is exciting because I am transitioning from winter to summer. This was written during the heavy California rainstorms, but I am arriving in New Zealand on February 14 to warm, humid sunshine.
And please enjoy this song to giggle at while reading…
Touch
Smooth sage colored nails - the once in a blue moon I get my nails done
Non-toxic Lumineux whitening toothpaste
Sight
Reading - a lot of reading has been from my new Ecopsychology certificate course (shout out to Pacifica for choosing me for their full ride scholarship)
Stealing wisdom: cultural appropriation and misrepresentation within adventure therapy and outdoor education - as someone who grew up going to summer camp, it was very enlightening to have that reminder that a lot of the outdoor games and activities were originally from indigenous cultures.
The ties that bind: an earth-based story of home. In Globalism and localization: Emergent approaches to ecological and social crises (pp. 34-53). - a compelling argument towards glocalization rather than localization or globalization for sustainability. I attached poignant quote from the chapter below:
“We have become a rootless people. The archetype of a consumer-based, western, globalized society features a collection of individuals no longer tied to place. Life goes on without meaningful interaction with the places we reside within. Home and relationships become disposable. This is a tragedy for all involved. When we disconnect from the locales of our communities – the landscape, plants, animals, our human co-inhabitants, and all living beings – we are no longer earth-based peoples. We lose the wisdom of being in relationship with land and one another. We forget our important roles as keepers of the earth, allowing earth and peoples to be exploited. We diminish our wellness and our power to enact democratic lifestyles based in community. To be rooted is to be tied to a specific place in a manner in which one’s very being arises from the soil and soul of this land. It is to be in an interconnected relationship with a specific landscape, community – one’s homeland.
Yet, if we focus solely upon our immediate community, we become unaware of the ecological and social global impacts of our existence. Very few communities meet their needs for resources within the boundaries of their bioregions. These needs are now met from a national, and more often, global supply chain that has deep economic, political, and social impacts. This chapter purports the need for a story of home that is rooted in one's local community and extends to a global worldview. It inquires into the meaning of living an earth- based existence and the importance of engaging with a localized community, while still recognizing our intrinsic ties within a global planetary awareness.”
5 ways to trip without psychedelics - I love the education about shifting consciousness and its therapeutic benefits without having to ingest a substance.
Watching
Television shows:
New Girl - just a light funny rewatch to tune out the brain
Movies
Are you there god, it’s me Margaret? - the cutest book adaptation I have seen in awhile.
Saltburn - I gave in. And let me tell you, it is a twisted, eccentric work of art. I am not sure why it is being tossed around the mainstream because it is not for the faint of heart, for people who don’t understand British humor or dabble in art films.
A Brighter Summer Day - An old intense Taiwanese art piece that delves into culture, social division and family.
Social media shout out: Steve Boyes - one of the most profound storytellers and inspiring men saving the African wilderness
Hear
Podcasts
Expanded by To Be Magnetic
The energetics of clearing space and letting go to manifest your dream life and find your authentic self.
The Rainbo Podcast
As someone who has been healing from adrenal fatigue and burnout since last year, I found these functional medicine tips to be quite useful.
Top Spotify music of this month:
Khrungabin - A Love International
Labi Siffre - Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying
Sophie Ellis Bextor - Murder on the Dancefloor (Saltburn’s fault)
Ty Segall - Three Bells (new album)
Smell
California petrichor
Diffusing eucalyptus essential oil
Taste
Silver needle white tea ceremony each morning
Matcha americano with a splash of homemade raw coconut milk
Adding ginger to everything…
February warming high protein breakfast oats recipe
1/2 cup gluten free oats
1/2 cup chickpeas
2 scoops NorCal organic pea protein
Blend up the recipe and cook on stove top with hot water or plant mylk of choice. Top with cinnamon, ginger and lots of berries.
Proprioception (trust muscle)
Transcendental meditation twice a day
Full surrender to whatever happens with no judgment
Equilibrioception (keeping balance)
Focusing on lowering and living in rhythm with my daily cortisol
Organizing my calendar for the busy months ahead
Permission for longer mornings in bed
Acupuncture
Kinaesthesia (utilizing movement)
Surfing
Stationary bike
Daily walks immersed in nature and observing the blooming viridescence
Thermoception (regulate temperature - what I am wearing)
Vintage light-wash Dickies jean overalls from my mama, Madewell basic tees, Hair Edit brown claw hair clip, 90s brown doc martens, my Grandma’s vintage chunky sweater, and Warby Parker eyeglasses
Chronoception (pass time)
Splitting time between my passion projects and monetary contract work
Finishing my recent roll of 35mm film
A spontaneous road trip to Ojai - filled with a tea ceremony, plant based food, jun kombucha, park swings, nature wanders and a spa day.
Here are my current February elemental non-negotiables I am finding nourishing:
Earth
Extra rest with no alarm
Water
Barefoot moments in the rain
Fire
New paid contracts, prepping to teach a workshop at Earth Beat, applying for big grants, developing documentary stories, pitching to publications, and my Ecopsychology graduate course (I am a busy gal!)
Air
Flying to Aotearoa
Read more on my how to connect to the four elements article.
Emergent approaches to ecological and social crises (pp. 34-53). - LOVED this