Beloveds,

For years (forever?! LOL), I have felt that I have what I call “productivity dysmorphia”…

Which is to say that I consistently tend to believe that I can/should/will do more in the time allotted than I am likely to do.

For some folks it’s the other way around, and they believe that they can accomplish less than they can.

Either way, our relationship to time, our brains and bodies, and this earth seem to be… a little out-of-sync with reality.

Healing this pattern has required me to sink in deeper to explore and honor my *true* pace, and has been a path of de-conditioning my relationship with time and with myself.

The more I sink into my own rhythms – my own pace – the more I realize that who I am is not getting in the way of creating, it is the genius of my unique way of creating.

And honestly? That sounds beautiful, but it’s hard AF to fully embrace.

Because in subtle and not-so-subtle ways, we are taught throughout our lives that our pace is just plain wrong.

I already see it in my own kids, as I rush them out the door, or try to get them to stop moving their bodies around to fall asleep…

Hurry up.
Settle down.

Unless we opt-out of society, some of this push to pace differently is unavoidable.

And sometimes we are in-sync with a pace that is not actually our *true* pace.

…So how do we know if we are moving at our true pace, or if we are hustling or in resistance?

How to cultivate + trust the genius of your true pace…

1. Sink into awe and reverence (then trust) of nature’s pace

3 years ago, I started gardening with gusto. Our yard is quite large, and I have 6 giant garden areas plus a greenhouse. There is a lot to maintain and tend, and each year I look outside in February and feel daunted by the coming task of bringing the garden back to life.

When the weather was sufficiently hospitable, I’d trudge out in my boots onto the soggy land and start clearing away the debris from the winter. After, the gardens would look strikingly barren, and I would often find myself feeling incredulous at the possibility of a comeback…

And every year, come March, buds would start sprouting on the surely-dead branches, sprouts would emerge from the still-soggy soil, and within months I would have a Jurassic garden once again.

Developing a close relationship with nature – not just as a concept, but as an actual place with actual living plants and trees that I have actual relationships with – has helped me to sink into awe and reverence…and then a deep, abiding trust…of nature’s pace.

Without me doing anything, the world keeps turning and Spring always comes. When I remember that I am nature, too, I find a deeper trust in my ebbs and flows as well.

2. Practice moving DEEPER instead of faster or slower

“Not fast, not slow, just steady” is a phrase my 7-year-old says out loud to himself often. I’ve been saying it to him for years, in the moments when I would be trying to hustle him (usually out the door) and his little brain and body would become overwhelmed. In those moments, I would have to catch myself and realize that I was creating those feelings in him. So together, we would breathe and say “Not fast, not slow, just steady”.

This is a tiny example of what it means to move deeper, instead of faster or slower.

Dropping-in-and-down.
Beginning with a prayer.
Lighting a candle and taking 5 slow breaths.
Savoring the meal and the kiss.
Taking a moment to stretch.
Basking in the sun.

When our systems are steady, we are more true.
When we are more true, we are more clear.

3. Discern resistance against nature from resistance against domination

If I fertilize a plant in the deep winter, give it artificial light and will it to bloom, and it doesn’t… it is not resisting nature, it is resisting my domination.

If I try to force my eyes open as I am drifting to sleep, or force my body to open to someone it is closing to, and I can’t… I am not resisting nature, I am resisting my domination.

Conversely, if I am angry at the cherry blossoms for blooming in the spring, or I am holding back my truth or hiding my gifts… I am not resisting domination, I am resisting nature.

Listening to and following the flow of nature, both inside and outside of us, is how we can find The Way.

4. Be devoted to cultivating the conditions that support your true pace, as much as possible

• How much sleep do you need to wake feeling nourished and refreshed?
• How long do you need to prepare for a big project launch?
• What nourishment and beauty support you to more naturally tap into your creative flow?
• Who do you need in your corner, guiding and encouraging you, as you do the brave but necessary things to birth your work in a way that works for you – your body, creative flow, and life?

When we consciously and generously give ourselves what we need, as often as possible, it conditions us to respect our process and trust our pace.

5. Be devoted to moving at your true pace, as much as possible

Whenever we can now, and as we move into deeper relationship with our true pace, we ought to look for every possible opportunity to move at our true pace.

It’s an act of resistance to the domination of empire and the coercion of capitalism that live both outside of us, and inside of us. “Do not throttle, flow.” – Mo Ismail

6. Celebrate things that come to you as a result of moving at your true pace

What we reinforce, repeats. Berating ourselves for less-than-hoped-for results, or not doing things as big or fast as others, leaves us feeling insecure and inadequate.

Instead, consciously look for things you can celebrate about moving at your true pace, and celebrate the hell out of them. This reinforces that our pace is beautiful and worth honoring.

We are not machines, beloveds, we are fleshy wonder in a hectic world, and we need and deserve great care.

Exploring + deepening + creating at our own true pace is core to the work we do inside DEVOTED.

Enrollment closes on Sunday, and we have a payment plan for $111/month

This is a collection of my deepest work
12 weeks of exploration (plus 1 year of ongoing group coaching + gathering), where we…

Make offerings to the soul of your work

Commune with the Ancestors who are kin with the work you’re bringing forward

Reclaim ancestral gifts

Gather for a womb clearing to become a vessel for creation

Craft altars of deep remembrance

Craft a marriage ritual to devote fully to your sacred work

Create a birth cave to honor your work

Learn to create from the erotic edge of your aliveness

Practice anointing yourself, to remember your wisdom

Explore the emerging work that wants to come through, and how to do it in a way that does not extract from your body or from others

…and so much more.

We just added an extended 12-month payment plan for $111/month

You can read all about it here, and if you join, I look forward to deepening with you over the coming months.

With deep devotion,