Late Winter Update 🗻
Hi friends and family,
Greetings from Weed, CA (real name of town)! I’m writing to you on land that has long been stewarded by the Karuk people, who are still here.
I want to share some updates as I’m halfway through the winter incubator experience.
By this point I was hoping to have published several essays. Alas, I have started many, yet completed none. I’m struck by the potency of the writing practice. How it not only helps process experiences and integrate lessons of the past, but also serves as a powerful mirror, that can shift one’s way of being, and then in turn shape the writing, in a never ending origami dance.
Example A: Through writing a Siempo Postmortem and an inquiry into the Path of the Humane Technologist, I’ve realized how some fundamental mindsets have prevented me from experiencing life more clearly and fully, which directly informs how I create things in the world. By permissioning myself to practice slowing down even further, I’ve been able to experience deeper levels of embodiment, presence, balance and wholeness. It may sound counter intuitive in our fast paced digital world, but I think there is something important to slowness, at least for me.
Example B: Through writing a retrospective on my experience with One Nation, I’m understanding how phenomena like savior complex and patriarchy can recreate the same ugly patterns that our work aims to transcend. By educating myself on decolonization and observing the thoughts I’ve recorded over the years (through a stack of notebooks and endless scroll of voice notes), I’ve been able to better track the connections between the injustices of the past and the great challenges of our time, at the personal and collective levels.
Example C: This incubator is teaching me how to bring something creative into the world in its natural timing. In November I thought I would write a book, then in December I wondered about an online course, January a blog post testing the concept of that course, February an invitation to join a small community of practice for creating in regenerative ways.. Now I don’t know! Maybe it’s a combination of some of those things, or nothing at all. Through engaging in cycles of exploration (writing and studying) and stepping away (contemplation), I feel like I’m getting closer to the thing that I actually want to do in the next phase of my life, that embodies the essence of what I need to learn in order to teach, and that naturally fits into the needs of life on Earth, including my own. Something about a doula for ideas, personalized learning journeys, in-person in-nature coaching, ritual practices and technology to support integration.. (If that speaks to you, let’s chat! I’m interested in designing some experiences up here for others this spring)
All of this writing and reflection has given me a greater appreciation for how any project I work on can be such a powerful teacher. I don’t think I could have fully received many of the lessons of Siempo, One Nation and other engagements without taking a step back and embarking on this writing journey.
Meanwhile, I have been relished in birdwatching excursions (new favorite bird = the American Kestrel), wandering the hills, snowshoeing, cold plunges, evening fires, good sleep, cultivating a real Shabbat practice. I’ve enjoyed books like Forty Rules of Love (Rumi), Here All Along (Judaism), Hind Swaraj (Gandhi), Braiding Sweetgrass (indigenous wisdom), The Effective Choice (philosophy), and podcasts like Judaism Unbound and For The Wild. This winter has been filled with themes of ancestry, scripture, seasons, land stewardship, dancing, sensuality, reflection. Here are some more photos I’ve taken.
For the remainder of my time here, I look forward to learning more from the land. Going on more adventures to places like Lassen, Humboldt, Eugene and Bend. Tying up the writing pieces that are ready to go. Testing new types of professional offerings. Maintaining a balance of information input and output. Being honest with myself when my body is overwhelmed. Paying attention to where I can give a little more.
Thank you for your patience and understanding as I’ve held off on scheduling catch ups and attending digital gatherings. I really look forward to reconnecting. It seems like where we focus our attention now is more important than ever. I intend on giving more to the relationships that are meaningful to me in the coming times.
Love,
Andrew