I'm curious to learn how life's going for you right now?
I'm also curious to learn how this lands with you, what I'm about to share.
I wrote it kind of like a poem.
Perhaps you'll feel called to mull it around within you? Or respond in some way? Let's find out!
life can be experienced and thought of as a marathon
or a sprint.
a project can be experienced and thought of like that too.
a tough time in one's life could be, too. like moving through a challenging process can be experienced as a marathon – there is an end at some point in the future, even if it can't be seen right now.
it can be incredibly helpful to shift from sprint to marathon thinking
and sometimes it can be incredibly helpful to shift from marathon into sprint thinking
the thing is, both are races. they both have elements of competition, pre-determined starts and endings, markers along the way delineating how far along one is.
life can also be experienced and thought of as a journey or a destination (like setting goals or new year's resolutions).
it's not the destination that matters, it's the journey
but... or rather, and...
life may actually, in fact, be cycles of patterns.
cycles of patterns... they could be tired patterns, they could be refreshed patterns. whichever they are, they're patterns with rhythm and repetition.
breakfast, lunch, dinner, some snacks
sleeping, waking, napping, daydreaming, flow stating
hormonal cycles
growing cycles
relationship cycles
seasonal cycles
archetypal cycles
and patterns galore, patterns galore within each cycle
maybe it seemed scary in the past to witness (my) life as a cycle of patterns because the leading patterns in my life felt constrictive, too overwhelming, and too familiar that I hadn't wanted to acknowledge this reality.
like a scratchy wool sweater, some parts too tight, other parts too floppy and loose. the leading voice within me wanting to find any which exacerbated way of getting. this. sweater. off. me.
maybe it's because I've been in a process of welcoming new patterns in that I can acknowledge this reality. maybe it's because many I'm around on a regular basis have also been in a process of welcoming new patterns in that we can acknowledge this reality.
(or maybe they're not new patterns? maybe they were awake in younger years – or even five months ago – have been laying dormant for awhile and are waking up again / now?)
we live within a cycle of patterns. we die within a cycle of patterns. we live on within others' cycle of patterns. here is a whole lot of expansive choice about what kinds of patterns we each accept to be the rhythms of our breaths, days, months, years. and what kinds of patterns we share with the others in our lives. and they share with us.
Some questions I'm dancing with:
- how are patterns similar to and different than rituals, habits, routines?
- what are real, tangible cycles I experience on a moment to moment basis? daily basis? weekly? lunar cycle-ly? monthly? seasonally? annually? every seven years? every decade? every twenty years?
- how do predictability, spontaneity, synchronicity, surprise, and the unknown play with cycles and patterns?
- life is so vast, how does one's perspective shift as one lives? through all the cycles – or all the races?
Maybe you want to dance with these, too?
1. how you can be with me
This time I'm simply including how you can be with me because, well, it's what's currently happening! Sharing simply this one helps me ease back into sharing current happenings, too.
You are invited to join Moment of Slow, a new Be With Cassandra 'experiment in belonging'! It's been designed with you in mind and in heart.
Moment of Slow meets you where you are and moves with you through your year.
Moment of Slow comes to you in the form of 26 invitations – via a private podcast and emailed notes, a new invitation is shared every other Monday over the 52 weeks of the year.
Moment of Slow could feel like 26 strolls with a friend through the forest – or 26 bench sits in a park if that's more your thing. And it would kindly put them all on your calendar in one fell swoop so they happen in a gentle, dependable rhythm.
When you choose to join Moment of Slow, you receive:
- access to a private podcast with fortnightly (aka every other week) Monday morning episode releases
- upon each episode release, an email arrives with (1) the episode transcript so you have the choice to read or listen, (2) further support written by me in relation to the episode topic and what's alive in the present moment, and (3) open access to discuss the episode with fellow Moment of Slow participants and me
Each episode is between one and ten minutes. Each episode is unscripted and unedited with the clear intention of offering one human's synchronistic noticings directly to another human – you. Each episode is recorded outdoors, and includes a unique prompt, which I call a touchstone or an invitation. Each episode is designed in relationship with the natural world, my inner worlds, and outer world experiences. Ernest, the dog I call kin, often makes sweet appearances.
If you're curious to discover more about Moment of Slow:
- listen to or read this sneak preview episode
- read all about Moment of Slow on the offer page
I'm offering Moment of Slow with three sliding scale payment options: $30, $60, and $90 for the whole year. All the details can be found on the offer page!
As you read the details, you'll discover surprises along the way.
One of those surprises is that I'm also offering those who choose to join Moment of Slow the option of also joining in Slow Writing Creative Partnerships with me. The Slow Writing Creative Partnership will offer those who desire to move more deeply into the slow and intentional invitations shared through Moment of Slow. I'm offering the Slow Writing Creative Partnership as a 3 month container at $550.
I connect with the Slow Writing Creative Partnership through a role I'm calling Creative Partner. I am in a continual state of co-designing this role to, at its center, serve as a creative sounding board.
Given that, the Slow Writing Creative Partnership is a private container for you to be witnessed and have your words reverberate off the page, growing even more tangible as they are shared with me.
The Slow Writing Creative Partnership centers handwriting letters back and forth, between you and me. Within the 3 month container, you write three letters to me and I respond to each, summing up to me writing three letters to you. Also included are two 30 minute live connections for the two of us to synchronously dive in to slowness and intentionality.
Oh and I can't forget – you receive a welcome package with all the letter writing supplies you need to send the three letters to me – including three stamps if you're located within the US. :-)
I majorly do not jive with people who are not up front about the details – monetary, magical, logistical, and otherwise – about their offerings. It is my hope that my upfront-ness is shared clearly and with a sweet openness that welcomes you in.
The first quarterly open enrollment window for Moment of Slow opens today – with you being the very first to know – and closes on January 31, 2023. I'll tuck small reminders about it into this emailed note while the window is open.
I'm happy to be in conversation with you about Moment of Slow at any point. Reach out with questions if and when you feel called. Sign up and join if you resonate and feel ready.
If you're like, "uh huh, yeah, I don't need to know anything more, sign me up right now!" click this link and you'll be guided directly to the three sliding scale payment options:
If you're curious but not ready yet, I recommend reading the offer page and listening to or reading the preview.
You can also sign up to receive reminders when each quarterly enrollment window opens and closes through this year. You can join Moment of Slow at any point during any quarterly open enrollment window!
🐚 May we weave our un-re-learnings together to design beautiful messes, messy beauties, and juicy experimental belongings 🐚
Til next week, friend of the slow cycler,
Cassandra