Season: Late Summer / Early Autumn
Element: Earth
Moon: Quarter
Zodiac: Gemini
Happy Sunday!
Tomorrow is the last quarter moon in adaptive Gemini. As a Gemini, I have been pretty receptive to change throughout my life. I’ve moved to and lived in seven cities around the world (Grand Rapids, Pittsburgh, Luoyang, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Paris, and Melbourne), I’ve had many different jobs (teacher, event planner, interior designer, procurement, project manager, and feng shui consultant), and I’ve worked in several sectors (hospitality, healthcare, multifamily, and residential). I always thought I was adaptable — that a major strength of mine was to integrate and change quickly. As I do the work to heal myself for longevity and wellbeing, time and time again I realize that the societal programming of scarcity is a hard mindset for me to change.
For those of you not familiar with scarcity, it is an economic concept that there is only a finite amount of resources that can be used to produce a limited amount of goods and services. A scarcity mentality refers to seeing life as a finite pie, so that if one person takes a big piece, that leaves less for everyone else. This feeling of scarcity leads to competition between people and the feeling that when one wins the other loses. Competition can be positive by generating motivation, increasing productivity, providing opportunities for personal growth, and even creating fun. But constant competition while living in a scarcity mentality, can bring about anxiety, depression, and worry. It can also lead to living inauthentically and hording the resources around you. In the past, I have had a habit of getting into a scarcity spiral when my work slows down or when I complete a project. As a small business owner, I had been programmed to plunge into worry about the next project (future) and to fret about how my previous work was received (past). One of my favorite quotes from Lao Tzu is “If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present.” So true for the scarcity spiral!
This year, I’ve been working very hard to deprogram from this scarcity spiral and to live instead in an abundance mindset. It is difficult, but worth it for my yin energy and for my overall wellbeing. An abundance mindset is the belief that there is enough wealth, happiness, and success for everyone in the world. It encourages people to approach challenges and situations with optimism and generosity. Because none of us has to fail for all of us to succeed. For some simple strategies to move from scarcity to abundance, check out Forbes’ article 5 Ways To Go From A Scarcity To Abundance Mindset.
When I am working on a big mindset change, I find it helpful to have an actionable protocol. I love a protocol because I am a doer rather than a thinker so I need tasks for integration. I was lucky enough to find the book Project 333 by Courtney Carver recently and am happy to start this abundance challenge. Per Courtney’s website, Project 333 is “the minimalist fashion challenge that invites you to dress with 33 items or less for 3 months.” It does not include things like underwear, wedding rings, workout clothes, or pajamas, but consists of 33 items that you wear out and about.
Every 3 months you can change the 33 items, so I thought it would be perfect to curate the items based on the five elemental seasons of feng shui. Since we currently are in earth, I will be choosing items that are earth tone colors and work for the late summer / early autumn weather. I will also be curating the other item collections for water, wood, fire, and metal to put into seasonal storage boxes that can be tucked away until each season arises. I have documented my 33 item collections over Instagram at cascade.feng.shui, so if you are interested have a look. Honestly, I am so excited for a closet that has space to breath, to not have to think so hard in the morning about what to wear, to truly appreciate the clothing items I have, to know for certain if I need anything else, and to feel the abundance when I open the box of the next elemental season. Although limits are often associated with scarcity, this limiting will actually lead to abundance!
If you need support, I’ll be holding the next free Rest Event on Sunday, September 1, from 1:30pm - 3:00pm. Please remember to sign-up on Eventbrite to reserve a spot and pass the links onto friends or family that may be interested. Give yourself permission to REST and spread the energy of yin. If you can’t make it, check out the other Cascade Rest Curation upcoming events at the end of the post.
Note: Rest products are still in the works, but I am leaving the paid subscriber Rest Readings, Rest Recipes, Rest Rituals, and Rest Recordings on the newsletter for a month or so. If you want to contribute, consider becoming a paid subscriber through Substack:
REST READING
Check out all of the rest reading recommendations in Resources on my Substack page.
REST RECIPE
Late summer / early autumn can bring some interesting weather changes. Here in Michigan, last week was wet and rainy, this week is dry and mild, and next week is forecasted to be a scorcher. When there is a lot of weather change, your skin can suffer. A wonderful balancer for the skin is kaolin clay, which does it all — exfoliates, detoxifies, soothes, and tightens skin, refines pores, and absorbs oil. It is the perfect skin mask ingredient for this season of earth. So here is the recipe for a Skin Balancing Mask:
1-1/2 teaspoons kaolin clay
1/2 teaspoon warm water
1/2 teaspoon tamanu oil*
Mix together the clay, water, and oil until combined. Apply for 10 minutes and rinse. NOTE: You can also seep rose petals or lavender buds in hot water for 5-10 minutes to use for the 1/2 teaspoon of warm water above. Rose soothes sensitive skin and lavender calms.
*Tamanu oil contains antioxidants, is antibacterial and antifungal, soothes eczema, heals wounds, and reduces scarring.
REST RITUAL
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the earth element is associated with worry when the energy is unbalanced. Many of us may be in throws of worry with kids starting school, seeing the many conflicts in the world, feeling the stresses of work, navigating the challenges of relationships, and agonizing over the upcoming election (this is mostly for Americans, but I know my international friends are also watching it closely). Worry can affect your physical and mental health, along with your sleep and ability to rest. A worry stone is a tool that may to cope.
Worry stones are smooth, polished gemstones, usually in the shape of an oval with a thumb-sized indentation, used for relaxation or anxiety relief. To use one, hold the stone between the index finger and thumb and gently moving the thumb back and forth across the stone. The action of moving the thumb back and forth across the stone is thought to produce calm and reduce worry. Coincidentally, the thumb is the finger associated with the earth element.
Worry stones, also known as palm stones, thumb stones, fidget stones, or soothing stones, have many origins and date back to ancient Greece, Ireland, Tibet, and Native American tribes. The concept most likely began by the simple action of picking up a smooth stone and rubbing it until the surface became smooth and worn. The rubbing motion also activates endorphins in the body, which can have a calming effect and help to relieve stress and anxiety. Psychologists sometimes call worry stones "anxiety stones" or "grounding stones" and use them to help with anxiety, PTSD, and panic attacks. If you are interested in a worry stone, there are many options to purchase online or at your local crystal shop, but this mini Chakra Worry Stone from Tiny Rituals is absolutely adorable.
Thank you so much for reading! I hope this has been enjoyable. May you have a restful start to the week.
Below are the upcoming 2024 Cascade Rest Curations (links to Eventbrite are in the titles):
Rest Event
Date: Sunday, September 1, 2024
Time: 1:30pm - 3:00pm
Location: Liebestraum Chalet, 5505 Bancroft Avenue Southeast Alto, MI 49302
Description: Guided body scan, energy clearing, vagus nerve reset, yoga nidra exercise, rest / sleep, wake up, and meditation over an hour and a half.
Cost: Free
Rest Event
Date: Sunday, October 6, 2024
Time: 1:30pm - 3:00pm
Location: Liebestraum Chalet, 5505 Bancroft Avenue Southeast Alto, MI 49302
Description: Guided body scan, energy clearing, vagus nerve reset, yoga nidra exercise, rest / sleep, wake up, and meditation over an hour and a half.
Cost: Free
Feng Shui Colors Curation
Date: Sunday, October 20, 2024
Time: 1:30pm - 3:30pm
Location: Liebestraum Chalet, 5505 Bancroft Avenue Southeast Alto, MI 49302
Description: Celebrate the colors of feng shui and discover your own personal palette.
Cost: $44.00
Rest Event
Date: Sunday, November 3, 2024
Time: 1:30pm - 3:00pm
Location: Liebestraum Chalet, 5505 Bancroft Avenue Southeast Alto, MI 49302
Description: Guided body scan, energy clearing, vagus nerve reset, yoga nidra exercise, rest / sleep, wake up, and meditation over an hour and a half.
Cost: Free
Sound + The Moon
Date: Friday, November 15, 2024
Time: 6:30pm - 8:00pm
Location: Liebestraum Chalet, 5505 Bancroft Avenue Southeast Alto, MI 49302
Description: Join Kara Markovich on the November full moon for a sound immersion using various instruments such as singing bowls, crystal bowls, and gongs to fill the space and allow you to move into a state of deep relaxation.
Cost: $55.00
Rest Event
Date: Sunday, December 1, 2024
Time: 1:30pm - 3:00pm
Location: Liebestraum Chalet, 5505 Bancroft Avenue Southeast Alto, MI 49302
Description: Guided body scan, energy clearing, vagus nerve reset, yoga nidra exercise, rest / sleep, wake up, and meditation over an hour and a half.
Cost: Free
Winter Solstice Curation
Date: Saturday, December 21, 2024
Time: 12:00pm - 3:00pm
Location: Liebestraum Chalet, 5505 Bancroft Avenue Southeast Alto, MI 49302
Description: Winter and yin themed 5 course vegetarian meal presented as a cooking demonstration by Green Fork Food to learn and feast on with a rest event after.
Cost: $125.00
And if you are interested in my feng shui and interior design services, please see my website at www.cascadefengshui.com and contact me at abby@cascadefengshui.com. I’m also on Instagram at cascade.feng.shui.