Limits
For boundaries but not for dreams
Season: Winter
Element: Water
Moon: Full
Sense: Hearing (Ears)
External Work: Bedrooms
Internal Work: Fear (Imbalance) & Calmness (Balance)
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I will also be hosting my third Substack Live on Thursday, March 5, 2026, from 1:00pm - 1:30pm EST for a Qi Gong Practice. The 30 minute practice will consist of a relaxing yet energizing set of movements focused on the energies of the Full Worm Moon. I will also be putting the video up for FREE that evening for those of you who are not able to make it in the afternoon. The video will go into the paid feed the following day, so don’t miss out by becoming a paid subscriber:
Tomorrow is the Full Worm Moon Lunar Eclipse in the feng shui element of water and the season of winter here in the Northern Hemisphere. This lunar eclipse will be total, so prepare to be illuminated to your limits. We are all being called, as Natalie Miles channeled in her March 2026 Energy Forecast, to “honor the limits, acknowledge when you’ve reached your limits, and [know] when the sky is the limit.” This is boundary work and it is still so very important. Speaking of boundaries, this full moon marks the end of the Chinese New Year transition energy and the end of this winter’s eclipse season. (The next eclipse season will be in August.)
I’ve been thinking a lot about my limits since the start of the year. This week in particular I need to honor my limits. I was hoping to start Qi Gong Practices every Tuesday and Thursday this week, but unfortunately due to my schedule the Qi Gong Practice will only be on Thursday. There just is not enough energy currently to do more — I need to honor this and create a limit. It is important to consider the following when honoring your limits:
Recognize your personal physical, emotional, and mental capacities to avoid burnout, anxiety, and overcommitment.
Say “no” without guilt.
Communicate boundaries clearly to yourself and others and stay consistent with them.
I want these Qi Gong Practices to bring joy but never be a chore, so I need to listen to my physical signals (exhaustion or fatigue) and emotional cues (resentment or dread) to ensure that I am prioritizing well-being over overcommitment. So, I need to honor my limits and understand that this week I am only able to do one. This allows me to stay in a positive energy state and also gives me the space to be creative with another project I am hoping to complete. More on that to come.
This weekend, I also acknowledged that I’ve reached my limits on many things going on in this world. Waking up on Saturday to the news that the United States of America is now at war with Iran was very energetically depleting and put me into a chaotic frame of mind. I’ve said this before, but I will say it again, I cannot believe that wars are still happening in 2026. It boggles my mind that we are still operating with such archaic ways of thinking about power (might is right). The energy of war and destruction typically does not lead to lasting peace, but rather initiates cycles of trauma, economic collapse, and deep-seated division. I truly hope for the best, since I believe the Iranian people deserve their freedom, but the unknowns here are many and I’ve reached my limit on war. See the Rest Ritual below if you feel the same.
Even though it is really important have boundaries, we need areas in our lives where the sky is the limit — meaning no boundaries. Here are some of these areas for you to ponder:
Potential - there is always energy to expand and capacity to learn. In qi gong, we have three dantians which are defined as elixir fields where energy can continually be cultivated. The lower dantian connects to the body, the middle dantian connects to the heart, and the upper dantian connects to the mind or spirit. We can always strive to improve the energy in all three of the dantians to move towards a healthier and more balanced life.
Personal Growth - we can always grow and evolve as we go through life. It is important not to get stuck in old ways of thinking or limited mindsets. Like potential, this area involves continuous learning, but also includes self improvement and personal development.
Creativity - the ability to generate original, valuable, and innovative ideas or solutions is endless. To me, there is no greater pursuit than creating something unique to me and, in some way, useful or valuable. Creativity is one of my values, so I am happy that it is endless. There is something so delicious about having infinite options.
Resilience - the ability to adapt to, overcome, and grow from difficult experiences, stress, and adversity is a necessity in this ever changing world. As we move through this time of chaos, I am very interested to see what comes out of resilience. Even though I don’t love war (like I mentioned above), the stories of resilience from the Ukrainian people are awe-inspiring to me. They continue to stay, support, build, and survive in the harshest of times.
Dreams - we should never limit our dreams. Instead we can expand our reality to match them, as imagination is the source of all major breakthroughs. We need dreamers now more than ever because it is time to do things differently and that will mean thinking outside the box. Here is a quote that I think sums it up:
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
-Eleanor Roosevelt
Through this Substack I am dreaming of a different world, so thank you for dreaming along with me.
Rest Reading
Check out all of the rest reading recommendations in Resources on my Substack page.
Rest Recipe
After making Jamie Oliver’s Winter Veg Coleslaw last week, I ended up with quite a bit of leftovers. I’m very into no waste, so I decided to bring out the Cuisinart and whiz up some bean burgers to use this week and to freeze for later. So here is my recipe for Cabbage & Cilantro Black Bean Burgers:
1/2 portion of Winter Veg Coleslaw
2 cans of black beans*
1 cup cilantro
1 egg
2 cups corn meal
Salt and pepper, to taste
In a food processor, blend together all of the above ingredients. Form into patties (small and/or large) and bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 45 minutes until firm. To serve, fry in a pan until both sides of the patty are browned. I like to serve mine on a lavash with aioli, microgreens, tomato, and avocado.
*Black beans are excellent for sleep, as they are rich in magnesium, potassium, and tryptophan, which help relax the body, regulate melatonin, and improve sleep quality.
Rest Ritual
If you have reached your limit on war just like me, try this technique from Cara Bradley from her article The Power of Pause to reset and reframe your energy after encountering events we cannot control:
Place your feet on the floor and your hand on your thighs, and close your eyes. And if you’re driving, just keep your eyes steady
For a moment, bring your attention way down to your feet. Just notice your feet on the ground, notice your seat in the chair, notice your hands on your legs.
Now find your heart beating, find your pulse somewhere in your body. Bring your mind, your attention, into your body as quickly as possible.
Now place a light attention on the natural rhythm of your breath. With your mind resting on your breath, you may start to notice a sense of ease. You may start to notice, as you exhale fully, that there’s a little bit less tension. A little bit less noise.
There’s not much to do when all you need to do for the next few moments is notice your feet, notice your hands, notice your heartbeat and notice your breath, landing on any one of those areas in your body is just perfect. A perfect way to take a pause.
And now open your eyes if they have been closed and just notice what a few moment of pause can do. Our bodies are magnificent, brilliant, stabilizing systems when we give our body and our mind the opportunity to balance and align.
Please pass this Substack onto a friend or family member to broaden this amazing CRC community and to give the gift of rest to those who need it. As Tricia Hersey writes in her aptly named book, Rest is Resistance.
If you would like to hold a Rest Curation in your local community, please email me at abby@cascadefengshui.com for the script and music information. Or email me if you would like to organize a private pop-up Rest Curation for friends, family, or colleagues.
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.