Patterns
Bigger pictures within the collective
Season: Spring
Element: Wood
Moon: Quarter
Sense: Sight (Eyes)
External Work: Office / Workout Areas
Internal Work: Anger (Imbalance) & Patience (Balance)
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I will also be hosting a Substack Live on Thursday, May 21, 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 yin. 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:
Finally, I will be hosting a feng shui workshop at The Leslie Studio, 4290 Cascade Rd. SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546, on Saturday, June 20, 2026 from 10am - 11:30am. The workshop will feature the five elements and tips and tricks on how to apply them in your space and life. We will also be celebrating the summer solstice! Reserve a spot by contacting The Leslie Studio via phone at 616-942-9322 or their website.
Saturday is the first quarter moon in the feng shui element of wood and the season of spring here in the Northern Hemisphere. First quarter moons are all about refocusing and today I thought I would share some of the patterns I am focusing on in 2026 per what I am observing in the collective. In Human Design, I am a projector and with this comes the ability to clearly see the bigger picture and how patterns are naturally unfolding. I know I have written about some of these patterns before, but I am really feeling called to share some of what I have been discussing with friends of late that are like-minded:
“We are already living in the zombie apocalypse.” (from my friend Katelyn) - I think we can all agree that technology is changing us. Since the rise of the iPhone in 2007, humans have been sinking deeper and deeper into a digital age and with this has come an era of loneliness, division, and anger. So many people are spending a majority of their time on technology in the pursuit of numbing and quick dopamine hits. Rage and hatred have become normalized, AI relationships are gaining popularity, and phone addiction has become a reality, all of which is leading to the zombification of many. Technology allows people to turn away from human relationships and self-reflection in order to numb themselves for easy pleasure and empty connection.
“The amount of growth you are capable of is a direct correlate of the amount of discomfort you’re willing to tolerate.” (from Ezra Klein per his podcast discussion with Pema Chodron) - We are living in uncertain times. I’ve already written about this topic at the start of 2026 in my Uncertainty post, but the concept is more relevant than ever. We cannot grow and evolve without uncertainty and this state of being can cause an awful lot of discomfort. This may be why so many people want to numb or get those quick dopamine hits from scrolling. It is uncomfortable to not know what is going to happen next, so why not instead be numb. We are also in a new world, where planning and traditional strategies no longer apply. The life of my grandfather, where you could marry young, have a family, have the same job for 40 years, retire at a reasonable age, and spend your final years on a golf course, is a one of the past. There is too much happening, too much changing, and too much awakening now that planning for the future really seems impossible. We just don’t know what is going to happen, which is exciting but also deeply terrifying. So, how can we ride the waves of comfort and discomfort in our life so that we can grow and thrive? More on this is in future posts.
“I’m not going to let other people define my worth.” (from Adam Grant on The Curiosity Shop podcast) - This simple mantra gets us out of shame and into authenticity. I am seeing shame everywhere in the world of 2026, which is amazing since shame likes to stay hidden and silent. But it is becoming more and more evident that shame is everywhere and it is destroying our true selves, secret by secret. Shame is the quintessential elicitor of the “unwanted identity,” meaning per Brené Brown, “we feel the deepest, most agonizing shame when something happens—or is revealed—that proves we are perceived as (or have become) the exact kind of person we dread being.” Shame is also a very uncomfortable feeling that many of us try to hide away from through numbing.
“We need to focus on feminine reclamation.” (from my friend Shelbe) - To me this is not just about the feminine but also about yin. And to all the guys out there reading this, feminine / yin reclamation is not just for the ladies — it is for everyone. Feminine reclamation is the process of unlearning patriarchal conditioning and societal survival modes to reconnect with our authentic bodies, emotions, intuition, and desires. Our capitalistic system is based on the masculine or yang energy, that is why female business leaders so often act exactly like their male counterparts. They are no different and, to be honest, I don’t think it is working out well for anyone. Most of the stories about female leaders I have heard, seem to have them hating their work, burning out disproportionately, and severely criticized and/or penalized when they make mistakes. Research shows female CEOs often face harsher penalties for ethical blunders than their male counterparts due to strict societal expectations. Does this have to do with loss of yin energy in this yang world? And what does a yin model of leadership in business, government, and society look like? Through my work with feng shui and qi gong, I truly believe that we all need an equal balance of yin and yang within ourselves, within our spaces, and within our world. It is time to reclaim the feminine and the energy of yin.
In summary of the above, I am working this year to stay in community with my family, friends, and the collective. This means meeting up with at least 8 friends each month to touch base, discuss diverse topics, laugh, and cry. I also try to connect with my family each month through texts or meet-ups if they are in town. Finally, every day I make a point to spend time with my husband and daughter with hugs, kisses, and sharing about what happened at school or work. This keeps me from zombification — although I have to admit phone addiction continually creeps into my life so I must be vigilant!
I’m also working on sitting with uncertainty by staying in the present and reveling in the wonder of mystery rather than being uncomfortable in the unknown. I want to grow, so I am trying to increase the amount of discomfort I am willing to tolerate. This means leaning into flow and being patient and open to see where it takes me. I try not to get too bogged down in the news and the predictions of what will happen in the world. With faith, I truly believe that most of us humans want kindness and compassion — we want to love our neighbors and to help others. I think the key to staying in this high vibration is to stay with our values. What if instead of asking someone “what do you do for a living?”, we asked “what are your values?” to truly see into the core of each other? Of course, we have to work on shame before we can get to this line of questioning.
As I traverse this year, the universe has given me a lot of opportunities to work on my shame. Currently, I am exploring the “unwanted identity” by defining what this identity or identities look like to me. To do so, I simply ask myself, “it’s very important for me to be perceived as…” and once I have the answer I can see if this identity fits my values. If it does, I am aligning with my values. If it does not, I am probably basing it on societal conformity or norms. When situations arise where I start feeling shame because of an “unwanted identity” trigger, I am working to incorporate the mantra of “I’m not going to let other people define my worth.” Case in point, my daughter has been suffering from worry this year that manifests in throwing up before or in the early part of school. This has led to her missing 8 days of school so far this year. I have been working with her school counselor, teachers, naturopath, and doctor to ensure that she learns the skills and implements therapies to get comfortable with her worry. However, I still seem to have a lot of shame about her missing 8 days of school, especially because I want to be perceived as a responsible (“wanted identity”) not an irresponsible (“unwanted identity”) parent. “Strive for 5” is a shame trigger for me at the moment. Isadora’s birthday is on Wednesday and we have talking about her taking the day off all year. Instead of getting into a shame spiral about my daughter missing another day of school, I am leaning into being a calm and creative mom which are my values. She is caught up on work, her test scores are good, and she is behaving well in the classroom, so it really isn’t an issue if she takes the day off. It has been her birthday wish all year and Isadora deserves it, so Wednesday is about her and not me.
That story segues nicely into the feminine / yin reclamation. Why do we have to constantly be forcing, producing, and speeding through life? These are really so emblematic of yang energy. Why can’t we instead soften, rest, and slow down some of the time? These are yin and really what so many of us deserve. Since the late 2022 rebound, U.S. labor productivity has consistently outpaced pre-pandemic trends, with steady growth. We are more productive than we have ever been, but at what cost? When will we slow down? So many of us cling to the idea that we just have to get through this year or this project or this deal and then we can slow down. But we are on the hamster wheel, so we will never slow down — not until we get off of it and take a break. This is why it is so important to have to have models of how to do this and I believe feminine / yin reclamation can be the model. Again, more on this to come.
I am curious if you connect to any or all of the patterns listed above, and also if there are any others you are seeing. Please feel free to drop me a line at abby@cascadefengshui.com. I am always interested to get your feedback.
Rest Reading
Check out all of the rest reading recommendations in Resources on my Substack page.
Rest Recipe
Green Wagon Farm had rapini and kale this week, so I put together this yummy pasta along with black walnuts from Heffron Farms. At Heffron’s shop, I also got MOO-ville Creamery butter and Mrs. Miller’s Bell Pepper-Basil Noodles since I love to shop products from the Midwest. So here is the recipe for Pasta with Greens & Walnuts:
1 bunch rapini
1 bunch kale
7 ounces pasta
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup black walnuts
Chili flakes and salt, to taste
Parmesan cheese, to taste
Wash and chop the rapini into bite-size pieces. Wash, destem, and chop the kale into bite-size pieces. Cook the pasta per the package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. In a sauté pan, add half of the butter and melt on medium heat. Add the chili flakes and black walnuts. Sauté for a minute and then add the greens. Salt to taste. Cook the greens down until tender. Add the pasta water and remaining butter and melt until a thin sauce comes together. Add the pasta and toss to combine. To serve, finish with salt and Parmesan cheese to taste.
*Black walnuts (and walnuts in general) improve sleep quality by acting as a natural source of melatonin, tryptophan, and magnesium.
Rest Ritual
Last year, the good people at Gloojo reached out to me to try out a pair of their Night Ease - Sleep Glasses. They sent me the Cat Eye Orange Sleep Glasses, which are super cute and very comfortable, and I have been using them during the hour before I go to bed when I am reading — especially when I am using my Kindle.
Per Gloojo’s website, these glasses transform your sleep quality with advanced orange-tinted lenses designed to naturally regulate your circadian rhythm and enhance your rest. Their specialized orange lens block 100% of disruptive blue light (400-530nm), helping your body produce melatonin naturally. You can learn more about blue light from the Sleep Foundation’s article Blue Light: What It Is and How It Affects Sleep. I will try anything to improve my sleep and have found these glasses to be a nice addition to my sleep routine. Check them out.
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.