Seeing Each Other
With curiosity and empathy
Season: Spring
Element: Wood
Moon: Quarter
Happy Monday!
Tomorrow is the last quarter moon in the element of wood. Thank you to all of you that attended the Rest Walk on Saturday. Although it was a bit cold and wet, the walk was very calming and insightful as always. If you need support, the next Rest Curation is on Sunday, June 1, 2025 from 1:30pm - 3:00pm and the next the next Rest Walk is on Saturday, June 14, 2025 from 10:00am - 12:00pm. And Kara’s June sound curation, Sound + Space Summer Solstice Sound Immersion, is on Friday, June 20, 2025 from 6:30pm - 8:00pm. Please sign-up to reserve a spot and remember, as Tricia Hersey writes in her aptly named book, Rest is Resistance.
Continuing on the topic of seeing which is associated with the element of wood, let’s focus on how we see each other. Most people see others based on a combination of visual information, social cues, and individual perspectives. By observing a person’s physical appearance, emotions, and behaviors, we often form impressions based on a synthesis of these attributes while layering on our cultural influences, personal experiences, and emotional states. With all this synthesizing and layering going on, can we truly “see” and understand who someone is? Most of us are familiar with the well known clichés of “what you see is what you get” and “love at first sight,” but how many of us have discounted people just from what we see without taking the time to be curious about their story?
As we navigate this time of polarization, tribalism, and even cults, perhaps it is better to remember instead the idiom “never judge a book by its cover.” Of course, if you are getting bad vibes from someone than proceed with caution or give yourself permission to stay clear of them. But, what if we could look at the people we meet, that are new to us, or in close proximity (physically or online) with clear and open eyes? John Paul Lederach, American Professor of International Peacebuilding at the University of Notre Dame, has four disciplines essential for peacebuilding that he describes in his book The Moral Imagination: The Art and Soul of Building Peace which I think can help open our eyes and give us clearer vision when seeing people:
Centrality of Relationships - requires that people be able to envision their interconnectedness and mutuality.
Practice of Paradoxical Curiosity - involves accepting people at face value, and yet looking beyond appearances and suspending judgment in order to discover untold new angles, opportunities, and unexpected potentialities.
Space for the Creative Act - a commitment to creativity and a belief that it is possible to move beyond the parameters of what is commonly accepted. Creativity opens us to avenues of inquiry and provides us with new ways to think.
Willingness to Risk - to take a risk is to step into the unknown without any guarantee of success or safety. For many people caught in conflict, violence is known, and peace is a mystery. Because peacebuilding typically requires people to move toward a new, mysterious, and unexpected future, it is a difficult journey.
All of the above can help us to see people in an empathetic way and move us towards a more creative approach when dealing with others. I know that I need to apply this to the people I struggle with and for those whose creations and successes bring jealously and overwhelm up in me. As Rick Rubin writes in The Creative Act: A Way of Being, “without witnessing a beloved work’s actual creation, it’s impossible to know what truly happened. And if we did observe the process with our own eyes, our account would be an outside interpretation at best.” So let’s slow down and take the time to see each other with curiosity and empathy. Perhaps we will find something wonderful inside that cover and we may even discover a story that is surprising similar to ours.
These times are trying, so give yourself permission to REST. Information on upcoming Rest Curations, Rest Walks, and Sound Curations are at the bottom of the post. And 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. If you don’t live in West Michigan and want 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 Rest Curation for friends, family, or colleagues.
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
My husband and I are huge fans of Jamie Oliver. Yes, we watch the Jamie Oliver channel all the time, have many of his DVDs and cookbooks, and both teared up when watching Netflix’s Chef’s Table Legends about him. The man truly is a legend and all of the recipes we have tried from him thus far have been easy to make and so yummy. Since I cannot share his recipes due to copyright, I wanted to pass on some links for his spring vegetable recipes for dinner inspiration:
Unfortunately, my favorite Jamie Oliver kale recipe is not in any of the above links. It is his Sublime Kale Salad from his cookbook Together and it is the best recipe I have ever found for kale. This salad massages the kale in salt to tenderize it and then adds grapefruit, parsley, almonds, seeds, yogurt, feta cheese, and Parmesan cheese to the mix to make it sublime. If you are looking for a good cookbook, consider getting Together or check it out from your local library. You can peruse some of the recipes here if you are curious.
*Kale is a good source of minerals like magnesium and calcium, which are important for sleep regulation and muscle relaxation. Additionally, kale is a source of potassium, which can support sleep quality and duration, and it contains fiber, which can improve sleep quality.
REST RITUAL
My husband and I also talked a lot this past weekend about two regenerative agriculture documentaries we found incredibly moving, insightful, and surprisingly hopeful. They are Kiss the Ground and Common Ground and if you have not seen them yet check out the trailers:
Both are available on Amazon Prime Video to watch if you have a membership and are great movies for this time of wood. For those Michiganers reading, it is particularly heartwarming to see the story of Pashon Murray, founder of Detroit Dirt, who believes that compost is the key to creating a closed-loop supply-chain and food system. You can read more about this icon of innovation and environmental entrepreneurship from Michigan in Shinola’s interview of her.
Thank you so much for reading! I hope this has been enjoyable. May you have a restful and calm start to your week.
Below are the upcoming 2025 Cascade Rest Curations (links to Eventbrite are underlined):
REST CURATIONS
Guided body scan, energy clearing, vagus nerve reset, yoga nidra exercise, rest / sleep, wake up, and meditation over an hour and a half. All Rest Curations will take place on the Sunday near the new moon at the Liebestraum Chalet in Alto, Michigan:
Rest Curation - Sunday, June 1, 2025 from 1:30pm - 3:00pm
REST WALKS
Monthly dynamic walks to bring both energy and relaxation. These guided walks will start with a circle to stretch and to set an intention to ponder based on the element of the season. The first 30 minutes of the walk will be in noble silence and the last 30 minutes will be open to conversation and observation. The walk will finish with a circle to reflect, share, integrate, and finally stretch. If you have been hesitant to join a Rest Curation, please consider signing up for a Rest Walk since this a more active entry into yin energy. All Rest Walks will take place on the Saturday near the full moon at a park near Grand Rapids, Michigan:
Rest Walk - Saturday, June 14, 2025 from 10:00am - 12:00pm
SOUND CURATIONS
Join us to celebrate the element of each season with sound immersions by Kara Markovich at the Liebestraum Chalet in Alto, Michigan:
Sound + Space Summer Solstice Sound Immersion - Summer solstice, Friday, June 20, 2025 from 6:30pm - 8:00pm
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.