Taking A Break

So this will be short but sweet

Season: Spring
Element: Wood
Moon: Quarter
Sense: Sight (Eyes)
External Work: Office / Workout Areas
Internal Work: Anger (Imbalance) & Patience (Balance)

I will be hosting a feng shui workshop at The Leslie Studio, 4290 Cascade Rd. SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546, on Saturday, April 11, 2026 from 10am - 11:30am. The workshop will feature the bagua and tips and tricks on how to apply it to aspects of your life. Reserve a spot by contacting The Leslie Studio via phone at 616-942-9322 or their website.

Friday is the last quarter moon in the feng shui element of wood and the season of spring here in the Northern Hemisphere. Last quarter moons are for reorientation, balancing, clearing, and letting go. For me, this week and this moon are all about balancing being productive with resting. Spring break started for my family last Friday and I have been feeling really foggy and incredibly tired. Maybe it is the changing weather or everything going on in the world, but I am beat. For someone who talks constantly about rest, I am amazed at how tired I truly am. And to stay consistent with all I write about in this Substack, I need to take a break this week from writing posts and Qi Gong Practices. So, this post will be short and sweet. I’m taking a break, so I will see you all next week for posts on Monday for all subscribers and Friday for paid subscribers and a Qi Gong Practice on Thursday for everyone. Have a wonderful week!

Photo by Glenn Diaz on Unsplash

Rest Reading
Check out all of the rest reading recommendations in Resources on my Substack page.

Rest Recipe
With prices continuing to rise at the grocery store, I have decided to learn how to make some of my more high priced treats. I am a great lover of tea and lately I have been enjoying scones at teatime, so here a recipe for Blueberry Sconces:

1 cup blueberries*
2-2/3 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
1 egg
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon milk

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. In a small bowl, toss the blueberries with 1 tablespoon flour and cinnamon. In a large bowl, combine the 2-2/3 cups of flour, 1/3 cup of sugar, baking power, and salt. Mix well. Cut the butter into small cubes. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles course meal. In a small bowl, beat the egg with 1/2 cup milk, add to the course meal mixture, and using a fork incorporate into a dough. Divide the dough into two balls. Lightly flour a work surface and roll each ball into 7-inch circles. Sprinkle the blueberries across one circle. Top with the second circle and carefully mesh the circles together. Lightly roll the dough out until the meshed circle is about 12-inches across. Cut the circle into 10 wedges or 10 circles. Transfer to ungreased baking sheets (leave an inch between each scone), brush the tops of the scones with the 1 tablespoon of milk, and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes and then cool on a wire rack.

Blueberry Sconce

*You can also use blackberries, cherries, raspberries, strawberries, or a mixture.

Rest Ritual
The time of wood relates to the eyes and seeing. Recently, I have started to realize that staring at the small screen of my phone is hurting my physically and mentally. My back, neck, and shoulder muscles are so tight when I am on my phone for long periods of time and I feel like I am getting strange headaches from focusing in on such a small space. To correct I try to remember the 20-20-20 rule, which is an effective technique to reduce digital eye strain and fatigue. The rule states that every 20 minutes spent looking at a screen or close-up work, take a 20-second break to look at something 20 feet away. This relaxes the focusing muscles in my eyes and reduces strain.

I am also trying to watch more uplifting programming. This spring break in particular, I am revisiting the films of Hayao Miyazaki. I fell in love with his filmmaking when I saw Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind as a young girl. Since then, I have seen most of his films — Howl’s Moving Castle, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and Princess Mononoke are some of my favorites — and I just revisited Spirited Away this weekend:

Not only are Miyazaki’s films immensely creative, they are characterized by environmentalism, strong female protagonists, and a deep sense of wonder mixed with nostalgia. These are my kind of films! Over spring break and the next few weeks, I plan to watch all his films that I have yet to see. The Boy and the Heron is next on my list followed by Arrietty.

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.