Finding her rhythm had been a long and dangerous journey.
She traveled beyond the streets of oppression,
the valley of inauthenticity, the forest of despair,
the river of regret, and the desert of self judgment.
She crossed the sea of change, the mountains of transformation
and finally, she arrived! In the meadow of possibility.
She claimed her life song.
~ Shiloh Sophia
Painting: Finding Her Rhythm 2004 Acrylic on Wood – the poem is also from 2004 and is owned by one of my biggest collectors. I googled myself lol to find this image and poem again when someone asked for it, here it is! Isn’t she perty? I love this image – when I look at it I remember that feeling in my own body – yummy.
Shiloh Sophia and the Cosmic Cowgirls are serving up revolution here at the Red Thread Cafe FB page – join in – if you are a woman creative wanting to connect with community and share in the conversation. Go Here
Why finding your own rhythm is essential for survival
Dear One,
Today’s Red Thread Cafe has a mighty message. I felt such a sense of urgency in sending this to you I let it usurp my whole morning. So here you go. It takes me hours to put these together but my fingers are hot today! I won’t be editing the message. When the Muse strikes, listen up!
Got some time, it won’t take long, get a cup of tea or coffee and settle in – ten minutes max. You might want a journal too as I am sharing my rhythm manifesto with you and daring you to write your own.
When we work on other rhythms foreign to who we are, we can get out of soul sync. This might include…9-5 work week, 30 day calendars (instead of moon cycles), traffic patterns, marketing trances, 7 steps to success, 3 meals a day, required text responses, calendaring everything, email response requirement bs. We are constantly responding to ‘something’ that occurs like a requirement. Each one of these may be an ‘other’ rhythm meaning it is not YOUR rhythm no matter how much you keep it, and try it, you still feel foreign to it. It doesn’t match your freak – frequency. While I know that these are necessary for most of us, ok, all of us. We can choose to not go unconscious about them. You with me?
Going unconscious about the existing systems we are participating in won’t work. When I go unconscious about the seemingly necessary systems, I lose my way, work more, give less time to friends and creation and sleep less, eat more, and for sure, drink more wine so I can taste another space time. That said. As a general way of being I don’t live in the regular patterns of establishment, but moons, nature, and my own internal rhythms. Not following these rhythms set out for me by society/the system is part of the drive to be an entrepreneur, so I can choose my patterns. I wake up on my own, usually at dawn, but what a luxury really. I still work tons, and crazy hard, but in the way my creativity flows instead of inside of a false system of time. This is LIFE SUSTAINING TO WORK FROM YOUR OWN WAY OF BEING and FLOW. This is where the extra energy boosts comes from. No one told us this, in fact, I only just discovered it myself.
I have choice and that choice is power. When I remember that I have CHOICE in how I engage with the other patterns….consciously and creatively then – they are NOT my master. I am the equal sign in E=Mc2. The dynamic interchange in the middle of energy and matter at the speed of light. Which is more my real speed, although my matter based body and technology strain to departicalize as fast as I like to go (giggle). My natural rhythm is very fast. I love to speed around as so much is coming through – it give me energy to serve my own pacing. That said. This letter is more about rest than speeding up. Just sharing my process as part of the convo.
So why I am writing you today? This is a call, really, I feel it as a cry. A dare perhaps? For us to take a Sabbath. A rest. A sundown to sundown 24 hour rest. A time of no technology unless it is creative. A time of no watches. A time to be in the space of spaces to listen for our own rhythm. A time, when I often paint and write poetry but without agenda. An agenda-less time. Sacred space.
I am creating a Sabbath this weekend. Want to join me? I have invited my various communities. Following the Magdalene Feast Day stream ceremony and class on Friday here with my friend Kayleen Asbo, I will be entering a 24 hour Sabbath after a Feast with friends. This might not be your specific time to do it – but you can you bring this idea into your calendar – yes – don’t wait for it to happen, it has to be written down inside the linear system.
My mom, Caron, being a Christian with huge Hebrew practices taught me Sabbath twenty years ago. And while I cannot always keep it on Friday to Saturday, I do strive towards it, and when I lose it, I lose out big time. This is the time to be with CREATOR. To study the Divine, to make love, to not cook or clean. To lay around and ponder the magnificence. To rest. Even Creator needed to rest, and yet we don’t think of that. Sabbath for me is often Tuesday as that is my day off. In the space of Sabbath, I re-enter my rhythm, and then something magical happens, I can bring it into my cafe’s each morning, little by little and enter quantum time. It’s actually miraculous how it works on the energetic and physical body.
This feels, urgent for me to share with you right now. I am not sure why. Maybe you know. Your time is real time. Time spent without the regular constraints of each day – but something new and spacious. My time is real time.
I have found that through resting and following my own rhythms regularly – I can not just survive what is ahead, but thrive. But why this is so critical to survival has to do with your creative self. (You knew I would get there right?) Your SOUL SPEAKS in self expression – in creativity – which in most cases is inner beingness expressed outwardly in form. The invisible becomes visible which nurtures us. When we don’t listen to what is inside of ourselves, our soul truths and our own rhythms, we suffer. We disconnect and go numb. We lose our way. Then we are not really prepared to face the journey ahead – because we are already exhausted. We don’t feel like helping others because we are already over-stretched. (me too – preaching to the inner choir here). This is a form of self care yes – but a self care really intentionally devoted to creating sacred space inside and out.
Resting and creating are part of all beings natural rhythm cycles, they create resiliency. Resiliency will help us navigate these stranger than fiction times.
So why is this essential for survival? Because there is a lot of work up ahead of us ya’ll – especially those of us called to gather others and serve. We can’t do our sacred work if we are on ALL un-natural rhythms all the time. We won’t make it. Our bodies are speaking to us about this all the time. So is our environment. So are the creatures. No this isn’t a solution for world peace, rather, a call to create sacred space to connect with your own inner truths, and through finding your own rhythm, find the courage to continue, with heart and even joy.
Sending love along with a fresh summer wind from the Carneros where I am sitting in my new studio. This love is real. It is happening now. It is happening in the rhythm outside of the network, but insides of the true matrix of which we are all a part.
Humming along the red thread,
DISCOVER UPCOMING SUMMER CLASSES
with Shiloh Sophia & the Cosmic Cowgirls with special guests!
This is my Finding My Own Rhythm Manifesto
Maybe you can write one too – it’s fun to write like this and see what shows up!
- Revel in Sabbaths of sacred rest.
- Follow my edge of excitement in all that I cause.
- Be spontaneous about creating and speaking my truths.
- Serve the cries of the world through invitations to art making.
- Create community that plays together and prays together.
- Teach what I know while I am learning it.
- Teach others to teach.
- Discover and cultivate pleasure.
- Listen to trees and creatures for teachings and respond.
- Walk inside my compass of the 4 / 8 directions.
- Follow my own rhythms and that of the earth.
- Cultivate my own personal medicines and stories.
- Give thanks to Creator, and worship!
- Dance through all of it and invite others to dance.
- Write Red Thread Letters and share them with you.
- Have Red Thread Cafe.
Magdalena – Starts tomorrow, painting class for one day with ritual and Novena for 22 days with guest Scholar Kayleen Asbo – join us for the stream or watch anytime for up to 5 months. RSVP and gather your materials today! Who doesn’t want a trip to the art store? I am excited to spend the day honoring Mary Magdalene with a circle of women worldwide.
