Empathic Writing Journey

FREQUENCY. I recently bought some strawberry plants and had to choose... between frequent and small, or less frequent and large.  Interesting choice.And speaking of frequency... the first dozen podcast episodes of the Empathic Writing Journey came out every week.  But the last two have taken twice as long.  One reason is because the weather has finally broken in Chicago, and there is food to grow and trees to plant!  I've been learning so much from working with Cheryl Ann Wilkerson at Common Threads World Garden (Episode 7), and Matt Stephens at Hales Franciscan High School's Food Forest.  As well as six vegetable and herb beds my neighbors and I planted in our shared residential yard.  So pending outdoor projects, I might be posting a little erratically, but I am here.  And we will make it through the 12 permaculture principles, and beyond! THE 5TH PERMACULTURE DESIGN PRINCIPLE. We are now at the 5th permaculture design principle, which advises us to "Use and value renewabl

Hey Beauties!  Welcome to the 13th Episode of the Empathic Writing Journey Podcast.  I recently followed my heart to Miami Beach for some sunny inspiration, and I got the bonus of a complete System Reset.  I send thanks and love to each of the very special people who made the past week so wildly rich beyond imagination:  Eslie, Clara, Gus and Alexis.  I celebrate all that had been before, and all that flows forward.And to you, sweet listener, I thank you for the gift of your attention.  I am always very interested to know what's on your mind, so do reach out to me either in the comment section of my blog at empathicwriter.com, on my Facebook Page at facebook.com/empathicwriter, or leave a voicemail message up to 5 minutes at 206-202-0217. The 4th Permaculture Design Principle. As I considered and lived with this 4th design principle of practicing self-regulation and applying feedback, it occurred to me that this is the demystified process of EVOLUTION: Evolve:  "develop gra

Welcome to Episode 12.  This is the first of a 3-part series, each featuring a visionary, action-taking young woman who faithfully volunteers at La Huerta Roots and Rays community garden in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago.One of the reasons I started doing these interviews -- having simple, recorded conversations with people who are in conscious relationship with the planet they live on -- is because there really is something special about them.  I respect their ability to notice and support cycles of life, in a technologically-dominated era.  I value conversations that are centered around Life, or are full of Life.  That's how I felt talking with this renaissance woman, Imogene Ellis.  Here's our sensory-rich and playful chat.In addition to Roots and Rays, here are a few more of Imogene's favorite resources: Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek Earlham College's Geology Department Chicago Wilderness' Greening Infrastructure Chicago Wilderness' Leave No Child Inside Initiat

This episode is different from the previous 10, which were focused on earth care and restoration.  We'll always be developing that conversation of ecological sanity, and we'll also now include a new segment about our inner terrain.  This is my domain of comfort and expertise -- our heartscape.  Sometimes it's lush and thick with life.  Other times it's barren or bruised from a difficult season.  I have always had a great navigational sense in this inner world.  I know where to find sources of Light and Water.  I know where the shade is, and where the berries grow.  I can identify poisons and dangers... and convert mysteries into something useful.  This kind of insight and guidance is an unlearned skill I recognized as a child, and have heeded and developed throughout my life.  I am, only recently, coming into full ownership of it.  I expect you will experience a difference in my communications going forward, because a barrier has lifted.  I understan

Food, fiber, fuel and flora.  Getting these resources in large, cheap volumes is the primary objective of traditional agriculture.  Biodiverse flourishing, non-poisonous practices and the well-being of all species are not values of traditional agriculture.  Big, homogenized crops that yield a monetary profit is what drives this industry.I object to the reckless, short-sighted industry policies that allow the perversion of perfect seeds, the poisoning of crops we are to eat, the erosion and mineral depletion of our topsoil, and the crippling of our pollinators... all because of faulty metrics that are quite safe from the ecocide we not only partake in, but make a way of life.So, there's that.And as I thought about WHY BigAg does what it does (because of greed, eco-illiteracy and moral indecency) I also thought about how I actually agree with this 3rd permaculture principle that BigAg notoriously abuses, and that is to obtain a yield.  Get something for your effort or offering.  Symbios

Angela's heaven here on earth. Have you ever noticed how ivy grows?  Or any vine?  It shoots and spurts and curves.  I relate to this mode of travel.  And living!  I recently attended Connecting Chicago Community Gardeners' 2nd Annual Gathering at Navy Pier.  I went with my friend, Matthew Stephens, who introduced me to lots of wonderful people there... one of whom, was Sam Taylor... who is the husband of a force of nature -- Angela Taylor.Angela agreed to have me over for a visit, and recorded conversation.  She is a person of interest for many inspiring reasons.  Please visit empathicwriter.com so you can see the links I've gathered for you where she and her work is featured in the Chicago Sun Times and the Chicago Tribune.  And you can even see a video of then Mayor-Elect Rahm Emanuel lending a helping hand in the Fulton Street Flower + Vegetable Garden that is adjacent to her Garfield Park home.We talk inside the large and sprout-filled greenhouse that is just

*  Two working definitions of energy, for both our macro and micro experiences with it.*  Two LOWER forms of energy that we are quite addicted to.*  Two HIGHER forms of energy that we can easily implement.*  Chronic sleep deprivation, shallow breathing + unexamined habits/patterns are exposed as energy drains that feed into other unsustainable cycles.*  The beautiful efficiency of innate wisdom + rain gardens.*  The value of auditing your life, and making a stand for your well-being.

Rumi said, "Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.”I met someone who allows exactly that with her life.  Meet Cheryl Ann Williamson, and be inspired by the beautiful, botanical, artistic themes of a life well lived. Master Gardener + Instructor at Common Threads' World Garden Retired Art Instructor of the Chicago Park District Certified Tree-Keeper, Herbal Therapist + Permaculturist Ceramic Artist + Horticulturist

Special Guest:  Karen Roothaan. Observe:  to notice; to become aware of, especially through careful and directed attention.

There are a lot of things I don't do well.  Some things I am remarkably bad at include: making a big fuss about what to eat, or where to eat; taking 6 steps to do something that can be done in 3; wasting time, effort and resources with dawdling or idleness. The above things cripple me -- like Superman's kryptonite -- and I recently learned why.  I, literally, don't have the energy to spare for that nonsense.I learned that I have half the ideal amount of hemoglobin, which is the part of the red blood cells that provide oxygen (energy!) to the body.  It is the gas that makes the car go, and my tank has perpetually been on half, never full.  I always knew I was anemic, but a recent hospitalization -- the first in my life -- taught me I've been dangerously anemic.Hence, my hard-wired tendency to want to conserve my energy for conversations and activities that matter.When something is limited (like my energy has been), it takes on a preciousness.  It is of value, and not to be squandered

Our current money system, for all its flaws, gives us a chance to figure out how we want to be in relationship with other people.  What we want to do or provide in exchange for the means to meet our physical needs.Superficially, we can treat this opportunity with a soul-less approach.  Just prepare a resume, and get a skill-matching job.  Or ride on the back of market trends, and do what we see other people in business doing.Or, we can access meaningful work outside of ourselves, by first looking inside of ourselves.

The literal definition of "rewilding" is: the restoration of an area of land to its natural, uncultivated state; reinstaing the role of keystone species to human society where the expression of this role appears lacking.My metaphorical/internal use of the words is: an invitation to remember that we are a gloriously complex interconnected network of systems that work together; an opportunity to reverse the effects of what happened to us in this over-industrialization; a unification of who we are.Rewilding is a state of mind that says, "I know who I am in essence, and I know that it is not an artificial, plywood manufactured fake kind of assembly line knock-off."  It is the opposite of the prevailing mechanistic view of life.  It is rawness of being, which I liken to a lion's roar.

*  Last month I attended New Media Expo, to learn about podcasting.*  While there, I met Chris Brogan, author of "The Freaks Shall Inherit The Earth: Entrepreneurship for Weirdos, Misfits and World Dominators" (affiliate link), due out March 17, 2014.*  For entrepreneurial mentorship, I recommend the Owner Mastery Foundation Group (OMFG).*  Monchu = Okinawan for "one family."*  Jill blogs about permaculture at www.withintenttolive.blogspot.com

The purpose + vision of this show is to: (1) affirm our humanity by speaking from the heart as honestly as possible; and (2) share the weekly learnings of a woman aligning her life according to her values. Muriel Rukeyser + inciting quote: “What would happen if one woman told the truth about her life? The world would split open.” Early inspiration from my pioneering Grandfather.  He was a practicing permaculturist, before the term had been coined. Sensory Processing Sensitivity. Victor Lebow + hyper-consumption. The Empathic Writing Journey = a four-step creative process that is helping me decolonize years of oppressive beliefs. Basic keys, aspects + ethics of permaculture.