The 7th Pillar of Soul Work: Cultivate Your Artistry

Hold two truths at once, drink Cacao, lead with love, and all the food

Since the partial lunar eclipse of October 28, I have felt the wind return to my back, pressing my body forward, toward something that is becoming clearer than ever.

Magically, that eclipse fell within the new trecena of Iq’ which represents the energy of the wind, the breath of life, and the communicator.

As this trecena ends today, I remember that it carries the totem of the hummingbird, a sweet creature that has been following me for much of the past year, buzzing around my crown, rising up and dipping down, while it whispers sweet words to me, mostly on how to love me and others a whole lot more in this lifetime.

I’ve been carrying this motion of the wind and these messages of the hummingbird with me in my heart, as I become ready to take on new challenges, step into the next version of me, and take more of my Soul Work out into the world.

In fact, I started writing these words to you as the clock struck 11:44 am. According to the vast descriptions of numbers in the wilds of this internet, 1144 is “a number of love, freedom, and self-trust, and it can even point towards an awakening or a fresh start showing up in your life. This angel number is ripe with positive energy and is a surefire sign from your spiritual guides that life is about to get lift off.”

I think that’s what it feels like. I feel like I’m ready for lift off.

Do you feel anything similar, sweet souls?

Over the last many months, I’ve summarized all of my lessons on transformation, the signals that have pointed me back home to myself, and the messages from my sweet soul into a body of work that I know title, Soul Work.

Since soul represents our divine essence and work is defined as activities to align to a result, I have coined the term Soul Work to represent all the activities—physical, mental, emotional, energetic, or spiritual—to align with your divine essence.

As a writer and storyteller and one who notices patterns and synchronicities, it is my Soul Work to follow the messages from my soul, as I move through change and transformation, as I merge with chaos and beauty, in order to embody the next version of me and my wildest dreams in right relationship with the dreams of this collective of sweet souls who chose to be here at this time.

Part of my soul’s liberation is to speak my truth, to communicate what whirls about within my heart, only after I have brought an abundance of calm and discernment to what feels true for me.

And, before I talk about food, before I talk about the next pillar of soul work, I want to extend an invitation to you, today, to step into your own discernment and consider whether you may hold two opposing ideas as true simultaneously.

I know it’s not easy but this skill, developed over time, can help you hold not just the next pillar of Soul Work, but also the tragedies that you are seeing unfold all around the planet.

You are witnessing the real cataclysms of our time, the worst faults of humanity that will be written about for centuries to come, if earth makes it that far. (By the way, I believe it will.)

I think what makes me use such strong words is that we think we are so civilized and evolved, and yet we continue to detach from each other and, in doing so, we forget the dream of peace and prosperity for all.

Now, I don’t have all the answers. I don’t know what is right or what to do. But as a storyteller for decades now, I sometimes pretend that I’m a philosopher and, as such, I detach from thoughts and ideologies enough, even just temporarily, to roll around with new concepts, with new ways forward, to feel into what is possible for me.

As I speak about the next pillar of Soul Work, I invite you to also detach from your current ideologies, momentarily, in order to hear what my soul has presented and then ascertain whether you would like to not only separate all the types of work that you do and reimagine your purpose but also if you’d like to embody the next pillar which is to Cultivate Your Artistry.

Because until we begin to see things differently or see ourselves as all the same, until we begin to opt out of oppressive or limiting systems, we will struggle to move this entire collective forward, and that’s why you’re here today.

You are here to enjoy this one wild existence and to also help it progress beyond and into much more equitable and magical possibilities, promise.

Before we dig into it all, I want to share some live events coming up very soon.

Live Events

LAST CALL: On Sunday, November 12, I will host a two-hour Sacred Cacao Ceremony during which I will guide you through an experience of softness, connection, and remembrance in order to hear vital messages from your soul and allow your next best steps to surface. Reserve here.

LEAD WITH LOVE: On Sunday, November 19, Join me and Paola Ucelo for an evening of healing and empowering transmissions. You will leave this gathering feeling held and surrounded by souls who are walking this path of love and truth alongside of you. The event will be on Zoom. Reserve here.

If you’d like to get a sneak peak of this event, Paola and I will host a short Instagram Live on Thursday, November 9 at 6:00 pm EST. Follow me on Instagram.

VIRTUAL CACAO SERIES: Beginning on Tuesday, December 5, I will host 14 Days of Softness with Cacao, a sacred daily practice with Ceremonial Cacao to help you feel more loving, compassionate, and connected in order to move through these times and reveal your soul’s next best steps. You will spend 10 weekdays in a 1-hour Cacao Session with me and 4 weekend days in your own private Cacao practice, with my sacred instructions to guide you. The schedule and details are live now. Reserve here.

The 7th Pillar of Soul Work: Cultivate Your Artistry

I receive a lot of questions on purpose like—

How do I find my purpose?

How do I do work that is purposeful?

How do I make money from following my purpose?

My soul has explained that purpose is not what what we think it is.

In fact, my relationship to my purpose has changed dramatically as I deepen my relationship to soul.

For three decades, I’ve been an entrepreneur who has presciently pursued the bleeding edges of new technologies that became essentials to daily life.

I’ve also been a business coach, helping others create work that thrives.

And yet, the soul is undoubtedly the greatest mentor.

As I connected to soul, I heard that all the answers we look for outside of us are within the soft lines of the body.

So, here are my soul’s messages on the concept of purpose—

“Your purpose is not a fixed point or destination.”

“Your purpose is always unfolding, redefining itself from moment to moment.”

“Your purpose is a path that meets you as you take each step. You don’t need to look for it. The path—your purpose—rises to meet you as you listen to and follow your soul.”

So today, my purpose is to come into the fullest expression of myself and allow that to unfold from moment to moment.

If this kind of purpose resonates with you, consider whether you may let it shift your ideas on work.

Your job, the one that pays you money, is not necessarily your purpose.

It is a kind of work. I call it ‘systems work’ because it nourishes societal and personal systems.

Your artistry is that which lights up your soul. Cultivate your artistry to come into your fullest expression.

This is a new kind of work. It’s one pillar of what I call Soul Work.

Your job and your artistry are like two streams, running side by side that flow through and around each other. They are not necessarily one and the same.

The soul says, “Let both flow, simultaneously. And maybe, they join to form one big river.”

Because as you Cultivate Your Artistry, pursuing what lights up your soul, you become magical and that attracts others who may wish to pay for your art.

And if you desire, perhaps, your job and your artistry coalesce.

So, cultivate your artistry—whether that is writing stories or growing food or healing people or teaching children or designing homes or <insert your art here>.

You may have learned to pursue your job as your purpose.

As I merged with this new understanding of purpose, I practiced surrendering and a lot of nervous system regulation. And I feel more alive than ever.

Now, if it is safe where you are, receive these words into your body.

The soul says—

“You are not alive now to attach yourself to a job or a company.”

“You are alive now to liberate yourself from systems work.”

“You are alive now to pursue Soul Work because Soul Work is how humanity evolves.”

“You are alive now to come into your fullest expression, period.”

Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. As you release it through an open mouth, allow those words to settle into your soul, so you may sense your own aliveness.

If you’d like to see this in video format, click here.

If you’d like to hear me share a lot more in audio format on the podcast, listen here.

The Food

As I’ve moved through an expansion of my Soul Work, toward a remembering that Soul Work may be why we exist, I’ve noticed a desire within for nourishment that is less about “all animal protein, all the time” and more about all the other ways I can feel full and fortified.

Most days, after meditation and movement, I dine on a smoothie, but not any random smoothie. In fact, I make a blended beverage that has held me even when I’m too busy or overwhelmed to fry up two eggs.

In the old days, I’d stuff half my produce drawer into my blender and scoop in some yogurt or nuts for small amounts of protein. I even have two or three recipes for very delicious smoothies in my second cookbook, A New Way to Food, which was all about my journey to change my relationship with food and eat more plants, simultaneously. For those of you who remember, it was published four years ago, and wow, that feels like twenty years ago and time is so weird.

But these days, I drink a Ka’Chava smoothie most mornings. This is not an ad for Ka’Chava (though my discount code below does give me a small discount). I just realized that this blend of super foods and plant based proteins inspired by ancient wisdom has consistently fortified me during all the ups and downs of life, even through my divorce, even in those first few moments after my weekend with ayahuasca, even in the most transformational of moments.

I’ll share my chocolate Ka’Chava smoothie recipe. It’s simple and sort of a non-recipe. To a powerful blender, add in two scoops of chocolate Ka’Chava, two tablespoons of peanut butter or peanut butter powder, one banana, one scoop of collagen, twelve ounces of ice, one cup of almond milk, and half a cup of water. Blend on your blender’s smoothie setting or on high for a few minutes until blended, frosty, and thick, like a milk shake. Sometimes I halve those measurements when I’m a little less hungry.

If you are hearing a call for something different and way more protein to start your day, you’re welcome to give Ka’Chava a try with this discount code. Everyone I’ve introduced it to quickly becomes a subscriber—the chocolate flavor is that good.

After breakfast, lunch and dinner have been a mixed bag lately. I’m still enjoying this Tomato Coconut Soup, sometimes with grilled sourdough toast. And I finally found a brand of lactose-free cottage cheese that is making me so happy. I slather it onto toast and slide it between pancakes for a bump of major protein. Sometimes, I even scoop a tablespoon into my mouth. (I gotta say, besides Soul Work, much of my day is dedicated to eating 100+ grams of protein daily to back up my regular movement and grow shiny hair.)

I did recently make a batch of Cacao and Date Bark. To make it, I spread pitted dates, sliced open, onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, and drizzled them with peanut butter, chopped pecans, and a mix of melted ceremonial Cacao and coconut oil. After a few hours in the freezer, it is ready to be broken into shards and placed into a freezer bag. Now I pop a piece or two in the evening for a dose of intentional sweetness.

I want to end this post with a message that came through from my grandmother during a virtual meditation ceremony last week, just in case you missed it on Instagram. It was very helpful. I’m always grateful to the ancestors who are always present and always sending messages, when we get quiet enough to listen.