2024: In with a White Cosmic Dog and out with a Gold Cosmic Cat
Happiest holidays nearies and dearies! Another yearie has evaporated into thin air and Stephen and I are retracing the trail of breadcrumbs back to where it all began.
We kicked off 2024 with the conclusion of our year-long program “A Year to Live” inspired by the Stephen Levine book by the same name. Through guided meditations, course material, live Q&As, small break-out discussion groups, teachings, and daily practices, this retreat basically straps one’s mind to an airport moving sidewalk straight for concourse D: Death!
Well, it feels a little that way in the beginning. But month by month, the years of denial and delusion ease into a deep appreciation and graceful (sometimes hysterical) acceptance of mortality, one’s own and everyone we hold dear. It helped that our teacher Vinny had this raspy, thick New Jersey accent so it was sort of as if Fonzie Fonzarelli himself was saying “ayyy… impermanence ayyyn’t so bad.”
All that preparation for confronting death came in handy on our two, February excursions abroad: First, Stephen’s work retreat to Los Cabos, Mexico, where he came down with an unsparing case of food poisoning while I spent 4 straight days stalking feral cats on the pebbly Pacific shoreline.
And then, our serendipitously planned honeymoon to Colombia, South America. There, our generous and protective travel guide Gloria “Dragon” Maria (along with her husband Robin “Medicine” Murray) shepherded us on a 2-week eco-adventure into the Sierra Nevada mountains where I manifested a banana-stealing monkey, and we rode horses and swam in the Caribbean beaches bordering Parque de Tayrona.
We then spent three days as the inaugural guests of the newly reopened Gotsezhy Village, an authentic Wiwa community that welcomes tourists for a first-of-its-kind immersive glimpse into indigenous culture. We were invited by our shaman guide, Martìn, from the Putomayo region of Colombia, who introduced us to the village’s wisdom-keepers, Mamos (men) and Sagas (women) to hear the oral recitations of their elder wisdoms; we received purification baths by the Sagas, participated in nature offerings, bathed naked in a spring-fed waterfall – AND participated in the Wiwa’s first-ever Ayahuasca ceremony, led by our devoted shaman Martin and his assistant Andreas.
There, the lessons of mortality and impermanence planted during our “Year to Live” course were brought into searing focus as Martin and Andreas serenaded us in deep, resounding ritual songs (Icaros) and sweet, swoony incense, as the sacred tea snaked its way through the twisted vines and roots of our collective histories.
It was at times euphoric, and for Stephen, at times excruciating. At its peak, he became a canine-like entity summoning the primal, growling energy of the Mayan White Cosmic Dog to the fine point of that sacred village to tame as his pet.
(Flash ahead to the light of sobering day… AND — said growling beast turned out to be a 10-pound Dachshund with a litter of newborn pups.)
Meanwhile I flew on the back of a Falcor-sized bald eagle and released some deeply embedded childhood grief.
And from there, processing. And more processing. Pirouetting off the back of a motorbike mid wipe-out to a gracefully safe landing; processing. The brilliant weavers of the Wayuu people in Riohacha, gravity-defying kite surfers in Mayapo, pink flamingos, processing, a boy named Darwin and his little brother Elvis, a noodle-loving dog named Spaghetti, another dog named Ganja with 8 newborn pups; processing, delicious vegan food in Santa Marta, processing and back home!
A bit shaken but energized, we reevaluated our earth bound routines. For Stephen, disenchantment of corporate culture present pre-Colombia intensified upon his return. He started to consider making the transition from full-time app developer to a contract position with a more sustainable work-life balance. This vision became a (not-so-unexpected) reality in May, when he was amicably let go from the environmental data science consulting start-up he worked for. Turns out, securing clients who want to mitigate the damage wrought by unsustainable business practices that prioritize extraction over replenishment during a Presidential election year is like trying to sell sneakers to snakes.
Then, for Stephen: a School’s Out for Summer kind of ecstatic reprieve from 8-hour workdays sitting at a desk writing code. Now wide, open afternoons sitting poolside; reading actual books long-since shelved for the sake of work; experimental cooking; tending to the garden, becoming a Popsicle and Jam flavor-chemist, recommitting to a twice-daily meditation practice; bicycling to nowhere in particular; napping in the Zoysia grass; loafing, laughing, dancing in the kitchen; joining Nicole at the farmers markets; and re-accessing the parts pushed aside to allow them room to dream once more.
Meanwhile while Stephen was downsizing his professional obligations, Nicole was unexpectedly offered an opportunity to revive a long-neglected branch of the company she barely worked for with these words of encouragement: “You literally can’t make it worse.”
An avid collector of hats, she said why the heck not and donned a new head piece: lead project manager of the Socionomics Institute, becoming an armchair expert on current social trends like pantless fashion, lizard people, pot legalization, throuples, torture porn, and more!
Throughout the late summer and fall, Stephen and Nicole organized a seasonal 5 Rhythms Dance event at Allen’s Market in downtown Milledgeville, vended every themed festival you never imagined like Banana Pudding, Tiny house, Civil War Reenactment, Mistletoe, and more! They participated in a deeply inspiring silent meditation retreat at Southern Dharma, led by EcoDharma educator Rupert Marques; Stephen came closer and closer to remembering his Original Instructions.
Nicole realized her Original Instructions — to attend the American Museum of the House Cat,
was hired for several custom photography jobs including her first-ever wedding
— AND — joined and then quickly dropped out of the local choir due to a conflict of talent.
Stephen gained clarity into his own dream of becoming a meditation teacher and holistic guide, and began the process of creating a non-profit to support his vision.
Thanks to a mast year in produce, we built a solid inventory of one-of-a-kind products for our cottage goods business Communitowhee, (if you’re local to Georgia order a gallon or half-gallon of our organic, pear-apple cider for your New Year’s party here) and a wee following for our eye-popping Crop Pop popsicles.
We were blessed to celebrate the marriage of Nicole’s brother Jason and his now wifey Shelia, and welcomed the newest member of their family, Shay the blue-eyed wonder dog.
We weathered the first double brood cicada swarming since 1803, the first category 1 hurricane to hit the landlocked city of Milledgeville since dinosaurs roamed the earth, a toxic state-wide chemical spill, a reconnaissance mission to bring essential supplies to friends hit by the same hurricane in Asheville, and the reelection of human Cheeto Puff for President — all of which lit the creative spark to co-create a communal Substack blog with our friends in Milledgeville. Inspired by the GA Guidestones, our Southern Guidestones is meant to stand as a living, digital beacon of lessons, information, and wisdom newly-or hard-won on forging community, fostering a mutualistic relationship with the earth, and building a life that honors both play and service.
Which brings us to our last, but certainly not least, milestone of 2024: welcoming our newest member of the farm feline family: Ms. Goldie Kintsugi, the biggest tiniest surprise of all. Goldie is the most affectionate, spirited, brilliant, and dexterous tortie to ever exist. Likely an incarnated Shaolin warrior slash slice of pumpernickel bread, Goldie hopes to become best friends with Jerry Hall in the not so distant future so that Poppycock, who completed his 19th revolution around the sun in 2024, can finally stop sleeping with one eye open for furk’s sake!
And with that, we wish you the meowiest of holidays and a hysterical New Year!
Nicole & Stephen
