Follow your Deep Desire, Darlin'

A 5-min. imagination game to tend the yearnings in your heart.

Happy Solstice 🌞 Brave ones. Is it hard to find, feel, and follow your Heart’s true desires? You’re not alone. Conditioning can squelch wild, natural impulses. Let’s re-balance our sense of duty with joy in today’s 5-minute game (jump below). Plus, a love song for this beach.

Playa Blanca, Costa Rica. My heart, body, and soul revel in the sea.

What brings you most alive?

Where do you feel totally in your element? What’s happening? Who are you with? What are you doing? What excites your curious mind? What fills your heart?

This feeling can be simple. It doesn’t require a big accomplishment or a glamorous locale (I’m in Costa Rica because life can happen outside here: I can write, sing, wade, swim, eat, and explore without freezing my ovaries, which fills me with deep love for this Earth).

Where does your sense of joyful purpose live? It’s in the body, friends.

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.
~ opening lines of “Wild Geese” by Mary Oliver

Repeat: you do not have to be good.

I just turned 65. I’ve spent many moments of these many years trying damn hard to be Good.¹ And Perfect.² And failing, again and again.

We’re conditioned to prove ourselves worthy. We seek respect through work (fail). To prove our value through monetary gain and consumption (fail). In a place of privilege and constant distraction, we seek ‘better, different, more.’ (me, too). But when I follow those Monkey voices in my head - to do, do, do, craving more, more, more - these fail to fill the emptiness so many of us drag around in our hearts. What can we do?

It’s Brave to listen deep and acknowledge your true desires.

Your longings aren’t selfish. Though human needs are universal, we find meaning in different ways. Trust that your ways, even if they’re weird, will nourish the collective, too. Midlife is an ideal time to dive inward, set aside the shoulds, and explore the glimmers. What resonates most? It’s Majorly Brave to discover your deeper desires and to balance them with the realities of your life.

“Diving into Destiny” from my GoddessWear t-shirt collection.

My deepest love affair is with Mama Ocean. 🧜🏼‍♀️

In her wild presence, possibilities expand. Her rhythmic waves melt any Monkey mind worries. As I sing and swim, I lose my teensy Self in her wonders and embody my Soul. (Thanks to

The Chocolate Taoist ™

for this reminder of “Gifts of the Sea,” and

Astrum Opus

’ lovely solstice and watery inspirations.)

I’m thrilled for you to find and follow your true love(s), too.

Try this game of imagination to reveal what’s next. See you in the comments 💗

5-minute Imagination Game: The Life Camera

From my deck, HeartsQuest: Creative Tools to Navigate Change

May this inspire action toward your true heart’s desire. This video features the potty-mouth, ‘Holy Sh*t’ 💩 version of the tool. Or follow the steps below.

Life Camera: How can I create my heart’s desire?

• BREATHE deeply. CONSIDER your life, what’s good, what could be better, and what you truly long for - perhaps it’s a whole new thing.

• VISUALIZE holding a camera. Notice its shape, size, color, texture, controls and settings.

• IMAGINE you are the Director/Discoverer of the movie of your life. LOOK through the lens. What does your heart wish for? What wants to happen?

• CLICK to begin watching the camera reveal your future unfolding, as if it’s happening right now.

• FOLLOW the characters and events in your life story. FEEL thankful, as if it’s already happened.

• REFLECT when done: “I can see... ”

Creative prompts to energize your desires with action

• EXPLORE: Write or share what your camera revealed (in the comments?)

• CREATE: Draw a cartoon of your ‘life movie’ scene, or act out the scene that comes next.

• MANIFEST: Action! This week, take at least one step based on an insight or idea your movie revealed. Make a concrete plan and follow through.

🗣️ Your turn: Sharing what’s true is a magick spell.

1. What does your body love? Tortillas? Snuggling your hamster? Walking on hot coals? Spill, please :)

2. Ever failed at being Good? Tell us!

3. What did your Life Movie show you? Anything surprising? What tiny step can you take to make it real?

Thank you for diving deep into desires 💝 If any guilt, anxiety, or dread pop up (Monkeys of Fear) it’s natural. Trust: you can befriend these protectors. They can relax.

Spontaneous Love Song for the Earth #442

More to come,

1. “Trying Not to Try: The Ancient Art of Effortlessness and the Surprising Power of Spontaneity,” by Edward Slingerland, compares Taoism (live in the moment) with Confucianism (gotta do more for the greater good).

2. “How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question” by Mike Schur, creator of The Good Place, is a delightful dive into Western moral philosophy.