The Great Turning & My Graduation: Personal & Professional (big changes)

Reading of the Red Guild book of the Graduates of Intentional Creativity-since 2014 we have been signing this book at in person gatherings, this is at Wild Water Creek. Graduation as a Curate - being blessed by a red stole embroidered by Naa Kwarley and given to me by Liz. This is at Stardust Ranch. The ring of roses is the circle the graduates stepped into….including me.On the Cusp of Equinox: A Turning of the Lineage“You will be bathed in stardust” Carmen Baraka to Caron McCloudWe are on the cusp of the equinox and the new Spring moon.The cherry trees are blooming, and a fine yellow dust from the oak trees settles over everything—including me, if I sit here long enough.I’ve just come back from a swim. I’m sitting in the sun. And as usual, my thoughts turn to you. Yes, you.The Love That Chose Another PathI didn’t get to have children.After many miscarriages, I found myself holding so much love—so much desire to nurture—and nowhere traditional to place it.I had been so deeply loved, so well nurtured, that consciously or unconsciously, I chose to channel that love into community.But I didn’t want something temporary. I wanted something enduring. Not people who came and went—but people who might stay for a lifetime. Or maybe even longer.Our Elder Carmen Baraka used to say, at the most meaningful gatherings:“Maybe we agreed to meet here.”I’ve always loved that idea. This idea weaves into the ancient knowing of the red thread—that we are already connected, already called. That each of us carries a piece, and that we are here to witness one another’s stories.Today, I invite you to witness mine. A personal and professional graduation.I recently got to Graduate with the last graduating class for Color of Woman (as it now exists). I graduated with 80 women (who will be acknowledged during the Equinox Ceremony. I am officially now carrying my title as Curate with many other women.Becoming the MatriarchThis is the evolution of a sacred feminine entrepreneur into a matriarch.I’m a few months away from turning 56. I still don’t have children of my own, and my relationship to community is changing.But something else has settled in. A wisdom. An elemental wisdom.It feels both deeply sacred and completely essential—so basic, and yet strangely elusive. Completing a CycleI’ve just completed a body of work that began in my early twenties with Color of Woman—a journal filled with the images that awakened me. That became 25 years of art galleries and eventually the Intentional Creativity Teacher Training.In the coloring book, the first images are where I came into myself.Where I said yes to my sacred work.That cycle is completing.What a joy.What a challenge.What a gift.Because the truth is—I am an artist.A poet.A ritualist.I am not a COO.I am not a president.I don’t even resonate with the word “founder.”I am a Lineage-Keeper.The Teachings Are SimpleWhat I carry is both from this lifetime and from the ancestors.And what I teach is incredibly simple:Make what you make with love.Place your intention into it.When you bring your focus to what you are creating, it changes—and so do you.Everything is frequency. When you attune your frequency, your world shifts.This language is my mother tongue. And when women hear it, they remember:“Oh yes… I know this.”It is easy to understand. It takes practice to live.What Was Taken—and What ReturnsThere was a time when this knowing was not lost.But over thousands of years, systems of domination stripped women of their innate knowing. We need to restore that knowing from within our stardust bones. This is the Pathway of 9 Promises that I teach.* Shaping who we are and who we are becoming: Identity and Living from Source* Knowing what we wish to speak from Intelligence: Access to Voice and Speaking* Being connected with how we fee our sensuality: Bodily sovereignty and Health* Trust in our own thoughts and Intelligence - Curating our Consciousness* To define our Spirituality - Aligning with our Soul and Higher Self * To gain access to Prosperity - Activating Manifestation in the ways of women* Unbridled Free Self-Expression - Catalyze Liberation * Living Your Calling: Co-creating Vision and Designing your Life * Authority: Claiming a Self Initiation Ceremony to mark moving from where you have been to where you are going nowWe were taught to live from the mind, disconnected from the body.To distrust our intuition. To believe our Souls could be owned.None of this is true.Your soul cannot be brokered.Your body cannot be owned.Your voice cannot be taken—only suppressed.As we are seeing right now how often women’s voices are being supressed. The Tension of Modern StructuresAnd yet, here we are. Here I am. Working inside systems that were never designed for us.For the past decade, I have done my best to participate in business without becoming extractive. I’ve sat in meetings, studied numbers, navigated software, and built systems and managed teams and navigated taxes and oh so many things that were not in my wheel house. And what I’ve found is this:It is incredibly complex. And it is not where I come alive. (and I am not good at it)What brings me alive is teaching.Circle.Ritual.Art.Poetry.Inviting transformation.That is where I belong. In circle with my teachings.A Necessary SimplificationSo I am making a change.Not because I am stepping away—but because I am stepping in.I am simplifying everything.What is emerging is called:Stardust LineageA distilled expression of everything I’ve learned and taught.Rooted in my book, Stardust Bones, this work will guide the next 3–5 years of my life and teaching.What Comes NextThis work will continue to be accessible - yet centered within the one thing that I am here to teach for this next cycle. Stardust Lineage www.stardustlineage.com Enrollment is open now * Complimentary offerings for all * Ceremonies for all in the Cura Council * Affordable entry points to experience the work* Immersive weekend experiences around the world* A 9-month mentorship called Stardust Initiation - enrollment is open now* A new form of licensing the work so you can teach it if you are a healer or a coach - not traditional Certification like I have been doing. This work is meant to live through you.To be taught in your own voice. Shared in your own way. Carried into your own communities.Because the teachings themselves are simple, essential, and universal. This is a Rites of Passage I believe all women can benefit from at least once in her life.A Living LineageThere are nine core promises within this work—each one is a direct reclamation of what was once suppressed.And what I realized when I taught it the first time (in a different template) was this: These promises are not new.They are the exact places where women have been silenced—and are now being restored.An Invitation and a ReleaseSome of you will walk forward with me into this next chapter. And some of you will feel complete with the time we shared. Both are right.I release any threads that are ready to be released—with deep gratitude. There is no need to stay if it is not aligned. You will feel the resonance if it is.A Love That RemainsThis love I feel for you—It is real. It is the truest thing I know.It is my mother tongue.And as I find my way forward—more sovereign, yet still deeply connected—I carry you with me.Those beside me.Those behind me.Those ahead of me, calling me forward.I Am Not Stepping OutI am stepping in. And some of you will step in with me. I will see you on the path.Shiloh Sophia ”And the point is, you have to design a point for yourself” Caron McCloud“We are all cooling sacks of stars” Sue Hoya Sellars“When you can hear the stories of the past, the information of the future and the power of the now, understanding that all aspects are in play at all times, this juxtaposition of realities triggers Omni Presence in a way that can be understood. Everything actually isn’t always fleeting, not if you see it as all aspects in play simultaneously. When we can truly understand the depth and breadth, then we can understand that everything that has been and will be, the knowledge of all time, is already within us. We must move through the Corridors - the portals of our timeless mind, body, spirit, the realm of the oneness of creator, of source, the realms of all possibilities. Native peoples, indigenous peoples have an understanding of quantum physics and quantum mechanics but just have different language for it. There is no end to the circle, it is actually the everything and the closely concurring nothingness. That place where time and space are moving through you, and you are the observer and the recipient of cosmic favor. Where is the jurisdiction of truth? It's in the unfolding of the layers of our existence.” Carmen Baraka "The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any” Alice Walker Get full access to Tea with the Muse at teawiththemuse.substack.com/subscribe

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I just want you to knowthat if you need love right now,love is here.Feel it flowing between us.Whoever needs hope right now—there are plenty of reasons to feel hopeless.But this message arriving to you right nowis evidence of hope.Hope is something cultivated between us.It doesn’t just appear.We make hope happen.If you’re wondering who is out therewho understands,I want you to know:there is.It’s not just that you’re not alone.It’s that many of us are feelingthe same feelings you feel.Even though it may seem likeyou are the only one inside this lifefeeling this way.Isolation can make it seem that way.And for whoever feels likethis life might not be worth it—I’m here to remind you:it’s worth it.But you have to make it worth it.My mother Caron said something once:the point is, you must design a point for yourself.Life is worth it.But that doesn’t mean everythingis going to work out.It’s part of the human conditionthat everything doesn’t work out.I’m not saying life is worth itbecause things will go your way.Some things will.Some things won’t.That is the common thread between us.It’s not all going to work out.But the things that do—those need to be cherished.Celebrated.The rising of the sun.The first birds of the morning.Winter citrus on the vine.Petting your cat.Being warm enough.Coffee in your cup.Waking up can be hardwhen everything around usfeels chaotic.You must look for beautyeverywhere.We can bring our own meaningto everything that is happening.We have to bring our own meaning.Borrowed meaning about this lifedoesn’t work.I wish someone had told us that sooner.You have to make your own meaningjust like you have to make a point.We think a lot about the pastand how we cannot change it.But we can find a new contextthat makes it meaningful now.I’m not one of those peoplewho believes everything happens for a reason.I don’t.I believe in mistakes.I don’t think you chose your trauma.Or that you deserved it.Or bargained for it.Or that it was karma.And I don’t believe you agreed to itin some previous incarnation.I know some people do.I don’t.I do believe in an intelligent universe.But a universe that scripts sufferingfeels more manipulative than intelligent.I like to believe our soulsare far too wiseto choose to be victimsand perpetratorsover and over again.How’s that working out for us?What I do believeis that power-over structuresare doing their bestto remove our capacityto remember that we have choice.It’s a potent strategy.If we believe we don’t have a choice,we stop looking for one.And I want to validate something:You have every reasonto feel miserable,depressed,or hopeless.This isn’t misery loving company.It’s simply honest.I feel the temptation myselfbecause of what’s happening around us.The wars.The files.The behaviors.The administrations.The commentary.The price of cheese.Really.And yet—right now,if you’re reading this,I want to remind youthat the curation of your consciousnessis yours to do.And truly,that is the work.To curate your consciousness.To move out of the default settingsof personality and circumstanceand decide:From now on,I will curate my consciousness.To do that,we need intentional chemistry.Even with chaos around you,your consciousnessis still yours to navigate.Until we realize that,life feels like it’s happening to usinstead of through us.Curating consciousnessis a choiceday by day.A choice to repair the narrativethat has been deeply impactedinside each of usthrough cycles of conquestand devastationacross space, time, and place.Our souls knowthere is another way.That’s where hope comes from.Because there is another way.And we know it.Part of what makes this moment hardis that we can feela better way is possible.Each one of us can choose that way.In every decision.Every relationship.Every moment.We can chooseto lead from the heart.The choice is ours—if we remember we have it.I know that many timesit doesn’t feel that wayin our hearts,our bodies,our minds.But I want to tell you:you do have a choice.Some daysthe only assignmentis to reach towardthe possibility of a choice.The fragment of a choice.The fractal edge of a choice.Even if you cannot yet feel itas a lived experience.Choice as a lived experienceis still there.And I’m hereas evidence of that.Years agoI created a paintingwith two of my dear friends,Mary MacDonaldand Shannon Thompson,founder of Shakti Rising.Shannon passed away suddenlya few years ago.Just when life was opening for her—a new home,married,finally slowing downafter a life of service.She’s not here in the form anymore.But she is one of my ancestors now.When I would talk to Shannonabout hope like this,she would laugh at me.A big cackle.At my optimism.But we shared a devotionto life,to women,to care,to the Divine Feminine.We gave our livesto tending that.To curating it.Today I don’t know exactlywho this message is for.But I am thinking of Shannon.And I’m thinking of a young girlwith the initials K.L.A girl who lived in my home once.A girl I helpedmove through selective mutenessthrough creativity.A girl whose father couldn’t help her.When her brother was dying,I held her hand.When she tried to take her life,and survived,we painted together.Her life has been hard.Very hard.I haven’t been in touch for a long time.But I see her sometimes.Her eyes look hollow now.Tattoos on her face.She has enduredsome of the worst thingsmen can doto women and girls.So I send messages.Sometimes through her mother.Sometimes just into the field.Speaking to herat the level of soul.Because after what she has lived throughhope can be very hard to find.So I speak to her.To you.From my heart to yours.Right nowI’m about to have tea with the muse.This is one of the waysI practice intentional chemistry.Moving from beta—stress, reaction, problem-solving—into alpha.Into an intuitive love zone.Sometimes sending you these messagesdoes that for me.Loving youlifts my mood.So from my heartand my homeand my cup of tea with the muse—to yours.This is Curate Shiloh Sophiawith a messageof unreasonable hopeand an invitationto belongto yourself.You are not alone.Lean in.Don’t isolate.I am leaning in. Get full access to Tea with the Muse at teawiththemuse.substack.com/subscribe

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Yes, our nervous systems are being hijacked right now by intentional chaos and overwhelm. I’m going to share ideas You can do today to begin to rest. Choose yourself today. You can take a break. Here’s what I do and what I’m doing today. Get full access to Tea with the Muse at teawiththemuse.substack.com/subscribe

Sharing three teachings about soul, which may or may not be true, but provide a wonderful point of inquiry… Get full access to Tea with the Muse at teawiththemuse.substack.com/subscribe

There is a field of creation and consciousness - do you remember? What is real? Get full access to Tea with the Muse at teawiththemuse.substack.com/subscribe

This practice that I’ve had since my early 20s feels life-saving for me and that’s why I wanna share it with you today Get full access to Tea with the Muse at teawiththemuse.substack.com/subscribe

WHAT YOU’LL EXPERIENCE IN THIS 20-MINUTE MEDITATION:* Build your personal attunement temple – a sacred space customized by your imagination, heart, and body (not just your mind) and I will meet you there.* Ground into earth energy and call in star energy – create the “weave” that holds you between gravity and elevation, rooted and lifted simultaneously* Move and sway to find your body’s song – gentle, intentional movement that creates coherence between your body, heart, and brain* Travel into the quantum field while staying in your body – learn to manifest from connection, not abstraction or ego - but from the body* Discover what wants to be created THROUGH you – receive 1-3 aligned next steps (not forcing a whole plan, but finding what’s truly attuned to you right now)* Experience collaboration with seen and unseen helpers – ancestors, community, and creation itself are co-creating with you* Practice “effortless grace” – everything you need has already been provided; you’re learning to see and receive it - this is about what nature has provided, and being able to see that - even with all the other things.This week I am offering a complimentary experience in the Attunement Temple - this meditation is just a taste of it. Get full access to Tea with the Muse at teawiththemuse.substack.com/subscribe

Tonight’s illustration acting as prayer…This might sound so simple. You will feel better if you pick up a pen and put it to paper. Your hands are craving the invitation to move. I am telling you the truth. These times require that we tend our hearts and bodies and minds. Pen and paper can help, really.We need to tend our energies, not just once in a while. Every single day, several times a day, right now, is a good time to breathe. The stress mounts and the stories confound. Our reality as we know it is shape-shifting. Our bodies and brains struggle to know how to be. But I will tell you this.Breathing happens when the pen moves. Right now, you can pick up a pen and begin to let your energy flow out the end in shapes, marks, and sparks. It doesn’t matter what you draw. Just move the pen as if it has a life of its own. Let your pen be a wild pony.You can even close your eyes. As you do this, you say to yourself, or something like, I am releasing any energy that is trapped inside of me that does not belong to me. I am letting go of what I am holding so there is more space to love and learn and be present.Right now as I move this pen, I become more myself again. It is happening now. Right now, you can pick up a pen and begin to write what comes. It doesn’t matter what you write. Just move the pen and let the words fall out the end. Watch the end of the pen as it moves on the paper.Pretend it is a thread emerging from within the inner tapestry of your body that must be stitched into creation now. And as you write with your magical thread, say to yourself, or something like, The energy inside of me that feels impossible to hold is being released right now. As I move this pen, I regulate myself,I care for myself, and I know there is enough space to love right now. I choose presence right now. I am here. I am alive and I love and I’m becoming more myself again and it is happening right now. My mother used to say we can write a poem anytime.Just pick ten things right around you and make a list and string them together like beads. Oh, won’t you… Right now, you can pick up a pen and let the energy flow out. Your body isn’t made to hold all of these images and stories and headlines.Picking up the pen allows them to spill out of the too tight places and squished up, tangled up, emotional landscapes. They need light and pens and paper. The sorrows around us, it is all happening, but it did not have to happen. And we grieve because we know this isn’t how it is supposed to be,but it is how it is right now. The desire to help and serve can feel maddening because sometimes we feel helpless. Self-expression turns helplessness into life force. We are not helpless. We are helpful beings. We are walking each other home. We remember it will not always be this way,Yet the turn in the story toward what our heart desires isn’t in sight yet. Right now. Will you pick up a pen and just keep that energy moving? Don’t let it freeze in place. Don’t let it get stuck. Those images and energies, they don’t belong to you. You cannot hold them all inside.It won’t help anyone for you to try to hold the pain of the world. You can love just as much without digesting the pain. Your empathy is being overtaken by the collective suffering, and that is understandable, but, dear one, right now, you can call it back.Mark the page with your truth, your shadow, your angst, your love, your hope, your optimism. You know, the optimism that won’t go away?Bring it, bring it, bring it, bring you. The page does not fear your grief. The pen does not resist your pain. When I say you might feel better by picking up the pen...It is not so that we don’t see what is happening or to bypass reality. Rather, it is an invitation to feel just a little tiny bit better so actions are more clear and energy is more available and heart is not defended. It is hard to not have a defended heart, the pen and the paper open.Consider saying this or something like this. Right now I call my energy back to myself. Right now I release holding what isn’t mine to hold. Right now I love with my whole heart without taking on someone else’s pain. Right now I pick up the pen and self-express the impossible.If this gets me through the next day or hour or minute, So be it. If this clears my mind and shows me the actions I need to take, that is good enough. If this keeps me from being frozen and numb, I will take it. This pen and this paper hold my prayer.Dear One, your hands are craving the invitation to move. Dear ones, my prayers flow together with yours in this great river of life. Tonight, as I draw the elemental feminine rising up from stardust dreaming, I express my pain with a pen. I am stardust dreaming of becoming earth and tree and bird.I am stardust dreaming of becoming water, sparking life into creation through lightning. I am stardust dreaming of becoming fire, the sun shining on smooth skin. I am stardust dreaming of becoming the sky. The clouds rise up from my mind. The sun and the moon and the stars are in my pen and in my paper.Without the sun and the rain and the tree, there would be no paper, no pen. Everywhere I look,I am stardust dreaming of returning home to myself. When this world has become too dense for beauty to reveal herself, then I remember I am stardust dreaming of becoming me, and that is enough.One day long ago, a star dreamed of having an identity, and that identity is me. When I create, I remember the ancient stardust that I am. ”We are all cooling sacks of stars” says Sue Hoya Sellers.Prayers and candles and pen and paper from Minneapolis and all that are hurting for so many reasons.It doesn’t have to be this way, but it is. And so we must choose to continue on in a good way, loving, healing, and becoming. Start us dreaming. Thich Nhat Hanh says, if you are a poet, you will see clearly that there is a cloud floating in this sheet of paper.Without a cloud, there will be no rain. Without rain, the trees cannot grow, and without trees, we cannot make paper. The cloud is essential for the paper to exist. Sending love from my heart to yours. Can you feel it?Shiloh Sophia Get full access to Tea with the Muse at teawiththemuse.substack.com/subscribe