Showing up and letting go
Lessons on gentle perseverance after a month of rest
Hello.
It’s early morning here, babe and husband still asleep.
I’ve just poured a glass of water from a big mason jar, a simple ritual reminding me that I am not the source of my abundance. I am a vessel through which Spirit flows, freely. A truth I forget, often. But the remembering is sweet.
What does it mean to show up and let go, at the same time?
It’s a dance I’ve been exploring while taking an intentional pause from my weekly letter to you. This act of committed surrender, fully engaged yet not in control.
Gentle perseverance.
The phrase came to me at just the right time when I needed a new way of being, of interacting with my dreams, my body, and vitality. I am familiar with other modes of operation- hustling, convincing myself I have to do something on my own to “make it happen,” burnout, and giving up when circumstances don’t yield the results I hoped for.
Perseverance is not the same as hustling. Showing up fully doesn’t have to equal exhaustion. Giving up is vastly different from surrendering.
Read it one more time.
Let it sink in.
Gentle perseverance means honoring my capacity and trusting the miracle of right timing. It means placing more value on my energetic boundaries than on consistent production.
It means prioritizing presence over perfection.
Collaborating with others frequently and Spirit, always.
It’s a commitment to noticing the good things in my life, here and now. It’s the belief in abundance- that what I need to grow and thrive will be provided as easily as the rain watering all of life.
Gentle perseverance requires trust. Endurance. Tenacity. Faith in my dreams and belief in my ability to handle failure, rejection, and setbacks with grace.
One of the gifts of intentional rest and nourishment last month was realizing just how much I want to be here, sharing this space with you. When I removed the pressure to produce and create, I gained clarity about why and how I want to move forward.
I also had the opportunity to take a Creative Spirit Workshop with
, whose leadership and authenticity have been a huge blessing these past few weeks. She offered several journal prompts during the workshop and I’d like to share my answers to a few of them.How does creativity heal/elevate your lineage?
By acknowledging my birthright as a creator. That heals backward and forwards. It liberates an ancestral lineage of victimhood and slavery to poverty.
Telling the truth and being transparently flawed heals a legacy of shame and secrecy.
How does creativity relate to your social and cultural responsibility?
I am being called to focus on abundance and connection as a path to healing scarcity and disconnection. My social/cultural responsibility is to model rest + restoration to our natural state of being and growth that doesn’t need our striving. To receive and nourish others through that receiving.
To trust in the rain, that it will fall and it will be enough.
I am holding these intentions close to my heart while sharing this space with you. With that clarity in mind, I’ve reimagined some of my offerings. Here are some updates:
I’m starting a new “Community Bulletin” at the end of each newsletter with listings from paying members of Heartbeats. This could be a link to your website, an upcoming event, or something else you’d like to share with our community, up to four times a year. If you’re interested, fill out this form!
Moving forward, New Moon Letters will be free for everyone. I love writing these and want as many people as possible to benefit from the creative prompts and inspiration inside.
New Moon Circles will still happen monthly but take on more of a workshop structure. I’ll share tangible ways to nurture your creative practice by working with the current astrology.
I’m so stoked to be co-hosting this month’s workshop, August 13th at 4 pm CT with
I plan to feature a different guest speaker each month and if you’re interested in co-hosting, please let me know!
R.S.V.P. for the workshop here.
All future workshops will be free for paying members but I will ask for a donation/pay what you can from free subscribers.
Lastly, I’ll be paying close attention to and honoring my capacity, which may mean the consistency of my letters shifts. Paying members will start receiving priority on my most vulnerable letters, poems, and video diaries.
My commitment to sharing my writing and widening the safety net of connection is stronger than ever. I’m all in. And being all in means being accountable to you and your support! Here’s how your financial reciprocity contributes to this community.
Compensating my time writing each letter, hosting monthly art shares, interviewing artists, and growing this community by connecting with others on Substack.
Monthly website hosting
Monthly Canva (graphic design) services
The ability to pay for advertising to grow this community
Writing workshops and writer’s retreat applications/travel fees
Upgrading Zoom/Google Meet to host longer virtual workshops/gatherings
Purchasing podcasting equipment to use for a future audio version of the Pathfinders interviews
and more!
It feels so good to be back. I’ve missed you and can’t wait for what unfolds next. Go gently, love. Hold onto your dreams with an open palm, ever ready to receive exactly what you need.
All my love,
Mariah
P.S. How are you? What’s on your heart/mind this week? What’s something you’re looking forward to? How does gentle perseverance show up in your life?
I’d love to hear from you! Send me an email or leave a comment. I’m all ears.
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I love your reflections on gentle perseverance and having faith, it feels so much better than putting pressure on myself to constantly achieve. Your workshop sounds wonderful too.
I love that you are called to focus on abundance and connection as a path to healing scarcity and disconnection. That is a powerful statement!