CHOLLA AT ME

Soul-Scribed Story

Aarvie and Micah

There he was on the other side of the road - glancing across with uncertainty, paralyzed by the fear of the unknown. “Since it’s just me,” he thought, they will see and laugh with judgment.

Aarvie had never ventured out in the loud, boisterous city solo. He was a “pretty cool guy” - or so he thought, with casual friends around him commonly in his young adult years.

Now, with a new job re-locating him to the big city, tossing him out of his urban tribe and home-nest, he had to take life into his own hands.

“I want to go and find my tune,” he sternly declared out loud, but internally the voice of doubt and resistance was holding him back. As he flustered and fidgeted away each moment, the clock was ticking, and Aarvie could feel it. The pull between both paths was strong enough to twist his stomach inside-out; he felt alone and was about to surrender and retreat… until…

He heard a warm, re-assuring and kind voice - yet it was the unrelenting and rock-solid force that garnered no debate from Aarvie. It (He) said, “You don’t know what will happen out there. Accept this truth, reach out your hand and find another, awaiting you eagerly.”

Aarvie realized he had been creating false notions within and it was gradually crushing his spirit. Now, with the blessing of clairvoyance, he moved forward and crossed the road ahead.

With each step, he felt more capable, confident - his shoulders started to sway and feet relayed in rhythm. Thoughts of resistance tried to retard his rhythm, saying things like “you won’t find a friend” or, “what will you say to open conversation?” But, he paid no mind, determined to find what’s behind life’s blinds.

As he found music bumping off the street-level views, he stopped to gander. A theatre lay in front of him now with the bass loud, and crowd screaming & shouting - but he found peace in hanging outside the venue absorbing the vibes from afar. Then, out of nowhere - this tall, gangly and fresh young gent pulled up to the same spot - almost like they coordinated meeting right here - in the alleyway hugging the venue.

“Yo! You like these tunes too?” The unknown stranger asked, recognizing both were vibing to the beat. “Yeah man,” said Aarvie. “Sick, my names Micah",” said the stranger. Serendipitously, they chatted for an hour about their upbringings, beliefs, accolades, and ambitions. Micah strongly stated, “I’m an artist, and I want more than anything to bring my drawings to life.”

Aarvie didn’t have a true chiseled grown identity yet, but feeling the fire of Micah - he knew now he wanted to find his own internal fire - no matter what the climb will be.

…

As written, the challenging leap forward taken by Aarvie this day shined light to his unknown intuition and powerful ambition. If he had fallen to the dark resistance, his vision would not have come into fruition.

The Road Beyond

Flying Solo

Flying solo is one of life’s mysteries on paper, it sounds silly - go deeper and it’s genuinely difficult (for real reasons).

A lot of things we do are paired with friends and various social groups - acting as the main source of cohesion to attend, and adding the “peer pressure” aspect. This is a natural human function, and usually net positive! Consistency in activities with others inevitably leads to stronger community ties.

But, what about those intriguing places or events that we are individually called to - and there is no one available to join? Do we just wait for a buddy’s schedule to open up to come with? Or, do we just abandon this endeavor altogether?

Unfortunately, most do the former and the latter, both leading to dead ends and missed opportunities. These “missed stepping stones” can certainly be crucial, and even devastating to our personal growth. There is a real cost here - but let’s not look at it this way.

Alternatively, we must rise to the occasion - our call - and move forward. In my experience, every single time I listened and dispersed resistance, got out there, I was rewarded. Some of my best friends (soul brothers) were found this way, and even career opportunities from there. New art, ways of thinking, conversational skill, magical moments, hard-earned lessons - all from choosing to go, when it was just up to me and mine.

Overtime, I realized anything that had serious resistance to start, go, or engage - was the direction I needed to go. Even this newsletter (and other creative projects) faces struggle to push through the unknown. But, every time I sit down and write - it all feels right - and that’s all is needed to continue the trek, and trust the process.

Do NOT wait - for that “perfect moment” - it will not arrive. Take the moment, and see the universe nod its metaphysical head in approval, bestowing golden gifts of love and life!

FROM THE MOUNTAINS

THE REPORT:

SIGHTINGS: A lovely bee sleeping in the sunflower (photographed after dark)!

Honest Poll- Seeking your Voice

Happenings:

The Burning of Zozobra, Santa Fe: Fri, Sept 4 · Fort Marcy Park, Santa Fe
The 102nd burning of Old Man Gloom. Fifty feet of marionette, a crowd of thousands, and a century-old ritual of writing down your worst year and watching it go up in flames. Gates at 4PM. If you do one thing on this list, do this one. GET TICKETS

Music from Angel Fire — through Aug 26 · Angel Fire & Taos
The chamber music festival that quietly punches way above the town's weight. Tickets stay reasonable, the setting does half the work, and it's the last major arts event before the mountains turn. SEE THE SCHEDULE

Fiestas de Santa Fe — Sept 5–13 · Santa Fe Plaza
The 314th. Nine days of parades, processions, mariachi, food vendors and dancing on and around the Plaza. One of the oldest continuously celebrated community festivals in the country. FULL SCHEDULE

TAO Studio Tour, Taos— Labor Day weekend, Sept 5–7 · Taos
More than 30 Taos artists open their actual working studios. Not a booth at a market — the room where the work gets made, with the artist standing in it. The best way to buy art and the best way to understand it. MAP & ARTIST LIST

Michael Hearne's Big Barn Dance — Sept 10–12 · Taos (Art Stroll Sept 9)
Twenty-plus years running. Songwriters in the round, under the Sangre de Cristos, with a crowd that actually listens. As close to a Taos institution as live music gets. LINEUP & TICKETS

Taos Fall Arts Festival Opens — Sept 18 – Oct 4 · Taos
Just past our window but worth planning for — the big one, running two and a half weeks and drawing artists from across northern New Mexico. DETAILS

Books:

“The Serviceberry”

“Finding the Mother Tree”

“On our Best Behavior”

Checkout Santa Fe Hemp for these awesome books and much more at Santa Fe Plaza! Kathleen (owner) is super rad - and is all about “helping the local communities.” We always have been attracted to her store and stop in, every time we are in the plaza.

Quick Housekeeping:

Last week’s issue hit a “spam” trigger because my website hosting server crashed (the data-center in Phoenix over-heated, and thus all the links got tinkered with).

Go ahead and check your spam folder for last week’s issue about Santa Fe Indian Market!

Fixed the issue, everything is back in order.

Carry on, Cholla At Me!

CHOLLA AT ME!