dear spirit friends,

last night I came home from a few days in Adana, an ancient Mediterranean city on the far eastern side of Turkey, close to Syria -- famous for its kebabs and being a super macho place, where, (it is said) on the hottest days of the summer, the men take out their guns and shoot at the sun...

I spent my days with my 8-months pregnant friend, living with her Turkish family, walking amongst the pomegranate and citrus trees, and towering cactus shrubs, like this:

this week, I've been thinking about how to work on the "big picture" -- of my dreams, goals, projects, systems, creations... and out came this visual diagram:

an ecosystem map of the big picture

Here's the key + a journaling question to go with each element:

Ether - your dreams & visions.
Which possibilities inspire you forward?

Water - your creative flow.
What does your creativity need to flow?

Rhythms - your systems & processes.
What systems can support your world?

Garden - your creations & results.
What seeds are you tending to, everyday?

Earth - the vessels that hold your work.
Where are your intentions & work contained?

Fire - your core drive & motivation.
What keeps you on fire?

Shadow - your resistance, fears & blockages.
What is holding you back?

this diagram helped me reflect on all aspects of my world - and especially as an obsessive, lost-in-the-weeds kind of person - seeing the big picture really helps me stay focused, so that I can dive deeper, one project at a time.

things that inspired me this week

exploring: when gastronomy meets art - a chinese chef designing poetic landscapes as food dishes, on google arts & culture - so beautifully inspiring

browsing: daily art app - a daily, nourishing spoon of art history -- and their magazine articles are surprisingly interesting (and a great Instagram replacement)

listening to: love letter by zalagasper. a dreamy, float-in-your-head sort of love song

that's all for this week's letter, my friends. thinking of you from a particularly windy day in istanbul.

see you next week,

kening

this is guide.notes no. 25, a weekly letter on the labor of love of tending to your infinite inner & outer gardens.