The secret to how we evolve.

Hey Beauties!  Welcome to the 13th Episode of the Empathic Writing Journey Podcast.  I recently followed my heart to Miami Beach for some sunny inspiration, and I got the bonus of a complete System Reset.  I send thanks and love to each of the very special people who made the past week so wildly rich beyond imagination:  Eslie, Clara, Gus and Alexis.  I celebrate all that had been before, and all that flows forward.

And to you, sweet listener, I thank you for the gift of your attention.  I am always very interested to know what's on your mind, so do reach out to me either in the comment section of my blog at empathicwriter.com, on my Facebook Page at facebook.com/empathicwriter, or leave a voicemail message up to 5 minutes at 206-202-0217.

The 4th Permaculture Design Principle.

As I considered and lived with this 4th design principle of practicing self-regulation and applying feedback, it occurred to me that this is the demystified process of EVOLUTION:

Evolve:  "develop gradually, especially from a simple to a more complex form." Develop:  "grow or cause to grow and become more mature, advanced, or elaborate." Gradual:  "taking place or progressing slowly or by degrees."

As evolutionary beings, we are iterative.  We are designed for graceful growth... emerging from one version, to another more glorious version.  Even bacteria and mold do this without much fuss or assistance.  So surely we homo sapiens sapiens are capable of maturation and the beautification of ourselves, our relationships and our surrounding environment.  Perfection is not our ultimate goal.  Gradual development is.  This is the secret to how we evolve -- through gradual development.  Can you feel the gentleness and non-overwhelm of that?  We can walk a reasonable road between the foamy-mouthed fanatical activist, and the comatose commerce-addicted consumer.  But the time to apply the feedback we've received about the devastating consequences of our exploitation and depletion of natural resources is now.  The choice is ours, Beloved:  evolve or expire.

The complexity of all this does not give us a Free Pass of Avoidance.  We have to build our level of ecological awareness, no matter how weak it might be right now.  This is not a hippie movement.  Or a cause that only impacts liberals, progressives, new-agers, or any other compartmentalized excuse we may like to hide behind.  Any and all who enjoy breathing unpolluted air, drinking uncontaminated water, eating nutritious food and protecting biodiversity -- (all of which is essential to our own physical existence) -- must cultivate some degree of ecological literacy.

Mmmm good, ear-candy!

A year and a half ago I wrote an e-book about an inherited neurological trait I was born with called Sensory Processing Sensitivity.  This trait endows 25% of all living organisms with a nervous system that is more sensitive and, therefore, receives more sensory data than "regular" nervous systems do.  The name of the ebook, which is available on Amazon.com, and can be easily found by searching my name, is titled "The POWER of Your Intense Fragility: What culture hasn't told you about being sensitive AND strong."  Many of you have asked for an AUDIO version of this, and it should be available by May 10th!  Thank you so much for your interest and support.

To our gradual and steadfast development,
Erika  XO