Between Dogs, Dreams & Departure – Another day Building The New Earth
It’s the 16th of August.
Two more weeks until I fly.
Strange to think of leaving here after so long—
to step back into a place like Dubai,
where everything is accessible,
where civilization offers its conveniences.
Last night’s dreams slipped in and out like water—
but left no clear imprint.
The night was cooler,
the fan whispering its magic.
I still refuse the aircon,
my body hot but alive.
Maybe today, after the gym,
I’ll go into the sea.
So close—
why not enter more often
before I leave?
Lately, animals gather around me.
A nest across the pillar.
And now, two strays at my porch,
gazing at the lake.
They follow my scent,
waiting for my morning walk.
Sweet companions—
perhaps I’ll buy bowls and food,
give them more than snacks.
Funny—Rocky the guard dog stays silent.
As if even he knows,
these two belong here for now.
Part of me wants to wander—
a monastery,
a temple,
a little trek.
Perhaps Monday, when the crowds thin.
Calls aren’t coming.
Space has opened.
Maybe it’s an invitation
to explore Sri Lanka
before I depart.
Though I will return—
who knows anything, really?
The work still looms.
Edits, endless edits.
The energy it takes to birth a project,
and then return again,
polish, refine,
instead of rushing forward.
If I want it alive,
this is the cost.
And I do.
I’d like it finished before South Africa.
The best I can give.
Then we’ll see about the seven-day cleanse.
Not yet a season,
but it could become one—
perhaps after the full moon cleanse.
It’s alright to pivot.
We move with what we learn.
That’s where I stand today—
between dogs, dreams, and departure.
1. What do the animals gathering around me reflect about the energies I’m carrying now?
Sub-question: How are they mirroring qualities of loyalty, companionship, or protection within me?
Card: The Chariot
The Chariot shows that the animals mirror your movement toward mastery and direction. They sense your determination and align with your focused drive. Their loyalty reflects your own inner discipline: the ability to hold opposing forces (instinct and spirit, body and mind) in harmony. They gather because they recognize your will is steadying.
2. What is the invitation in this open space, where calls and commitments have thinned?
Sub-question: How can I use this pause before departure to deepen into presence rather than fill it with distraction?
Card: Strength
Strength calls you to lean into gentleness rather than force. This open space is an invitation to meet yourself with compassion, not to rush into more doing. The lion within you can be soothed with patience. The thinning of commitments isn’t emptiness — it’s a gift of presence, where your subtle inner power can surface.
3. How do I want to consciously close my time in Sri Lanka before leaving?
Sub-question: What simple rituals or actions will help me carry this place’s essence forward?
Card: Seven of Cups
The Seven of Cups reminds you there are many ways you could close this chapter — rituals, farewells, creations. But discernment is needed. Not all options will carry essence; some are distractions. Choose one or two small, heartfelt acts that anchor memory in truth: perhaps immersing in the sea or lighting a final candle.
4. What is the deeper lesson in the resistance I feel toward endless editing and refinement?
Sub-question: How can I shift from seeing it as burden to recognizing it as devotion?
Card: Eight of Wands
The Eight of Wands reveals momentum: resistance arises because you sense acceleration, and editing feels like slowing down. The lesson is that refinement is also movement, just in a subtler current. By aligning with the flow — trusting that each edit speeds clarity — you turn burden into devotion, carried forward with grace.
5. What does the sea ask of me, being so near and rarely entered?
Sub-question: How might immersing myself in its waters cleanse and prepare me for the transition ahead?
Card: Four of Cups
The Four of Cups suggests the sea has been offering itself, yet you’ve sat apart, preoccupied. The invitation is to break the trance of indifference. Immersion is the missing cup — a chance to feel renewal. By entering the waters, you dissolve stagnation and open to the gift already before you.
6. Where in my creative process am I being called to pivot with grace?
Sub-question: How do I know the difference between abandoning a path and allowing it to evolve?
Card: Five of Cups reversed
Reversed, the Five of Cups shows a turn from grief to possibility. Pivoting with grace means not abandoning, but re-seeing. What once felt lost (time, effort, drafts) is not wasted — it composts into evolution. The shift is felt when you look forward with acceptance rather than back with regret. That’s the sign of true evolution.
7. What does departure truly mean for me at this threshold?
Sub-question: How can I honor both the letting go of Sri Lanka and the stepping into South Africa without clinging or projecting?
Card: Nine of Swords
The Nine of Swords reveals the mental weight of departure — anxieties, projections, fears. Departure is not just physical, but psychological. To honor it, face the shadows directly instead of letting them haunt unspoken. Write them, breathe them, release them. Letting go isn’t escape — it’s acknowledging the fears, then walking with lighter steps.
