I bought a house in Golden Valley, MN in Feb. 2022. The dream was to live in community, to build community. And it’s ongoing. But the 2 adults and 2 kids that started with me, moved out at the end of Summer 2023, so I’ve had a good period to be in the house myself, on a kind of personal retreat. It’s been good to have the space. 

I do have dreams with this space, as a Music Box, a Farmhouse, and as a Retreat Center, which serves for both healing and artistic retreats. It will be funded through the maternal gift economy principles. Which means that when I have guests, I will gift them. I invest in them, so they can invest in the world. And it starts with Cata and Tenzen. They are coming with their 2 cats at the end of April.

On May 1st, there is a big party planned. I will have more to say about it here for the rest of the month. But there will be a concert, potluck and possible camping opportunity at the house and in the backyard.

Before then, I would like to have at least one open mic or talent show. I’ll have to pick a date, how about April 27? Because I am going out of town on the 17th-22nd. I can set up some opportunities in Omaha too. It is a busy time. I need to get my taxes done soon. I am going to talk about money on this blog. The economy of things is important, and I’ve got some big ideas.

So if you’re reading, thanks for reading. I intend to post here once a week, on Wednesdays. And I’d appreciate if you keep me accountable in the comments. Let me know you are reading!

Thanks again for reading. It’s that little act of paying attention that makes me feel seen.

-Leaf Waterbird

Hello! My name is Drew Dietle, and I would like to invite you to a weekly meeting that I am hosting and facilitating through Zoom. This call is for Heart-Centered Creatives to talk about business and money. The goal is for each of us to have space to share, and to get feedback to support us exactly where we are now.

It is okay to share about a creative project that isn’t a business at all. I believe we all have gifts or skills to share, and that as we step into “The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible”, we will see the ways that we can be fully supported as we express those gifts. We are all a work in progress.

There is a loose association between this group that I am hosting, and Charles Eisenstein’s online program hosted on the “New and Ancient Story” (NAAS) network. He is launching a new program on March 19th, which I will say more about in another post. But, there are specific guidelines (more info through link at the bottom of this post) that have been crafted for the online network that he and Patsy host, and I do promote this group to that network.

So, these calls run from 9:30am-11:30am CT, and it is okay to arrive late or to leave early. As host, I make sure everyone gets a chance to speak, and I help navigate the time to best accommodate the group that is present each week. Feel free to reach out with questions. It is free to participate in these calls.

Here’s the link to the Thursday morning call:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82729039326

For more information about NAAS: https://www.naascommunity.org/posts/about-this-network

My friend is hosting a 2-hour gathering tomorrow night, and 10 of us have been asked to share 2-minute responses to the following 3 prompts. Here are mine:

(1) My dreams and desires for community: I would like my house to serve as a retreat center for visionary artists. I imagine finding a house manager who collaborates in creating and holding the powerful field of this physical space for this project. With each retreat, there is a public offering that includes a short speech or presentation about their retreat experience. For example, a poet might read a new or newly edited work, or a small group may rehearse the scene of a play. Surely there will be groups and individual musicians who rehearse and give a show. Over time, the cycle of successful performances helps spread both the messages of the artists, and the reputation of the house so that the invitation stretches far and wide for creatives from around the world come to book a retreat at the Music Box Retreat Center.

I would like to also host as often as weekly or monthly open mics or piano karaoke nights in the living room. I would love to come to Phoenix’s for a weekly potluck, or have one at my place. I would love for the kids to ride their bikes over and take music lessons and spend some time with my animals.

(2) My needs / desires that could be met with community resources: I am looking for help with maintaining/managing the energy of the house at the high level that a “retreat center” deserves. This could look like part-time work for someone to come on an occasional or regular basis. This also could look like a housemate who would be interested in reduced or free rent in exchange for house stewardship.

I would love to have a list of possible house sitters to watch the animals and enjoy the space of the house when I plan for travel.

(3) The gifts and resources I wish to contribute in community: I would like to share my home space as a center for creative expression, engaging conversation, and mindful retreat. I would like to play the piano and sing for guests, and I would like to connect audiences with performers for living room and backyard shows. I would like to teach music lessons, and have people over to sing at the piano. I want you to know you can come for an overnight visit, and we can make it into a personal retreat for you.

I am also offering a weekly online meeting for spiritual entrepreneurs on Thursday mornings called the Skill Share Collective. You can read more about that in the previous post: https://waterbirdmedicine.com/2024/01/22/skill-share-collective-part-2/

You are invited! I am hosting a weekly check-in/accountability group for budding entrepreneurs. It’s okay if you haven’t used that word: “entrepreneur”. I mean human beings using their spiritual gifts as the source of their livelihood. Yes, this is a big deal. I have thought that “it isn’t ethical or ‘spiritual’ to receive payment or to exchange money for an act of loving service”. That “a righteous devotee would trust the lord completely and leave money alone”. And maybe that is possible, to live totally in the gift economy, so if that is your goal, you are welcome. But especially for those people who want to talk about how we relate to money and business, this group is for you.

During each Zoom meeting, each person gets a chance to share with the group updates about their business or creative projects, and ask for suggestions or feedback if desired. I’ll help manage the time time and keep the attention focused so that each person gets a chance to be on the hot seat. It is okay to come late or leave early, but it is appreciated if you can be on time to help set the container together, especially if it is your first time.

Recently, I led a weekly group on Charles Eisenstein’s online community, the Sanity Project, that focused on Mind-Body Connection. In some way, this is a kind of continuity of that. Step 1, focus on the basics of embodiment, step 2, focus on a devotional aspect of how you choose to offer your loving service to the world. What is the loving service I want to provide that I am willing to bill for, so that I can have my livelihood in service of the good?

Until I am able to step into this kind of spiritual entrepreneurism, I continue work under the system of control. I am having a wake up call, and it is hard to give up my salary when I don’t have any alternative source of livelihood. I am paid in US dollars by a medical clinic for providing my services according to their rules and their values. And I need those dollars to pay my living expenses as well as payments on my huge educational debt. Not to mention that I have sacrificed so much time and money to earn that big time degree, the MD.

Well, the reality is that I want to use my heart-center skills in service of humanity, and I do that by running a successful spirit-led business. It creates the opportunity to end my employment with the system. I will be able to earn money directly from my customers. I am becoming a successful businessman. And you get to come along and do it too. I am not charging any money for this class, though it does seem consistent to receive donations in exchange for the facilitation I offer. We will be in a peer group, and over time, we will support each other at whatever phase of the journey we are in. Come on in! Reach out to me with any questions.

Thursdays 9:30-11:30 am CT

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82729039326

I attended an excellent call on intentional community with about 15 others hosted through Charles Eisenstein’s Sanity Project today. I have been thinking about the vision I have for my house in Minneapolis, and wanting to share a few thoughts here as I continue to develop my vision and make steps towards bringing it into reality. The host of that call recently bought a community house in Tennessee, and shared that she has learned that asking for help has repeated led her to people who have generously offered support, and even seem to be fulfilled by being able to contribute. I think it’s time for me to learn to ask for the help I need to get this project moving forward.

2 years ago, I bought a 4-bedroom house on behalf of a group of 5, which included 3 adults and 2 kids. We have decided to separate into different living situations, but remain friends. For the last 6 months, I have been living here with just a dog and a cat, which has been a kind of necessary space as I make way for the new. I see it as a kind of intentional community, but not just people sharing the rent and eating together etc. It is a kind of art project retreat center. I am looking for a partner and collaborator who can join me in creating this space in service of the mission. I am looking for a house manager. I am able to manage the bills of the house, but I am not able to manage the energy of the house by myself.

I need help making the space nice. I need help managing the kitchen and buying groceries and cooking meals. I need help cleaning the bathrooms and the floors and organizing. I need help managing the lawn and planning and developing gardens. I need help building 1-3 tiny houses (someday) in the backyard.

The right person (people) will help me develop this as a retreat center that focuses on the guest experience for groups of 1-5 who stay overnight, for up to a month while they focus on personal development, spirituality, healing and creative expression. Guests who stay will develop some kind of creative performance, talk, or reflection to share with the broader community who will be invited to come for a gathering at the end of their time at the house.

The right person will enjoy living with an active dog and a disabled cat. The right person will enjoy singing, dancing, and hosting events for the community. The right person will enjoy quiet time and will also navigate the shared sound space with sensitivity. The right person will appreciate daily check-ins and being part of each other’s lives. The right person will have language and access to identifying emotional patterns in themselves, and a compassionate attitude towards all living beings. 

I’m not sure who the right person is or how I will figure it out, but I think that talking about it is a step in the right direction. I am open to comments or direct messages if you have ideas that might help me find them, or if you think it might be you.

I wrote these values and agreements 6 months ago, and they still look good to me now:

House Values and Agreements:

Communication: Honest, transparent communication is vital. We aim to have a weekly circle to check-in, discuss house issues. Daily, informal check-ins are welcome.

Spiritual/Personal Development: We are all on a unique and sacred journey. Deep reverence and respect for individuality and integrity.

Mindful intention: from the care of the pets, to hosting guests, to cleaning the bathrooms and kitchen.

Sound attunement: Being aware that this is a shared space, we value music and conscious conversation. Thoughtfulness regarding use of electronics with audio throughout the house.

Community: this is a space that welcomes guests. We will also be respectful of housemates and communicate about all events and provide notice when invitations are made. 

Hello! I have been leading a Zoom group for the last several months, and it is about to split into 2. Initially, the focus was on creating a space for holistic health practitioners associated with Charles Eisenstein’s Sanity Project to be in a talking circle together.

For the Wednesday group, we are going to focus on the skills we want to develop and share with the world. I have described that in a previous post. (https://waterbirdmedicine.com/2023/12/29/skill-share-collective/)

The new group that I am aiming to host on Saturday mornings is going to focus on spiritual healing. Another description of that, is a recognition of the elements that are overlooked or ignored by the system that governs our conventional medical system, and creating a space for those elements to breathe.

We will meet at 10am CT, and you can message me at drew@waterbirdmedicine.com for the link. I only check that email consistently on Friday or Saturday morning, so I can get the link out to those who request it, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t hear from me before the meeting time.

I will post more updates as this project evolves!

You are invited! I am organizing a new group of participants who, like me, are working on offering their skills to the world in a new way. For me, the time has come to turn my visionary process into a business that generates a sustaining income. I’m not a business expert, in fact, I have been totally business averse for most of my life. But I have a belief in a process and I’m inviting a cohort to join me as we work together on our own projects in 2024.

I’ll share more about my own business goals in other posts and during the groups, but basically I aim to lead groups and offer individual appointments as an entrepreneur. This represents a transition from my career in medical practice. Over the next several months, I will be participating in Mark Silver’s Heart of Business course. Through that course, I will be learning how to better describe what my offerings really are. And every week, I will be sharing what I am learning about with this group, who are also working on their businesses!

This group is free to participate in. I am hosting simply because I think it will be supportive and helpful as I take these next steps in clarifying what my business offerings really are.

We will find a repeating time to meet each week on Zoom, and during the meeting each participant will get a chance to share about their business offering, and others will have the opportunity to offer feedback if that is requested. I’d like to pick a time during the week, and Monday mornings, Wednesday mornings, Wednesday afternoons, or Thursday mornings seem especially good to me.

I’m imagining a group as small as 2-5 might be especially potent to build deep and supportive relationships with each other. If there is more interest than that, I welcome the group to grow and will find ways to make sure it maintains a feeling of intimacy.

If you are interested, fill out this Doodle poll with the times that would work for you most weeks: https://doodle.com/meeting/participate/id/e936J8zb

Merry Christmas! As 2023 winds down, I find myself reflecting on my career, and my longing for a shift. I trained in the western medical system, and it feels like such a heartbreak every day that I am in the clinic. I get twisted into a position that I don’t want to be in, and I am able to be friendly and kind, but that is a weak balm for the corruption it is all built upon.

I am paid by the system to provide medical visits, and I do have some freedom and leeway in the type of medical advice I provide. What I want to be doing is facilitating groups, and offering 1-1 services that help orient clients to their subtle body. Subtle Medicine Appointments. It is not complicated, but I don’t think many are doing it the way that I want to. It seems almost like a riddle. What I want to do can look almost silly from the wrong angle.

But I know that I am on to something. And that if it doesn’t work at first, that I will just need to adjust and keep going. I am aiming to set myself at the threshold, and support others as they step out of the broken medical paradigm that isn’t working.

During these visits, I won’t be providing medical care. I’m suggesting that the medical model is outdated, corrupted. And I know there are people who have been going crazy about this too, and they are looking for someone who gets it. That is what I will do. I get it. I listen. I can bridge the gap because I was trained in the system, so I have that relatability.

In January and February, I am signing up for a business course with Mark Silver. I’m hoping that through this course I will clarify my language and messaging about these services. I will go to his classes on Tuesday afternoons, and then spend another few hours each week thinking about my business. Here’s the link if you want to check it out too: https://www.heartofbusiness.com/training-programs/heart-business-basics/

I will also plan to coordinate a small group for a “heart of business share”. The guiding question will be something like “What’s up with your business?” We will practice trusting the field, not trying to fix each other.

Before too long, I would like to also organize a support call for wounded healers, and I will learn to manage the space so people can connect with each other. It might be like an AA meeting of sorts. I don’t know the details of their model, but broadly it’s a support group. I like to think that there might be a combination of doctors, nurses, other mainstream health workers, AS WELL AS alternative health practitioners who realize we are all in it together.

Before long, I want to have 4 Subtle Medicine appointments available each week. 60-90 minutes. Just listening, offering subtle opinions, if requested. Carve those times out, and start off half price. $100 instead of $200. By March or May, have at least a few sessions under my belt. It’s okay to earn money for offering my gifts. Eventually, I’ll be able to pay for the house with the money I earn from the business. And then I’ll be able to transition even more of my time from the clinic to my own practice.

That’s a goal. By the end of 2024, being able to walk away from the clinic because I am being financially supported by my business. We’ll see!

What am I up to now? It’s a lot of projects, like usual. I am thinking about making more time for writing to organize and communicate better about what I’m up to. I’m afraid I need to give myself permission to go on a tear, to make a wide space to string the far reaching topics together in a way that is helpful to me, even if it becomes tiresome for the reader.

In some ways, I’m inviting myself more directly into boldness. The time is already here for more dramatic action. It can feel like I missed the moment to strike on the health freedom issue. I notice I am self-censoring by avoiding a word that starts with the letter V. There is a lot of important information that I’ve learned to find, which so many people are completely unaware about, but it also is quite difficult to bridge that information gap. In some way, that’s where effective writing and art making come into play. Connect energetically. 

I am living in a 4-bedroom house in Minneapolis. I would like this space to be an effective hub for community. There has to be some kind of discernment, because I want the good energy to be flowing here. And even one person can put people on alert. There is a cat and a dog here, and those can be a bit of an energetic investment, but they do help foster the environment that I am looking to create. It’s just that it’s a work in progress.

I’m influenced by my visits to Esalen in Big Sur, CA and to Breitenbush Hot Springs in Central Oregon, and the Vipassana meditation center in rural Washington. Also by a dance festival at Sundari Gardens in Hawaii and a Charles Eisenstein retreat in North Carolina. 

What do I need to hold myself in a higher frequency state? What does the house need to help hold that state for guests? Quiet time for contemplation, and also time for music and play and expression. Space for intimate conversations, and space to be alone. Neighbors who are involved, but who can be in their own space too. I’m looking for availability. For service. To be in service of others, and also of my gifts and strengths. And theirs.

So is this house ready for a new roommate and his son? There is a lot to this question that has sat stagnant, because I don’t have the kind of supportive resources in my friends that I wish I might have. One obvious benefit of having another adult here, will be to share responsibilities for the animals, making it easier for me to travel. And other one will be the financial boost that comes from having a renter. But more important than both of those things, is how these other people affect the energy flow of the space. It will be significant. It will impact my daily patterns. Can it be a shift in a helpful direction? What are the challenges that can also be used for the benefit of all? I think communication is a foundation for making it work. A mutual understanding that we have our own journeys that we can witness and support in each other.

What about the Kennedy campaign? Gosh. How important is my role in the campaign? I feel the potential for becoming quite activated for the campaign. Demonstrating my enthusiasm and encouraging my local community to set a precedent for what grassroots can look like. Weekly Kennedy Heart Share circles. Potlucks. Open mic. Bring people together for a positive purpose. What is the upper limit of what that might look like? Well, if there are individuals or dynamics that cause it to feel draining, that’s when I’ll need my space. But if it is energizing, then I might be able to accommodate guests every day of the week. It’s like a real community vision. There is a weekly morning check-in. Or a daily check-in. I want to build a positive culture that helps myself and others to “live in the light.”

I put that phrase in quotes because I know it can sound hokey. But it is a real description of a process that I’m going to describe further. And perhaps this will get to be a bit esoteric for some, but this is an artistic/therapeutic writing process for myself first. When I moved into this house, I was participating in a weekly “Community Heart Share” led by my neighbor and housemate who developed that 3 hour format from a Priestess process they learned from a specific teacher. They spoke in terms of quantum healing, ley lines, miracles and sacred processes. They used oracle cards and crystals, sounded bowls and spoke in light language. I had a metaphoric, or energetic understanding of what they were doing, and it did resonate with me.

I have been reading an esoteric spirituality book that might be described as transcendental christianity, while also using mindfulness exercises and other practices of embodiment. At times, it feels like there is a large diverse center that can hold many unique individuals and expressions of the divine. I finished a 2022 book by Lorie Ladd on “Divine Design” that covers aspects of our multidimensional reality and the negative influence of certain fallen beings which have been part of our reality on Earth. And then I was turned on to an ascension blog from Lisa Renee called Energetic Synthesis. The unifying theme is that an inner transformation is possible, and that an outer transformation is coming too.

To be more specific, the control grids of the old world are coming down. This is a disruptive, and challenging time. Whether you work in education, military, government, healthcare, the legal profession, banking, media and entertainment, sports, performance, arts, tech… it’s all changing so rapidly. And those careers can help with the money piece which can help bring security and safety for the foundation of our needs. But those of us bringing light to the system will likely find it overwhelming to remain within the system. In time, we will make our various exits, but creating an alternative financial model for our livelihood takes lots of energetic resources and support.

So, how can I help provide that support for others? How can I receive that support for myself? What kind of career might I have that makes use of my skills and gifts for this higher vibrational earth timeline? 

I have assembled a team of health practitioners through Charles Eisenstein’s Sanity Project. We meet once a week as a mutual support group. I am also offering Mind-Body Skills groups to the whole of the Sanity Project on Monday afternoons. I have been leading Pod 10, which will be shifting to another day of the week pending the results of a Doodle poll. 

I continue to work at a low income clinic, meeting people from all over the world who often have low health literacy. They need a doctor’s orders for their wheelchairs and incontinence supplies, and pharmaceutical drugs that were started by previous doctors or in the hospital. I have limited time with them, and many of them have deeply entrenched health beliefs that makes the empowering work I aim to do nearly impossible.

I have participated in Pamela Wible’s Physician Entrepreneurship program for the last 6 years. She has specific skills and understandings that can help make strategic financial sense out of alternative health business models. That might look like charging an hourly rate for individual or group holistic health clients.

I am starting a 22 day group reset challenge tomorrow with my friend Kai from Hawaii. I would like to go visit her and to be on that island for 1-2 weeks at the end of January. Who wants to come? I’m going to leave it here for now. Thanks for reading.

Hello my friends,

I have been preparing my home for its new life as a retreat center, launching Dec 2, 2023, my 37th birthday. Do you wanna come?

This retreat opportunity will start on Wed. Nov 29th, and continue to Sun. Dec 3rd. From 11am-2pm Thursday to Sunday, there will be programming streamed live from Gabor Mate’s Compassionate Inquiry Retreat. More info about that content is available here: https://www.scienceandnonduality.com/webinar/pathways-to-wholeness. There will be 1000 other Zoom participants for the teachings, and then we will practice the exercises with our group. The rest of the time will be focused on the simple tasks of living like cooking and eating, meditating, playing music, relaxing, and enjoying life.

I’m in the early stages of the vision, and there is a lot that will be determined by the interest of the other participants. You will hear more from me soon if you tell me that you are interested, and we will get to the retreat dates before you know it.

So, thanks for considering this invitation, and do let me know if you would like to be a part of it.

All the best, 

Leaf