hey fam!

at the time of this writing, it’s another eclipse season (september 2025) and phew, that last eclipse took me OUT. how about you? how are you feeling? I hope you were able to find rest and ease and maybe release a few (or a whole bucket) of tears.

it’s writing wednesday! today, let’s talk about flow. being in a flow, flow state, how to find the flow.

a quick search on the interwebs gave me such great phrases to describe “flow state”:

🌊a mental state where a person is completely focused on a single task or activity
🌊a psychological state of full engagement, effortless control, and time distortion
🌊 a state of mind where you are fully immersed and focused on something you enjoy and are good at, with no distractions or judgment

​immersion, enjoyment, effortlessness. timelessness.

oof! like, yummy and juicy and all the good things.

it’s the thing we all want, right? to be able to access this state at a moment’s notice and stay * inspired * and in tune with life, feeling like we’re in our creative genius at all times.

there’s a lot to unpack there: the expectations to be “on,” to always be inspired, for the work to be excellent when it does come out.

these expectations (among other things tucked in the shadows) are what create blocks.

a lot of students and clients (mostly writers and solopreneurs, tbh, since I come from the writing & online biz world) come to me feeling “blocked,” stuck. not sure what to do or where to go next with their creative projects.

have you been there? like you’ve made the time to sit down and write or create, but the cursor/the blank page/canvas just kind of stares back at you, as in, what now, bitch? lol …and you freeze? or when you do manage to make the time and space, and something DOES come out, you read it
back or look at it and you’re like * cringe *?

I feel you, sib. so, so much. cuz I have *definitely* been there (maybe once or twice or a lot of times trying to get this newsletter out).

in those moments, my invitation to you is to remember that creativity is energy.

and energy doesn’t just disappear, it gets transferred or shapeshifts into this thing we call a “block.” a block is an obstruction, a barrier.

​energy wants to move, so you, the creator, need to provide the path for it to do so.

when you are blocked, it’s because the energy is, indeed, stuck and needs a loving nudge (or maybe a literal massage) to get out of your way.

in my work with those said students and clients, holding space for writers and creators wanting to get their novels and/or soul-led businesses out into the world, I’ve guided them to:

1) notice these blocks
2) accept them, embrace them as you would a loved one (also lots to unpack here, too)
3) guide the energy to where you want it to go

there are postmarks to help you get there. this is the framework/map I use. I call it the path of the flow. the non-linear, ever-cycling, all things could be happening in one moment, pathway for your creativity to move.

there are three places to land on this path, each place provides you with medicine to help move the blocks:

1. imagination

this is where your guides, ancestors, spirit live. where your dreams and characters and shapes and colors and desires are conceived. this is where you get to be with your ideas, visions, the realm of possibility. I feel like we are all really good at being here. and maybe we might spend too much time here, I know I do, 100%.

​some signs/symptoms that you may need to drop into your imagination space again:
🌘you have lost sight of your vision. you’re in the nitty-gritty of everyday life or ruminating over details that may not serve you or the project in the long-run.
🌘 you can’t “logic” your way to a solution. a lot of my writing students would spend hours and hours creating character designs and pinterest boards, but couldn’t quite get their personality to come alive on the page. the solution wasn’t more prompts in a template. it was *speaking with the characters themselves,* in their imagination.

2. grounding

this is where you work through a lot of those expectations I spoke about above, the place where perhaps you find acceptance and befriend your fears. I find THIS is the place that most of us need to start, the one that gets overlooked or shrugged off because it might not FEEL like you’re sitting down to “produce” a piece of work.

it might look like taking a walk or working out (omg eyeroll, amirite?) or staring out the window. touching some frigging grass! literally.

some signs/symptoms that you may need to ground: ​
🌘 you feel disconnected from both life and the project you want to bring earthside
🌘the act of creating itself isn’t joyful anymore

but this is the place that allows you to both tend to yourself and play. with yourself AND the spirit of the project that wants to come through. like, take yourself to the store and BE WITH the notebooks and the books that feel and smell so good in your hands. test out materials and browse new tools. check in with your favorite stories, paintings, or songs. these things will bring you back into the joy of the desire to create.

3. devotion

many would call this discipline or “consistency” (omg another eyeroll lol). I call it creating sacred structure. yes, it is actual butt in front of the thing time. it is an integration of the vision and the earth energies and joy you’ve tapped into.

and if you’re spiritual baddie who can drop into the imagination space on a whim and communicate with ancestors and guides and listen to spirit all day, this one might be a struggle for you! i know it was for me. 2024 and my capricorn sun/son taught me how to take devoted action.

but your flow, your creativity, your energy, needs to have a place to go. remember, you are the creator/the creatrix. you are the one guiding the flow and it needs a place a land.

some signs/symptoms that you may need to create structure and (re)devote yourself to your practice:
🌘you’re not actually doing the thing. you’re lost in procrasti-planning and strategizing.
🌘or maybe you’re doing too much and you’re on the verge of creative burnout

this is not a 1-2-3 step process. it repeats and goes in circles and cycles, with time being irrelevant. which is to say, you could experience cycles of these within five minutes or within five years.

the point is, each tap in this rhythm, each place to pause on this pathway, each ritual and pattern you engage with is intentionally inviting you into the dance with your own process. with the entity you’re bringing earthside. with your self.

​how do you know when you’re in a flow state? what does it feel like in your body and mind?

how do you *cultivate* more opportunities to be in a flow state?​
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​which place on the pathway do you find your self in these days?​

lmk! as always, you’re welcome to reply and share your thoughts and musings.

also! come join the writing wednesday telegram group.

here we’ll:

☑️check in with our writing practice and each other
☑️share the thing we intend to write
☑️hold each other accountable to writing it!
☑️if you want to share the writing itself, that is welcome too 😊

even if you don't identify as a "writer," writing comes up in all the sneaky places: grants, captions, emails, texts. all these things count, too! it doesn't just have to be your next novel or poetry collection (although it most certainly can be!)

that's it for me today. thank you for reading and please share if you found it helpful!
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loving you, kapwa-tao,
teresa
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If you skimmed, I feel you! lol I talked about flow state, and how to find it on a more regular basis, using this pathway:
imagination > grounding > devotion
scroll up to learn more!

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I live, work, and mother as a settler on kānaka maoli land, the island of O'ahu. In support of landback initiatives and the community here, I want to amplify the work of Oʻahu Water Protectors, The Hawai'i People's Fund, and The Hawai'i Community Bail Fund. Our support of these organizations is to support the kānaka community in defending their land and waters.

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