What I'm Tracking in May: Hope Is a Strange Thing
7 little bits of wonder
Before we begin: I’m searching for GenXers who, like me, are former Christians. If you’re experiencing a spiritual awakening and/or energetic upleveling and are available to speak about it with me, please sign up here before Monday. I’m conducting research in advance of a new offering to help people ground and support their body with better food so that they can bring their gifts forward in a calm and good way.
Research sessions are one hour. They will start next week and run through the first week of June. In exchange for your time, I’m offering a free one-hour consultation on a separate day later in June.
1. nHa toothpaste for rebuilding the minerals in your teeth, not numbing them
As I just learned, toothpaste for sensitivity is just numbing the pain, and fluoride only penetrates the outer layers, but only if you have enough calcium in your diet and don’t have dry mouth. There’s not much evidence yet in the way of papers, as nano hydroxyapatite (nHa) is a new product, but this dental hygienist felt the minerals chemically bonding to her teeth in real time. nHa purports to remineralize into the core of the tooth and make the surface smooth so it doesn’t stain.
My tube of Dr. Jen’s with natural eggshell is in the mail. They also offer SuperPaste with fluoride and nHA if you prefer a belt and suspenders approach.
2. Husband did a large dose of shrooms. Became convinced he was Italian chef in a past life. Proceeded to make spaghetti..
3. The Telepathy Tapes and the Fear of Consciousness
4. AI boyfriends
5. Wanna go to a cashless society? Perhaps reconsider…
55 million residents of Spain, France, and Portugal were without power in late April. People are still debating the cause, but regardless, I’m glad that Mexico is primarily still using cash and that I have done my disaster prep work.
6. Fascism is here. Now what?
The lesson of Germany in 1933 is "Get out sooner than later." The NY Times features three experts in fascism on their plans for setting up "centers of resistance in areas of relative safety."
The true story of why I moved to Mexico is this – I was tracking Trump’s incursions on human rights against a list of steps towards fascism that was produced by some worldwide agency whose name I can’t remember. Anyway, I promised myself that once the US reached a particular step that I would leave. That happened when he seized the children of immigrants at the border in 2020.
I knew the US was past the point of no return then. I sold my car, cancelled my US health insurance, packed everything in storage, and bought a one-way ticket. I’ve never regretted it for even a second.
If you have questions or concerns about leaving the US, please let me know either in the comments or by hitting reply to this email if you prefer privacy. I will read every one of them and do my best to respond to as many as I can.
What will it take to move from hope to faith?
“Hope is a strange thing, a currency for people who know they’re losing. The more familiar you are with hope, the less beautiful it becomes.”
– Frankie in 16 Years of Alcohol
1 – The Reformer
Is your hope just a way to avoid forgiving the world for being broken? Who are you if there’s nothing left to fix?
2 – The Helper
When you give so much and still they don’t come through—do you hope harder? Or do you finally admit: you’ve trained them to suck you dry?
3 – The Achiever
What if your most polished hope is the most strategic lie? Who are you without the story of “almost there”?
4 – The Individualist
Is hope your last romantic gesture toward the idea that your pain means you’re special? What if it doesn’t?
5 – The Investigator
Have you mistaken hope for a loophole—a way to keep watching life without stepping in? What would it take to let your body risk knowing?
6 – The Loyalist
Have you outsourced your hope to authority so you never have to choose for yourself? What if there’s no one coming?
7 – The Enthusiast
Do you pile on new hopes to avoid grieving the last ones? What if joy isn’t what you feel when things go well, but what survives when they don’t?
8 – The Challenger
What if your hope that you’ll never need anyone is the most tender part of you? Can you admit that without flinching?
9 – The Peacemaker
Have you used hope to stay quiet—dreaming things will change if you wait long enough? What if your voice is the only thing that will move it?
Perhaps a few of these hit harder than the others. Jot them down somewhere you’ll see them frequently and enter them into your contemplation.
Yes, btw, these are based on the Enneagram, as is my Becoming Dragon deck. If you wanna see the work in progress for the v2.0 of the deck, which I’m aiming for release in February 2027, here are the first brushstrokes.
7. The last time we were in this spot
The mid-19th century witnessed a significant spiritual awakening known as the Spiritualist movement, which emphasized communication with spirits and the afterlife. This movement gained momentum around 1850, notably with the Fox sisters in the United States, and found a structured form in France through Allan Kardec's Spiritism. Kardec's works, including The Spirits' Book (1857) and The Mediums' Book (1861), laid the foundation for this doctrine. (History of spiritism in Brazil - Wikipedia)
A pivotal event occurred on October 9, 1861, when over 300 Spiritist books were publicly burned in Barcelona by order of the Bishop of Barcelona, Antonio Palau y Termes. This act, known as the Auto de Fé de Barcelona, was intended to suppress the spread of Spiritism but inadvertently amplified its reach. The public destruction of these texts drew widespread attention, leading many to explore the very ideas that authorities sought to eradicate. (Auto de fé de Barcelona, Who was Allan Kardec, the Encoder of Spiritism?, The Spiritist Review - Journal of Psychological Studies - 1862)
Astrologically, this period aligns with Neptune's entry into Aries in April 1861. Neptune, representing spirituality and idealism, moving into Aries, a sign of action and initiation, symbolizes the transition of spiritual concepts from abstract thought into active pursuit and societal influence. The burning of Spiritist literature and the subsequent surge in interest reflect this dynamic—where attempts to suppress spiritual movements only fueled their expansion, embodying the Neptunian-Aries energy of confronting and transforming established norms.
Perhaps the most notable event coincident with Neptune’s ingress into Aries was the beginning of the American Civil War to free the slaves. We are all now economic slaves to one extent or another, depending on the circumstances of our birth.
Yes, we can get free.
This time was inevitable, and
we are made for it.
We have the winds of change at our backs.
Much love from Oaxaca,
Cris and Team Dragon
I too spend as much time as I can outside the US. My refuge is Thailand, I write this from there now. My plans are a result of more than the tyranny and focus on 2 prime aspects: gathering real wealth not phantom wealth, which means healthy relationships, communities, and Nature instead of digits in a computer and debt slavery. More important than this even is the opportunity to homeschool my 2 year old daughter in a culture of sharing within an environment conducive to year round fresh vegetables and fruit. Bonus points: there are more gold stores than gas stations, Thai people distrust banks ALMOST as much as I do.