Hello friends,
Surfing the beach-break of rippling blue warm waters, I hear howler monkeys echoing over the horizon, see toucans and macaws soaring over the coconut-palm canopy, and appreciate these rolling green hills of southern coastal Costa Rica bursting with lushness. What a place for a self-guided writer’s retreat. We dip in a cold waterfall after surfing, gorge on fresh empanadas from the corner panaderia, then trek uphill back to what feels like a mansion overlooking the trees and ocean, but is actually an old house tucked into the hillside, getting reclaimed by the jungle. This is home.
Howler monkeys at dawn:
I write on the porch, moving the long low bench around. I write on the kitchen counter, dining room table, in bed, on the yoga deck. Transfer ideas and words between notebooks and laptop, writing and editing from dawn until dusk between eating, surfing, and watching monkeys and toucans (my favs) frolic through the canopy, wondering at the endless vigor of cutter ants shredding nearby foliage, the intoxicating scent of plumeria, ginger, and turmeric, endless new friends and dangers to meet in all directions.
Monkey business (video courtesy of hubby Ben):
Writing and resting here, I feel replenished— but eventually miss my familiar Ventura waves, friends and patients, the plants on our balcony and little piano in our living room, the small comforts and humdrum magnificence that make up a life. Time to come home.
Happy new year to wherever you are. May your small and large homecomings— to body, breath, and land— welcome you back into this moment, into a sense of belonging in this place, at this time. May you always feel the beauty of this world, radiating from the inside out. May you always feel at home.
節氣 Seasonal Nodes
The 24 seasonal nodes in the Chinese lunisolar calendar observe seasonal shifts. Each node has 3 pentads, poetic snapshots of natural phenomena to align with EarthBody cycles. Here’s this month’s upcoming seasonal nodes and pentads:
Jan. 5: 小寒 Minor Cold • 芹乃榮 Parsley flourishes • 水泉動 Springs thaw • 雉始雊 Pheasants start calling
Jan. 22: 大寒 Major Cold • 款冬華 Coltsfoot buds • 水澤腹堅 Ice firms on ponds • 鶏始乳 Hens start laying eggs
Recommendations
Book Updates: I’m finishing up the first typed draft of the Metal Element chapter, and flowing into Water Element soon. Still having fun (most days), and aiming for January 2028 publication!
Ventura: Join my husband Ben and I for Harmon Nature Meditation on Jan. 14, in collaboration with Ventura Land Trust, for walking and sitting meditation— in community— at beautiful Harmon Canyon.
Podcast: Enjoy this month’s conversation with Renée Camila and Sam Roberts about Planting Medicine, and stay tuned for a sweet chat with Hawaiian herbalist Keya Kai Guimarães about Hawaiian flora.
Ephemera: 🎵 Enjoy my oft-updated writing playlist— and please share your top word-free joyous beats to help dance this book into form! 🌈 Make something creative for 100 days. 📚 Read Things I’ve Learned About Creativity by The Oatmeal, Lynda Barry’s book on Making Comics, and Tara Brach on Trusting the Gold.
❤️ May this be the best season of your life,
JilingLin.com • Acupuncture, herbs, art
Hi! I’m Jiling, an acupuncturist and herbalist in coastal southern California bridging medicine and expression through my Ventura acupuncture clinic, Five Elements classes, and Elemental book-in-progress that interweaves nature, art, movement and ritual for thriving personal and ecological wild beauty. Learn more about me here, join events here, get acupuncture here— and buy me a tea to fuel the book-writing magic. See you next month for Lunar New Year!
https://music.apple.com/us/album/haenim/497199312?i=497199316