Wherever you go, there you are
A “heart dispatch” from Costa Rica
Hi dear readers,
I originally wrote this post while I was in the jungle of Costa Rica…Wifi became an issue so I wasn’t able to send the transmission as it was received. In any case, I’m back in my lil sanctuary in Venice, slowly but surely coming out of the Costa Rica portal. It feels so good to be home.
An abundance of ideas and feelings came up for me there (see below), but what’s beyond clear to me that I’m ready to bring Ari’s Worlds to life!!! It’s been a continual process of letting go of the fear, shame and discomfort that have prevented me from sharing so much of my art, my heart with you (I’ll share more about this in another post on my journey with my former business Pineapple Collaborative). Most importantly though, I’m ready to channel the heavenly colors, textures, sounds, flavors, vibrations that are in my dreams onto the earthly plane in tangible, collaborative and MAGNIFICENT ways.
Mark your calendar for March 11th, which will be the first Ari’s Worlds salon at my place. Details forthcoming <3
Sending you all my love from Cali!
xoxo
Ariel
Hola! I’m writing this to you from Costa Rica, sitting at a desk gazing upon a gorgeous waterfall to my right and the Pacific Ocean to my left with lush, lush trees of all shapes and sizes in between. And a real-life toucan just flew by! This is pura vida, or as I like to say, “Living In The Warmth” :)
I decided to come here on a very impromptu trip to partake in Aliza Rivka’s Harmonize Dance retreat in the hills of the jungle outside of Uvita. It’s such a gift to dance in community reveling in our individual and collective freedom.
I’m so grateful to be here for a variety of reasons:
-I’m finally meeting Aliza IRL after dancing with her for two years online! I’m truly inspired by her dance medicine & magic—Mariposa Movement. She combines her years as a dancer, dance therapist, choreographer, ordained Kohenet (Jewish Priestess) and now DJ to create a unique modality that drops me into my body and attune to my intuition—my inner knowing, my heart.
-I’m experiencing all of the elements in divine ways and feeling the upgrades in my being: frolicking in crystalline rivers and waterfalls, feeling the purifying heat of a traditional temazcal ceremony, breathing fresh air buzzing with the sounds of cicadas, frogs and other wildlife and laying my tender body on the bare Earth. Aliza reminded us that because there hasn’t been any war on this land in recent history, the lack of trauma has preserved the divine template of this place, which rejuvenates one’s cells, one’s being in an unparalleled way.
-I’m here with one of my closest friends & collaborators Mikaela Hawkins, not only the most talented photographer I know, but also I truly believe one of the most prolific artists of our generation. She’s shooting the retreat and we’re doing a handful of photoshoots with the incredible women in attendance. We’ve been weaving together for a few years now ever since we did a photoshoot together on the island of Maui. Her work is an incredible expression of the divine feminine. She / her art transport me to a version of life that is captured in a lyric of one of my favorite songs: “Heaven is a place on Earth. Where women roam wild and free. We live in our bodies, we eat off the land. Mountain mama holds us in her hands.”
…and yet, even with all of those blessings, there’s still a part of me that wonders, am I supposed to be here? Should I have come all this way?
That brings me to the title of this post: “Wherever you go, there you are.”
I once believed that if I could just travel the world and experience all of the beauty, pleasure and joy outside myself then somehow that would complete me (hence the almost 3 years of digital nomad-ing I did). That that would heal the existential angst within me that everything in the present is not enough and quell the longing that there’s got to be more than this. This being exactly who I am, where I am, right here, right now. But in fact, no amount of sunshine, exotic flowers, tropical fruits, gorgeous new outfits or divine feminine retreats (let alone a person or lover!) can replace what truly unlocks the feeling of being home, whole and holy in all ways, always—and that’s your heart. Nothing outside of you—person, place or object—can replace the peace, love & bliss that is naturally yours, in your heart.
So even though I sound like a hypocrite, I hope you’ll take my advice and just for this moment, set aside any yearning desires to buy that new thing, travel to far off places, meet the love of your life, etc and instead close your eyes, put your hand on you heart, take a deep breath and FEEL that everything you’re seeking is already here for you. It is you.
With so much love,
Ariel
PS. It feels so good to be writing this Substack. Thank you for being here and reading it! I resisted writing for so long. I think because I felt super burned out from all the content creation I did at Pineapple. And while part of me is beating myself up for not having started a Substack back in 2022, or 2023, or 2024 when I was at the beginning of my psycho-somatic spiritual-erotic journey, I remind myself it wasn’t the right time—I wasn’t ready. But now I am and the journey continues and I am stoked to share all of the dispatches & juicy deets with you. I’d love to hear from you so please leave a comment or send me a message <3