: Rhythm / Devotion : is a series of interviews intended to illuminate the connection to ritual & rhythm in our daily lives. This series explores the intimacy of routine, the magic of the ordinary, & how these small acts of devotion set the stage for larger workings in the world ~
What is your name & where are you in the world?
My name is Carrigan Chastain. I am not tied to any location, but I feel at home most places in the world. For the remainder of the spring I will be on the Eastern Shore in Virginia where the wetlands are healthy and take up space.
How do you define your self & your work?
I am an artist surrendering to [my own/all other] power and weaving through the world like water: creating experiences, bending notes, smithing stories, and putting order to chaos. My work has always been about water and applying lessons from the intuitive elements of myself to structured, objective forms. For my clients I conjure clarity out of raw chaos and help to structure visionary elements around strong, naturally occurring forms such as time, location, production, & communication.
Will you walk us through what a day in your life looks like? Begin with how you greet the morning & guide us until you close off the day in the eve ~
I wake at 6:09 in the morn, after my husband starts his coffee (living in a studio helps everyone wake up together ;). I crawl out of bed, gulp down a big glass of water, wrap a blanket around myself, pour a cup of Anchored At Sea tea, and settle onto my mat for a morning gratitude reflection. When the cup is empty I start my yoga practice, leading with EFT tapping, and ending with a chakra clearing meditation. Normally my husband is in tandem and these meditations become hypnotic vocal offerings.
While one is making coffee, the other pulls a daily oracle card and a vocabulary word. I care for my skin, get dressed, and take my work off the shelf. My morning work is normally centered around communications, research, organizing thoughts and documents or business, marketing, wellness, & sustainability related reading. Some days I eat breakfast, others I take ghee and MCT in my coffee. Around 1 or 2, a beautiful lunch is served by my talented partner, most often plant-based and always wholesome. While the food settles, I wash up, and afterwards log in for vocal practice. It has been almost two years since I've been playing music regularly and I use these structured online lessons to ease my heart back into expression. Once the voice is open and silky, I might play a tune on my guitar or record/film content for my business. Early afternoon is when I lie down for an Existential Kink meditation where I practice accepting and rejoicing in every aspect of my manifested reality, even (especially) the parts my conscious mind tends to disagree with.
Afternoons back at my computer are when the bulk of my creative work gets done- client calls and projects, tending to projects for offering, networking, and always updating my website. Before the sun goes down I like to do a high intensity workout- combinations of swimming, HIIT, strength, or running. And as the sun sinks under the horizon I love to be outside, usually with a glass of wine, usually with my love, near water. While the Chef creates, so do I- finishing up my work for the day, painting, or going back to my music for play. We dine together, laugh, and reflect on the world, our plans, or the rest of our evening. Sometimes we read aloud, or separately, and occasionally we cuddle up for a series on the laptop in bed. These moments call for chocolate or tea, and sometimes bitters to take us to sleep and aid the stomach with dinner. Just before drifting off, I roll out a nail mat and do 10 breaths of a Tonglen or Metta meditation and fall asleep around midnight.
You are a free diver, musician, & a business clairvoyant~ how do you prepare yourself &/or your space to enter into this practice?
Breathing is a huge part of how I prepare myself for performance. The breath puts me in touch with my power and helps me navigate resistance. I dive on one breath, all the way down- this pause, this silence, is inexplicably clear. That is how I like to prepare for my consulting practice as well- by breathing, centering, and grounding in my peace. This sharpens my focus, dispels resistance, and allows me to see more clearly what I need to do.
What do you do/not do if you are feeling stuck around your work?
When I'm feeling stuck around my work I like to reflect on what would happen if I were not stuck around my work: what would come of it? Say if I sent 15 emails to prospects, what might happen? Well, I might get a few new clients. From here I try to understand what it is about getting a few new clients that I am resistant to. That is usually where my fear is brought to light and dissolved out of utter ridiculousness. Sometimes this takes minutes, sometimes it takes weeks, but it always works for me.
Do you have a movement practice?
So many. Freediving, Yoga, Swimming, Dancing, Running, HIIT, Surfing - it all depends on where I am but I like to move 1-3 times per day.
What does structure mean to you, or what is your philosophy around ritual/routine?
I have many creative projects- personal and professional- that I want to see becoming, so structure is essential in my day for getting things done. While the day's tasks often change, the rhythm of my energetics remain fairly predictable and since I began scheduling my daily needs and responsibilities around when I am likely to feel energetic, creative, and focused or slow, musing, and reflective, I have had a major increase in productivity.
Rituals are so important to keeping me grounded and clear in my body: My morning rituals set me up to feel supported, confident, focused, and loving- which empowers me to be a leader. The playful, creative nature of my evenings help shake any heaviness that has accumulated over the course of the day and reconnect with the deeper essence again.
Another note on rituals: It's incredibly helpful to find anchors- the sun, physical items, candles, words, nesting places, visual focal points that remind you what the moment is about. This is the order in chaos; otherwise, everything would just be infinite and formless.
What are you listening to, reading, or watching these days?
Alice Pheobe Lou, Krungpin, Lianne La Havas, Elise LeGrow, Classical Japanese playlists, and lots of Lo-Fi, Hip-Hop and Jazz while working.
I love reading Circe by Madeline Miller aloud; reading Green Spas and Salons & New Green Marketing for business; and flipping through fictional books to quell my fantasy.
Any last words of wisdom?
Breathe deep, clear your channel.
Make a list of daily/weekly priorities and don't forget to include the soul-nourishing practises that keep us vibrant. Consider checking off 1-2 of these per day a success, truly.
Observe natural energy flows and don't force meticulous work when it's time to create visions. Don't waste time musing over visions with driving energy- take action!
Let your soul take up space, let your heart lead, and turn your mind toward the task at hand.
Breathe deep.
Breathe deep.
Breathe deep.
How can we find your work?
Thank you so much, Carrigan, for your beautiful work in this world & for sharing your rhythm devotion with us ~
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I connect the flower essence of Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) as a beautiful companion to Carrigan Chastain & her work in the world.
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I made my Honeysuckle flower essence in Savannah, Georgia under the heat of the afternoon sun.
We often come across Honeysuckle in passing, like a haunting: enchanting, enveloping it entreats us to step within the folds of our memories, to explore the edges of our perception, to find the source of our Siren’s song. Honeysuckle essence is a reclamation of our voices, an oration from the very core of us. Honeysuckle helps us to turn our memories & past experiences into fuel for action ~ free of nostalgia, shame, or regret we are free of resistance to who we are & instead full of space, clarity, & an open heart.
Honeysuckle holds us & makes us feel supported, connected, in cahoots with others… it can even guide you to the people/groups that will best support your process, even if it is not a long-lasting network, it is more about what you need at the moment. Honeysuckle reminds us that ultimately, our paths, our stories even the most fraught, can & will be especially empowering for our growth.
Honeysuckle essence is especially nice for those who tend towards anger or frustration—which can be turned within or expressed without. It helps us to use our experiences, traumas, & stories as a jump-off point for our blossoming vs. a burden to constantly carry. It reminds us that healing & release live within the telling of the tale, thus Honeysuckle gives us the strength we need to use our voices as a tool for letting go the stories that get caught in the backs of our throats, that keep us entangled within their tendrils. Inspiring, releasing like laughter, a weight lifted off your chest, your song let loose under the sun ~
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Find a bottle of Honeysuckle flower essence for yourself or a loved one here ~