If we aren't cracking, are we really growing? Dorodongo: A path to inner peace
My Dorodongo breaks about every 9 months, and it appears to match up with my own growth cycle. I just made a new vision board, I’m pivoting my business, learning new modes of expression, and actively making time for playing with friends.
The Dorodongo is a representation of me when I made it. It is earth from the garden that grew the food, that grew the man, that traveled the world, and that found a unique and satisfying path to connecting with God.
Last year that version of me sat down with this same bit of cracked dirt ball, made an intention for my life, and spent 2 months praying over it as I ground it back down to it finest elements, shaped, moulded, and crafted into this version.
At the time it was the peak of my artist ability, a symbol of discipline, stillness, and focus. I was super happy to hold it, and it felt delicious in my hands when I needed to ground myself or treat my own muscles and joints. And it was pretty.
I carry this with me pretty much everywhere. It’s always in my pocket, in my hand, or safely tucked away in a padded carrying case in my bag.
Through all that, life finds a way. My granddaughter found it on my bed by my pillow one afternoon. I had put it there while changing clothes, and I never thought anything about it. I walked in as she threw it and said “ball!” She’s exactly right. At the end of the day, it’s just a fancy dirt ball (aren’t we all). And I smiled as I picked up the “ball that doesn’t bounce” from the floor and examined the huge cracks in it. It occurred to me then that I knew there were cracks coming in my own life. New growth, seeds expanding, change is at hand.
As a kid I remember the excitement I experienced when we spent a week preparing the field and planting new crops.
Then you wait. And in kid mind, a week is eternity. I’d honestly have days where I completely forgot about the intentions and effort I had put in. Then… you look at the garden and there are cracks showing. Then excitement builds as we wait the first sign of the green growth. We were still 90+ days from harvesting the corn or potatoes, but if it doesn’t crack… it doesn’t grow… therefore there’s no harvest coming. You have to start over.
I thanked my 2-yr-old granddaughter for being the hand of God and reaching into my secret protective spaces and being the only element of change/loving chaos that I’d allow in to remind me that this is really just a “ball!”
When the Dorodongo cracks
Today I had it with me in church, and I was looking at the pattern of cracks and it just “accidentally” slipped out of my hand. I reached over and quickly picked up the pieces of last year’s intention setting, and I smiled more deeply and heartily than I’ve smiled in a while. It was oddly relevant to see myself as a man scrambling to pick up a symbolic life that unexpectedly came apart in public.
Today, I get to officially start crafting a new vision while the harvest from my last segment burst forth.
This is good.
If we aren’t cracking, are we growing?
I’ll take these next 4-6 weeks to slow down, focus, and relish the moments. There really is power in prayer.
If I’ve ever sent you a Dorodongo and it breaks, reach out. It’s cathartic to recraft it.
If you are interested in starting a journey of your own, reach out. We can do this remotely.
When We Crack, We Grow
The Dorodongo has become more than a handmade earth object for me. It is a physical reminder of personal growth, intentional living, prayer, creativity, and the changing seasons of life. Each one is made from earth, shaped by hand, and given meaning through intention. When it cracks, I don't see it as something broken. I see evidence that something is changing.
That idea reaches far beyond the Dorodongo.
Whether you are moving through a major life transition, beginning a new creative chapter, reconnecting with your spiritual practice, or simply wondering what comes next, periods of change can be powerful opportunities for self-discovery and personal transformation. Sometimes growth looks like expansion. Sometimes it looks like slowing down, getting quiet, praying, playing, creating, and allowing an old version of yourself to make room for something new.
My work through Soul Journey explores the relationship between the body, personal expression, intentional living, spirituality, and the experience of being fully alive. Through bodywork, conversation, coaching, creative exploration, and simple practices that bring us back into the present moment, I help people explore what it means to feel more connected to themselves and to the life they are creating.
You don't have to be in Melbourne, Florida to be part of the conversation. I also offer online and global opportunities for personal exploration, spiritual growth, embodied awareness, and conscious living for people who are looking for a different way to engage with their bodies, their creativity, their relationships, and their sense of purpose.
Maybe your life is cracking open right now.
Maybe something you've carefully built no longer fits.
Maybe you're discovering a new way to express yourself, a new relationship with your body, a new creative practice, or a deeper connection with God.
Maybe, like me, you're simply realizing that the thing you have been carrying so carefully is still just a ball.
And maybe that's exactly where the next season begins.
If we aren't cracking, are we growing?
