“The Urgent Clouds the Important. Network Intelligence beats Individual Overwhelm.” | Dragon 🐉 Letter #87

(I wrote this email, went to eat dinner, and then watched this video from a TikToker. I had to add her video below and change the title of the email from the quotes of Jennifer Walter being discussed in the video below.)

Beloved Wildlings!

Happy Chinese Lunar New Year and Aquarius New Moon!

I can’t believe we’re already on day 89 of January. What a month. And there’s still three weeks to go… 🤣🤦🏻

But seriously, I’ve been at a loss for words. Life is a firehose of anguishing moments.

I also have had tummy issues again. No more bugs thank goodness! But I can’t digest it all. It’s a current life and body theme I guess, gastroparesis. Working on my spleen and stomach Qi and Ren 12 meridian. So I’m eating warm stews in very small amounts more often. Breathing deeply. Moving slowly, deliberately, with focused attention.

Maybe that’s why I’m shifting how I’ve been consuming information differently, too — less digesting, more absorbing, slowly, less often. Speaking of shifts in what we take in, let’s talk about the TikTok ban…

TikTok ban didn’t affect us with Mexican phone numbers (whew!). I met so many new people living outside the US in the 24 hours ban. It was insightful.

If you still have TikTok, block Meta Quest, IG, FB, all the Trump people, and Vance and it will reset your timeline back to pre-ban TikTok.

I’m considering teaching a Decolonizing Time course on TikTok University.

TikTok University is just focused TikTok posts teaching a subject. It started because an accidental Intro to African American Studies post from a fantastic Black Uni prof, Dr. Barlow, to her actual Uni students went viral…

Your Overwhelm is the Goal

Please watch this video from Hear Me Out on This (or on TikTok) about how to shift in focusing on 2-3 key pieces of BS policy to resist.

Your overwhelm is the goal.

1. The flood of 200+ executive orders in Trump’s first days exemplifies Naomi Klein’s “shock doctrine” – using chaos and crisis to push through radical changes while people are too disoriented to effectively resist. This isn’t just politics as usual – it’s a strategic exploitation of cognitive limits.

2. Media theorist McLuhan predicted this: When humans face information overload, they become passive and disengaged. The rapid-fire executive orders create a cognitive bottleneck, making it nearly impossible for citizens and media to thoroughly analyze any single policy.

3. Agenda-setting theory explains the strategy: When multiple major policies compete for attention simultaneously, it fragments public discourse. Traditional media can’t keep up with the pace, leading to superficial coverage.

To counteract this, the Jennifer Walter emphasizes five key strategies for resisting manipulation:

1. Set Boundaries – Focus on a few key issues rather than trying to track everything.

2. Use Aggregators & Experts – Follow trusted analysts who synthesize patterns rather than reacting to sensationalized content.

3. Take Breaks & Process – Acknowledge overwhelm as part of the strategy and pace yourself.

4. Practice Going Slow – Wait before reacting to news, as urgency often clouds importance.

5. Build Community & Share the Load – Collaborative intelligence is more effective than individual efforts.

Key Takeaways:

• Cognitive overload is a political strategy to weaken resistance.

• Focusing on a few key issues, slowing down, and building community are essential counterstrategies.

• Avoid engaging with sensationalized media that fuels chaos rather than informed action.

• Stay engaged in local politics to build collective power.

What Does Your Resistance Look Like?

I have quietly closed my Meta apps other than to check in groups or answer DMs on IG. I seriously miss Threads. Unfortunately, I can’t leave WhatsApp because it’s used so much in LATAM.

I’m grateful to live in a country with a woman president who stands up to tyrants. Claudia gives me such hope that one day she’ll be the southern half of the US’s president too (Canada will be the leader of the top half I’m guessing). Wink wink…

But in all seriousness, I’m appalled at what’s happening. Sad I didn’t get my US passport with my X on it in time. I am deeply worried for my loved ones, even the ones who voted for TFG and now are facing birthright loss.

I channeled all my anger and angst into my work behind the scenes this month:

• I developed a lead gen landing page based on my Human Design Bodygraph and report.

• I rewrote and expanded my nurture sequence from 2 to 5 emails and sent that to a few hundred newish folks who have joined my list in the past several months.

• I automated my Substack app subscribers into my nurture sequence (hello new peeps!)

• I automated my HD report subscribers into my nurture sequence (hello new peeps!)

• I facilitated 6 peers in Ancestral Healing for my practitioner-in-training requirements. (I’ll be offering sessions to the public in June once my mentor, Dr. Amber McZeal approves me for public sessions.)

• I started using Bluesky more diligently (and now need to implement guardrails for not becoming overwhelmed with political news).

• I started my ad outreach for Time Devotion™ last week (hello new peeps!)

• I became licensed to begin offering AstroBranding®(coming soon)

• I worked with Tad Hargrave and Jake from Creative Hackers to hone in how to describe my work more succinctly.

And in true 4/1 fashion, being more in the 1 line around figuring out how I’m writing than actually writing, I’m finally feeling solid to share all of this with you all.

The result of my clarity so far:

Are you frozen or stuck? Slow down.

In some of the more private chats and groups, I’ve noticed that a group of U.S. folks have gone into freeze mode after the inauguration.

It’s time to snap out of it (through slow, deliberate, focused attention).

The work we do is more important than ever. There are people who need your work in the world. You cannot remain stuck now without living in regret later.

Too much fuckery is happening everywhere that relies on people being frozen, asleep, immobile, head-in-the-sand, someone-else-will-do-something.

There are plenty of resources at a variety of income levels available to support you.

This is your 3 am wake-up call to use all your will (or whatever definition you have in Human Design) to DO SOMETHING, to connect with others who are organizing. Join a collective that’s responding with resistance to what’s happening. You’ll sleep much better at night.

If you’re stuck, please reply and let me know what you’re stuck on. I will guide you to either resources from me or others that can support you in taking action, however little, to move you out of stuckness.

If we are to persist, we must resist. (My word of the year is persistence.)

How you get unstuck with my mentorship

Just like I’ve had to adjust how I nourish myself physically, I’ve also been refining how I help others show up and make an impact.

With my AstroBrand® license, I’ll be restructuring the Stellar Impression Mentorship beginning in February. Soul clients by Design. Pricing will be adjusted. New clients can lock in current rates through January here (Pay-in-full bonuses available).

If you’re ready to work with me on a short-term basis, grab a Human Design or Astro/HD session and get a couple weeks of flexible coaching included.

If you need energetic support, get Time Devotion Renewal Kit. There’s a bunch of updates coming in February related to Human Design that will be added to support you more specifically.

If you desire 1:1 support, Stellar Impression and Wild Presence Mentorships are enrolling 3 (max) clients a month. This includes flexible coaching via Telegram (or Voxer).

My clients are doing amazing work during this time of chaos. I’m so stoked for what’s emerging!

Persistence and resistance are how we protect our rights and stop this cruel nonsense. Let’s go!

Stay wild, love fiercely. Your presence is golden.

Ciao! xo Ixchel
Decolonizing Time through Indigenous Ecological Timeways

P.S. Current Stellar Impression 3-month Mentorship prices are good through this Friday. Pay-in-full bonus, get an extra month of mentorship. Three spots open for February.