Blessings, beautiful souls –
I’ve decided to share the personal curriculum that I (quite honestly) asked AI to help structure for me, based on my areas of interest and desired focus. I may be a former teacher, but I just don’t have the time to create my own curriculums anymore.
I have taken what AI provided me and molded it around my own reading plans and intentions. I’ve also noted if the book is physical or digital. In addition, I asked AI to create an 8-week curriculum for these goals of mine, and I’ve shared that, as well. Perhaps it will inspire someone reading this blog, or they might wish to take my curriculum and adapt it to their own needs. Perhaps you will join me on this learning journey!
🌿 COURSE 1: The Living Land
(Chicken Keeping, Homesteading & Nature Connection)
Focus
Learning to live with the land rather than beside it—through your chickens, your garden space, and your daily rhythms.
Study
- Chicken care basics → health, behavior, seasonal needs
- Observing your flock as individuals (almost like a field study)
- Intro to homesteading rhythms (food, waste, cycles)
Book Study:
- The Illustrated Guide to Chickens: How to Choose Them – How to Keep Them (physical)
- Keeping a Nature Journal; Deepen Your Connection with the Natural World All Around You – Clare Walker Leslie (physical)
Work / Integration
- Create a “Chicken Journal”
- Record behaviors, egg patterns, moods, etc.
- Using your textbook on chicken breeds, write comparison notes within your own flock
- Nature Immersion:
– Sit outside daily (even 5-10 min)
– Track subtle changes (weather, light, sounds)
– Journal about nature experiences – freestyle, inspired by Leslie’s text - Write 1 reflective piece:
- “What My Chickens Are Teaching Me About Rhythm & Self Care?“
🌙 COURSE 2: The Inner World
(Solitude, Disconnection & Nervous System Healing)
Focus
Understanding why solitude and disconnection feel nourishing—and how to deepen that without isolation.
Study
- The psychology + biology of solitude
- Effects of screen overstimulation
- Real-life accounts of digital detox and slow living
- Your own emotional responses to silence vs. noise
Book Study:
- Reconnected — Carlos Whittaker (physical)
- Solitude: A Return to the Self — Anthony Storr (physical)
Work / Integration
- Expand upon three highlighted ideas in each book – create a journal entry
- Keep a “Disconnection Log”
- Energy levels
- Emotions
- Creativity changes
- Write:
- “What I Noticed When I Stepped Away from the Digital World”
📖 COURSE 3: The Written Self
(Consistency, Journaling & Creative Discipline)
Focus
Building a devotional relationship with writing—not productivity, but consistency and honesty.
Study
- Different journaling methods:
- Stream of consciousness
- Prompt-based
- Spiritual/intuitive writing
- Habit formation (gentle consistency vs. rigidity)
- Observing resistance to writing
Video Study:
- YouTube videos on consistent journal keeping, journaling styles of other writers, and “catch-alls” as screen replacements
Book Study
- Inner Excavation: Exploring Your Self Through Photography, Poetry and Mixed Media Paperback – Liz Lamoreux
Work / Integration
- Commit to:
- Daily journaling (5 – 10 minutes)
- Watch one YouTube video on the subject matter every two days (minimum)
- Choose 1 weekly practice:
- Letter to self
- Dialogue with “Higher Self”
- Creative Journaling
- Nature reflections
- Write:
- “Why Consistency Feels So Hard (and What It’s Trying to Teach Me)”
🍃 COURSE 4: Quiet Worlds & Japanese Aesthetics
(Japanese Culture, Ghibli & Slow Beauty)
Focus
Exploring softness, stillness, and emotional storytelling through Japanese culture—especially film and atmosphere.
Study
- Core Japanese aesthetic ideas:
- Wabi-sabi (beauty in imperfection)
- Ma (space, pause)
- Watch and reflect on films by Hayao Miyazaki
- Grow in your personal understanding of Japan customs and culture
Film suggestions:
- Whisper of the Heart
- Zen – Grogu and Dust Bunnies
- Ponyo
- The Wind Rises
Book Study:
- The Only Gaijin in the Village: A Year Living in Rural Japan – Iain Maloney (digital)
- A Geek in Japan: Discovering the Land of Manga, Anime, Zen, and the Tea Ceremony – Hector Garcia (physical)
- A Year in Tokyo: An Illustrated Guide and Memoir – Christy Anne Jones (physical)
Work / Integration
- Keep a “Film & Feeling Journal”
- Not analysis—just emotions, imagery, atmosphere
- Create:
- A “Slow Living Inspired by Ghibli” article
- Optional:
- Design your ideal slow day inspired by a Ghibli world
- Journal about surprising customs or experiences in Japan
That actually changes the energy of this in a really beautiful way—you’re not trying to keep up, you’re trying to slow yourself down despite your natural pace.
So instead of stretching reading, we’ll deepen integration while still letting you move quickly through books.
Here’s your 8-week immersive curriculum—same soul, just more fluid and spacious.
The following structure was generated by AI – I will follow it as loosely or strictly as I wish, and reading might be slightly out of order (as I’ve already begun a handful of these books on my list).
🌿 YOUR 8-WEEK PERSONAL CURRICULUM
For a fast reader who wants a slow life.
🌱 WEEKS 1–2: IMMERSION & ARRIVAL
(You’ll move quickly through books—but gently through yourself)
Week 1 — Entering the World
Reading (move freely)
- The Illustrated Guide to Chickens (you may finish or skim deeply)
- Keeping a Nature Journal — Clare Walker Leslie
- Reconnected — Carlos Whittaker
- Inner Excavation — Liz Lamoreux
Film
- Whisper of the Heart
Practice
- Begin:
- Chicken Journal
- Nature Journal
- Disconnection Log
- Sit outside daily
- Daily journaling (5–10 min)
Creative Work
→ A Snapshot of My Life Right Now
Week 2 — Awareness Deepens
Reading
- Finish Reconnected — Carlos Whittaker
- Begin Solitude: A Return to the Self — Anthony Storr
- Start A Geek in Japan — Hector Garcia
Practice
- Introduce:
- Daily 30–60 min screen-free block
- Observe:
- Chicken personalities
- Your internal state
Creative Work
- Expand 3 ideas from Reconnected
- Write:
→ My Relationship with Silence
🌿 WEEKS 3–4: RELATIONSHIP & ROOTING
Week 3 — Knowing Your World (Inner + Outer)
Reading
- Continue/finish Anthony Storr
- Continue Hector Garcia
- Begin The Only Gaijin in the Village — Iain Maloney
Film
- Ponyo
Practice
- Compare your chickens to breed descriptions
- Sit in the same outdoor spot daily
Creative Work
- Write:
→ The Personalities in My Flock - Journal:
→ surprising Japanese cultural insights
Week 4 — The Body, Stillness & Writing
Reading
- Finish Anthony Storr
- Continue The Only Gaijin in the Village — Iain Maloney
- Deep dive into Inner Excavation — Liz Lamoreux
Practice
- Increase screen-free time naturally
- Strengthen journaling habit
Creative Work
- Expand 3 ideas from Anthony Storr
- Write:
→ Why Consistency Feels So Hard (and What It’s Teaching Me)
🌸 WEEKS 5–6: EXPANSION & EXPRESSION
Week 5 — Nature as Teacher
Reading
- Revisit Clare Walker Leslie (do exercises)
- Finish The Only Gaijin in the Village — Iain Maloney
Practice
- Deep sensory awareness outdoors
Creative Work
- Write:
→ What Nature Is Teaching Me About Presence
Week 6 — Japanese Aesthetics & Slow Beauty
Reading
- A Year in Tokyo — Christy Anne Jones
- Continue Hector Garcia
Film
- The Wind Rises
Practice
- Notice:
- stillness
- imperfection
- quiet beauty
Creative Work
- Design:
→ your ideal slow day - Journal:
→ emotional + visual impressions from Japan
🍂 WEEKS 7–8: INTEGRATION & EMBODIMENT
Week 7 — Deep Disconnection & Homestead Rhythm
Reading
- Light revisit of all books
Film
- Zen – Grogu and Dust Bunnies
Practice
- 1–2 day low-tech reset
- Observe home rhythms (food, animals, rest)
Creative Work
- Write:
→ What I Noticed When I Stepped Away from the Digital World - Write:
→ What My Chickens Are Teaching Me About Rhythm & Self Care
Week 8 — Reflection & Integration
Reading
- Intuitive only (no pressure)
Practice
- Re-read journals
- Sit outside with intention
Creative Work
- Write:
→ The Life I Am Slowly Creating - Final piece:
→ What Slow Living Means to Me (Now) - Optional:
→ Slow Living Inspired by Ghibli
🌙 The Key Shift (This Matters Most)
Because you read quickly, your growth won’t come from:
→ reading more
It will come from:
→ lingering longer after you’ve read
So a gentle rule for you:
- After finishing a book → wait 1–2 days before starting another
- Let it “settle” into your life, your chickens, your journaling
🌼 A Soft Anchor for Every Week
No matter what:
- 🌿 Sit outside
- 🐔 Observe your chickens
- 📖 Write a little
- 📵 Notice your consumption
That’s the real curriculum.
What are your thoughts? Does it inspire you? Do you feel drawn to dive into any of my “courses”? Are you doing your own personal curriculum? Let me know in the comments!
If you wish to support my work further, have a look at all my books and journals, available here. My newest book, Mothering in the Mountains – reflections on slow living, spiritual motherhood, and finding soul serenity in the French Alps, is available now! If you want to work with me as a spiritual healer, check out my services through Seeking Celestial Grace and Awakened Little Souls.
xx C
lifeofcloud 