In Liminal Times
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Hello friends, In Ireland, many people honor Brigid and the holiday of Imbolc on February 1st and 2nd. Some others of us do the same, around the world. February is an in between, liminal space. Still winter, but with the promise of spring. In the northern hemisphere, the sun is strengthening, but the nights are still long and cold. Much of the world is in another transition right now. We all must find ways in which to be, to help, and to survive. Here is a poem I wrote for Brigid one decade ago. The prayer still applies now, though I changed one word to update it today. Brigid is both healer and inspirer, forger and comforter. In tumultuous times, we need all of these qualities, and can hopefully reflect them for each other. We need stories and art that inspire, we need moments of healing. We need actions that strengthen communities, and the comfort that comes from a helping hand or listening ear. I wish you the blessings of well and flame, of healing, inspiration, and strength. Let’s help each other through. Best wishes - Thorn My Kickstarter campaign for Resistance Matters: Essays on Love and Action ends on Thursday. It's the only way to preorder this revised, expanded book of essays on our times.
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T. Thorn Coyle
Hello friends, Some passion flares in the night, burning out quickly. Other passion is slow growing, changing over seasons. A vine roots into earth and climbs, forming buds, then flowers, then fruit, before changing yet again. The bright flares of passion are enlivening and can fill us with a sense that life is vital and our tasks are important. This sort of passion can sometimes leave us feeling like a burnt out husk. Slow growing passion requires persistence and the ability to grow with...
Hello friends, This morning, the rose city of Portland Oregon is shrouded in fog. Just yesterday afternoon, I walked in cool, crisp air and autumn sunlight. Tomorrow, it will rain. And such is life… days shifting from sun to fog to rain and back again. This past week, very little work has gotten done. Well, not the work on my schedule. Not the emails that need answering or the novel I’m almost finished writing. Not getting necessary paperwork to the book keeper. Not the ordering of books for...
Hello friends, The REM song “Hold On” is playing through my head this week. Partially because, after years of trying, someone in my family couldn’t hold on any longer, finally succumbing to a host of illnesses they just could not shake. The song is also with me because of the sheer number of people struggling right now. Struggling to simply survive. Whether because they don’t have money for food or rent, or lost their job, or struggle with mental or physical health, or they are under attack...