On Reaching Out...
|
Hello friends, Every day, we get to choose what is important to us. What we spend time and attention on. Is that creativity? Research? Helping others? Family? Work? Friends? Social media? Television? The past? The future? Our health? The health of our communities? Reading books? Going for walks? Whatever we spend the most time and attention on is, by default, the thing we are making most important. Sometimes it isn’t one thing itself, it is a thread running through several things. For myself, the most important thread is connection. I connect to the world. I connect through my words—in novels and essays and poems—and my photographs. I connect through this newsletter. I connect through mutual aid. As soon as I notice something taking me away from these attempts at connection for too long, I must alter my behavior. We’re in the midst of a season that can foster either connection or a sense of alienation. And we rapidly approach a time when many people make new plans. For me, my plans have to include new ways to connect. New ways to reach others and to keep my own sense of connection to my readers, to the cosmos, to this planet, and to myself. Is a sense of connection important to you, too? How do you reach out? And how many ways are you open to being reached for yourself? We’re all we’ve got, friends. I hope we keep making that important. Thank you for being here. Best wishes - Thorn I'm leading Holy Well and Sacred Flame again, as a way to connect with the Goddess Brigid and help navigate these times. There are benefactor, basic, and scholarship payment tiers available. You can also gift the class to a friend at checkout.
|
T. Thorn Coyle
Hello friends, There’s a question we likely hear all the time: “How are you?” Or “How you doing?” Or “You good?” Sometimes the question has meaning, but other times is just a series of polite noises, asked in public by someone we barely know. The intention behind the question depends on the tone in which it is spoken. Sometimes the question needs the conjugation of the verb “to be.” Other times, the verb gets dropped altogether, in a more casual rush. And here we are, back to tone, because...
Hello friends, The world is often filled with noise. What helps you listen? It took me many years to learn to listen deeply, instead of trying to anticipate. Trying to anticipate was my child-self’s way of keeping safe. Not that it always helped. Not when violent outbursts were random. But I tried anyway, baking that pattern into my body and mind. Eventually, I realized I wasn’t giving others a chance to really express themselves. I didn’t give myself a chance to express myself on a deeper...
Hello friends, This week, I am at the Between the Worlds/Sacred Space joint conference, gathered with hundreds of people who believe that magic is possible in a troubled world. It’s an important reminder, especially when so many of us feel stuck just providing for our basic needs, or the needs of our families. It is also an important reminder for those of us engaged in community service, protection, and care. Magic helps me pay attention to what is important to me. It helps me manifest what I...