We Shine for Each Other
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Hello Friends, The day before the big US election, I went for a walk as usual. A flash caught my eye. It was a quartz crystal, resting on the sidewalk, autumn sun shining through it. The crystal cast a shadow that looked like a stretched out crescent moon. It was beautiful. After snapping a photo, I thanked the crystal—yes, I’m more than a bit of an animist—and settled it against a bit of moss, figuring it would be safer there. I keep thinking about that crystal. I keep thinking about how it reflected and refracted light. I keep thinking that the reason I saw it was that it was out in the open, on the sidewalk, shining in the sun. I keep thinking about that shadow. How often are we like that crystal, out there in the open, doing our best to shine like beacons for each other? What shadows do we cast? And when do we need someone to say, “Hey, you shining entity, how about resting for a while on this nice piece of moss?” Creative people need both sun and shadow to do what we do. We need to be out in the open some of the time, and tucked away safely in others. And, as I believe that all humans are creative, that means all of us need some measure of the above. How are you coping this week? Are you shining? Are you in the shadows? Are you getting any rest? The world can feel scary, but no matter what happens, I’m glad you are in it. And if it helps, I wrote a long essay about Mutual Aid and how we can show up for each other—especially the most vulnerable among us—right now and always. It’s up on my Patreon, and I’ve made the post public so it can be shared. Keep shining. Best wishes — Thorn If you need an escape and haven't yet read my Seashell Cove bonkers cozy mystery series, Bookshop Witch is still free on most retailers through the end of the year!
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T. Thorn Coyle
Hello friends, When was the last time you paused because something was so beautiful, you needed a moment? When was the last time you were emotionally moved by nature, a painting, a song, a film, a dance? And how often do you make space to welcome beauty in your life? “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” wrote Margaret Wolfe Hungerford. She was speaking of subjectivity. That each of us finds different things—objects, people, places—beautiful. But there’s more to it than simple taste or...
Hello friends, I had oral surgery last week, and now that I’m able to eat kind-of-solid-but-still-mushy food, I’m making oatmeal every morning. As a consequence, I’ve been engaging in some simple honey magic. No, I’m not harvesting my own honey. No, I’m not leaving a jar of honey out beneath the full moon. Those are two magical things to do, but my ambitions right now are simpler. All I am doing is this: Gathering some honey on a teaspoon, I drizzle the golden amber substance into the bottom...
Hello friends, A mourning dove hoo-hoos outside my window. Black capped chickadees chirp and crows call. Daffodils spring along sidewalks, and the sun peers out among grey clouds. It is the time of equinox here on planet Earth. I love equinoxes and solstices, because these are four times a year when I stop to take a larger pause. To notice the changes—subtle and large—around me. In the seasons. In the slant of sun. In the conversations of birds. In the fall of snow or leaves, or the rise of a...