Kinship
“...we all seem need at least one refuge of Deep Being where we have the ongoing freedom to tell our truth safely and truly be heard, where we can find the support we need to follow our thread, where the epiphanies can come. We need a place that will help us find that grain beneath all that bark.”
- Sue Monk Kidd, The Dance of the Dissident Daughter
Welcome to your first-ever missive for our Well Writing Circle!
I swear I didn’t plan it this way, but today—April 1, 2022—lands on a new moon. One of my favorite practices over the past few years has been taking a bit of time on each new and full moon to get centered, clear out whatever isn’t serving me, and just have some one-on-one time with the universe.
The new moon symbolizes new beginnings (what?!), and I’m feeling like our circle is all kinds of auspicious. At the risk of sounding extra woo, I pulled a tarot card for the month and got the 3 of Cups, which is all about creating community.
For a personal inquiry, I like to journal / pull tarot cards and otherwise reflect on the freshness of new beginning on ye olde new moon.
Other than this circle, are you feeling any new beginnings blossoming? Spring tends to invite that. Is there a ritual that might support starting fresh, getting some inner spring cleaning? I’m going to do Yoga with Adrienne’s “Yoga Rinse” on her April calendar today. Pull a card. Sage the house (woo with an extra side of woo). I’ll be meditating at the Zen center for our once-a-month Friday sit. What about you?
April Theme: Kinship
I really love this word, and it’s what I hope to have us all foster in our circle. A deep, abiding sisterhood that has the chance to go beyond writing, to, in fact, use our writing as a vehicle through which we walk through this very difficult time on the planet together. Writing as a spiritual practice. You can call us a coven, a small group, a sisterhood, a secular prayer group. Whatever. I’m here for it.
In my next missive, I’ll be sharing a short reading that discusses philosopher Martin Buber’s I/Thou way of seeing. This is an ultimate form of kinship with all things, a bit in line with what the Zen master Thich Naht Hanh called “Inter-Being.”
In short, if we look at the world through an “I / It “ lens, we are looking at whatever “It” is (a tree, a desk) as something to be used by “I.” It’s a kind of subjugation, something to be consumed. There is no relationship there (which is how we got into so much trouble with the environment). It’s not generous, very, what can you do for me, huh?
However, if we look at everything with the intimate “thou,” we expand our ability to be in relationship with our surrounding world (useful for writers!). I don’t know about you, but my favorite books feel as though they are sentient beings. I would never throw or burn or deface them. If we can begin to cultivate this quality of I / Thou, imagine how much richer and complex and interesting our characters and their relationship to the world and all that is in it will be!
This all relates to writing because the more we can open up our own lines of empathy, presence, community, and connection, the more we can bring these qualities to the page for our readers in a world that is becoming more painful by the day.
I chose our writer’s koan because it jumped out at me as something that needed to be turned over in my head. I felt what I thought it meant, but want more time to puzzle it out and articulate it. There was the initial resonance, but I’d have a hard time succinctly telling you what I think it means. And I thought maybe all of you would enjoy doing this work too. It also seemed to fit with this inquiry into kinship and I / thou.
April Writer’s Koan
In our hearts we are the ocean
But we are islands in our minds
(From the Cloud Cult song, One Way out of a Hole)
I have provided a PDF for you explaining what the heck a koan is and how to work with them.
Because this koan comes from a song, here is a link to have a listen. I recommend laying down and letting the gorgeous lyrics and orchestral drama wash over you. I love Cloud Cult and, if you haven’t heard of them, you are in for a treat. Their origin is so interesting, their lyrics are the most soulful and inspiring I can imagine – truly, this is medicine, especially now.
I went to their concert last night, where they were backed by the Minnesota Orchestra - yeah, it was epic and spiritually healing.
Here is a WONDERFUL interview from a few years ago with the lead singer / founder, Craig Minowa, on the On Being podcast. It’s a gorgeous interview that deeply moved me.
As far as what to do until our Zoom call next Sunday…
• Connect with your writing buddy!
• Work with this koan
• If you want to dig deeper, listen to the On Being interview
• Maybe do some new moon journaling and refreshing
Here’s to a beautiful kinship!
Heather