Prompting the Soul
For me, August is about surrender. Yep, that kind of soul-wrenching, gut-aching surrender that drops you to your knees and knocks the breath from your lungs. The kind of surrender that makes me wonder what on earth I have been doing to create this feeling in my soul. It started when I was 15 years old. Every August brought the end of summer camp and the return of school, a place that had never felt very safe or enjoyable. I was trying so hard to learn everything under the sun, and instead I wasn’t being challenged in the slightest. And yet, school is where children return at the end of summer, so I dutifully prepared to enter classrooms and be an obedient student. It was this experience that taught me about giving up my hopes, about settling in a way I didn’t know a person could endure.
But this isn’t the surrender I feel now. This surrender is the entire Universe, all at once, coming up around my ankles and tugging ever so gently at my heart. This is surrender of the deep, to the deep. Many people would call it sacrifice. August is the time of year when I pause to take stock of all the things I have going, both the good and the not-so-good, and determine what is still working for me and what is not. All those things that are not working for me? I surrender them to the Universe. I give them back, because I have not the energy nor the strength to carry all that weight.
There is a beautiful side to this surrender, too. With the clearing of things that no longer serve me (even those that I really, really do NOT want to let go of), I create space to examine what IS working for me right now, to hold the beauty and wisdom of my own heart in brighter light, and to ask myself:
What do I want to carry into the harvest, into the dark time, into the Mystery that is Autumn? What is most important for me to have at this time in my life?
In my own process of clearing and letting go, I have recognized that one of the things I certainly want to carry forward with me into Autumn — and that I want to share with you — is my daily writing practice. Particularly, the practice of writing from a prompt or inspiration. I am constantly being inspired by the world around me, and jotting down those bits of inspiration as they arrive. So I’m excited to announce that I am formally creating a way to share these prompts with you!
Starting August 21st (just one month before the Autumnal Equinox), I will begin offering a subscription-based writing prompt service. Three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) plus the occasional weekend bonus, I will be sending out questions, thoughts, fragments of poetry, and other sources of writing inspiration.
Because this is a tidbit of sunshine and introspection in your inbox, I wanted to make it accessible to many. A one-year subscription to this writing prompts service is just $13. I know, I can hardly believe it myself! But with the amazing ease of email, I am able to drop a smile to you three time a week and share that continued connection and dialogue.
This is a perpetual project, so don’t worry if you aren’t registered by August 21st. My intention is to continue this dialogue for quite some time, so feel free to sign up as you are able. Unsure if you want to commit to a year, but curious nonetheless? I am offering a one-month subscription to this writing prompt project for $5, to give you a taste. Also, a one-month subscription would make a great gift for a friend!
Interested?
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Hi Sara!
I’m 55Bentley on twitter and was hoping you could e-mail me with a bit more detail about your workshop Travelling the Deep. I’ve not taken any workshops with you before and don’t know anything about them. Do you meet weekly in Madison or are they online?
Thanks for your time!
Gail
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