Hello beautiful human,
Where do we go when we go looking for reflections?
To a mirror, is one obvious answer. When we want the flat, uncompromising answer of who we are, as we are. We pick up a mirror when we need to locate that bothersome little hair—or character hiccup—that we know we need to take care of…in those times, a mirror is just the ticket.
Then there are the perfectly still lakes of late August and September. The air has cooled and the water clears. Trees, canoes, clouds, all mirrored beautifully back from an upside down place that is bucolic, mesmerizing, and somehow carries a poignancy of time past, or lost, or somewhere other. Each weekend now I see the highways clogged with families driving south again after their vacations north through my state, to find these kinds of lakes, this kind of away.
Then there’s a third option. Sometimes, if we reach way back into the realms of mists and archetypes and tales, we go in search of a well.
Wells are where we draw up a cool drink, where we pause, where we gather, where we listen for echoes and maybe peer deep to see what we see.
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“I’m so grateful that I showed up here today. I woke up midday after a rough sleepless night, and all I knew was that I could show up to the 3 things on today’s “agenda.” … And after an hour at the Well, I have a first draft of a poem. Maybe I won’t make anything of it, but the making in this hour is irrefutable evidence of what’s possible when I just let myself show up. – at the well” The voice of just one participant, just one day, at the Well. This is magic…of an accessible type.
As you know if you’ve been here for even a couple minutes, The Well is a Wednesday gathering of our Circle community. Free to all Circle members, we arrive at the online space via the magic of Zoom, midday on Wednesdays, mid-week. Through the conversation, community and connections we find there, we access ideas and places we wouldn’t get to on our own. New poems have been started, steps have been taken, drafts revised, art marks made and songs begun. Some of us have even cleared out a little space in our clutter and daily piles and messes.
Like I said, magic.
And as much as I love showing up weekly, I also understand if signing up—and paying for—a whole year of showing up with The Circle seems like…a big step to take.
If you want to find your way to the Well as a passerby, someone just traveling through, you’re welcome too. Anytime.
Sign up for the Wednesday of your choice.
Friend, I reach the end of these little Reflections and I always have so much more I want to say—about the candle on my desk, the apples ripening on the tree, the crickets singing their September hymns, or just how things are with me but you know what? I’ll wait for Wednesday.
xo
S
I believe our world needs new stories. what if those stories lie curled within us like seeds? This is An Inviting Space to experience where and how we might discover, recover and nurture the secret, magical gardens of soul day by day. Starting where we are, as we are.
How could I not include Robert Frost’s poem about gazing into wells?
Two of my favorite Substackers in one place! Lisa Bolin 🌸 and Monique Mulligan in a delicious conversation.
Want a new read as summer wanes? Want to check out what Lisa, Monique, and other Practice Session participants are reading? I have a special shelf in Baker’s Dozen, the imaginary bookshop with real books in it, just for the recommendations and favorite of all my guests. Stay and browse a minute and say hello to the invisible cats.
Want to connect? Here’s where you can find me in the months coming up:
Reality check: you’re right. This is a really dissonant and distracting time to be alive. And if you feel stuck, ungrounded, in a muddle, or just want to hear yourself think while someone who has some pretty badass skillsets listens, you can reach out for a sounding board conversation any time.
Around here, I’m in the Circle on Wednesdays, when we gather via zoom at the Well to strengthen our listening and creative practices in community. Join the Circle here. There’s more to come!
Want to find some other inspiration through play? You can experience a playshop with me in Missouri October 3-5, I’ll be presenting “Play/Ground” with the wonderful Elizabeth Shepley at TLAN’s conference, The Power of Words.
November 13 The Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets is hosting my online workshop, “Three Questions and a Poem,” a workshop designed to generate new material and new approaches to listening, for poets and non-poets alike.
Your support is welcome, and your attention and time are true gifts. Thank you.
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