Hello all
I’ve had to take many a deep breaths this week as I encounter the news and continued unfoldings. ‘Times are urgent, so let’s slow down’. I’m taking Bayo Akomolafe’s words to heart, and this week, I am sharing one of the ways I try. It’s about place, landscape and listening, externally as well as internally. And there are some journal prompts to accompany you.
Also below, a few upcoming happenings, here on The Wild Edge, and beyond.
As ever, thank you for being here and opening your inbox to my words and worlds. Come November, it will be a year since I started The Wild Edge. It still feels new, just finding its feet. And for the next spin of the year, I would LOVE to hear from you. Your insights, ideas, hopes, so I can continue to develop this space, and my work as a whole. There is a link to a survey below. There are five questions and it should only take 3-5 mins of your time, which I would greatly value, whether you are a paid member or not - all welcome.
Buíochas, gratitude,
Clare x
Finding Your Place
I headed up to one of my favourite spots recently. I go there when I need a particular kind of thinking. This place, on the horizon, next stop America, helps me to think wider, longer, broader. I’ve been going there for years now, taking my journal, and sometimes a flask of tea. I like to give it time. Sometimes I will write. Mostly I just sit. And I always come away with a fresh perspective.
I’ve other spots too, for different kind of thoughts. There are places for more imaginative work, places for more poetic or investigative. I go to the shore when I seek creative flow, the rhythm of the waves are a kind of lull into deep listening. I go to the woods when I need to be held or I am seeking to look closely at something, getting down into the mosses and debris to see what is forming, composting, arising again. There are urban spaces too, galleries and particular cafes which elicit versions of myself, and the questions I have been carrying to these spots.
It is the spot and the physical space doing lots of the work here. Certain places have particular resonances, and energetic currents, which lend themselves to modes of being. Others are encoded in their own myths and ancestral stories, all of which lend themselves to particular kinds of questions. But what I also find so interesting in the value of returning to the same place, over and over, is discovering how one has changed in the interim. Who am I now? What is my work in the world now? What seeks to emerge next? How does the story of this place inform the unfolding of my own, of ours?
I don’t always get clear responses. But there is often a feeling, or sometimes an image or idea which will arise. Sometimes, especially outdoors, I notice the presence of a particular plant or animal visitor, and enquire in myself as to its symbolism, guidance or medicine, each which hold potent potentiality or direction. The symbol or image is something which can be taken to a journal for further enquiry. Returning to these places again and again, I learn the reoccurrence of the symbols, as well as noticing the changes. The place, in that sense, becomes a measure of time and quest, marking changes through the years as well as questions. I suppose it is a practice of listening, but also, I have come to experience it as a way of cultivating relationship to time and place. As it gives to me, I give to it: honouring this place with awe, reverence, gratitude. There are places which I feel remember me. Places were I feel welcomed as a friend.
As the world becomes noisy and often overwhelming , I think it is so important that we each have our own place, at least one. It might be a particular park bench, beside a particular painting in a museum, a stone in your garden, or even a pot on your balcony. We go to that place, over and over, seeking relationship, offering love, and over time, I think we can learn to trust ourselves more full and deeply there, so that when answers arise from within, we can listen, and when ready, ripen into their own current onwards.
To take to your journal…
What are your places?
And if you don’t have a particular place, where are you drawn to? Why do you think this is the case? What kinds of questions might you ask there?
Comments welcome below.
Help Develop The Wild Edge …
Your replies will be really helpful. Thank you. Thank you.
Coming up on the Wild Edge.
Lots coming up in October. I share times in current Irish/UK time. You can check your time zone here.
Owl Hours continue. These are great if you are seeking quiet, intentional creative space with a dose of community. Most sessions there are between 4-6 other people. So it’s not a huge and daunting space. Just us. Showing up. Doing the work.
Thursdays 9th, 16th, 23rd 7-8pm Irish/Uk time.
Poetry Salon
We have a poetry salon this month. It’s an hour to sink into poetry, and has been described as a spa for the mind and soul! I’ll open it with a poem, then we share poems which inspire, delight, move, stir or even provoke. If you just want to come and listen, that is welcome too. You can learn more about The Poetry Salon here
Sunday 12th October- 6-7pm
Samhain Salon
We are reaching a new beginning. The Celtic New Year, in all its mischief and magic, starts at Samhain, and I will be hosting a special seasonal salon on Thurs 30th Oct. There will be poems, writing, a bit of mischief, some creative stirrings to kick off the new year. Tickets are included in Gold Membership of The Wild Edge (Gold Members- I will email you a registration link). Or you can purchase a ticket here.
Beyond The Wild Edge.
And beyond The Wild Edge, there are also happenings, and openings at the moment. For those of you who are new to my work, I wanted to share a little more about what else might be of service to you right now.
Creative Mentoring
As a creative mentor, I work with writers, creative and social entrepreneurs, artists and creative professionals to develop their practice, process and reach of their work. People say they come away feeling more clarity, motivation, and focus. I support people to get clear on their core messages and story, help them design their business and creative offerings, and then support them to stay on track. I’ve worked with hundreds of people independently, and have facilitated creative leadership and entrepreneur programmes in Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, and with leading NGOs and Educational organisations in Ireland. I’m qualified and certified with EMCC Europe. Find out more here about what creative mentoring could do for you, and if you could like to can book at 20 min discovery call.
Learning Design and Facilitation
While I am at it, a little shout out to another aspect of my practice; as an educational designer and facilitator. I am the founder and lead host of Thrive School, where I bring my 25 year experience (yikes), of working with many forms of education practice and spaces. From informal gatherings to large scale transformational programmes, I can help you design and deliver deep learning experiences which spark inner and outer change. Maybe you have a learning programme coming up or you are in need of a facilitator? Learn how I can support you ….
Thank you all!
Until soon
Clare. x
