Sunday Summary #1

A weekly recap: life, writing, reading, new finds, weekly quote, musings

The last of the peonies for this season. Such a beautiful flower. Peony has many meanings: wealth, new beginnings, happiness, romance. The one I like best is compassion; the way it shares its beauty and glorious scent.

“The artist must attune himself to that which wants to reveal itself and permit the process to happen through him.” ~Martin Heidegger

Life Happenings

Why do ideas always come in the shower, when naked and most vulnerable? This morning I had the thought to put together a weekly summary. I am here to create connection and what better way than to get to know each other? The theme word I choose on January 1 of this year is “connection”. On May 1, I published my first post for Sacred Environment.

Firstly, I would like to thank all of you who have subscribed to Sacred Environment, 105 of you, and 255 followers! I’m truly honored. There are some phenomenal Nature writers (and writers in general) here on Substack. I don’t consider myself one of them. I’d like to think of myself as providing some tools and inspiration for others, and myself, to develop a deeper connection with Nature through personal experience. I came across an old proposal I had written for a thesis this week from when I was studying ecopsychology. The program started taking an odd direction that wasn’t in alignment with my heart so I dropped out. The thesis title (which was approved) is “Exploring Nature Connected Writing as a Tool for Self-Discovery and Spiritual Growth”. This still resonates with me and the direction I envision taking Sacred Environment.

🌿And a special thank you to Perry J. Greenbaum of The Perry J. Greenbaum Bulletin for recommending Sacred Environment! My first recommendation 😊

I started 3 fun activities/practices this week to boost my inspiration, creativity, and writing skills.

1. Micro fiction. Rolando Andrade shared a microdosed story yesterday that Miguel S. (The Fiction Dealer) sends daily prompts for. Finding that idea interesting, I plan to keep my writings Nature-themed. This seems like a great daily writing practice. Here’s my first two:

   6-8-24 70-word story ~ prompt: Cruelty

   The goldfinches were pleased to find the remains of last year’s evening primrose stalks still standing. A few remaining seeds to scavenge. Scouting found her the perfect spot. Tireless and determined, pulling tiny threads of dried stalk free. Carried bit by bit. The expecting one created a new home. Patience, eggs, and two weeks of sitting. Watched. Her dutiful mate delivers meals. It’s time. The crow attacks.

   Cruelty or life?

   6-9-24 50-word story ~ prompt: Freshness

   Untouched fresh snow blankets everything in sight. Stillness and silence. Staring at the whiteness, my mind is blank yet full of thoughts. Trapped inside. After lighting a candle and filling my fountain pen with blue ink, I open a new journal to the first page. Blank. Staring. Freshness. Trapped inside.

2. Interwoven. I became a paid subscriber to Another Beautiful Quest with Jane Pike so I could join her Interwoven journey. “Interwoven is an intimate, shared journey in reclaiming, remembering and rewilding.”

3. The Slow Writing Course. I also became a paid subscriber to Amanda Saint’s The Mindful Writer so I could take her short story course. The first week was for getting started—a whole short story flew out of me. Of course, there will be rewriting to do as we go through the modules but I am so excited with what I came up with. It also set itself up to be a novel, which I found quite interesting.

I can now say I’m a writer 😂 I bought myself a fountain pen and bottle of ink. This winter I learned pen and ink drawing; I love the slight scratchy feel of the nib on paper… let’s see if I enjoy writing with one. When I was young, I found myself in trouble after making a horrible inky mess playing with my dad’s fountain pen. I’d like to think I’m better equipped to handle one now.

Renovations and exterior house painting were finished last weekend; so nice to have the quiet again. My house came out very nice, Dried Thyme with Peppercorn colored trim. One of the painters commented that the combination suited me—earthy 🌿

Recent Writings

Sacred Times: Nature and the Art of Remembering

The Vermont Notebook - Part 1

How To & Why Keep a Spiritual Journal

Interesting Newsletters I’ve Read This Week

There is never a shortage of interesting newsletters to read on Substack. I surely can’t mention all of them but I do restack and comment on them. Still working on clearing out my inbox but here are a couple I enjoyed and I hope you will as well.

• Birdsong and Prairie Smoke: abundant, wild and perennial by David E. Perry

• I’m Going Pro by Tommy Dixon

• Nature’s Return by John Charlton

• your nervous system and the process of creating by Jane Pike

• Scars by Robert LaCombe

My Current Book Reading Stack

I tend to read a little from more than one book each evening; unless I fall asleep first.

• The Art of Seeing Things: Essays by John Burroughs

• On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King

• Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinoka Estes, Ph.D.

Weekly Musings

Here’s a link to my Notes and restacks: https://substack.com/@taniatyler/notes

🌿 What do you think? Do you like the idea of my weekly Sunday Summary? I am always receptive to any constructive criticism on anything I write. Let’s connect in the comments.

If something I wrote inspired or brightened your day a little, or anything else you’d like to share… I’d be very grateful to hear about it in the comments. A restack or clicking the little heart 💚 for a “like” would always be appreciated.