Gratitude for Substack as a Space to Connect: Both with Readers and with Other Creative NonFiction Writers
Good morning beloved reader,
I have completed serializing The Rising of the Divine Feminine and the Buddhist Monks Across the Road: A Memoir, here on Substack, and am now in process with finding a publishing home for this manuscript, to bring this book into the world in physical form.
Blessings for the accelerated co-creation of this book into physical form✨🦌✨🧚♀️🤸♀️🌼🌷🌈🌺🪷💕☀️😎💃🕺☯️🥰✨🌟💖🙏🕊️
The Dance of Will and Surrender with the Divine Beloved continues, recognizing that with this process, I am not 100% in control. And I honor the divine balance of doing and being.
In the meantime, I’ve been thinking about how much gratitude I feel for Substack as a ‘platform’ and a space where I have been able to make connections with readers who are interested in reading the writing that flows through me. Thank you again dear reader for allowing this writing a space in your in-box.
I also love this quote from Martha Beck:
"People who live in a state of intense gratitude tend to be able to use their imaginations to come out of difficult situations. Does this free them from effort? No. But instead of seeing effort as hard work and onerous labor, they see it as play."
~Martha Beck, Finding Your Way in a Wild New World
I am also appreciating how Substack allows me to connect with other Creative NonFiction (CNF) writers. Just recently I read in a comment on
’s beautiful post, Uncertainty and Innocence, a note from mentioning a book called, The Invisible Garment by Connie Kaplan.I downloaded a sample of the ebook — more gratitude for the internet as a tool that enables me to live in a decades-old log cabin in the woods of Southern New Hampshire and to connect with CNF writers all over the world, and find their books, and download them instantly.
This is not a book published by a mainstream publisher. In fact, it appears to be self-published. And as you may be aware, my dear reader, historically traditional mainstream publishing in the West is dominated by male writers. And as you may also be aware, one of the Central Questions infusing my writing is:
How does a woman in a patriarchal culture claim her own spirituality in the world?
Dr. Connie Kaplan, who holds Masters degrees in Communications and Psychology and a Doctorate of Ministry, is undoubtedly claiming her own spirituality in the world through writing and self-publishing her book. I also resonate with her bio: “Kaplan is neither a guru nor a channel. She is simply a powerful and popular spiritual guide whose revolutionary information does not point toward the teacher, but rather toward the unique and genuine wisdom of the student.”
The ebook sample intrigued me enough for me to purchase a copy of The Invisible Garment: 30 Spiritual Principles that Weave the Fabric of Human Life, and I’ve been having so much fun playing with creating my own “Invisible Garment.” An excerpt:
SUN IS THE REASON FOR INCARNATING
The first thread in your pattern, the Sun, tells us your primary reason for coming into an incarnation.
…you are here delivering a specific gift sent into form from the level of human soul.
The Sun’s spiritual principle points you toward deeply understanding that gift. The Sun principle specifically asks the practitioner to contemplate his or her purpose for embodying at this time.
I learned that my Sun, according to this system of spiritual principles, is in # 11 which is the spiritual principle of Flowering/Unfolding/Evolving.
With your Sun in the principle of Flowering, we know that the main purpose of your incarnation is evolution.
You took this incarnation in order to evolve yourself and the species. [Me: chuckle, this is right on point with this Substack😆]
What does it mean to evolve yourself? It means that you will never stop looking for more efficient ways to use and express energy. You will never stop weeding your own garden of separatist thoughts and ideas. You will never stop seeking more complex and simultaneously more direct ways to communicate and create. Your energy is dedicated not only to survival but also to wisdom and success.
I’d say yes, this is in line with what lights me up in this world.
If you, my dear reader, may have read The Invisible Garment, or if you borrow or buy a copy, I’d love to hear your thoughts too! I’m continuing to have fun playing with it.
~
And some late breaking news😁
I simply adore the satirist Andy Borowitz and was so sad when he and the New Yorker parted ways, and now I’m thrilled to learn he’s coming to Substack!!!
Oh my gosh, Camilla, I'm doing a big happy dance here! Yay! I LOVE that we can talk about the Invisible Garment together. My Sun principle is Innocence and my Moon is Intelligence. That's all I can remember off the top of my head. Oh, and my sister's Sun principle is Flowering too! You and I will definitely have to sit down and discuss our full charts together sometime. How fun! (I'm skipping off to pull out my full chart now❤️)
OMG...and CONGRATULATIONS on finishing serializing Rising of the Divine Feminine! 🥳💕🥳💕🥳💕 What a huge milestone!