Maia, if you started a book club I would be the first to sign up. These reccs are great and I would love to read these with others in community. Wishing you everything good in the new year 🎆🙏🏼💙
I'm doing some end of year reflection as well. It's good for me because, like you, there were some wonderful discoveries. Because of a negative cognitive bias I have about what is past, and my concerns about our country.
Hey Maia, blessings to you during this time of quiet, contemplation, reflection, and renewal. Enjoy the dark of winter (as I do) as the rich compost of potential that it is. You reference the brilliant Klein/Taylor article. You gave me the opp to reread it (I must have read it back when it came out as so much of it was familiar!) I especially love their last paragraph:
“To have a hope of combating the end times fascists, with their ever-constricting and asphyxiating concentric circles of “ordered love”, we will need to build an unruly open-hearted movement of the Earth-loving faithful: faithful to this planet, its people, its creatures and to the possibility of a livable future for us all. Faithful to here. Or, to quote Anohni again, this time referring to the goddess in which she now places her faith: “Have you stopped to consider that this might have been her best idea?”
Personally, I’m grateful to have found, among a few others here, YOU, an authentic “open-hearted” person and faithful one of the “Earth Lovers.” A kindred soul faithful to the here, faithful to the now. Rest well and deeply my friend. 🙏🏼
Thanks for these reflections on the final dark moon of 2025, Maia. Wishing you (and all of us!) connection and deep peace as we move forward into both growing light and dark. 🖤❤️✨
Maia, I appreciate how you're holding both the atrocities and the courage displayed over the last year. We need to remember the good to avoid despair. Thank you for the book reviews, too. You always have a fantastic reading list. Wishing you the best this holiday season and in the year to come.
Maia, I want you to know that I read every word in this post with care and gentleness. These words deserve nothing less. I'm happy this was the first thing I read on this Saturday morning, putting me in a peaceful and attentive state of mind. 🙏
(The first quote you shared by Brower very much reminded me of my Substack Note yesterday about walking on the beach!)
I think we sometimes overlook that it takes a certain set of skills to be a good reader, just like a good writer. Thank you for being an excellent reader, Don, and for sharing this post. I appreciate you!!!
Thanks for sharing yourself. We're enjoying being enchanted in this enchanting place we now call home, Maia. It wasn't that long ago when I was sharing about starting our trek here. Here we are!
Maia, as always, your posts lift me up and often express what's on my heart - a new perspective while singing the same melody. I'm so grateful to have met you here in this vast digital world. You are a safe refuge for weary travelers.
Maia, I hope you know how much your writing and presence is valued and appreciated.
I think the thing I’m most proud of is allowing myself to trust myself a bit more. This year began with me “pre-evacuating” my apartment. The people I could get on the phone to help me wouldn’t, saying there was no fire. I just had a conversation with my next door neighbor the other night. She was crying, remembering how quickly it all happened, how she couldn’t leave, how terrifying it was.
Midway through the year, I realized I’m not cut out for rapid response and on the ground work. So I started running little circles to support the people who can, because seeing the things they see against the backdrop of an otherwise quiet suburban neighborhood is traumatizing. Self-promotion is truly an underworked muscle, but they’ve come anyway and I’m glad to offer what I can.
Recently, I’ve been invited to native land for solstice. My brain knows this is so special. And my body feels utterly exhausted. I think I will decline, on the grounds that I know what my body needs: to trust my inner reality a bit more. I could use the rest. So I’m taking it.
In the new year, I hope to keep building trust in and grace with myself while building deepening relationships with others.
Thank you for the invite to reflect and your consistently encouraging presence.
This is a wonderful reflection, Logan, thanks for sharing it here.
Of all the qualities I feel I have a better "grip" on than I did earlier in my life, learning to trust myself may be the one most significant to my sense of wellbeing. It wasn't easy to get to that point, but once you have it I think it's impossible to go back to not having it. I love the way you listened to the truths of your body and your heart and made course corrections. And what a great insight that your have a gift to offer the people who are doing the on-the-ground work -- that is SO needed.
Maia, if you started a book club I would be the first to sign up. These reccs are great and I would love to read these with others in community. Wishing you everything good in the new year 🎆🙏🏼💙
I'm doing some end of year reflection as well. It's good for me because, like you, there were some wonderful discoveries. Because of a negative cognitive bias I have about what is past, and my concerns about our country.
Hey Maia, blessings to you during this time of quiet, contemplation, reflection, and renewal. Enjoy the dark of winter (as I do) as the rich compost of potential that it is. You reference the brilliant Klein/Taylor article. You gave me the opp to reread it (I must have read it back when it came out as so much of it was familiar!) I especially love their last paragraph:
“To have a hope of combating the end times fascists, with their ever-constricting and asphyxiating concentric circles of “ordered love”, we will need to build an unruly open-hearted movement of the Earth-loving faithful: faithful to this planet, its people, its creatures and to the possibility of a livable future for us all. Faithful to here. Or, to quote Anohni again, this time referring to the goddess in which she now places her faith: “Have you stopped to consider that this might have been her best idea?”
Personally, I’m grateful to have found, among a few others here, YOU, an authentic “open-hearted” person and faithful one of the “Earth Lovers.” A kindred soul faithful to the here, faithful to the now. Rest well and deeply my friend. 🙏🏼
Thanks for these reflections on the final dark moon of 2025, Maia. Wishing you (and all of us!) connection and deep peace as we move forward into both growing light and dark. 🖤❤️✨
to you as well, Keith! grateful for our connection here on Substack.
Maia, I appreciate how you're holding both the atrocities and the courage displayed over the last year. We need to remember the good to avoid despair. Thank you for the book reviews, too. You always have a fantastic reading list. Wishing you the best this holiday season and in the year to come.
New Moon, still reflects.
Questions, writings’ reviews help.
Storytelling, all?
Maia, I want you to know that I read every word in this post with care and gentleness. These words deserve nothing less. I'm happy this was the first thing I read on this Saturday morning, putting me in a peaceful and attentive state of mind. 🙏
(The first quote you shared by Brower very much reminded me of my Substack Note yesterday about walking on the beach!)
I think we sometimes overlook that it takes a certain set of skills to be a good reader, just like a good writer. Thank you for being an excellent reader, Don, and for sharing this post. I appreciate you!!!
Thank you dear dharma sister. Your words mean a great deal - and capstone revision coming soon!
my pleasure, it’s a great book!
Thanks for sharing yourself. We're enjoying being enchanted in this enchanting place we now call home, Maia. It wasn't that long ago when I was sharing about starting our trek here. Here we are!
Amazing, isn't it?! So glad you're here in New Mexico, John. We'll have to find a way to meet up in the new year.
Definitely! 👍🏻
Maia, as always, your posts lift me up and often express what's on my heart - a new perspective while singing the same melody. I'm so grateful to have met you here in this vast digital world. You are a safe refuge for weary travelers.
"a safe refuge for weary travelers" -- oh, Paulette, I can't think of a more meaningful description of what I try to do. Thank you for noticing!
Happy to be here, Maia. Sending kind thoughts to you.
Maia, I hope you know how much your writing and presence is valued and appreciated.
I think the thing I’m most proud of is allowing myself to trust myself a bit more. This year began with me “pre-evacuating” my apartment. The people I could get on the phone to help me wouldn’t, saying there was no fire. I just had a conversation with my next door neighbor the other night. She was crying, remembering how quickly it all happened, how she couldn’t leave, how terrifying it was.
Midway through the year, I realized I’m not cut out for rapid response and on the ground work. So I started running little circles to support the people who can, because seeing the things they see against the backdrop of an otherwise quiet suburban neighborhood is traumatizing. Self-promotion is truly an underworked muscle, but they’ve come anyway and I’m glad to offer what I can.
Recently, I’ve been invited to native land for solstice. My brain knows this is so special. And my body feels utterly exhausted. I think I will decline, on the grounds that I know what my body needs: to trust my inner reality a bit more. I could use the rest. So I’m taking it.
In the new year, I hope to keep building trust in and grace with myself while building deepening relationships with others.
Thank you for the invite to reflect and your consistently encouraging presence.
This is a wonderful reflection, Logan, thanks for sharing it here.
Of all the qualities I feel I have a better "grip" on than I did earlier in my life, learning to trust myself may be the one most significant to my sense of wellbeing. It wasn't easy to get to that point, but once you have it I think it's impossible to go back to not having it. I love the way you listened to the truths of your body and your heart and made course corrections. And what a great insight that your have a gift to offer the people who are doing the on-the-ground work -- that is SO needed.