The Muse + Other
Dearest Meaning Maker,
Welcome back to the Muse-Letter! I hope this message brings you Coherence, meaning, and even closer to The Muse.
Today’s Cycle Theme and Pillar of Coherence: The Muse + The Other
This week, we’re exploring the Third Pillar of Coherence: The Other which manifests as Community. Many associate the Muse with an artist’s personified inspiration. This of course relates to connection, but also, could the idea of inspiration personified be extended to a large group or community? What would it look like for work to be crafted in the image of kin-keeping, of divine gathering, of spiritual circles of togetherness? I’m sure many artists have been inspired by community, and have crafted works out of that inspiration, but the notion seems to be relegated to the position of lovers and young, infantilized women. Let’s flip that idea on its head today!
Next week’s Cycle Theme is still the Muse and we will be exploring the Fourth Pillar of Coherence, Philosophy, which manifests as Values. You can email connect@thecoherecollective.com with the subject line “Muse-Letter: Muse + Philosophy” if there are any inspirations you have in relation to the theme! Please provide sources and links to anything you send our way, and please submit them by Sunday evening.
I hope you enjoy! Here’s to our weekly dose of meaning, connection, and Coherence!
Smack,
Reese
FIRST LIGHT | an inspiration
“We’re all just walking each other home.”
This week’s song is Someone New by Hozier
Everything Other is simply a mirror, even the stars.
From Lonely Ghost on Instagram
RISING SUN | an essay
Nothing New Under the Sun, Everything Made Anew: The Alchemy of the Muse
We’ve all heard the expression, “There is nothing new under the sun,” and certainly every piece of art is entrenched in the context and history that comes before it (cue the Kamala Harris coconut tree audio). But additionally, we, as humans, are amalgamations of all of our experiences; of everyone we’ve ever loved and every place we’ve ever been. Jorge Luis Borges, in Ficciones, writes, “I am not sure that I exist, actually. I am all the writers that I have read, all the people that I have met, all the women that I have loved; all the cities I have visited.”
It’s quite impossible to separate the act of creativity from the act of collaboration, even if we seemingly engage in creativity in isolation. Every act of creation carries the echoes of every experience, every person, every influence or inspiration that has shaped us.
I also deeply believe that for art to be created, for something to be genuinely crafted from our hands, there is a magical, alchemical act that takes place within us as individuals, one that is both generative and additive. If we are a bucket compiling different pieces throughout our lives, then perhaps creating a work of art is the act of puzzling them together aesthetically, in our own image. In doing so, we create a mirror to who we are, one that must be instantiated externally.
HIGH NOON | a practice
Other Watching
Sometime this week, carve out space for a bit of people watching. This could be on your evening walk through the park, a scheduled time to go relax at your favorite cafe, or whenever you know you’ll have an extra five minutes to slow down and notice. Whatever works best for you! But, if you’re like me and you need an extra layer of self-accountability, go ahead and set some time aside in your planner.
Whenever you decide, take your 5 minutes and people watch. If you enjoyed the brief meditation from last week, you can begin with a quick body scan to calm your nervous system and step into presence, and whenever you’re ready, begin to simply notice. Like in normal meditation, try and suspend your judgement. These are fellow human beings, going through life and sharing this space with you for a while.
As you watch, notice what thoughts arise. Do you find yourself quick to annoyance? Or maybe curiosity? Is your mind captivated by colors and motion, or by expressions and energy? As these thoughts arise, simply notice them, and then allow them to pass like clouds in the sky; they’re here to give you information, not to hang around.
After your five minutes are up, take a deep breath and ease back in to the rest of your day. The purpose of this exercise is to hold presence in the midst of humanity all around you. Take note of your reactions to humanity buzzing by without judgement for yourself or others.
This exercise is for you to enjoy and use however you feel it will best serve you! Feel free to modify as desired.
Journal Prompts:
Was it difficult to maintain presence during this exercise? Why or why not?
What thoughts or feelings arose as you noticed different people?
What do you make of these reactions? Do they give you any information about yourself and your relationship to the Other?
Remember that everything outside of you is simply a mirror to your internal world. Imagine that each person passing by had a message for you based on their behavior, attitude, aesthetic, etc. What can you learn from them?
GOLDEN HOUR | a podcast
Making Meaning: NEW EPISODE
From Silence to Strength: Reclaim Your Story Through Healing & Spirituality
Check it out on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.
“It’s not your fault.” Those words broke something open in Shara Goswick’s heart after years of silence. In this deeply vulnerable conversation, Shara shares how confronting long-buried pain became the first step toward reclaiming her voice, her faith, and her sense of self.
CW: Childhood Trauma and Abuse
Bow Down!
Love, Money, & the Lie That Women Have to Get Married: Materialists Movie Analysis
Check it out on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.
At the height of the “Male Loneliness Epidemic,” and when getting married is provably the most detrimental financial and health decision a woman can make, did we need a movie where the our leading lady must pick a man in the face of the false dichotomy between love and money? Maybe, maybe not, but it certainly gave us a lot of talk about!
TWILIGHT | a recommendation
In Brene Brown’s, Dare to Lead, she discusses the power of teamwork and community when it comes to all creation, whether it be corporate, creative, or community progress. This exploration is grounded in her work on vulnerability. She writes, “Our neural, hormonal, and genetic makeup support interdependence over independence. Researcher John Cacioppo explains, ‘To grow to adulthood as a social species, including humans, is not to become autonomous and solitary, it’s to become the one on whom others can depend. Whether we know it or not, our brain and biology have been shaped to favor this outcome.’ No matter how much we love Whitesnake, we really weren’t born to walk alone.” (25)
I want to clarify Cacioppo’s statement that we should, “become the one on whom others can depend.” While this makes tremendous sense biologically, it’s also important to hold this truth with the nuance that we must take care of our own immediate safety first in order to be dependable for others. This statement is not encouraging you to forgo all self-preservation and martyr yourself for anything someone else might need, but instead, to become so internally regulated and empowered that we can healthily be the individual others can depend on, and agree to helping others without attaching expectations or resentment.
I recommend the entirety of Dare to Lead, but found this chapter, The Call to Courage, particularly compelling, especially when it comes to creative collaboration.
I had the pleasure of being invited on the Tea, Talk, and Tarot Podcast to share about my journey through finding and pursuing Purpose as I help others do the same. I always say, “My purpose is helping you find yours,” but that certainly comes with its fair share of doubts. Jax and Eve channel some messages and through some cards for messages from the Collective Unconscious to assist me during the current transformative period I’m going through! Listen to the Tea, Talk, and Tarot on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts!
WITCHING HOUR | a reading
The Three of Pentacles
The Three of Pentacles beautifully embodies the old idiom, “A problem shared is a problem halved.” Community and collaboration are at the heart of this card, looking in on a student, a master craftsman, and a priest all collaborating on a construction project. We can see this card as a message to open ourselves to the support that exists all around us, and how no matter the time we’ve spent perfecting a craft, there are always new lessons to learn. We can also see this card as a message to honor our path at every stage: the beginner, the expert, and the ascended. Yes, we divinely collaborate with our external communities, but reflect on how Others are a mirror of different personal dimensions. Can you be a better partner and collaborator to yourself?
DREAM SWEET | an update
Join me for the Coherent Samhain Celebration!
All day on halloween I will be offering FREE virtual tarot session! But spots are limited – click here to register.
Oct. 31st | 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
I hope to see you there!
