The Muse + Space
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 + Space
This week, we’re exploring the fifth Pillar of Coherence: Space which manifests as Justice. And what a beautiful week it is to be exploring Justice! The recent mid-term elections brought a blue wave across the United States and community and hope abounds. I am excited to dive into Space and how our engagements and connections with one another allow all of us to step more into Coherence. This is a Collective for a reason, and until all of us have the opportunity to live Coherently, none of us truly can live in Coherence.
Next week’s Cycle Theme is still The Muse and we will be exploring the sixth and final Pillar of Coherence, Purpose, which manifests as Creativity. You can email connect@thecoherecollective.com with the subject line “Muse-Letter: The Muse + Purpose” 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
“Creativity is the greatest rebellion in existence.”
This week’s song is We Can Be Anything by Baby Queen
From James McCrae on Instagram @wordsarevibrations
RISING SUN | an essay
To Live Coherently is to Live Together: Space, Justice, and the Privilege of Purpose
Space is one of the most confusing Pillars of Coherence for a variety of reasons, partly because what does “Space” actually mean in this context? Further, I find many people interested in my work confused by my integration of Justice with Coherence. Sure, our personal Purpose connects us to one another and to community, but how does that relate to Justice and civil rights?
Many people also question why I even need to discuss this topic. Does it not cloud my mission, breaking the chain of helping individuals live Coherently and instead refocusing on politics?
Not at all. And here’s why.
It is a privilege to pursue Purpose. It is a privilege to live Coherently. And until everyone has the same opportunity to live Coherently, it is unjust for me to do so individually, without thinking of others.
If it is my mission to support other people in finding and pursuing their purpose, and to create a world where every individual feels supported and inspired to embody their Truth, live as their most whole self, and contribute to a conscious, compassionate society, that must include everyone. But as Maslow taught us, this work is not the most pressing task at hand when it comes to an individual’s life.
In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, self-actualization exists at the top of the pyramid, with basic survival needs at the bottom. This pyramid is still considered relevant by today’s psychology experts, but while Maslow suggested we progress through this pyramid with maturity and age, many psychologists now suggest that this path isn’t quite so linear, and that progress differs given our life circumstances. While the pyramid has also been criticized for its cultural biases and rigidity, I think it bears importance as a starting point for understanding privilege and human needs.
The work of Coherence is self-actualization work. Sure, it non-linearly dips into esteem, relationships, and safety from time to time, but I am comfortable largely situating it at the top of the pyramid. Therefore, those who find this work likely already have their basic needs met—food, water, shelter, stable employment, and emotional safety. And this means that the work of Coherence has an accessibility issue. Those who do not have food, shelter, water, safety, and security are blocked from reaching Coherence and pursuing Purpose. Their time is rightly spent fighting for their survival by any means necessary. There is no “surplus” of personal resources or assets freeing them for “higher” tasks like self-actualization.
So why is this an issue? Of course, not everyone is going to be able to access all of the work of Coherence, right? Well, that’s the problem. Our mission is not to “create a world where some individuals feel supported and inspired to embody their Truth, live as their most whole self, and contribute to a conscious, compassionate society of those privileged enough to do so,” but of creating an entire universe where wholeness and Truth are accessible to everyone because that allows for communal thriving and for Collective Coherence.
This is a Collective for a reason. We are all interconnected; the same spark in me is the spark that rests within you. And if your spark has been stifled because you have not had the time and Space to pay attention to it, because you’ve been fighting for your life instead of being present, we all suffer. We all suffer because I have lost the beautiful gift of witnessing you: your Truth, your whole-ness, your spark.
This inability to pursue Coherence arises from an abundance of reasons, from socio-political structures and economic systems to systemic patterns of inequality. But regardless of why the block to Coherence exists, we all have a duty, if we are to pursue our own Coherence, to help everyone do the same. We cannot have Coherence without tapping into the connective piece of humanity that rests within all of us. That is what Coherence, at its very core, means: to live in harmony together, to connect with all pieces of the whole, and to recognize that every piece is whole in and of itself. If we live in Coherence, we must support others in doing the same.
So how does this connect to The Muse? Firstly, as we discussed two weeks ago, the connection we have to one another is one of the most powerful sparks of inspiration in our lives. But beyond that, when we recognize the divinity of our connection to one another, and to The Muse, as discussed during Week 1 of this Cycle, we can see how deeply connected the numinous reality of all these things is.
To acknowledge our wholeness as a species, and as a people, is to step into communion with The Muse itself. That piece of g-dliness that exists within all of us that allows us to exist in the Mode of the Creator, is the same thing that connects us to one another, and is the same thing that allows all of us to create and pursue Coherence. It is It. The nameless, faceless, boundless, singularity that is I Am, that You Are, that is to create, be created, and to witness creation. It is to be the Alchemist, the Experiment, and the Laboratory; the World, the g-d, and the Creation; the Individual, the Whole, and the Liminal.
And nothing inspires my Coherence more than seeing other people live in Coherence. So how could I not fight for everyone to have that opportunity?
HIGH NOON | a practice
The Communal Muse
Begin your practice this week by taking approximately 10-15 minutes to sit somewhere quietly. When you’re ready, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths, centering into your body. If you’ve been following along through our practices, begin with whatever body scan meditation works for you. If you’re new to meditation or to a body scan, you can simply start with bringing awareness to your toes and relax each portion of your body as you rise through your legs, to your torso, through your arms, and finally your head. If you’ve never completed a body scan before, check out this video for a quick introduction.
Once you have relaxed, call The Muse and your connection to Coherence into your meditation. When you sit with Coherence, how do you feel? Do any thoughts or feelings arise? Whatever comes up, simply notice.
Now, gently shift your focus from your personal Coherence to global Coherence. When you imagine a world living in Coherence, what arises? Any thoughts or feelings?
Slowly begin to imagine your personal Coherence sitting within you as a white ball of energy. As you sit with your Coherence, imagine this ball of energy growing bigger and brighter, growing slowly to include your whole body. Eventually, as you feel your Coherence strengthen and grow, imagine it growing to expand the whole room you’re in. Then the whole building or house. Then the whole block. Then the whole neighborhood. Slowly imagine this energy ball growing to include your city, your state, your country, growing until you can imagine it rippling outward, ever growing. Eventually, imagine your Coherence energy encircling the globe with bright, shining, white energy.
Wherever your light ends up reaching, sit in presence with your light there, holding that frequency for a few moments. In this time, you are not trying to fix the world with your energy, or change anything, just holding everything with openness and simply bearing witness to the world.
After a few moments, allow your Coherence energy to begin retracting, growing smaller going back the way it came until it comes back to rest with you. Remember to keep taking deep breaths throughout your visualization. When you’re ready, open your eyes.
When finished, reflect on one idea that you have to give back to the space and place around you. How can you take action to physically spread your Coherence? Commit to taking one small action, no matter how small, to try and spread Coherence in your local community this week.
Journal Prompts:
When you meditated with your Coherence, what came up for you? Specific memories or sensations? Any colors or specific associations?
When you meditated with global Coherence, what came up for you? How was it similar to your personal Coherence? How was it different?
Once you’ve completed your physical action of Coherence, come back and reflect on the experience. How do you feel? More expansive? Hopeful? Less hopeful? Disappointed? Whatever arises is okay, just take note of how you felt before taking this action, and how you feel after.
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!
Patriarchy Hurts Everyone: Why Owning Your Worth Heals Humanity
Check it out on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.
Why do men mistake anger for power? And how can humor, play, and philosophy help us heal the wounds beneath the rage? Reese Brown and Dennis dive deep into Kyle Prue’s ”How to Piss Off Men,” exploring masculinity, anger, emotional literacy, and the playful path toward dismantling the patriarchy.
TWILIGHT | a recommendation
If you’re interested in getting involved in your local community to bring Space to power, I highly recommend looking into the work of the Working Families Party and getting involved with your local chapter! I have been following their National Director Maurice Mitchell for quite some time and have been routinely inspired by his, and the entire party’s, work.
You can also check out their Instagram to learn more and support!
WITCHING HOUR | a reading
The World
The World represents the fullness of cycles; endings and beginnings, a balancing of light and dark, wholeness. When we discuss Space and the possibilities for expansion all around us, I can think of no more representative card. The World speaks to the divine intermingling of all things and the bitter-sweet nature of endings, because though we are all promised death, we know that promise attends the hope of beginnings. As we collectively reach the end of a powerful cycle of transformation, we enter into a new initiatory phase of regeneration. A divine returning; something like a beginning, something like a new dawn, something like birth that brings us back to the primordial Self. A divine returning to who you are and always have been. As we close, and therefore open, the next cycle, I encourage you to step into the power of the divine I Am, the magic that rests within us all, that connects us to one another, and that is so innately and uniquely and singularly you.
DREAM SWEET | an update
Mark your calendars! In the New Year, I will be at That’s Hot Market offering Tarot!
On January 4th and February 1st, come find me amongst other women and queer owned small businesses in the DFW area! The market also features vintage clothing, tattoo pop ups, tooth gems, jewelry, and more… That’s hot.
Stay tuned for event details and follow That’s Hot Market for more!
REFERENCES
Citations:
By, et al. “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.” Simply Psychology, 23 Oct. 2025, www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html.
Learn More:
Learn More about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
