What is your constellation of practices? The Wednesday 1-2-3

Published over 2 years ago • 2 min read

Happy Wednesday Reader!

I have a really fun announcement to make before we get to today’s teaching:

Next month, I’ll be hosting a 30-day cohort for anyone looking to build a daily inner work practice and move further into 2024 with more tools for embodying meaning and presence in their lives.

I'm really proud of what we're putting together and if it feels like a fit for you and your story, I’d really love for you to join us. You can read more about it at the bottom of this email or check it out here.

Alright – here's 1 teaching, 2 questions, and 3 resources to explore this week:

1. Teaching

Casper ter Kuile teaches that it's through intention and attention-filled practices that we come to experience deep meaning and presence in our day-to-day lives. (I wrote about this back in May.)

But, as many of us know quite well, what feels meaningful in one moment can feel absolutely meaningless in another. These practices have a tendency to change over time.

Psychotherapist and former monk James Finley writes this:

“At any given time we are likely to have not a single practice but rather a constellation of practices, often with one of them as our primary practice. Others may surround it, each carrying its own special place in our life….

As the months and years go by the constellation changes. New practices emerge. Practices that have been present for years fall out of the picture….”

You might meditate for a year and then run as far away as you can from it for the next 20. You might journal for a season and then find it stale and unhelpful. You might love how running connects you with nature in your 30s but find it painful and frustrating in your 50s.

All of this is real and okay! It's part of the human experience – no need for shame or guilt.

This week, I invite you to think about your current "constellation of practices" and how you experience meaning and presence in your life.

2. Questions

What constellation of practices are supporting you right now? What are the things that help you experience a depth of meaning and presence in your life?
How has your constellation of practices changed over time? When you were 10, what practices felt connective for you? What about when you were 20? 30? 40? And so on...

3. Resources

The Power of Ritual by Casper ter Kuile (book)
The Healing Path by James Finley (book)
The 30-day Inner Work Cohort (starts February 4th!)

Upcoming Inner Work Cohort

Beginning February 4th, I'll be facilitating a 30-day inner work cohort for folks who feel like they've been going through the motions and want support in deepening their sense of meaning and presence.

I know that's not everybody – but if it sounds familiar to you, I hope you'll check it out.

Over the course of 30 days, we’ll:

identify and engage a daily practice that brings together who we are and our sense of who we’re becoming,
share and interact with a supportive cohort community of fellow practitioners,
come together for four workshops, including ones from poet James A. Pearson and Enneagram expert Caryn Berley,
and experiment with new inner work practices that can open us to a deeper connection to our inner life and personal story.

If you have questions before signing up, please hit “reply” and I'll get back to you! Otherwise, you can find more information and register for the cohort by clicking the button below:

Learn more and register for the cohort here!

Hope you're doing well or well-enough,

Andrew