Welcome to The Secret Garden, a new private podcast for paid subscribers. Today’s sneak “eavesdrop,” however, is a preview for everyone at The Cottage - both free and supporting members.
Sometimes I’ll host a conversation with a guest in the Garden; sometimes I’ll post a reflection or reading; sometimes I’ll review a book or article; sometimes I’ll share a lecture or talk.
My guest is Thomas Moore, author of twenty books on soulful living, a former Catholic monk and a Jungian psychotherapist. His latest book, Soul Therapy: The Art and Craft of Caring Conversations, is a timely invitation to being “soul friends” to each other and to the world. His perspective was refreshing and challenging - and I wanted you to hear it right away!
I hope you love The Secret Garden at The Cottage as much as I do - and that these conversations will cultivate understanding and grow your heart toward greater faith, hope, and love.
For further information on supporting subscriptions and upgrading from free to paid, please click the button below.
The Secret Garden theme music is by Elizabeth “Libbie” Schrader. You can read about her work here.
INSPIRATION
For all that has been written,
for all that has been read, we
are led to this instant where one
of us will speak and one of us will
listen, as if no one has ever placed
an oar into that water.
It doesn’t matter how we come
to this. We may jump to it or be
worn to it. Because of great pain.
Or a sudden raw feeling that this
is all very real. It may happen in a
parking lot when we break the eggs
in the rain. Or watching each other
in our grief.
But here we will come. With very
little left in the way.
When we meet like this, I may not
have the words, so let me say it now:
Nothing compares to the sensation
of being alive in the company of
another. It is God breathing on
the embers of our soul.
— Mark Nepo, from “The Way Under the Way”
NEWS
The Cottage is moving to a mixed free/paid subscription format! Here are the details:
1) There are three choices for paid subscriptions:
Monthly ($5 per month)
Yearly ($50 per year)
Cultivating Member ($150 per year).
Benefits for all three levels of paid subscriptions are the same - regular newsletter, full archive access, occasional online chats, discounts to some events and online classes plus:
A monthly Zoom chat
A new, members-only podcast called The Secret Garden
Book recommendations, author visits, special guest posts
Sneak peeks at my work-in-progress
Special subscriber-only announcements and posts
Cultivating Members contribute a gift above the yearly rate to support those who cannot pay and to help defray the costs of creating the new offerings.
2) Free subscriptions will continue to exist! If you are already on the list, you don’t need to do anything. Posts will continue to arrive in your email two or three times a month. You will also be able to comment on free posts (as is currently available), access partial archive, participate in occasional open chats, and access discounts to some events and online classes.
3) No one will be turned away for lack of funds. If you want to be part of the members-only community and cannot afford it, please contact me directly by replying to this email (just hit “reply” as you would for any email).
Soul Therapy