Changing seasons, new directions

It's time to let go and create space for something new

Thank you for being lovely subscribers to ‘Art making from the garden’, and welcome to the new subscribers who have joined in the last month. There are some changes afoot that I need to tell you about.

This newsletter has been very sporadic based on what I’ve been experimenting with from my foragings, and it has been a playground for me to get to know Substack. I now have a new project bubbling.

The new project is called ‘Gathering our bones’ and it will be mainly a paid-for publication, with a mix of writing, prompts and reflections, podcast conversations and vitamin C (creative activities to feed our bones and soothe our souls). There will be a monthly free newsletter as a taster of the territory we are exploring.

‘Art making from the garden’ will be gently retired as a stand-alone newsletter. Some of those posts will be available in the archives and free to access. You can also follow my alchemical adventures on instagram @tinabbeloved and, in due course, on my website www.mavericksoulstudio.com.

So what are these ‘bones’ we are gathering?

Let me tell you a story. There are many versions of this story across different cultures, however the one I’m choosing for you is the version told by Clarissa Pinkola Estes in her book, Women Who Run With The Wolves. It is the story of La Loba.

La Loba’s sole work is to collect bones. She collects and preserves all manner of creatures, but her speciality is wolves. Each day she goes out into the desert to gather the bones and bring them back to her cave. Over time she reassembles the skeleton and when the last bone is in place she sits with her sculpture and inwardly listens for the song she will sing. When the song comes to her, she stands and sings over the bones.

As she sings, the bones start to flesh out and the creature becomes furred again. She sings until the wolf begins to breathe and come back to life. Then she sings so deeply that it resonates around the cave and vibrates out through the desert floor. The wolf opens its eyes, leaps up and runs from the cave.

It runs, and it runs, and it runs, until it is suddenly transformed into laughing woman, joyously running free towards the horizon.

These bones, then, are a metaphor for the indestructible life force that is at the core of our being; our natural, instinctive ‘wild’ self, the essence of who we are.  In Gathering our bones, we will journey together to explore, gather, collate and curate our own ‘bones’ so that whatever life throws at us, we can reconnect with it or stay connected to it. Having this connection to our instinctive self is so needed when we reach a foggy crossroads and can’t see the path ahead, or feel desperately lost, fragmented, or burnt out, or when we reach tough or exciting decision points and need to let go of something to create space for something new.

We can spend a lifetime gathering the bones of who we think we should be, and fitting into a skin that isn’t ours. Gathering our bones is definitely for you if deep down you know that it is time to explore, rather than define, who you can be and who you desire to be. If you are ready to forage for and gather your own bones, slip into a skin that feels more ‘you’ and have some creative fun doing it, then do join me.

We’ll be foraging through myths and stories, metaphors from nature, ancient knowledge, practical philosophy and seasonal wisdom. We will be exploring the territory and mapping it for ourselves as we go along. I feel like I have been preparing for this for at least two decades – searching, seeking, gathering, collecting, curating and connecting the dots. Not surprisingly I have a heaving bookshelf and art cupboard full of gems to share.

We will get our vitamin C from collage, intuitive mark making, image treasure hunts, visual journaling, reflective and stream of consciousness writing, as well as foraging indoors and out. And we’ll largely be using and recycling whatever we have around us to create with - no special supplies are required.

As George Elliot tells us, “It’s never too late to be who we might have been.” So, let’s pack some snacks and head out on this adventure.

What’s happening to subscriptions?

You will be automatically subscribed to Gathering our bones for the free content. There is nothing that you need to do right now except decide, when ‘Gathering our bones’ is launched, whether you want to upgrade to a paid subscriber or gently depart if it’s not for you. Action is only needed to upgrade or to depart. (At least, this is what I hope will happen!) Everything will be free until December so you have plenty of time to decide whether you want to upgrade.

For paid subscribers, each month I will share explorative essays with prompts for you to reflect on, insights from my bookshelf, creative activities as bone/soul food for you to try in your own journal or sketchbook, and possibly a podcast episode, which could be an interview or a personal reflection. There will be quarterly bonus editions too. The ‘chat’ feature (when I get that set up) will also be for paid subscribers so we can share our explorations and insights.

There are two reasons for offering the main content to paid subscribers only. Firstly, this is my ‘song’ – writing, creating and curating is my work and my primary source of income to keep my bones fed and sheltered while I pour my heart, soul and creative energy into publishing this for you.

Secondly, I want to build this as a safe space to gather in community, to share our stories and vulnerabilities. I hope that the paid option will maintain this as a safe space. While there will always be some free content, the deeper excavations and sharing will be only for paid subscribers.

While I am setting this up and scheduling posts for the launch, it’s possible you might get a stray email land in your inbox. I’ll try to avoid it, but I’m still learning my way around Substack so apologies in advance! And if you have any questions, then feel free to email me and ask.

If you know someone who might like to join us on this adventure, please do share and we’ll welcome them into the tribe of bone gatherers.

One last thing before I disappear into revamping and redeveloping my Substack. I promised you a recipe for hedgerow cordial. Here it is:

Hedgerow Cordial

You will need:
Elderberries, blackberries and (optional) hawthorn berries and rosehips (you can also use just blackberries, hawthorn and rosehips if elderberry season is finished).
Cinnamon stick, cloves, a piece of peeled fresh ginger (approx. half your thumb in size). You can also add the zest and juice of an orange if you wish.

You need enough berries to half-fill a large saucepan. I would also give them a rinse to remove any hedgerow dust and detritus.

Use a fork to remove the elderberries from the stalks.

Put enough water (I prefer filtered or bottled water for this) into the pan to cover the berries. Add the spices.

Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Set aside for a further 30 minutes.

Strain the liquid through a fine strainer, muslin or straining bag squeezing to get all the juice out.

Rinse the pan to remove any debris.

Measure how much juice you have before returning to the pan.

For each pint of juice add 300g of granulated sugar

Heat the mixture, stirring gently until all the sugar has dissolved, then allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

Allow the mixture to cool and then bottle in sterilised glass bottles with a plastic seal. Add a few cloves to each bottle to help preserve.

Drink through the late autumn and winter months (1-2 tablespoons to a mug of hot water) to ward off coughs, colds, cold weather aches or just because it is blooming delicious!! Add a teaspoon of raw honey and a slice of lemon (optional and to taste). You can also take a tablespoon of cordial neat for a sore throat.

In theory it will last two years but I’ve always drunk it within the season I made it. Elderberries and blackberries freeze well so you can always collect and freeze enough berries for a second batch in case you run out before the winter’s end.

Happy Autumn/Fall! I’ll meet you later at the gate to begin our new adventure.