Standing Still
June Newsletter
Standing still is a skill. I wrote about it here. I love being busy. I love my work. But, as we all do at some stage, I will reach a point where I need to get off the ride. Once I do, for a few dizzying moments, it can feel like I’m standing in the middle of a zoetrope and there is a constant nagging itch compelling me to get straight back on the ride.
Perhaps it’s a fear that if I stop I won’t be able to get the momentum going again? Perhaps it’s a fear of missing out, either way I fear it is a very modern form of anxiety; an unfocused, distracted, twitch.
This half-term, for two days, I stood still. It wasn’t for long but it was vital. I lived with the anxious feeling and let it go. I visited some old friends in the form of Stonehenge and Avebury Stone Circle, explored a castle at Old Wardour, stared at the wonder of the Westbury White Horse and ate delicious food someone else had cooked for me.
Standing still is essential for creativity and I find that it is in these moments the missing piece in a fermenting idea finally slots into place, new ideas start to form and old ideas, that will never really work, drift away.
The summer solstice is so named because the sun appears to ‘stand-still’ in the sky for just a few days before, over the next six months, returning to the earth for the winter solstice. The sun is at its highest, in the arch it takes across the sky, on the 21st of June and this month Tiffany Francis-Baker and I have put together another of our celebration sheets for you, to help you mark this moment and take some time out with the sun this June.
I have a busy month coming up with the last full month of my contract, storytelling events and a book deadline - thank goodness for sixteen hour days - so my posts here may be a little less frequent.
Some of the things on my to do list are stories to rehearse, tidying up the last of the manuscript for my next book, research to complete for new stories and making reenactment kit for the summer season. This is all in addition to the day job for which my temporary contract is up in mid July so, as is always the plight of the freelancer, I am also spending time sending out queries for work and developing ideas for potential projects.
Coming up on Substack this month I’ll be sharing some stories I’ve put together for Sussex Day, my usual book reviews, for World Oceans Day I will be exploring the lore and stories of the Octopus and the sixth of my collaborative celebration sheets with Tiffany Francis-Baker. In addition I will put together a quick Q & A for everyone but at the moment I only have questions from one of you lovely lot; it would be good to have a few more and you can add them here or just pop them in the comments below. It can be anything about my work, hobbies, reading, events, storytelling. Ask away.
I wish you all a merry June and I hope you all can find some time to stop and watch the sun stand still. Read on to find out what stories, events and recommended reads I have for you this month.
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June's Track:
Upcoming Events For June/July :
9th June - Stories For The Sun - The Wild Nest Yoga Studio, Petersfield - Book Here
16th June - Folktales & Cocktails - Slake Spirits, Worthing - book tickets here
30th June - Stories Of Light & Stone - Gather around Butser’s very own standing stones for stories of the sun and ancient megaliths - Live, in person, tickets available here
8th July - Tales Of Dragons - Family Storytelling for Monsters. Myth & Magic at Andover Museum - Book Tickets here
16th July - Alton Eco-Fair - Family Storytelling - more Information here
29th July - Storytelling Workshop For Yogis as part of Jo Standen’s Yoga Retreat nr Wickham, Hampshire. - more Information here
For more information visit my events page using the button below.
May’s Paid Subscriber Content, Available In The Archive:
What’s In A Bird’s Nest - Behind The Scenes of my research process - Read Here
Newt - Symphony Of Animals - spoken word - Listen Here
Auspicious & Nutritious - Seaweed - Kitchen Witching - Read Here
A Little Bit Of Bread & No Cheese - The Yellow Hammer - Notes From the Downs - Read Here
Thank you for supporting this newsletter through April. Supporting my work in this way allows me to continue to write freely and authentically and I thank you from the bottom of my storytelling heart.
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June's Read:
I have this book on preorder and it's released into the world this month. Full disclosure, Tiffany is a good friend of mine and I remember sitting on the sofa in her house a few years ago discussing her plans to write this book. I can't wait!
