Covens, Cohorts & Collaborations

leaning into my mid-life community

Hands, Write-Away in White River Junction

It’s a web - -

These women I’ve loved,

lost,

and learned from.

Some have died and others are very much alive.

Souls connected,

flowing with images, words…

and the making of gardens.

Mummy & Pam: Gardeners with Gnarled Fingers, Photos by Lyn Swett Miller

Cohorts,¹

Covens² and

always Collaborations.³

Invitation to Collaborate, 2024

I lean in, savoring this web, mainly of women it seems…

a community, in spirit and in fact.

Hands, “Write Away” in White River Junction

It’s Halloween - - filled with fright and fear - - not my thing.

But All Soul’s Day, or The Day of the Dead on November 1, that’s different - - My birthday, but also a more joyous celebration of those who have passed, their stories revealing themselves one moment at a time…as they do during a free-write or a meander through a hotel lobby.

Skeletons and Empty Chairs Filled with Ghosts, White River Junction, VT

It’s a web - -

These women I’ve loved, lost and continue to learn from…

Dinner, Massachusetts Horticultural Society

and these women who surround me now, encouraging, inspiring and present.

When in community, we are very much alive.

Self Portrait, White River Junction, Vermont

As always, thank you for sharing your time and this space with me.

With gratitude for you being you,

Lyn

Shadow Dance 2024 Photo by Lyn Swett Miller

PS - - I turn 59 tomorrow. So fun. Let me know what inspires you about aging. I’m all in and can’t wait to hear your thoughts.

PPS - - It’s interesting that I only learned about MidStory Magazine this week. Perfect timing. There’s a vibrant community out there, but I worry about how to balance full engagement with my need for quiet. I look forward to learning how others manage this dynamic.

1. Cohort: A group of people with a shared characteristic.

Last weekend, I attended a “Write-Away” at The Hotel Coolidge in White River Junction, Vermont. Organized and facilitated by author, teacher and speaker Joni B. Cole, it was filled with prompts, workshops and very cool people writing about love, loss and navigating life…oh, and some gripping fiction and fantasy thrown in as well!

Anna Brones’ recent celebration of “Creative Cohorts” on her Substack Creative Fuel certainly inspired me this week.

2. Last night I attended an event in Boston - - it was a mixed crowd, but I sat at a table with only women. It was heaven. There was mention of creating a coven…it got me thinking.

Coven: A group or gathering of witches who meet regularly.

Witch: A person thought to have magic powers, especially evil ones…but that’s a myth. Mostly, witches are healers, listeners, peacemakers and friends. I am just dipping my toe into the world of witches, but am curious about the power of powerful people who have operated undercover for decades. As far as I can tell, that’s most of the female population on the planet.

I’m grateful to the work of Sharon Blackie whose Substack The Art of Enchantment and book, Hagitude, offer a complete reframe for mid-life and how to navigate what comes next.

3. Collaboration: The action of working with someone to produce or create something.

In July, my friend Sarah Barker invited me, and others, to curate a set of photographs. I met Sarah through the Kinship Photography Collective. It’s taken me months to find the headspace, but yesterday I finally dove in, captivated by Sarah’s Black and White images from the ferry in Sydney Harbor.

Even though there were groups of men and many couples, I was most interested in the women in conversation or celebrating their adventures together…And their hands. I loved their hands in motion. While I would love to share my curation, it is Sarah’s project. I’ll just have to let you know when she reveals the results. I Can’t wait to see what emerges from the group.