🎃 What to Expect in October 🎃 (Erin Jean Warde)
Since we are going through a time of transition, I’m going to spend this week’s newsletter sharing a little bit more about what to expect in October!
🎃 What to Expect in October 🎃
Hey y’all,
Since we are going through a time of transition, I’m going to spend this week’s newsletter sharing a little bit more about what to expect in October!
Rather than having a formal “book study,” each month I’ll be picking a topic for us to explore. And that means the whole community! I’ll write about it, share tidbits, etc. in my free newsletter, with added bonuses for the paid community (see more below).
NOTE: This is Chaos Land. The topics get to be chaotic. Hint: October’s topic is gonna be fun and autumnal… 👀 🎃 I’ll announce it next week!
I originally said we would have a book study, but I decided to change this to honor neuro-divergence and general fatigue. Y’all, I love reading and writing deeply, and even I often struggle to read. Instead, we’ll have a general topic we are exploring, as a community.
If you’re a paid subscriber, you’ll get a chaotic syllabus of multimedia resources on that month’s focus (ranging from pop culture to history to whatever else I find!) each month, so you can do a deep dive, or save it for later! Think: podcasts, articles, books, documentaries, episodes, movies, etc—all connected to our month’s focus. Instead of just sending you down a rabbit hole, I’ll create the rabbit hole for you, if you’d like to go down it! This also allows for a range of engagement, so you can “choose your own adventure.” Maybe you try to take in almost everything on the syllabus, because you love the topic. OR maybe you watch one documentary, or read one article, or listen to one podcast. Or maybe you choose to just read the weekly reflections!
In the paid community, we’ll also have a call near the end of every month to talk about the topic, anything we explored from the “syllabus,” and other things we’d like to add.
So, as a summary…
FREE SUBSCRIBERS
Each month there will be a focus for the whole community—I’ll highlight it in these weekly newsletters!
There’s always a comment section open, for anyone who would like to chime in. I hope you’ll follow along and share your insights!
PAID SUBSCRIBERS
You’ll receive a monthly “syllabus” with tons of resources you might wish to explore on the topic! Think: podcasts, articles, books, documentaries, episodes, movies, etc—all connected to our month’s focus.
I’ll post discussion prompts just for the paid community to dig deeper into the focus.
At the end of the month, we’ll have a call to explore the topic.
I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am. I landed on October’s focus yesterday (announcing next week!) and it gave me a jolt of joy and creativity I can barely describe!
I absolutely love this community and can’t wait to dig into it even further in October. Thank you so much for being here!
With love & care,
EJW (your Chaos Chaplain <3)
PS: In addition to the thematic call in the paid community, each month we will also have a highs & lows processing call. This will give us the opportunity to share our lows (so we can receive care and support from the community) and also share our highs (so we can celebrate your joys alongside you). In October, as we launch live calls, we will only have these 2 calls. I do hope we grow to add more, though!
SOBER OCTOBER WITH SSFM
I would love for you to join me as I lead a Sober October group for the Stevenson School for Ministry!
Join the Rev. Erin Jean Warde in a 5-week study of her book, Sober Spirituality: The Joy of a Mindful Relationship with Alcohol. In this course, you’ll explore how alcohol affects us in mind, body, and soul, such that you will be encouraged to get prayerfully curious about how drinking shows up in your life, while trusting how the Spirit leads you into answering the question: How do I want to be in relationship with alcohol? This course will engage communal spiritual reflection and act as a support to those who are participating in "Sober October," those who are sober, and/or those who are questioning their drinking.
This book study will meet for one hour weekly on Zoom from October 1 to 29, 2 to 3 p.m. Eastern. I would love to welcome you to the group!
Coaching
As the new academic year starts, there’s just a LOT going on, a marked uptick after what might have felt like relaxing summer months. If you’re moving into this fall semester and hoping to change your relationship with alcohol, I’d love to work with you as your recovery coach. This is for anyone who wants to change their relationship with alcohol, whether that’s cutting back, quitting completely, or maintaining sobriety.
Not wanting to focus specifically on alcohol, but want support finding positive coping tools? Feeling stuck in habits you’d like to change? I’d love to support you as you find great coping tools. <3
Spiritual Direction
If you’re seeking long term spiritual support, I’d love to hold space for you as your spiritual director. Supporting people in their spiritual lives is one of the deep joys of my life. I have supported people spiritually through deconstruction, daily life, seminary, grief, the big questions of life, the ordination process, sobriety, and more. I’m also LGBTQIA+ inclusive. If you’re hoping for a companion along the way, I’d love to be a companion to you, as your spiritual director.