Where Fire Meets Water: A Dance of the Authentic Soul Self
Editorial Letter | Issue 1 | The Descent
Price Maccarthy, Wellspringwords Writing Fellow
“The descent”, as I have realized, is plunging into our authenticity to explore what our true selves were and now are. In reaching this state, all the pieces in the issue took me on a journey of vulnerability as a segue to authenticity, battled the tension between spiraling and control, and were honest to their truths and the power that lies hidden in the reserves of our souls. Much like stripping everything down to its essence, returning to their true selves for the authors was a return to the simplicity of being.
Between the lines, I tasted raw vulnerability, sincerity, and deep reflection that went beyond the authors’ intent, to make me question how I viewed the world and myself. I found comfort in understanding how to reconcile life passing me by with the limitations of my body. I redefined how rage manifested in my being. I grew with each piece as they nurtured my spirit.
“The descent” is a bravery to push past the fear of being overwhelmed by what we find out about ourselves in our quest for exploration. It is toeing the line between recognizing our totality – the unappealing included – and grace and love within that acceptance. What that looks like may differ from person to person. As you begin reading the pieces, I beckon you to allow the words to sit with you. Let them take root as you think about what your journey to authenticity may look like. And let them blossom, as they did with me.
Shayna Shah, Wellspringwords Writing Fellow
Journeying into the self requires varying levels of courage and trust. The deeper one goes, the greater the descent. As you begin to sink into these pieces, you’d find yourself questioning your identity: how is it that you show up in today’s world? Lots of questions about self-trust as it ties to trusting your body and the world around begin to form in your mind. What is your relationship to the world around you, and how does that, in turn, shape how you interact with it?
You’d be amazed by the way these poets and writers play with the structures of their works as they dive deeper into the theme. Each author chooses to boldly speak from personal experience, opening their heart and soul out, into their words. As they express themselves, we begin to feel entranced by their respective abilities to lure us into the space that each of them creates individually.
Self includes the body, and with that comes generations of grief and trauma which, too, are expressed through these words. All of these words are honest and raw to their core. Being deeply grounded in being women of colour, these women are unafraid to talk about their experiences. I hope you find yourself immersed in your own “Self” and your body as you engage with the works presented under this theme.
Nkem Ugo, Founder and Steward of Wellspringwords
Our writers for this issue of the Literary Anthology arrived at Wellspringwords through a desire to know themselves more deeply. This is not an easy thing, to be with Self in all its fullness. Through this self-knowing, this desire for self-intimacy and inner discovery, we readers have the opportunity to experience the richness of the human experience through the sacred lens of woman — the sacred lens of authentic being.
The poetry, personal essay, memoir, and experimental writing in this issue are steeped in the sensual experience of seeing life through the body, heart, and clairvoyant mind. As we reviewed and provided developmental feedback on these works of written art, we saw the recurrence of strength in language use, a viscerality of imagery and feeling, and power in the reclamation of Self through the realms of the sacred body, mind, and soul. Writers in this issue wrote about safety and home in varying ways, that — we hope — call you inward to locate what home means and feels like for you.
On an even deeper note — because we are here to take it there — the writing in this issue is conscious alchemy, something I know that words serve the purpose for quite well. On our About page, it is written:
Our inquiries and exploration here in this space, on this platform, are not always glamorous. We understand that to move through inherited, projected, and created internal and external darkness and into the abundant Light of Love requires a deep devotion to truth. This journey requires a devotion to vitality and storytelling and creation and legacy. In this work of writing and visioning, learning and teaching, we choose to deepen into life’s own wellspring because we trust that the resilience we cultivate throughout our lifetimes leads to priceless wisdom for ourselves, individually, and for the whole, through all timelines. Through contemplating wisdom, we allow Light to pour into and all over our internal landscapes, our external lives, and our words that live on beyond the magical moment of creation.
There you have it.
Throughout this anthology, we get to taste the unique magic and mystery that manifests when we as beings descend into our inner realms, choose to come home to ourselves, and decide to centralize our peace in our dealings in life. Our hope with this issue of the anthology is to amplify that we always have the option to turn inward, to descend into Self, and to appreciate the descent through the authentic and artful expression of our uniquely textured experiences.
We hope you enjoy this issue and find yourself in a number of these pieces. Blessings & be well.
