The Phoenix Soul. We are truth-speakers, heart-on-our-sleevers, love-believers. You are. I am. We are The Phoenix Soul (indie digital magazine & community).
The Phoenix Soul:
BRAVE FIRST STEPS
(issue 61)
What if you need only enough bravery for one step?
Fear is held breath, tight shoulders, clenched jaw. Bravery, though, is a deep inhalation--a life-giving expansion, where everything yet can be.
The good news is that it takes only a tiny bit of bravery to begin. To move toward the life you crave, the one you deserve--spilling over with meaning, purpose, passion, soulfulness. One brave move leads to another.
Let's look fear in the eye and say, You don't own us anymore.
“Across all areas of my life, anxiety has kept me small by preventing me from going after the things I really wanted, from expressing my truth,
from being seen, and from taking risks. I spent a lot of time living according to self-imposed rules . . .”
In every issue:
60 full-color digital pages (PDF)
vibrant art, intimate interviews, revealing essays, gaspworthy poetry, soul-stirring prompts
handcrafted mixed media backgrounds, handwritten love notes
interactive features honoring our #thephoenixsoul gathering
Amanda Fall: editor, publisher, creator, & gatherer of good
May you feel seen. Heard. Loved. Just as you are.
“We are the light in the darkness. We are the ones we’re waiting for. We must be our own rescuer, our own heroes, our own best ally. It’s scary, right? Oh yes, honey, it is. But it’s the truth–and it’s the big bold brave truth we need to ride into this new year. So saddle it up and hang on!”
“For decades, I’ve written my way into and through so many battlefields of the heart and soul. Much joy recorded. But mostly, with desperation, I’ve puzzled and cried and prayed my way through. These journals are proof that I’ve survived the journey. So how can I possibly be sitting here, a wheelbarrow overflowing with nearly 100 books, and me releasing them, one by one, into the fire?”
The Phoenix Soul: Brave First Steps
I don't know about you, phoenix, but I rarely identify as brave. In fact, for most of my life, I've felt anything but brave. But you know what? We are so much braver than we realize. We rarely give ourselves enough credit for the daily brave steps of our lives, walking in a world that can so often be overwhelming with ache and struggle. Simply being ourselves in an authentic way–messy, untamed, honest, unapologetically full of feeling–is so brave.
Step into the circle, where we celebrate both our individuality and our oneness as a soul-family. Let's lean into Life together, daring to take one brave first step--even when our knees tremble. We've got this--and we've got each other. Join us in The Phoenix Soul: Brave First Steps.
1. Amanda Fall. 2. Kara Ashley-Gilmore, Phoebe Guider, Anab Roa, Christina Power. 3. Lynn White, Maureen Helms Blake, De Jackson, suzanne l. vinson. 3. Nolwenn Petitbois, Melissa Fernandez, Kyeli Smith, VersAnnette Blackman-Bosia.
guests in this issue:
Kara Ashley-Gilmore, Truth Tribe interview (later renamed Soul Rise Stories)
Christina Power, Anab Roa, Phoebe Guider: Grit & Grace participants and guest contributors
staff contributors: Maureen Helms Blake (Bitter & Beautiful column), De Jackson, suzanne l. vinson, Nolwenn Petitbois, Melissa Fernandez, Kyeli Smith (Embody your BRave column), VersAnnette Blackman-Bosia
additional contributor: Lynn White
“It was time for me to say, this is me. I am this person. This gay person. This creative, broken, whole, loud, quiet, introverted, extroverted, book-loving, writer, artist, soon-to-be-mother, privileged, abandoned, gay . . . person.”
“Bravery is simply a commitment to Show Up. Authentically. As Yourself. Embracing exactly Who You Are, Where You Are, As You Are.”
Call forth your bravery with us:
$5.00
“And however loud my fear was pounding at me, I closed my eyes, said a prayer, and just did it.”
