Dear Friend,

Pass me a spoon please, I have a delicious piece of humble pie to eat...

Rhossili Bay from Burry Holm, towards Worm’s Head, 3 April 2025. My favourite edge.

A couple of months ago, I made the decision to leave Substack and move my writing to Ghost. I had serious ethical concerns about some aspects of Substack’s business and felt as if I needed to be somewhere else if I was going to be comfortable with my choices.

I wrote there:

I keep thinking about the social activist A.J. Muste, who - during the Vietnam war - stood outside the White House every night with a candle. The story goes that he was asked if he really thought this could change the country. He replied, that wasn't why he did it. He did it so the country wouldn't change him.

In a teeny tiny way, my moving away from platforms that clash with my beliefs - as much as I'm able - is my way of trying to limit just how much the internet changes me. I doubt the tech broligarchy is watching my every move, but I am. No doubt it'll be an ongoing game that I'll sometimes lose.

I’m not (very) ashamed to admit that I lost this one.

It quickly became obvious that while Ghost is a great platform in many ways, it wasn’t for me. Substack, for all its issues, offers something I need - a way to actually tell people I’ve written something and where they can find it! If I wanted to write solely for myself, I’d just be journalling in one of my eleventy hundred notebooks. Let’s face it, if we’re writing online, we want to reach other people. So, here I am. Back.

I’d read - as I’m sure you have - the theory that we shouldn’t just cave in and leave All The Platforms. That this might be “their plan”. That we should unfold our picnic furniture and settle in with some witty placards and good vibes. There was a time I’d’ve dismissed that as a conspiracy theory but who the hell knows anymore? I’m all for resistance, and I’m never going back to Instagram or Facebook.

If you know me at all, you’ll know that while I may have had the same metaphorical furniture since I was a child, I like to rearrange it on a regular basis. Especially if my neighbour decides to set fire to his nice, white house. Or the whole damn street, ifyaknowwhaddImean.

I developed a vision for my writing last year, working with the wonderful Deb Matlock, who nurtured me and my ideas. I was all set to go. Then my husband fell ill and we were in the pre/post-surgical healing bubble for a good couple of months or more. During that time, the world was changed. Now, personally, I am guided to return to my core. To the essence of what I believe. It’s the same furniture in one smaller, more useable room.

I’m still hoping to reach those who seek a deeper, more devotional relationship with the natural world. I’ll still be writing about earth-based spirituality, natural cycles, and the untapped power of later life (especially for women), but it will be more personal, more intimate, and hopefully even more real.

Thank you for walking this path with me. I appreciate your patience, your support, and your presence here more than you know.

Okay… back to work…

Jo

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