Sunday Update: Gratitude, Growth, and Friends
A break from our usual programming...
Instead of my usual article, I wanted to take a moment for a more personal update – sharing what's happening in my life, expressing some gratitude, and highlighting the work of a few people I deeply admire.
A Note of Gratitude
It's been a little less than four months since I started this Substack, and I'm frankly amazed at what it's become. What began as an experiment has evolved into something profoundly meaningful in my life. I've met incredible people, refined my thinking, and—perhaps most surprisingly—it's become a significant part of my income.
That last part still feels surreal. Three months ago, I had barely written publicly, and now I'm a paid writer on the internet. As someone who has long lived an economically precarious life this support means more than I can adequately express.
So first and foremost: thank you. Thank you to every single person reading these words, and especially to my paid subscribers. The financial support you provide meaningfully enables me to do this work. Much of what I do exists beyond the edges of the conventional world—I'm trying to create new structures of value in a time of planetary crisis, and that's not exactly a well-trodden career path. Your support makes it possible for me to continue exploring these edges.
Life Updates
A New Home
I just moved into a new home three days ago. After many, many wonderful (and sometimes excruciating) years of living in various forms of community this is the first time in my life I've ever had my own structure, my own kitchen, my own front door. It's a beautiful space on land shared with dear friends and community members. I feel incredibly fortunate to be here in Asheville as spring unfolds, with the land bursting into life all around.
This move feels significant, like I'm preparing for the coming years of deeply devotional work. It's setting up the conditions for me to dedicate myself more fully to what I believe I'm here to do.
Current Projects
Beyond this Substack, I'm working on several projects that energize me:
The Church of the Intimate Web has been in something like a closed beta for the last two years, with a small crew of us engaging in deep relational and ritual practice. Much of my writing on this Substack comes from the research and development that has been happening in the Church. It's a profound project that I hope to involve more people in during the time to come.
The Basin Collective and the Wisdom Commons Foundation are emerging as core dimensions of my work. I'll soon be launching the Wisdom Commons Podcast, where we'll explore how to create educational infrastructure to address the wisdom gap in our culture.
Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Daniel Kazandjian on the Metagame podcast. This conversation felt like a culmination of how my thinking has been clarifying over the past months.
I'm also continuing my coaching practice. One of my hopes is to develop group courses or formats that make this work more affordable and accessible. If anyone reading this feels called to help create that with me, please reach out. It's mostly a question of time scarcity right now.
Finally, I'll be presenting a workshop at a Harvard conference in early May. It seems like the conference is shaping up to be an unusually alchemical convergence of networks, and I’m very curious to see what will emerge…
Works I'm Appreciating
I wanted to take a moment to highlight some other writers on Substack who’s work I’ve been enjoying.
Sabra Saperstein
I loved Sabra's recent article "It's Time. It's time for Magic." She beautifully articulates something that resonates deeply with my own work—how we're witnessing a collective healing and reintegration of the magical, the liminal, and the sacred in response to our meta-crisis.
Michal Tolk
My partner Michal wrote a breathtaking piece that explores the paradox of Christ as both particle and wave—the intimate, personal relationship with Jesus alongside the universal Christ consciousness that permeates all creation. Her writing embodies the kind of devotional relationship with reality that I believe we're collectively being called toward.
Tyler Stuart
Tyler wrote a passionate, thought-provoking piece challenging my recent article on AI for embodied understanding. It's exactly the kind of thoughtful pushback that helps all of us think more clearly about these emerging technologies.
Final Thoughts
Today is Easter for many around the world—a day that marks renewal, rebirth, and the sacred mystery of transformation. Whether or not you celebrate Easter, there seems something fitting about sharing this update on a day dedicated to the possibility of new life emerging from what came before.
Before I close this update, I want to reiterate my gratitude for the opportunity to do this work. And I want to extend an invitation: if you're reading this, please take some time to go outside and experience the beauty of spring (if it is indeed spring where you are). The world is bursting with life right now, and there's no substitute for direct contact with that aliveness. We made it.
Until next time,
Daniel