🌏📷 Community-supported, purpose-driven, story and human experience-loving content creator for good. ✍🏽🎤 I share thought-provoking reflections, global good news, original content, and handpicked gems that highlight changemakers & visionaries. 📍🗺️ Te Waipounamu South Island, Aotearoa New Zealand
subtledream newsletter 29th edition - clarity & direction going forward
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“Extreme independence or the inability to receive support from others is a trauma response. Your I don't need anyone, I'll just do it all myself conditioning is a survival tactic. You learnt ― if I don't put myself in a situation where I rely on someone, I won't have to be disappointed when they don't show up for me.” by Matt Brown, She Is Not Your Rehab: One Man’s Journey to Healing and the Global Anti-Violence Movement He Inspired reflectionsKia ora koutou, 大家好, greetings to you Reader, and everyone! For this edition, I'm trying something new - my reflections are entirely on video, unscripted. I got assistance from AI to generate this summary for the TL;DR type (or rather, didn't watch 🙃):
I recorded this from a tent, 10 meters from the ocean, mid-reflection on life, vipassana, creative momentum, and some very good news (hint: I’m sticking around a while 😉). The past weeks have been a mix of deep stillness and forward motion—meditating for hours, revamping my website, reviving my podcast, and saying yes to what’s next. Also, I may or may not be forming my own version of the "Avengers" team. Let's goooo!
Highlights from the past couple months. Incredible memories. Gatherings, wedding, organic markets, nature time, comet, wildlife, live music, surprises, connection. Yum. Not pictured: pain, sadness, loneliness, frustration, anger. Those are very real and alive at times too. good newsIn need of uplifting news? Me too. These global good news are gathered from FixTheNews's recent newsletter drops (free!), then further condensed:
original workBesides the newsletter video, I published this video titled "reflections from the bush" a couple weeks ago. *Drum roll - a new episode of my Wilderness Within podcast has been published!
After a year-long hiatus, Wilderness Within (WW) is back, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to share this episode with the legendary Tamara Wilder. A teacher of ancient living skills for over 30 years, Tamara has dedicated her life to preserving and sharing the ways our ancestors thrived—crafting, foraging, and living in deep harmony with the land. We recorded this conversation just before I moved to Aotearoa (NZ), and it’s packed with wisdom, stories, and reflections on what it truly means to live regeneratively.We talk about the generations of women gathering, nurturing, and bringing on a new paradigm of knowledge holders and teachers via Spirit Weavers Gathering, mentors and mentees she's learned from and taught over the decades, resulting in memoirs, books, and incredible resources created that's timeless and invaluable. Join us as we explore her journey, from learning these skills at 19 to teaching across the U.S., holding space for ancestral knowledge, and inspiring a new generation to reconnect with the earth. This episode is more than a conversation—it’s a window into a way of life that feels both ancient and essential. Tune in now, and step into the world of timeless skills, deep connection, and the magic of living with the land.
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | YouTube | iHeartRadio | PodBean | RSSSupporting patrons have exclusive access to an extended version of this special 4th episode with Tamara. Connect & engage with WW:
recommendationsBook:
Podcasts:
Music:
gratitudeFor those of you who are new to the newsletter ― nau mai, haere mai. Ngā mihi nui! Welcome & thank you! For this edition, gratitude is due for Goenka-ji, the many selfless servers at my vipassana sit, for Bear, Rhi & Thomas, Jen, the Windrose House, and my 2 men's circles. Their presence, support, and reminders for/to/with me have continued to be invaluable. This publication is a labour of love & devotion. I create this because of radical self-expression, and I believe in and have dedicated myself to be a spreader of GOOD in our world. For each edition, I spend hours filming, editing, and weaving content together. It is made possible in part due to patrons who pitch in regularly on patreon. This income has become a humble, reliable, and essential pillar of financial support. It allows this publication and the podcast to both be ad-free (a rarity in this age, let's be honest). I must continue to thank friends who hire and refer me for portraits, weddings, business & organisational storytelling. In the Ōtautahi Christchurch or the greater South Pacific region? Book a photo/videoshoot or refer a mate who may be in need of my visual storytelling services. I am ready to create more stories for 2025 and beyond! Regular contributions aren't your thing? I have a tip jar for one-off contributions - cheers! Grateful for you Reader, Kai J. |
Subtledream Newsletter
🌏📷 Community-supported, purpose-driven, story and human experience-loving content creator for good. ✍🏽🎤 I share thought-provoking reflections, global good news, original content, and handpicked gems that highlight changemakers & visionaries. 📍🗺️ Te Waipounamu South Island, Aotearoa New Zealand
“Nā tō rourou, nā taku rourou ka ora ai te iwi." (With your basket and my basket the people will thrive.)– Māori whakataukī (proverb) “We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love, and then we return home.” – Australian Aboriginal Proverb reflections 大家好, kia ora koutou, greetings everyone, We’re near equinox. As the northern hemisphere tilts toward autumn, the days here in Ōtautahi Christchurch stretch...
“We don’t reach a breaking point because one or two things go wrong. We reach a breaking point when we finally accept that the problem isn’t how the world is; it is how we are. This is a beautiful reckoning to have." by Brianna Wiest, The Mountain Is You reflections Kia ora e hoa mā ("warm greetings, friends" in Te reo Māori), As winter deepens here in Ōtautahi Christchurch, I’ve been leaning into the cold, the quiet, and the early nights - embracing the invitation to slow down and go inward....
“If we’re free from the burden of trying to be completely original, we can stop trying to make something out of nothing, and we can embrace influence instead of running away from it.” by Austin Kleon in “Steal Like an Artist” reflections Kia ora koutou, 大家好, warm greetings to you, Reader! On the previous edition, I recall being in a state of clarity I hadn't felt in some time. There was new year energy (especially lunar new year); it was summer in the southern hemisphere, with seemingly...