come join me to sit and write in the dark

once a week for the month of February

"Layla’s writing is raw, vulnerable, and inviting. It feels familiar to roam in the landscape her words conjure up and the more I read, the more at home I feel with myself."
- review from a paid subscriber -

Hello everyone,
I hope you’ve enjoyed the last three weeks of our {REST} mini series. I’ve certainly gained so much from reading and sharing the words of

Chloe George

,

Lauren Barber

and

Clare Mulvany

with you. If you’d like to catch up on the series I’ve created a wee section on my homepage to gather them all, head here to view.

I’ll be back on Friday with a return to my regular posts, but I wanted to drop into your inboxes today to share a little more about the upcoming Sitting in the Dark sessions. The first series in the lead up to Christmas was really wonderful. There was something very womb-like yet expansive, quiet yet communal about the sessions.

… We talk so much of light, please
let me speak on behalf

of the good dark. Let us
talk more of how dark

the beginning of a day is.

- Maggie Smith, How the Dark Beginning

It is a very simple format. We gather in the dark on Zoom, most of us in the dark of early morning, some of us in the dark of night, candles lit, tea steaming, pen and paper ready. I lead us in a short grounding moment and then we all write (or stare into space or read, do whatever we need to do) for an hour. On the hour I gather us back, we each share a word that comes to mind about what we’ve written, how we’ve felt, and we say our quiet goodbyes and head back off into our daily lives.

Photo by Pavan Trikutam on Unsplash

I’d love to gather us again for the month of February. Our last sessions were in the belly of the winter, during these February sessions we will be witnessing the lengthening of the days, the incremental growing of the light. We will start a little earlier this time to capture the darkness still, with the first 15 minutes a window to arrive and settle, start writing if you like. I’ll welcome us all at 6am and then we will write together for the hour.

I am also offering an hour’s intention setting session in the lead up to the month of sessions. A way to gain the most from this precious early morning time - what would to focus on, how would I like it to feel, how can I set myself up for success? And also it will be a chance to meet each other in a way we won’t get to during the sessions themselves.

My intention for my own practice during these sessions is to allow myself to play and explore, not work on any of the projects I have running, just see what new magic comes. You can join for all sessions, or drop in as suits, no pre booking required if you are a paid member - you’ll get the link the evening before.

Meet & Greet / Intention Setting for Sitting in Dark Sessions
This is open to all free and paid subscribers - free subs, please do join us and see what you think, if it is a good fit for you.

𖥸 Monday 3 February
𖥸 7.30 - 8.30pm GMT (work out your time zone here)
𖥸 On Zoom, I’ll send the link the day before. Will not be recorded, but if you miss I’ll share the intention setting prompts.
𖥸 Free to all

Sitting in Dark Sessions
𖥸 Friday 7, 14, 21, 28 February
𖥸 5:45-7am GMT (work out your time zone here)
𖥸 On Zoom, I’ll send the link the day before. Will not be recorded.
𖥸 Free to all paid subscribers.

EDIT: I’m also now offering a self-led version for those who cannot meet on Fridays. for more information, head this this post:

another way to sit with me in the dark

An unexpected surprise that arose from the last sessions was the amount of rich, reflective Sitting in the Dark writing that was shared here on Substack by those who joined us.

Lindsay Johnstone

wrote about What Sparks in the Dark and how her writing came alive again during these sessions. Leanne Cosser wrote a wonderful series of reflections on her experience of the 4 weeks - thoughts around what we fear in the dark, how our relationship to dark has changed with electric light and so much more.

Chloe George

wrote beautifully about The Good Dark and all the different kinds of dark there is.

Ellen Chapman

wrote about camping dark, Christmas dark, walking in the dark in a gorgeous series of reflections.

What will emerge out of the dark for you ?

To join us, simply upgrade to paid. To learn more about membership benefits, you can hop over to my welcome page:

welcome !

Looking forward to seeing lots of you on the calls,

Layla x