Confluence Formation

Aram Mitchell
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Principles, practices, and prayers for living life to the full. arammitchell.substack.com

  1. 12/25/2025

    Putting God in the world

    I’m feeling kinda partial to babies this year.. anyone with me?? I had a baby this year. My daughter was born, this year! Now, technically (literally, spiritually) speaking, it was my wife who had the baby. What I had was the honor of being there to witness—up close and hands on—the primal miracle of birth. Emma is preaching this very evening at the church where she’s been serving for the past few years. It’s her last Christmas Eve with them, as we’ll be moving up from Boston in the new year. Over the past year and a half I’ve been splitting my time between Boston and Midcoast, back and forth a whole bunch. I wore out one Subaru, and got a whole new one. And I’m so excited to be moving back to Maine after a few years away. And bringing my new family with me. The sermon that Emma is sharing with her congregation this very evening—she titled: The Risk of Birth. And it is that, isn’t it? Risky business, birth. Not only for you mothers who have carried and birthed children. Though certainly there is a special quality to the courageous act of mothering. But also—for every one of you, every one of us: Being born into this world is both a primal miracle and a radical risk. Risky because the world is not as we know it could and should be. Our world is filled to the brim with loneliness and despair, with warfare and violence, with greed and envy, with judgement and hate. The world we all got born into is not as it could and should be. And that’s precisely why we do things like this. We gather to gather what we need in order to steady our hearts, boost our spirits, and ready us to go out and reshape the world. The past several weeks here at Edgecomb Community Church we have been slowing down each Sunday morning to meditate on the world-changing qualities that this season brings to light.. Hope, Peace, Joy, Love. We’ve looked at these things considering how—as people of good faith—we are invited to add them to the world, regardless of whether or not we’re feeling them at any particular moment. I want to point out to you something that you probably already know: That LOVE is not simply a warm feeling. And PEACE is different from the mere absence of conflict. And HOPE is something other than just optimism. And JOY is different from happiness. Happiness—as the writer, Frederick Buechner, pointed out to me—comes at us in predictable ways: a happy marriage, a pleasant vacation, a job well done. But JOY is more surprising than that. JOY, as often as not, tends to turn up when it’s not being looked for, and in places you’d not necessarily think to look. HOPE and PEACE and LOVE have the same tendency to turn up in unlikely places. I can think of one of those unlikely places.. a very particular—smelly, lonely, dark, dank, and frightened—corner of a stable in a small town called Bethlehem, in the hill country of Judea, a place now known as Palestine: Where the JOY of life showed up one starry night a couple of thousand years ago. I can imagine the primal scream and the final push that resulted that night in an infant child, all gunked up with the goo of birth, lifted with LOVE to his mother’s breast for first communion. I can feel in my own muscle the HOPE with which that child’s roadweary father scurried around trying to find anything that approximated a clean bundle of cloth to wrap his new child in. I can look back on this story at the contours of PEACE that took shape in the memories that rippled out from every encounter with the child. Peace, Hope, Love and Joy are not just sentimental words. They are the qualities of an active faith. Faith is often misunderstood as a passive thing. Something that we possess. Something outside of us that we get a hold of, if we’re pious and holy enough. But that’s not quite right. Faith is active. It’s not something we possess. It’s something that we live. Drawing on the qualities within us, we birth God into the world again and again. God is often misunderstood as a good luck charm, a sort of totem that we take out from time to time in order to fend off bad feelings or hard realities. But faith is not passive. And God is not an easy fix. Faith is active. And God is dynamic—not so much a thing to be believed in as a force to be caught up in—a movement that invites us to participate in the world—as messy as it is—with courageous and illuminating acts of HOPE and PEACE and JOY and LOVE. The great gift of the Christmas story, in my opinion, is less about who showed up and more about how he did. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad it was Jesus who showed up. But he was never not going to show up. God is too biased toward life to not be in it with us. The great gift of the Christmas story is not that God showed up in human form but the particular way that God went about showing up in human form. Jesus could have gotten here any old way. But reflecting every year on the particular way that Jesus did show up—in this unlikely story, in the midst of the mess, the child of immigrants on the move, unhoused, underresourced, in the arms of a teenage mother, under the care of a frightened father, against all odds: Reflecting on this story has got to get us asking questions about where else the divine might be showing up in our world in corners where we haven’t bothered to look? And where else might we go about putting God in the world? When I think about faith and God I can think of no better way to sum up both than with these words uttered by the 16th century Saint, John of the Cross: “Where there is no love, put love, and you will find love.” The same can be said for Hope, Peace, and Joy. Faith is the act of putting these things where they are not. Making Hope, building Peace, cultivating Joy and putting LOVE into the corners of the world where they are least expected. Let it be known, dear hearts: When we move through the world in these ways, God moves through the world in us. AMEN This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit arammitchell.substack.com

    8 min

  2. 11/01/2025

    Reading old journals

    Spiritual growth is not linear. It’s better understood—and certainly experienced—in spirals. It turns back on itself continuously, yet progresses. The new places we land as we grow are always fresh, but usually, somehow, also familiar. From time to time I thumb through old journals. They’re on the top shelf in my office presently, a space reserved for the finest spirits and indulgences. The other day I indulged. I stood on a chair by the shelf, pulling down journals, and taking deep thirsty gulps from the years of my life that they represent. Why do I do this? When I could be writing new things, or otherwise moving forward, who do I look back? Sometimes it’s curiosity that moves me. Who was I then? And can I catch glimmers from before of who I’ve become? Just as often it’s because I want reassurance. I want to be reassured that I’m making progress. I want to be reassured that I did my best then with what I had. Something I noticed the other day, standing up there looking back at all those previous versions of myself, was how much creative energy I spent trying to understand and explain myself. I look back and I see a boy, and then a man, longing for justification and understanding; longing for a final and fixed authoritative voice that says: “You’re good.” I look back, from time to time, in large part because I want that still: That once and for all reassurance of my goodness. As I see the previous versions of myself doing, I still succumb to the urge to outsource the answer to that core question, which comes in so many forms: Am I good enough? Am I doing enough? Do I have what it takes? Am I man enough? I’ve been writing myself in circles about this. (And I’ve written about it before. Likely will again, and again.) At first I thought the lesson, the wisdom, the growth for me in all of this is that I ought never to outsource the authority to answer so core a question. I ought to draw foremost and primarily on my own inner knowing. I ought to self-assure, that: Yes, of course I’m good. And there’s something to that. But what I’m seeing now as I scratch these fresh yet familiar words onto the pages of yet another journal that will one day occupy the top shelf, is this: That question—the core question in all of its quotidian guises—is going to be there yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Doubts and worries find their way. So whether through outsourcing or insourcing, my aim isn’t to land on a final fixed answer to the question, never to be bothered by it again. I recognize that I am alive with questions. My aim is to be fully alive. Not to strive, and not to arrive, but through every reliable source of support that is available to me, outside and in, my aim is to more readily respond to the question when it does arise, in whatever form. I want to notice that question for what it is—the natural experience of someone who cares a whole hell of a lot. I want to notice it and more readily respond, not with analysis or justification, but with grace and action. Yeah. That’s what I want. That’s what I’m willing to do. To put less of my energy toward analyzing whether and how I might be good, and more of my creative energy toward the joy and privilege of being the good that I am. That. That’s some top shelf s**t right there. I could sit back and sip a while on that. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit arammitchell.substack.com

    5 min

  3. 09/01/2025

    This post is for some of you

    Thanks to those of you who joined me day-to-day, or from time-to-time, during my 25 days of listening to the loving voice of wisdom. When I set out with that commitment—not only to do the listening, but also to share what I heard here—I did it in part in hopes that a number of the folks who follow my Substack would unsubscribe. Let me explain. I am very interested in having hosts of you out there regularly reading what I offer through writing. I am not, however, interested at all in anyone coming along for the ride or cluttering up their inboxes with the things that I’m writing if the things that I’m writing are not the sort of thing that—at least from time-to-time—serves them in their growth. We all have worlds to explore and worlds to make. No one owes you or me or anyone else their attention. And you sure as hell don’t owe your attention to anybody. That s**t’s yours to dole out as you wish. (The barons of distraction aren’t making that easy on you. But your humanity depends on keeping a good grip on what you lend your curiosity to.) That’s why, when I say thanks, it’s more than sentimental. It’s an honor and privilege to have every one of your sets of eyes and/or ears and individual hearts giving me heed here. With my loving voice of wisdom series it was my hope to allure a few more readers, and it was my goal to lose about 50. (I only got half-way there, but it was worth a shot.) I hoped that, in posting more regularly and having the audacity to take up a bit more space, those who didn’t really want my reflections dropping into their sightline in the first place (or who thought they might at first, but upon inspection decided otherwise) would take the necessary action to filter me out. When we filter one thing out it makes room for another. Our most enthusiastic “yes’s” are the direct offspring of our most clear-eyed “no thank you’s”. Everything is a tradeoff, dear hearts. That’s the way it is. And it’s glorious, once you truly get a handle on it. You have my blessing (which you don’t need, by the way, but there you go) to cease, pause, or be sporadically engaging with anything that I write here going forward. More than I want more readers, I want those who are my readers to be giving themselves to the world in all the ways (and, as close to possible, in only the ways) that are right for them. Some of the growth and learning for me, in this process, has been letting go of the illusion that the work I do in the world is meant for everyone. I’ve been learning this as much strategically as I have spiritually. It’s a marketing insight: Better to offer something specific that is carefully designed to provide value for some people, than it is to try and Frankenstein together a supposedly all-pleasing-monster-of-an-offering that doesn’t really end up being for anybody. I write the things I write hoping that they support you in your growth, which is to say, your journey of becoming ever and more fully who you are. I figure that’s at least somewhat specific. Confounding as it is to me, it seems that not everyone is interested in spiritual growth. There’s another angle that I aim to play at, too. It’s not just your growth that I’m writing for, but your growth for the sake of your contribution to the common good. I don’t want to help anyone grow who isn’t already committed to that. I’ll not be expending my energy trying to convince anyone that the common good is a worthy endeavor. (And if you’ve slipped through the cracks somehow, you’re reading this with an eye out only for your own growth and not for bettering the world to boot, then now’s your chance to graciously head for the exit.) Alright, so it’s decided: You’re interested in your own spiritual growth and you’re committed to making your particular contributions to the common good. Here’s one more angle, to really tighten up the Venn diagram and be clear about what it is that I’m up to. It’s been sneaking into my posts occasionally, but it’s something that I’m going to focus on for the next little while: I’m writing for those of you who want to specifically contribute to a vision for a world where men embody a more mature form of masculinity than the one that’s been dominating our culture for far too long. I’m writing for the men who are scrapping like warriors to break out of the oppressive chokehold that patriarchy has on their lives. I’m writing for the men who, like kings and mages, are alchemizing the chaos of their days into fresh creations and good medicine. I’m writing for the men who, with fire in their bellies and hearts aflame, are sparking deep love. And I suspect that it will resonate too with those of you who don’t identify as men, but who nevertheless believe in and accompany those of us who are doing the sacred work of striving to embody personal, loving, and liberating forms of masculinity. This isn’t for everyone. But it’s for all of you who are nodding emphatically right now, who see that such efforts to make such a world will benefit people of all genders, not to mention the other wild creatures with whom we all live and the habitats that we all share. In the soil of these fresh intentions for my writing, coaching and my personal work, I’m also giving shape to a new offering that will be specifically for men: A coaching and support group for men who give a s**t, that’s focused on spiritual growth and taking action in personal ways to make the change that our relationships and our world needs us to make. I’ll share more details about that when it’s ready. In the meantime, it would support me to hear from you: * If this is something that you personally would like to participate in. * If there is someone in your life who you would like me to invite into this. You can send me an email, or set a time to talk with me about maturing masculinity. And please share this with the men in your life who are willing to change. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit arammitchell.substack.com

    8 min

  4. 08/29/2025

    Day 25 | The loving voice of wisdom (& Terry Russell)

    Everyday I ask the loving voice of wisdom, which dwells in our hearts and in this world: “What would you have me know today?” And then I listen. This is what I heard one day, not long ago… From elsewhere: “Well I’m damned, this is the end.” “We could probably make it farther if we wanted to.” (Terry & Renny Russell, On the Loose) From my heart: I would go, and have gone, to the end for you. And by “the end” we both know I mean “the edges”. And by “for” we know I mean “with”. I love to travel with you to the edgiest places. The places where life screeches like a banshee, where paradise sloughs its sheer golden facade and basks in the soft pervasiveness of dusk. Still gold, but better. I am your companion. Nearest to you when you’re on the road. And when you’re off the maps. And waiting for you, as often as you need, whenever you need, to root back home to the hearth. Wherever you are, I’m always near. Keep listening… This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit arammitchell.substack.com

    2 min

  5. 08/28/2025

    Day 24 | The loving voice of wisdom (& Scott Russell Sanders)

    Everyday I ask the loving voice of wisdom, which dwells in our hearts and in this world: “What would you have me know today?” And then I listen. This is what I heard one day, not long ago… From elsewhere: “By keeping in touch with wildness we preserve our sanity, and our world’s health.” (Scott Russell Sanders, Staying Put) From my heart: Which is a thing you do so well, dear one, and often—touch the wildness. But those cracks in your sanity, those wounds on the world, body, and soul—all that that means, all that it urges is to let more wildness in. If not more frequently, if not greater volume, then touch it more thoughtfully, with greater attention. And always remember: You are the wildness that you touch. You are wounded by the same world wound. And healed in the same wild ways. And healing. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit arammitchell.substack.com

    2 min

  6. 08/27/2025

    Day 23 | The loving voice of wisdom (& bell hooks)

    Everyday I ask the loving voice of wisdom, which dwells in our hearts and in this world: “What would you have me know today?” And then I listen. This is what I heard one day, not long ago… From elsewhere: “There is a creative, life-sustaining, life-enhancing place for the masculine in a nondominator culture. And those of us committed to ending patriarchy can touch the hearts of real men where they live, not by demanding that they give up manhood or maleness, but by asking that they allow its meaning to be transformed, that they become disloyal to patriarchal masculinity in order to find a place for the masculine that does not make it synonymous with domination..” (bell hooks, The Will to Change) From my heart: Be disloyal to patriarchy, dear heart. Don’t go in for models of manhood that appeal to subjection. With your strength serve, listen and love. Be emotional when you need to. Cry those tears, my child, that you’ve been holding on to for dear life. I don’t mean only be disloyal to patriarchy in a grand and glorious save-the-world-systemic sort of way. I mean be free right now, yourself, this moment from all that binds you. Refuse the bondage that masquerades as power. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit arammitchell.substack.com

    2 min

  7. 08/26/2025

    Day 22 | The loving voice of wisdom (& Carl Jung)

    Everyday I ask the loving voice of wisdom, which dwells in our hearts and in this world: “What would you have me know today?” And then I listen. This is what I heard one day, not long ago… From elsewhere: “True transformation of persons happens largely, if not exclusively, through contact with images.” (Richard Rohr, summarizing Jung) From my heart: The symbols that we employ in our hearts shape the trail that we walk with our lives. It’s the contact that really makes them stick. You’ve got to put them to work. You can invoke archetypes all day, everyday with your lips. You can give names to every single layer of the collective unconscious. You can theologize and analyze and discuss the symbols from 360 different angles. But it’s when you put them to work on your imagination, give them shovels and pick axes, and lunch boxes full of ham sandwiches and red crispy apples—that’s when they start to shape you. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit arammitchell.substack.com

    2 min

  8. 08/25/2025

    Day 21 | The loving voice of wisdom (and Mary Oliver, again)

    Everyday I ask the loving voice of wisdom, which dwells in our hearts and in this world: “What would you have me know today?” And then I listen. This is what I heard one day, not long ago… From elsewhere: “Hope is one thing, gratitude another and sufficient unto itself.” (Mary Oliver) From my heart: You have learned a lot about hope, dear one. You have studied it, and written about it, garnered degrees by studying and writing about hope. You know its nuance, its anatomy. Just as you did the fetal pig that you dissected in high school physiology class. “I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” they taught you there. You have learned more about hope from losing it, than you ever did from dissecting it. A couple of significant losses, at least. But they weren’t wrong about praise—which is gratitude in another form—and how it can resurrect the will to change—which is hope in another form. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit arammitchell.substack.com

    2 min
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About

Principles, practices, and prayers for living life to the full. arammitchell.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Aram Mitchell
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    62
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Aram Mitchell
  • Show Website
    Confluence Formation