Flourish Anyway® Spiritual Direction for Creative Souls Weekly Roundup No. 3: A Viral(Ish?) Prayer By Saint Ignatius, a Favorite Album from Back in the Day, and More
Reflections, checkups, book notes, and artful links for writers, artists, and creative souls who want to move toward more goodness while acknowledging the current reality.
Flourish Anyway® Spiritual Direction for Creative Souls Weekly Roundup Series is a weekly roundup at the intersection of spirituality, creativity, and everyday life. On Sundays, I share a look back at something from the past, what I’m loving right now (books, essays, art, Daily Nourishment offerings, and more), and what I’m looking forward to across my writing and work with writers, artists, and other creative souls who want to move toward more goodness while acknowledging the current reality.
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—Flourish Anyway® Spiritual Direction for Creative Souls Weekly Roundups goes out every Sunday. This replaces the former general update email newsletter sent via my charlottedonlon.com website. All subscribers from that email newsletter have been migrated to this Substack Weekly Roundup. Please Note: The CSV File included everyone who had ever subscribed, so please feel free to unsubscribe if you like!
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1. What I’m Looking Forward To >
Honestly, I’m about to get a grocery delivery that includes a few different types of cheese. That’s what I’m looking forward to most at the moment—eating some cheese.
Also, I am having a blast researching and preparing for several Spiritual Direction for Writers: Everyday Rituals for Your Writing Life book launch readings, conversations, workshops, and retreats planned for different cities and Zoom gatherings this fall.
I can’t wait for this book to be in the world. (You can see a partial list of those events and gatherings below. An updated list is coming soon!)
2. What I’m Loving Right Now >
I’ve been listening to First Aid Kit’s Stay Gold on repeat for the past week or so. I can’t believe it came out 12(!) years ago. Time flies when you’re listening to good music.
Snippets of a new essay about this album are lingering around my mind and soul, and I really need to get some sentences and paragraphs down on paper or in a Google doc soon.
The Spiritual Direction for Writers® Daily Nourishment offerings are still giving me life.
Here are a few offerings from this past week if want to check them out:
>>> Writing As Prayer and Interrogation: A Guided Reflection for Writers, Journalers, and Creative Souls
>>> We Have One Soul: A Guided Reflection on Creative Resistance and Spiritual Dryness
3. A Look Back >
I began using this prayer by Saint Ignatius of Loyola during my very first spiritual direction session with my very first practice client way back in 2018. (I don’t use the prayer with every client, because some of my clients aren’t Christians.)
I have also used this prayer during the SDW Co-Writing Liturgy—whenever it’s a good fit for all of the participants—since the earliest days of those gatherings.
This prayer has always settled and stilled me. It still does.
Sometimes I change the words because God’s love and grace don’t always feel like enough for me. (I sure wish God’s love and grace always felt like enough for me!)
Sometimes I tweak other lines, too, to suit a client’s circumstances or call out something someone mentioned during a co-writing check-in conversation.
When I posted the prayer on Instagram on Friday in honor of the feast day of Saint Ignatius of Loyola, I had no idea it would capture so much attention. I don’t think I’ve ever had a reel perform like this. I’m not sure if it’s because the post is introducing people to the prayer for the first time or if it’s like “oh I love that prayer too I’m going to like that post.” It doesn’t matter. I’m just happy to feel a bit of spiritual connection with others who appreciate these soulful words, too.
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That’s all for this week.
Much love to the creative souls. Thanks so much for being here!
💚 Charlotte
Charlotte Donlon is a writer, spiritual director, and gatherer whose work centers on helping people explore themes of belonging, artful encounters, spiritual growth, and how to Flourish Anyway®, even when life is full, busy, or chaotic. Her work has woven together themes of belonging, art, and soul exploration for more than 25 years. With a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing (2015-2018), a certificate in spiritual direction (2018-2020), and a life coach certification (2026), Charlotte guides writers and other creative souls in developing sanctuaries of acceptance and connection.
A Christian in the Episcopal church who believes the tenets of the Nicene Creed, Charlotte employs a universal framework of belonging and connection in her spiritual direction work. She fosters meaningful, soulful conversations and gatherings that are welcoming to all—regardless of faith tradition or spiritual inclinations.
In 2020, Broadleaf Books published Charlotte’s first book, The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other. Spiritual Direction for Writers: Everyday Rituals for Your Writing Life is slated for release by Here Below Books in September 2026. Some of volumes of Charlotte’s “Guidebooks for the Soul”—Take More Retreats, The Great Belonging Project, and Belonging Through Art —will also be published in the coming months.
As the founder of several initiatives—including Spiritual Direction for Writers®, Parenting with Art®, Belonging Through Art™, and Spiritual Direction for Creative Souls™—Charlotte has established herself as a thought leader and an authentic presence at the intersection of creativity and spirituality. Her essays have been featured in publications such as The Washington Post, The Christian Century, Christianity Today, Catapult, and The Millions, among others. A new essay about art conservation, Joan Mitchell, and mystery is forthcoming with Image journal.
For those interested in staying updated on Charlotte’s latest work, news, and insights, subscribe to her Substack Weekly Roundup Series and visit Flourish Anyway®, Charlotte’s online hub for all of her writing, spiritual direction, small press, gatherings, and other offerings.