Kern Carter's Blog, page 7

DMT and the Search For Our Connection With the Infinite

A drug referred to as The God Particle is gaining popularity among the members of the drug community

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What Are Your Biggest Flaws?

This Is How I Answered

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If This is Why We Write…

Artwork by author (Agnes). Find more illustrations on my Instagram!

If we write to taste life twice, there are some stories I don’t want to write. Anais Nin said through writing, we experience life two times: in the moment and in retrospect, but with certain experiences once is enough, and once is plenty.

If we write to document, to capture events, experiences, and memories, we should remember that, unlike cameras, our minds always have a filter on, but maybe that’s the magic of it.

If we write to change the ending, adding unexpected twists and turns, there’s a long list of drafts waiting for me. I’m not one to dwell in regret, but I have my what-ifs: the maybes and almosts that didn’t come to be.

If we write to process our feelings, to make sense of our whats and whys and hows, then we are never not writing. We are writing all the time: every time we answer how our day was, every time we tell our anecdotes, big and small.

If we write to expel the words that we don’t dare utter in the real world, then what are these stories made of? Unashamed love letters and heartfelt apologies? Are the words scented with perfume and secret desires? Are the words sharpened like weapons to hold against the bullies we didn’t stand up to? Are they hellos to strangers we found attractive or goodbyes to people we no longer talk to? What is the shape of our unspoken words?

If we write because it’s how we play, let us never stop writing. Let our paragraphs be the fabric of blankets strung over furniture to make tents, where we imagine ourselves as explorers. Let us mold sentences like wet sand building sand castles. Let our words be toy cars we can race on printed rugs, skidding on exciting twists and turns. Our writing can be a treasure chest filled with princess gowns, pirate hats, and chainmail-like armors we can use to play often and freely.

If writing is how we share ourselves with the world, let words be colorful beads we wear around our necks. Let words be exactly what we need to put ourselves out there, give us courage, and show our true colors. Let words be bricks that build sturdy bridges that connect us with others.

And if we write for the act of writing itself, for the simplest, purest joy of stringing words together, it’s the easiest and hardest answer to give. If it does not immediately resonate; it’s not easy to explain. It’s the least rational of all the reasons here, where writing is art, a thing we create, that we can observe, engage with, or walk away from.

There are so many reasons why we write and so many ways we can use these symbols to construct and deconstruct stories. Why do you write? What is your hope for your words?

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If This is Why We Write… was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Workshop this Saturday: Partnerships that pay

Hello friends, I’ll get right to it. I’m hosting another workshop this Saturday. This time, we’ll be talking about how writers can form partnerships with big brands that actually pay.

Here’s the link to RSVP your spot. Our workshops are free so come level up with me and soak up some valuable info that can take your career to the next level.

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Workshop this Saturday: Partnerships that pay was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

How Do You Process Your Mental Health As A Black Person?

Photo by Emma Simpson on Unsplash**TRIGGER WARNING**

This post contains sensitive information about mental health and trauma, if you need help please reach out.

When I started on Medium, the first post I wrote was about Black Mental Health, and I didn’t fulfill my destiny of being The Black One, to talk about mental health, mainly because I was processing my own grief.

For years I told myself lies about my abusers to help me deal with what was happening to me. It’s not an exaggeration to say that I’ve been raped more than 30 times, by as many rapists and abusers.

I’ve been through a lot. Yes, I am still here, but it was very much like climbing a snowy mountain barefoot. It was difficult, it was scary, it was hard.

When it comes to processing my own grief, I cry a lot. I cry because it helps me to release the shit that I am holding onto. When I had the space and the time and the money, I painted. I also danced, and sometimes I sing along to the music I am listening to.

I reach out to my friends, we talk about what we’re going through, we share our work, our grief, our pain, and our joy, and we connect with each other. We can’t go for walks together and hang out in person, so we lean on Zoom in order to check in on each other.

We support each other, but not everyone has that. It can be really difficult to trust people when you’ve been hurt and traumatized. It’s like a kitten whose been kicked; she’ll come back more than a thousand times, but a thousand and one that kitten is going to bite back. Lots of us are between 1 and 1000. We may not be ready to bite back, but we do know what it feels like to be kicked and beaten down.

Here are some (seemingly silly but helpful) ways to get your self-confidence back after being in a traumatic situation.

Take It One Step at A Time

Okay, so you have mental health issues. That’s okay. This is dealable. You can survive, you can thrive, and you can have all the nice romantic beautiful love filled things, even with mental health issues, but step one is acknowledging that you know you have mental health issues. Step two is learning how to deal with them.

You have mental health issues and so do I, but what might work for you, might not work for me, or might not be something I am capable of. However, when you find the things and the coping mechanisms that work for you, the world changes. Find the thing that anchors you to this earth so that you can keep doing the work you were promised you’d have time to do. Fight for your life by learning how to live your life differently.

Talk about it.

Find people who you can be safe with. Whether it’s a close friend or ally, a parent or guardian, or a teacher or therapist, do the work it takes to find a space — or build a space — where you can speak on what you are going through, not just because you shouldn’t have to do it alone, but because you need a release. Releasing what we’re going through, means we don’t have to hold onto it alone anymore.

Dance About It

You’ve heard the phrase “joyful movement,” popping up on social media lately. That’s because a lot of people when they are sad or upset find peace and solace in dancing. Dancing is a way to communicate with the world without using your voice. It’s a way of saying that you’re feeling something, and dance can be transformative. It’s not going to solve all your problems overnight, but it will help you connect to your body and the energy around you, and this may lead to positive changes in your life.

Connect To Your Higher Power

Connect to your source; to the part of yourself that makes the world make sense. For some people that might be God, for others it might be the Goddess, for others, it might be an ancient ascended Master from a different faith or it might be an ancestor. But sit and listen and spend time meditating on what your higher power might say to your questions.

For me, it’s my Krisya Ohana, my spiritual family. When I am struggling I call out to them and I hear their answers in my head and my heart.

Not everyone has a higher power, and not everyone needs one. This is just one of the things that work for me.

These are just some of the ways that I have learned to cope. And while my life might not be what I want it to be, because of my mental health issues, they won’t stop me from going where I’m meant to go because I continuously decide, repeatedly every day, that I am going to keep moving forward.

It’s not always an easy decision, and it’s not always a fun decision, but it is always a decision that “I” make, that “I” have control over, and no one can take that from me.

I hope I was able to help. In the link above and here as well, there is a list of phone numbers from around the world where you can reach out and ask for help if you need it.

Sending all my love,

Devon J Hall, The Loud Mouth Brown Girl

If you would like to read more from Devon J Hall, check them out in the following publications. If you’d like to help keep Devon’s content free forever, you can help out by donating or sharing at this link. Also, please don’t forget to check out Devon’s Support Shop Here.

And Another Thing…Somewhat SinfulCulturedWriters and Editors of Color Magazine[image error]

How Do You Process Your Mental Health As A Black Person? was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Silver Fucks

Peter Pan and his mother

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Call for Submissions — Your Biggest Flaws

Call for Submissions — Your Biggest Flaws

Sometimes being human feels like a contradiction. We can look out at nature and admire the flawed beauty of the world around us, but when we see flaws in ourselves, we shutter at the sight. We do whatever we can to “fix” these flaws so it’s no longer part of us. Sometimes we’re just improving who we are, other times we’re hiding who we are. The latter is where it becomes dangerous.

For this week’s writing prompt, tell us your biggest flaw. Let’s put ourselves on display and look our insecurities straight in the eyes. This is CRY. We don’t hold back. Write about your flaw like it’s the elephant in the room even though it’s more like a whisper in your mind. We’re all here together.

Same rules as always:You can submit to this or ANY of our past writing prompts. Just scroll through our previous newsletters. They’ll be marked “Call for Submissions.”If you’re already a writer for CRY, go ahead and submit.Be as creative as you want in your submissions. As long as you stick to the topic, we’ll consider it.Just because you submit doesn’t mean we’ll post. If you haven’t heard back from us in three days, consider that a pass.[image error]

Call for Submissions — Your Biggest Flaws was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

You won’t be alone with CRY

The most beautiful part about being part of the CRY community is that you’re never alone. We’re building platforms where your thoughts, your emotions, and your stories are heard. CRY Magazine is one of those spaces where we hope you feel seen. These stories are the epitome of vulnerability.

Most recently, we’ve put out the WRITE TO BE HEARD course for emerging writers.

One of the benefits of this course is that we do regular accountability check-ins with everyone who makes a purchase. This is how we at CRY make sure that you’re not alone in this. In these accountability check-ins, you get to:

Ask questions about the courseAsk questions about your own journey as a writerAnd ask questions about any challenges you’re facing in reaching your goals

The second benefit of the WRITE TO BE HEARD course is no more guessing. The bonuses for WRITE TO BE HEARD include the resources I utilized to get noticed, get responses, and get signed. Those resources are:

The proposal that I used to secure my publishing deals (including a “why me” section that both big publishers referenced when signing me to my deal)The query letter I used to pitch agents

That’s the course, and obviously you know about CRY Magazine, but there are other ways we support emerging writers at CRY.

With our WRITERS ARE SUPERSTARS newsletter, we connect publishing to pop culture and share content that helps writers understand their true value to the broader culture. The majority of the content on this platform is free. Access to information that can help you learn and grow as a writer is always top priority for us. Writers Are Superstars offers a unique look at the publishing industry and we keep it accessible so you gain the knowledge and confidence you need to feel like a superstar.

There is a paid version for WRITERS ARE SUPERSTARS. That’s because in order for us to grow as a community, we need to sustain. When you choose to contribute with your dollars, you’re investing in a community that will give back to you ten times over.

If you’ve been to one of our workshops, you’ll know what I’m talking about. All our workshops are free and they will always be free. We learn a lot when we gather and I, or whoever hosts our workshops, will continue to share information freely.

We’re here for you. Wherever you are in the CRY journey, know that you are never alone. Whether you want to read our magazine or newsletter or purchase our course, know that you’re always part of a community that truly does care and is greater than any of us can be individually.

CRY

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You won’t be alone with CRY was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Noah’s Ark

On Noah’s Ark slept two of every animal.
And as the shepherd of all shepherds’ kept God’s kingdom afloat,
the feud between Sheep and Wolf —
Lion and Gazelle, Frog and Fly—
stopped, as suddenly as an earthquake.

(I imagine they knew — some way, somehow —they were all that was left;
perhaps they were told through the tides’ whisper, which echoed the chamber halls
or the startling sound of the ferocious waves lapping their vessel,
or perhaps, there was simply a divine intuition amongst them.)

The days went by,
and their faith in safety grew stronger.
So, rather than fearing their demise,
they grew bitter, bitter for the fate of their fallen kingdom.

Suddenly, the wise Raven started to express himself.
The Raven spoke, “I believe God has defiled his own creation with such an iniquitous flood,
for God did not contemplate all the variables, for what about the guilt which burdens all who remain;
or in my opinion — all who are left behind?”

The Elephants agreed, blowing their trunks.
The Dog tried to defend Noah, but the animal kingdom did not listen to such foolish loyalty.
The Hyenas, inspired by the Ravens’ words, desired “further…elaboration,”
And so the Raven ranted on.

Soon enough, the world’s animals began calling themselves “The Kingdom’s Remains.”
The Lion quickly groomed his mane with pride once more. He said, “A true king falls with its kingdom.”
The Hyenas snickered, flourishing in the brewing anarchy.
The Dog began to pant. The Chicken pecked the floor as if he’d gone mad and thought himself a woodpecker.

The whole kingdom began to wail in uproar…except the Dove,
for as much as her feathers were silk, her heart was humbling limestone.
(for the Dove is born with the knowledge of its truth.)
She spoke, “Peace can only thrive in new beginnings.”

Everyone continued to roar, except the Raven,
for the Raven knew this was not the Dove agreeing with his words.
“Shut up!” yelled the Raven.
And all fell silent — as sudden as an earthquake.

The Dove continued, “Peace can only thrive in new beginnings,
but new beginnings will walk old paths if blinded from their origin.”
And while some of the fallen kingdom lay dumbfounded (like the Chicken)
many were shocked, and the Raven understood his error.
The Raven repented, for the blood in his black wings knew he had defied God,
He vowed to never speak again, for his words misled a bright future during the birth of remembrance,
and so he swooped out the ark window and flew away.
The Dove worried for the Raven, her eyes fixed upon the horizon
as she held one of his black feathers in her beak.
And after many hours, the Raven returned with the branch of an olive tree,
and while the rest of his kingdom slept, the Raven bowed,
and gifted the olive branch to the Dove.

Photo by Lucas Dial on Unsplash[image error]

Noah’s Ark was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Open Call For Submissions

Hello friends, every once in a while, we do an open writing prompt. That means you get to write about whatever you want.

“Whatever you want” maybe a bit of a stretch. It still needs to fit with CRY and still needs to be well written. That said, dive into your imagination and hit us with your best content. We’re ready for it.

Same rules as always:You can submit to this or ANY of our past writing prompts. Just scroll through our previous newsletters. They’ll be marked “Call for Submissions.”If you’re already a writer for CRY, go ahead and submit.Be as creative as you want in your submissions. As long as you stick to the topic, we’ll consider it.Just because you submit doesn’t mean we’ll post. If you haven’t heard back from us in three days, consider that a pass.[image error]

Open Call For Submissions was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.