Seeking the Sacred

Share this post

Celebrating a special day with deep gratitude

hollyoxhandler.substack.com

Celebrating a special day with deep gratitude

...and a whole year with The Soul of the Helper!

Dr. Holly Oxhandler
Feb 28
5
Share this post

Celebrating a special day with deep gratitude

hollyoxhandler.substack.com

Hi friend,

With a deep breath, quiet smile, and a stir of emotions in my heart, I’m both humbled + overjoyed to be here, celebrating The Soul of the Helper’s first anniversary with you! 🎂

If I can be honest, this whole year has been layered with countless unexpected moments, emotions, and realizations. The process of writing this book each morning over about 3.5 years while the sun came up shaped me in profoundly life-changing ways from…
• the dance between the research on spirituality/mental health and my own story…
• the humanity + humility of living into these seven stages of seeking the Sacred — speed, slow, steady, still, see, shift, and serve…
• the weightiness of writing a book that calls us to wake up to the Sacred or image of God within us — while humbly + continually seeking to remember this within my own soul because it. is. not. easy. for any of us…

The process of writing the book was the honest-to-God reward.

— and —

I’ve been regularly reminded of my own limited human capacity throughout the last year in light of a number of steep learning curves, concurrent projects, personal experiences (like a broken elbow a week after the book was released — oof), layers of grief, and more.

Over the last year, I’ve needed to return to what I wrote within those pages… multiple times, actually. (And I’ve heard from many of you that you have, too.)

💛

In honor of this book’s first anniversary, may this little note meet you as a tender permission slip to return your attention to these seven stages of seeking the Sacred — regardless of where you are along your journey — with love, humility, & hope.

Whether you’re still stuck in that gogogo pace of speed or you’re feeling the discomfort of beginning to slow down. Perhaps you’re reassessing the supports or structures that steady you so that you can allow yourself to actually be still. Maybe, just maybe, you’re in a space where the waves are calm, your whole being is in a position of stillness, and you can see the Sacred within, remembering your inherent belovedness (while lovingly + courageously facing those inner shadows, too). Or perhaps your soul is refilling with a deep compassion for yourself and for those around you during this shift to see and honor the Sacred within you and those around you. And from this place of knowing you are Beloved, that you are unconditionally loved, that you are enough, may you serve to the best of your ability in this unpromised moment.

May you reawaken to your inherent worth and remember your life is a precious gift.

Seeking the Sacred is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Let’s Celebrate! 🥳

When the book launched into the world, I shared that those of you who receive my newsletter — yes, you!! 🥰 — have each been part of my launch team! This means I’ve heavily relied on y’all to help get the word out on social media or newsletters, to tell friends, colleagues, and loved ones about the book, and to rate/review the book on Goodreads + Amazon (or wherever you buy books)!

(If you have not yet left a review or shared this title with others, please do so! It really does matter in the life of the book!)

To help us celebrate today, I’ve gathered all the places you can get the best deal on this book right now!

📖 Book: 40% off at Templeton Press for a limited time! (…or you can get it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Fabled Bookshop, or wherever you buy your books!)

🎧 Audiobook: 50% off at Audiobooks.com ($10) for a few more days!

📄 Kindle: 23% off at Amazon

📚 Library: Always free! You can request that your local library carry any of the above versions. (Our family loves Libby!)

A signed copy? Yes, please! 😍

I also have a limited number of copies on hand to sign and send!! (And I’ll include the bookmark, sticker, and companion guide too!)

Visit this google form for more information and to purchase a signed copy (venmo + US addresses only) for you or a loved one! Once the copies I have on hand are gone, I’ll close the form.

A giveaway too?! Woo hoo!! 😆

My Enneagram 2 heart has *LOVED* giving away copies of this book throughout the whole year, whether randomly dropping it off at Little Free Libraries (Hi Waco, Houston, and Hilton Head!), giving a copy to those who have invited me to speak in their spaces, or doing giveaways on social media. It’s both meaningful + fun to give what I can and as I am able to in this little way!

So why not celebrate this anniversary with a giveaway!?

I’m giving away 4 signed copies through Instagram and this link between now and Friday 3/3 at 3pm. In the spirit of celebrating helpers, I’ll pick 2 winners and give 2 copies to each — one to keep and one to give a friend or neighbor!

Enter to win through Instagram or this link!

A Note of Gratitude

Finally, after a whole trip around the sun with this book, I want to wholeheartedly thank each of you for bringing yourselves to this book, joining me in this journey of seeking the Sacred, and inviting others to honor this intersection of spirituality + mental health within their own lives as we collectively remember our inherent worth.

Thank you to so many of you for picking up a copy of the book.

Thank you for spending time with it, reading it, humbly letting it shape you, and trusting me with your precious gifts of time, energy, attention, and emotion.

Thank you for telling friends, colleagues, and loved ones about this book… or picking up a copy for a fellow helper as a gift.

Thank you for sharing your “so what?” responses, for showing me your underlined sections at book signings, and for writing reviews.

Thank you for recommending this book on social media or in your newsletters, for bringing it to your book studies (or courses!) and inviting me to visit your group, or for mentioning it in your sermons or classes.

Thank you for inviting me on to your podcasts, churches, classes, local in-service offerings, national events, or

Y’all… thank you. I have chills thinking back on all the ways I’ve connected with many of you over this book.

This book never hit any New York Times best selling list, but that was honestly never my personal goal.

For me, writing the book was the reward because I quickly learned that as I wrote it, I was changed from the inside out.

And my hope has always been that as others read the book,
they would be inspired to notice their own changes from the inside out too.
…especially those of you serving others with such love + tenderness.

What an honor and privilege this year has been. Thank you each for being a part of this journey with me. It has meant far more to me than you will ever know.

💛

Be well, friends. Breathe deep and remember how truly loved you are as you are in this moment.

Kindly,
Holly

website | book | podcast
follow along on: instagram | twitter | facebook

Seeking the Sacred is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Share this post

Celebrating a special day with deep gratitude

hollyoxhandler.substack.com
Comments
TopNewCommunity

No posts

Ready for more?

© 2023 Holly Oxhandler
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
Substack is the home for great writing