The Phoenix Soul. We are truth-speakers, heart-on-our-sleevers, love-believers. You are. I am. We are The Phoenix Soul (indie digital magazine & community).


The Phoenix Soul: 
MESSY GRACE
(issue 59)


Phoenix, what if you're already (more than) worthy? Valued? good enough?

What if your real life—-in all its rumpled glory--is beautiful and spilling over with blessing? What if the scars and stains you've been taught to hide are part of your messy grace? 

It's time to scrawl your permission slip: the one saying you can love your real life, your real self, now. as is.

Love your mess, your muck, your oops, your yes, your triumph, your hallelujah. All of it. All of you. 

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“...I believe that most mistaeks move us toward the opportunity for self-discovery, change, and magic. Embrace your errors in judgment, choices gone awry, and acknowledge the bravery it takes to make them. Let’s call it practice.
— Syda Howery, Truth Tribe interview, TPS: Messy Grace

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in every issue:

  • 60 full-color digital pages (PDF)

  • vibrant art, intimate interviews, revealing essays, gaspworthy poetry, soul-stirring prompts

  • handcrafted mixed media backgrounds, handwritten love notes

  • interactive features honoring our #thephoenixsoul gathering

  • Amanda Fall: editor, publisher, creator, gatherer of good

May you feel seen. Heard. Loved. Just as you are.

Grow your Grace with us, your trusted flock.


Can I let go of rigid planning, of this anxious desire to be in control of the outcome? Grace invites me: Surrender. Let go. Lean into the mystery, the unknowingness of this moment. This holy now.
— Maureen Helms Blake, Bitter & Beautiful column, TPS: Messy Grace
Put your hand over your heart. Feel it beating. Put your feet on the ground, feel how solid it is. Don’t hide from the hurt; acknowledge it. Let it in. Cradle it like an infant, hold it close, let it rage through you and bowl you over.
— Kyeli Smith, EmBody Your Brave column, TPS: Messy Grace

The Phoenix Soul: Messy Grace

This is messy grace: immersing ourselves wholeheartedly in the muddle and muck of authentic living. Forget prettied up, glossed over, held back, tamped down. No, grace waits in the here and now, no matter what that looks like. In life spilling over with unexpected good, even as you wipe away tears. In you, as you are, already more than worthy, more than enough. Grace meets fellow seekers soul-to-soul, with stains and scars unhidden. No more desperation to change or improve or magically become anything other than your true self. Messy grace meets you right where you are, even (especially) when you feel like you’re falling apart.

Step into the circle, where we celebrate both our individuality and our oneness as a soul-family. We honor both our flops and our triumphs, the rich complexity of our lives. How can you align with messy grace more often? Find out with us in The Phoenix Soul: MESSY GRACE.

1. Amanda Fall, Syda Howery, Linda Flaherty Haltmaier, Hannah Marshall. 2. Cathy Bryant, Maureen Helms Blake, De Jackson, suzanne l. vinson. 3. Laurie Blackwell, Nolwenn Petitbois, Melissa Fernandez, Kyeli Smith.

1. Amanda Fall, Syda Howery, Linda Flaherty Haltmaier, Hannah Marshall. 2. Cathy Bryant, Maureen Helms Blake, De Jackson, suzanne l. vinson. 3. Laurie Blackwell, Nolwenn Petitbois, Melissa Fernandez, Kyeli Smith.

guests in this issue:

  • Syda Howery, Truth Tribe interview

  • Cathy Bryant, Hannah Marshall, Linda Flaherty Haltmaier: Grit & Grace participants and guest contributors

  • staff contributors: Maureen Helms Blake (Bitter & Beautiful column), De Jackson, suzanne l. vinson, Laurie Blackwell, Nolwenn Petitbois, Melissa Fernandez, Kyeli Smith (Embody your BRave column)

Truth time: these days I’m elbow deep in mess and crying out for grace. Sobbing, actually, in the midst of a stretch of sleepless nights–hourly wakings with my 4-month-old son. I cry out: Grace, I know you are here. Show me. Not beyond the mess but right in the thick of it. A few hours later, as dawn brightens to day, our Maverick giggles and smiles up at me on the changing table, and the world feels right-side-up again. My aching, gritty eyes soften at the sight of him.
— Amanda Fall, "My Story," TPS: Messy Grace
When someone sees through the veneer of my life into its messy core, one of two things happens: we step awkwardly away from each other, or we lean into each other’s lives, sharing our messes, and in so doing, learn to love each other and ourselves a little better.
— Hannah Marshall, Grit & Grace, TPS: Messy Grace

This realization ignites a passion within me to define myself from a place of power. To rise from the ashes and sing my experience. It gives me permission to dance the dance most aligned to the rhythm of my truth. Also, to dance right now, just as I am. In fullness, with wholeness and all
wild heart.
— Melissa Fernandez, "Dream Tending," TPS: Messy Grace