Subtle Shift

As I've begun verbalizing my ideas, hopes, and plans for this project to friends and family there has been nearly unanimous attention given to the name "Ethereal Education." It seems to have a reception of being too ...well I guess ethereal! Too vague, out there. Perhaps the alliteration makes it almost cheesy even. I don't think so, but, clearly it deserves thinking about. After all the name of this endeavor will essentially be people's first impression of the project and thus a potentially make or break component.

A Subtle Shift

The whole point of using the word ethereal is that it has a certain vagueness, a mystical quality that makes it difficult to precisely pin down and define. Yet, of course, it has an array of definitions pointing to its meaning - and (a sample of which) as follows:

As I attempted to conjure up something (perhaps) more pleasing for an audience beyond myself the next thought was involving the notion of subtlety. This whole Mindfulness business is all about the subtleties, attuning our attention to include the 'subtle body' - as it's sometimes called.

By now I'm thinking that Subtle Shift could be a good domain name, then I realize - why am I so interested in making it an alliteration? I suppose it's just a matter of finding it more catchy. It does not need to be, but why not? 

The real issue I'm up against has little to do with the name, but rather, who is my intended audience? What am I trying to achieve? What do I aim to communicate? How can I achieve my aims and gain reception?

Some tentative answers to these questions: 

Ultimately the purpose of this project caters to K12 students, but, via teachers. So the audience in mind is those teaching little ones, youth, adolescents, teens, and so forth. Students of all different stages of life, backgrounds, and contexts. For the sake of a 1 unit Independent Study, however, my goals will likely have to shrink initially. As such, I'll just say for now that my intended audience will be teachers and mentors of middle school students ~ this is strategic and I'll explain further in later posts, but basically, I'd love to support the efforts of Project SOAR if possible.

My hope is to achieve a better understanding of mindfulness myself and to pay it forward in whatever ways available. The goal in mind specifically is creating a web based resource for teachers (and myself) to build better lesson plans that incorporate mindfulness exercises.

I aim to communicate prompts for powerful experiences that can potentially uplift and empower the lives of many precious individuals, as I've seen happen in myself and peers participating in such practice.

How to achieve this and gain reception? The only answer I have ample faith in is - by following my heart and trusting the work that is not of me to flow through me!

May there be light upon this endeavor!

With much love and endless gratitude.

Amen.