Beyond the Schoolhouse
Setting for an Emerging Jack Ass Mystic Story
Though there is much to be said for the traditional publishing process, Substack thankfully offers me a chance to form a more direct and immediate personal connection with subscribers. This new medium compliments outlier mystic themes, much like magazines accommodated serialized novels in the 19th century. Somewhat unexpectedly, yet like so much revealed wisdom, it led to the writing of a new project that I’d call a cross between something like The Alchemist with Gibran’sThe Prophet. I plan to release one short chapter, the length of these usual JAW posts, each week.
Ordinarily I tend to avoid behind the scenes intrigue with movies, shows, etc., preferring to live in the narrative dream. But it’s helpful to reflect on the creative process, and this audience who already gets what I’m going for seems ideal for me to foreground my aesthetic and spiritual intentions.
The idea originates with the setting of a school I attended as an exchange student in Cario, Egypt. Set in an especially rural village, I often looked out the window for better entertainment than the boring instruction on the chalkboard. Now and then a donkey wandered onto the school grounds, chased by its owner. Reflecting on my own childhood back in Texas, I think about how much of my real education took place on the playground, with either me or another kid assuming the role of the jack ass.