One Year of Loving the Dark Parts

It's actually been four and a half, but who's counting? Reflections, updates, and gratitude from the past year on Substack.

Hi, I’m Kaitlyn 👋

I write about real life through the lens of astrology. My goal is to help as many people as possible learn to love themselves for who they are—dark parts and all. I believe the parts we were taught to hide are where our true gifts lie. 

My focus is to inspire you to feel confident enough to shine without the fear, regardless of the expectations of others.

my face knowing there are 327 of you here with me ❤️ thank you to @noticegently for snapping this photo during our time together 📸

This week marks one year since my first post on

Substack

(the platform you’re receiving this email from)—a milestone I’m proud of because it means it has been one year of putting myself out there in a new, uncomfortable, and deeply healing way, while building deeper, more meaningful connections with you.

In that post, I wrote about my goals for this space:

a place where we can be open, vulnerable, and feel connected.

This past year of showing up consistently has allowed Loving the Dark Parts to become exactly that, and so much more.

While this publication has been alive since 2023, I’ve actually been “loving the dark parts” since 2020 when I decided to put down the bottle and start down the path of sobriety.

The most important part of my own recovery journey has been looking at all of my own shit—the good, bad, and the ugly—since I no longer had a method of numbing those parts out. Before sobriety, I was scared to feel anything. Getting sober was hands down the best thing I’ve done for myself. I wouldn’t be here writing this if I hadn’t taken that courageous leap.

I’ve done a lot of crazy things in my life—like jumping out of an airplane, driving and camping solo across the Nullarbor, solo-woman travel in general, relocating to Northern Thailand from Canada, among many others—and sobriety has been the scariest and most rewarding act of them all.

In the beginning, I wasn’t sure what this space would turn into.

I started by just writing from the heart (I still am). Many of you immediately started supporting my work through reading, likes, comments, shares, and by becoming free, paid, and founding subscribers. I’m consistently overwhelmed by your support in the best way.

As I continued to write, this space has blossomed into a community like no other. You being here has inspired me to launch the Cosmic Classroom, Starlight Saturday, the Speak to the Dark Parts Podcast, and to breathe new life into the New Moon Workshops.

With these additions over the past year, I’ve decided it’s time to raise the subscription prices to reflect the increased value of what I’m offering. On December 1st, the price for paid subscriptions will rise to $6 USD/month and $60 USD annually. That gives you a whole month to jump in while the waters warm, and while the price is hot!

If you’re already a paid subscriber, your rate is locked in—yay!! If you jump in within the month of November, you’ll also be grandfathered in at the current rate of $5 USD/month or $50 USD/year.¹

Whether you choose to join as a paid subscriber or not, please know I’m deeply grateful for you being here in any capacity that feels right for you. Thank you for sharing this space with me, and helping to co-create this beautiful community, because without you, there is no community.

• Free subscribers will continue to have access to all free posts.

• Paid subscribers gain access to the Cosmic Classroom, New Moon Workshops, and a discount for my astrology and coaching offers.²

• Founding members receive all the above, a free astrology reading, and a hand-written letter sent to you via snail mail.

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During this past year, I’ve had the chance to connect with some of you in real life for the first time ever.

I couldn’t have ever imagined this would be possible, and building these deep, real life connections has been one of the most exciting side effects of showing up online.

Gwen Yi 🌻

and I met when she went through astrology school. I was working for DSA at that point, and I had the pleasure of helping to facilitate her Level 3 weekend. Since that weekend we’ve stayed connected. Earlier in the year I visited her in Malaysia, and it was such an honour to meet her and to give her a big ol’ hug! She’s an amazing astrologer, and an even better friend.

Meeting

Krissy

was a byproduct of my budding relationship with

Gwen Yi 🌻

! We’ve since stayed connected via hours (days?) worth of voice notes back and forth. We found out we have so much in common and it feels as though meeting her was written in the stars. I consider her one of my closest friends, and I’m so fucking blessed to know her—and to have someone who understands my dumb bitch Libra moon tendencies like no other human.

Sydney Chris

was my first (and only) irl meet up with someone I first met here, on Substack. She was travelling through my home base in Northern Thailand when

Dana Leigh Lyons

connected us on Notes, and we scheduled a time to meet up. I whizzed in on my Honda Wave to pick her up for a sunset date (we got dinner instead because I got lost trying to find her) and her energy was infectious. Not gonna lie, I had first date jitters, but we clicked so fast and had a great couple of weeks exploring and sharing our hearts—and bonding through getting stuck on a mountain.

I first found

Ron Lim

back in the day on IG where he has been sharing his words for years (you might’ve heard of him @ronwritings). When Threads launched, we connected during the first days of the absolute chaos over there and have stayed in touch here and there. He’s since come to Northern Thailand and we’ve been able to hang out while he’s here. We share the nomadic connection, as he’s been travelling for almost as long as I’ve been gone from Canada. He’s super cool and easy to talk to, and has just published his second book! Meeting him has given me so much new found inspiration in my own journey with writing.

Some other influential voices here, that I’ve yet to meet in real life, but hold in my heart until the day it may be possible, have been

Dana Leigh Lyons

of Sober Soulful,

Allison Deraney

of Dare to Be Dry,

Giselle La Pompe-Moore

of Be Difficult, Darling,

Josh Luton

of Gone Dry, and

Kaitlyn Elizabeth

of dialoguing. Every time I see a new post from these beautiful humans, I run to read it. There are more writers I love here, but this post is already reaching the email length limit—so I’m cutting it short.

And lastly, to the twenty-two publications recommending Loving the Dark Parts: thank you. To know you are confident recommending me to your own audience warms my heart. I appreciate you. Your trust in me doesn’t go unnoticed.

Thank you for being here, whether you’ve been here for a moment or since the beginning, or anywhere in between—I’m grateful we’ve crossed paths. This publication wouldn’t be what it is without you, the reader, and I’m blessed to have you here as a co-creator of a safe and welcoming community.

What’s going on at LTDP…

• the schedule for the Q4 New Moon Workshops is live!

  The next New Moon Workshop is on November 2nd for the New Moon in Scorpio. Register today to secure your spot and join us live on Zoom. Replays will be available to paid subs after the call.

• Get access to paid subscriber benefits at the current rate of $5 USD/month or $50 USD/year before prices increase on December 1, 2024.

1. The only time this amount would change is if you were to change your subscription plan.

2. If you are interested in gaining access to paid subscriber benefits, and don’t have the financial means to pay, please send me a DM and we will work something out. I believe in accessibility, and I’m aware that not everyone is in a place to contribute financially.