History, Intention and the Power of Words
Issue #59 - Back our Kickstarter this weekend and your pledge will be doubled
THE QUEST DIGEST by Creative Quests is a treasure chest of ideas & stories exploring what it means to live an illuminating, creative life. Subscribe to receive each issue or send to a friend in need of a creative boost.
Dear Questers,
Sam here 👋
We are still firmly rooted in magical territory after a week of events exploring themes of our new release The Quester’s Guide (Issue One: Magic). Thank you to all who attended the ‘Modern World Needs Magic’ salon on Sunday and my FieldTrip with CreativeMornings on Monday. It’s amazing to see the themes of this project resonate with people so deeply in these strange times.
Kickstarter Update! Some fun news…
We have been given a very generous offer by a backer (who would prefer to remain anonymous) that they will match the value of every pledge we receive until this Sunday at midnight! Up to the value of £300.
I.e: if you buy a book for £20 - then we receive £40 toward our goal!
This is an amazing opportunity for us - so if you have looked at our campaign and thought: ‘I will back this!’, ‘Oh this looks interesting!’, ‘This would make a great gift!’ and have not yet backed… now is the time!!
It’s definitely approaching crunch time. All those ‘How to run a successful Kickstarter campaign’ tutorials on Youtube are suddenly starting to make a lot of sense.
The Quester’s Journey
In the making of this book we had to ask ourselves:
💭 ‘What is a Creative Quest in printed form?’ What elements of our live community programme work in print? Which do not?’
This led us to our six phase framework - The Quester’s Journey. Each phase represents a chapter of the book and a progressive step into exploring a Quest theme in more courageous and experimental ways.
It’s a framework and set of practices you can use in your own life to immerse yourself in a topic you are curious about over the course of 4-8 weeks. Emerging with a new worldview, renewed sense of connection and a whole load of inspiration.
Designed to take you on a journey from Willing Beginner ➪ Confidently Experimenting ➪ Inspiring Others.
💡 We also design such learning journey’s for groups & teams. If your team/workplace is looking to explore a new pathway or way of being creative in 2025 - just reply to this email and we can have a chat.
History, Intention and the Power of Words
(an essay snippet from Tree Carr)
The Quester’s Guide is a hybrid publication. It feels quite odd calling it simply ‘a book’. It’s a guide, it’s a journal, a card deck, it contains creative activities, prompts and a series of powerful essays. Each piece of writing always complimented with a Mission or a Practice that you (The Quester!) can explore. To truly experience the themes of the writing.
In Phase 4 of The Quester’s Journey: ‘The Deep Dive’ - you meet three different leading figures from the world of Magic. Each offering their own unique take on the role that Magic can play in our lives.
One such person is Tree Carr. Truly one of the most magical people you might ever encounter. An author, TEDx Speaker, death doula, and expert in esoteric magic, dreams and divination.
To bring some of our mysterious magic book to life, I wanted to share a snippet of Tree’s writing from The Quester’s Guide. The whole piece makes me feel completely alive.
Magic is a deeply human experience, whether you’ve cast a spell to influence events, or simply felt the spark of synchronicity guiding your life. We’ve all had moments where magic, in one form or another, touched our lives.
My formative years were spent on a commune, far removed from the hum of TV, radio, and the buzz of pop culture, immersed instead in a world bursting with imagination, creativity, and the wonders of nature. With no screens to distract my tiny mind, I spent my days playing outside, conjuring up fantastical worlds, and making wishes whenever the opportunity arose—whether it was dropping a coin into a well or blowing out the candles on a birthday cake.
Wishing was my connection to a bit of everyday magic. I’d close my eyes, make a wish, and hope that the universe would respond, whether it was for a new toy or something my family needed. This simple act of wish-making, which we all know from childhood, is woven into the fabric of our culture. Think about it—wishing on a shooting star, rubbing Aladdin’s lamp, or chanting nursery rhymes—these are all ways we innocently tap into the power of intention, long before we even understand what intention really is.
The very word “wish” comes from the Old English wyscan, meaning “to cherish a desire,” which is strikingly similar to the concept of setting an intention. So, without even realising it, many of us have been casting our own little spells since we were kids, harnessing the power of our desires in a way that is both natural and magical.
Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, believed that it was the power of wishes that led early humans to engage in magic. He suggested that their desires were so strong that they spurred them into action, much like the way we instinctively make wishes today.
Speaking of magic, the word “spell” conjures up images of wands, cauldrons, and hocus-pocus, thanks to movies and books. But the reality is that spellwork has a rich history that goes far beyond fantasy. Spells have always been about the power of words and intention. The word “spell” itself comes from the Proto-Germanic spellan, meaning “to tell,” and in ancient times, spells were often written down, not just spoken.
The oldest known spells, inscribed on cuneiform clay tablets from ancient Mesopotamia, date back to the 5th and 4th centuries BC. These ancient incantations remind us that humans have been engaging in magical practices for thousands of years, using words and rituals to influence the world around them.
Make your 2025 the most creative year yet and help us unlock this exciting new chapter in our story!
There are rewards for as little as £12/$15
Remember - all pledges this weekend are doubled! (up a total of £300)
A round up of illuminating finds from our Quester world.
🍿 Watch back our salon event ‘The Modern World Needs Magic.’ Featuring talks by Satya Hinduja, Rebecca Douglas, RADAR. (Passcode: 0YP.6dC@)
📡 A radio station that broadcasts hopeful futures - by our ever inspiring friends at RADAR
💚 Brimm is a platform bringing together the bright ideas + brands to prove you can live a lower impact life without life feeling less.
🎨 Ever considered becoming an Aurora chaser? Well maybe now you have. Rebecca Douglas (Quester alumni!) has a course to guide you on your cosmic journey.
📖 The Two Pages sketchbooks have travelled the world, and will restore your faith in creativity
🖍️ Tala Rae Schlossberg is one of my favourite creative people on the internet. She has a newsletter now - go subscribe to
🌀 Practices for transitions in a time between worlds
🌍 Schumacher Magazine is a community-inspired story-telling space, acting in service to the urgent needs of our time.
Finally…
I caught up with one of our OG Quester’s the other day. The incomparable, Betsy Levitas. Anyone who has met Betsy on one of Quests (and she’s done pretty much all of them) will tell you that her passion and curiosity is completely infectious.
Here is her 60 second pitch for why you should get The Quester’s Guide!
Please do check out our new book! (only 11 days left of me promoting the crowdfunder!). It’s really quite good, will revitalise your creativity and has been made by 20 people in our Quester community (this is no small feat).
I love hearing from readers in the comments and ❤️’s always feel good.
If you enjoy I’d love it if you shared it with a friend or two; you can send them here to sign up.
Big love,
Sam x
Quest Guide / Founder
@saaamfurness
THE QUEST DIGEST by Creative Quests is a treasure chest of ideas & stories exploring what it means to live an illuminating, creative life. Delivered when inspiration and creativity strike. Subscribe to receive each issue or send to a friend in need of a creative boost.
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