The Soul Knows
by Tara Lee MacNevin

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What traumas do we carry around with us? We may no longer recognize their weight, but they’re burdensome all the same. Arms full, bodies tired, what energy we have left we spend on just getting through the day. The cycle feels endless. But it doesn’t have to be: You can put it down You don’t have to carry it anymore As fearful as the new might be Look, look deep into your heart and know You are worth it Divided into three parts, The Soul Knows guides readers through the poet’s personal healing journey from childhood trauma. Each part reflects on the past and works through the challenges of healing, from debilitating self-doubt to grief and pain. These poems showcase how the poet reconnected with herself through therapy, nature, and writing. These are acts of resilience: inspiring and hopeful even in the face of incredible darkness and despair. Raw and vulnerable, The Soul Knows is an invitation to release the trauma that weighs us down and embrace ourselves instead. Even if we can’t fully let go of the past, we can learn to live in the present, guided by joy and love, rather than fear. Follow Tara as she continues her healing journey on Instagram @crown.crooked

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Tara Lee MacNevin is a survivor. In her work, she has supported families and teens with histories of abuse and generational trauma. Inspired by her own healing journey and her desires to help others struggling, Tara wrote The Soul Knows. This is her first book. Tara has always had a deep connection to words and rhythm. Through the years, Tara found solace, inspiration and true self expression in poetry. After her little birds flew from the nest, she knew it was her turn to share all the lessons learned along the way, in only a way that is truest to her. From speaking at events, podcasts invites and sharing her poems on social media, she has gifted us something to hold dear, carry everywhere and scribble ferociously on. Spending her days with intention, rooted in nature, love and creativity. She feeds her small- town Southern Ontario community with words of interconnection, gratitude and empathy. As Tara shares her poetry she invites us all to slow down and look inward so we can appreciate the beauty all around us. Tara lives in a small beach cottage near the shores of Lake Erie, Canada, with her spouse of over thirty years, and their loyal fur baby and not far from their grown children.

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Contributors

Author

Tara Lee MacNevin