Crafting a Daily Practice: A Simple Course on Self-Commitment

by T. Thorn Coyle

PUBLISHER'S This edition is significantly revised and expanded from the 2012 edition.
______________
“Why might daily practice be important to me and how can it help?”
Daily spiritual practice is the gateway to satisfying, successful life.

Practice builds continuity of mind, thought, and presence. If your life is not as you wish, or you are foundering spiritually, running from epiphany to being stuck, it is likely that daily practice is missing from your life.

This book takes us through a home study course, exploring the components of a strong daily practice and why it is important to have one.

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction, Paganism, Occult, Witchcraft, Philosophy, Ebooks

Kindle Edition

First published May 15, 2023

About the author

TT. Thorn Coyle has been arrested at least four times. Buy her a cup of tea or a good whisky and she'll tell you about it.

A salty-tongued, tattooed mystic, Thorn is author of the alt-history urban fantasy series The Panther Chronicles, the novel Like Water, and two short story collections. The Witches of Portland will be out in Spring, 2018. She has also written multiple non-fiction books including Sigil Magic for Writers, Artists & Other Creatives, Kissing the Limitless, and Evolutionary Witchcraft. Thorn's work appears in many anthologies, magazines, and collections.

She has taught magical practice in nine countries, on four continents, and in twenty-five states. Her other occupations have been numerous, and include working four years each on the Pacific Stock Options floor (as a young Anarchist punk with a blue, flat-top Mohawk), in a woman-run peep show, and full time in the San Francisco soup kitchen she ended up volunteering at for twenty years. All of this, along with her activism, informs her fiction.

An interloper to the Pacific Northwest, Thorn joyfully stalks city streets, writes in cafes, and talks to crows, squirrels, and trees.

Thorn is active on:
Twitter @ThornCoyle
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/tthorncoyle
Medium https://medium.com/@ThornCoyle
Patreon https://www.patreon.com/ThornCoyle

http://www.thorncoyle.com

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

If one is familiar with Coyle's body of work, there's nothing new here. However, the concise format and precise calendar are a helpful distillation of core practice. For someone like me, who flails around with a hit or miss schedule, having something right in front of me with a timeline is extremely helpful.

I think reading this has brought my practice into stronger focus, with an emphasis on my daily needs and building a strong foundation before diving into larger projects.

[Lanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a small book but mighty! I feel Thorn made such a valuable choice to put the focus of daily practice front and center. So many authors talk about the importance of daily practice in one line with the exhortation the you must do it to be successful and then run right off to other topics. Others give you good daily practice advice but it’s embedded amongst other subjects and supports other purposes.

Thorn’s focus in this book is simultaneously simple and deep. They strip away all the other ‘stuff’ we tend to dress up daily practice in and drop right into the heart of the way to be successful at it

I feel like this book, and following the 8 week program it outlines, is of immense value to anyone seeking to deepen their personal spiritual practice, regardless of tradition.

[autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Crafting A Daily Practice" has revolutionized the way I think about the structure of personal spirituality. It allows for the reader/Seeker to develop their practice around an eight-week structure, which is flexible to the needs of the individual, while still providing foundational skills that will serve them well, as they move beyond the lessons contained in this unassuming treasure of a book.

I have made several (admittedly incomplete) attempts to progress through the eight-week program over the years, so returning to find the updated version of the book was a joyful surprise. The interludes between the chapters provide useful context for framing the practices each week and the structure seems to flow much better.

Do yourself a favor and set aside the time to work on your spiritual practice, if you grab this book. Even if it's just a breath, or a few minutes of mindful work, it's worth it to dive into this material and make it your own.

I enjoyed making it my own - setting up a series of flash cards for the altar (with meditations, practices, and other bits I wanted to reference away from the Kindle). I also intend to carve space into a bullet journal to reflect on the practices each week, so that it becomes more interactive and more integrated into my daily life.

Much gratitude to the author for sending this out in the world - I feel like I've finally returned to it at the best timing for it to transform my life and my practice. Thank you.

[Silas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was not quite what I had expected. It is an eight week course on trying several kinds of meditation, and getting a habit established. To that end, it provides some encouragement, some suggested readings from her other book (which I did not have, so I can't comment), and a weekly schedule to keep things from getting stale. For someone who needs that, it would be excellent. Since I am a long time mediator, it was less relevant for me. I had thought it would have been a not more in depth about which elements to include in a daily practice, but the book was rather hands of about that matter. Still, a very good meditation primer, but with some language that would put off someone who was likely to need a beginning meditation primer.

[Laura Cunha · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://leiturasdelaura.blogspot.com/...

Essa autora eu descobri meio que por acaso pela Amazon, ela escreve romances e livros esotéricos (na linha Wicca mais ou menos). Coisas estranhas que aparecem por aí e de repente a gente se anima, sabe?

Então, ainda não li nenhum romance dela, mas eles são bem cotados na Amazon americana, e por curiosidade, e porque o conteúdo me pareceu interessante, acabei comprando esse aqui.

Crafting a daily practice promete uma espécie de curso express sobre como criar e manter uma prática espiritual diária. Como eu bem gosto desse tipo de coisa resolvi ver qualé a do livro. E ele entrega exatamente o que promete.

O livro é extremamente curtinho e resumido, o que é interessante na hora de colocar em prática as ideias propostas. As ideias também são interessantes e eu gostei especialmente de algumas meditações sugeridas pela autora.

Mas, sempre tem um mas, ao ler o livro descobri que a T. Thorn Coyle tem outro livro sobre o mesmo assunto, e o outro livro parece ser bem mais completo e profundo. O outro livro em questão é citado com tanta precisão que vem até a localização do kindle dos capítulos sugeridos como leitura complementar.

Detalhe: essas leituras complementares incluem apenas esse outro livro da autora, não tem nenhuma indicação de outras leituras.
Confesso que achei uma afronta.

Compensada pelo fato que curti bastante o livro de forma geral. Tanto que já procurei o tal outro livro e coloquei na minha wishlist para esperar ele entrar em promoção. Eu passo vergonha, mas sou sincera.

[Julia Erle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review crafting a daily practice
I loved this book like all the other spiritual books from Thorn Coyle
The book explains why a daily practice is important. It is a step by step guide for those who do not know how to get into practicing daily and gives good advice on how to start small and build a practice over time
The book is a good companion that helps to move through the obstacles that may arise and gives ideas and tools for working through ones own resistance. It motivates to observe ourselves so we learn to differentiate between what is our resistance and when something in us really saying this is not good for me. Basically we learn how stop making excuses because we feel discomfort..
I am doing daily practice during several years now and the book gave my motivation to continue practicing a big boost. Reading it reminded me big time why I am doing my daily practice. I know, but sometimes it is good to be reminded. It gave me lots of ideas on how to deepen my practice, take it a bit further and add a few practices to it which I have known would benefit me which I have been avoiding.

I received an advance copy of this book

[Adriane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent guideline

I will definitely get more books by T. Thorn and will revisit this book while reading Kissing the limitless. I think it will be even more engrossing with the supplemental material. I highly recommend this for anyone looking to start a regular spiritual practice. Thoughts is steeped in the Feri tradition I feel it can be adapted to any belief system or tradition as a valuable guide to self awareness and being fully present.

[Charlie Larson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a concise introduction to establishing a daily practice. It’s set up to be like a course, working through it week by week. The author discusses many types of daily practices, their function and benefits, and gives practical exercise. While short, this book provides a great introduction for those seeking to build a daily practice, or even a good refresher for those who may already have one.

[Elizabeth]

As seen in The Book of How: Answers to Life’s Most Important Question.

[Cynthia L Peters · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this book. It wasn't at all what I expected. I kept hoping there would be more guidance and suggestions, but I found them lacking. The anecdotes were just filler to me, and I didn't get that much out of them.

[Victoria Emslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valuable information for crafting a daily practice. The basic concepts can be applied to any spiritual path. Coyle has an easy writing style to understand.

[Thomas Pinneck · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Crafting A Daily Practice, T. Thorn Coyle presents a comprehensive and accessible guide to developing and maintaining a meaningful daily spiritual practice. This revised and expanded edition is a deeply reflective yet practical resource for anyone seeking to cultivate continuity, presence, and transformation in their spiritual life. Whether you’ve struggled to establish a routine or are looking to refine an existing one, Coyle offers wisdom that goes beyond mere ritual, guiding readers toward a life filled with intention and purpose.

At the heart of the book is the argument that daily spiritual practice serves as the foundation for a fulfilling life. Coyle addresses the question that often lingers for those on a spiritual path: Why is a daily practice important? Rather than focusing solely on external success or personal goals, she emphasizes the continuity of mind, thought, and presence that a daily practice fosters. By engaging with spiritual work regularly, Coyle asserts, practitioners can bridge the gaps between fleeting moments of epiphany and the stagnation that often follows them. In her words, practice creates a container for these moments, grounding the profound and helping individuals navigate the cycles of growth and stillness.

One of the standout features of the book is its structured approach. Coyle takes readers on a home-study course, breaking down the essential components of a strong daily practice. Each chapter introduces techniques, exercises, and reflections designed to deepen one’s connection with the self and the divine. Whether it’s breathing exercises, meditation, energy work, or journaling, Coyle provides a variety of tools to suit different needs and spiritual paths. The flexibility of her approach makes the book accessible for readers from all backgrounds, whether they are new to spiritual work or have years of experience.

What makes Crafting A Daily Practice especially effective is Coyle’s understanding of the challenges many people face when trying to commit to a routine. She acknowledges the resistance that often arises when attempting to build consistency—whether it’s time constraints, lack of motivation, or fear of failure. Rather than offering platitudes, Coyle dives into the psychology behind these obstacles, providing insight into how to move through them. Her approach is both compassionate and firm, encouraging readers to gently push beyond their limitations while offering practical strategies to make daily practice sustainable.

Another key strength of the book is Coyle’s emphasis on balance. She makes it clear that daily practice doesn’t need to be rigid or overwhelming—it’s about finding what works for the individual and allowing it to evolve over time. The practices outlined in the book are designed to be adaptable, so readers can start small and build their routine in a way that feels natural and supportive. This adaptability is particularly helpful for those who may feel intimidated by the idea of committing to a long-term spiritual practice. Coyle reassures readers that progress is not measured by perfection, but by the consistency of returning to practice, no matter how small the steps.

In this revised edition, Coyle expands on her original work with additional techniques and reflections that deepen the reader’s understanding of why daily practice matters. The updates include more meditations and exercises, as well as a broader discussion on the integration of spiritual practice into everyday life. Coyle’s writing is both clear and thoughtful, creating a bridge between spiritual wisdom and everyday reality, making it easier for readers to weave their practice into the fabric of their lives.

[Lissalye · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a companion book to Kissing the Limitless: Deep Magic and the Great Work of Transforming Yourself and the World. I bought this book and read it first and I think that it would stand alone just fine. Since Crafting a Daily Practice was so helpful and enjoyable to read I purchased Kissing the Limitless which I am still reading and working through, also a good book. A distinction I would like to make between the two is that KTL contains more Feri Tradition content than this book and that is ok by me. I am spiritually eclectic and most closely follow a Buddhist path but I prefer to say that I have crafted my own tradition. These books have been a great help to me in giving me ideas, activities and direction but more importantly this book in particular raised questions for me that were invaluable.
The concepts here were communicated in what I thought was both a spiritual and sensible way. Neither of these books are written specifically for any particular religious path but for anyone interested in grounding, centering and coming into relationship with ones authentic self or as the author calls it self possession.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic, and insanely helpful.

[John Deltuvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of course, having successfully avoided daily practice for longer than the author did, I don't expect to actually DO much of what's in the book for a while. But then who knows?

[Sammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will re-read this book several times...

[Dearwassily · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, no-nonsense guide to easing into a dedicated, daily spiritual practice.