April's Woo Corner (it's turtles, all the way down)
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Good morning, Glories, and happy April! If you're here for the functional Woo, you'll find it at the bottom of this email. Otherwise, grab yourself a beverage and stay awhile. I use this monthly newsletter not only to dish out the functional woo, but to sum up everything in case you missed it from the pockets of the internet I inhabit. Some haps:Things to know! If you're local to the Charleston SC area, the next artist's salon is going to be held next Sunday, here's a cute little graphic to save and share: There is no cost to attend or present, this exist by artists for artists. If you are local to the area and want to be added to the list for learning about local haps, you can do that here (or send to a friend who lives here). The Irish Aerial Dance Festival is open for booking! This festival changed my life forever, and continues to be a cornerstone of my year. It's also one of the most affordable ways to train with world renowned coaches and meet the best people in the world (I'm biased but I'm also honest). On the Podlycast from March-Episodes of Audacity Works air every Wednesday at 6am EDT, wherever you get your podcasts (Apple podcast and Spotify are the most commonly used, you can take your pick by visiting the podcast's webpage).
On the Patreon in March:The Late Spring and Other RealitiesA long and luxurious update on all things life and art related: Unhinged: a private rant from 2021I've been sharing TMI information about my life for a long time, but this post is probably the most vulnerable thing I've ever shared. Thank you to all of you who sent me messages thanking me for it- that was incredibly helpful during the vulnerability hangover that ensued. What this is is an existential artistic crisis captured in real time in 2021. It took me 17 minutes to go from despair to resolve, and I got it on camera so, now it's in the world. April's Woo CornerThis year, I've started pulling two cards for each month: One that was pulled in December 2024, and one I pull fresh from one of the decks I've received as gifts to dignify the first. April's pulls are: If you're thinking "well that's nice" yes, it is. Cups represent the element of water and emotion, our birthright gift of feeling. The two of cups is feeling with a function. I won't be so arrogant as to define love, nor do I want to- but we know it when we feel it. Two being the number of duality, the two of cups implies that love needs a counterpart, a source or a goal outside itself. Without this source or this focus, love tends to just languish. It reminds me of this line from Romeo & Juliet: "the sweetest honey is loathsome in its own deliciousness." Technically, the friar is using this metaphor to tell Romeo to "love moderately" which is terrible advice, not to mention impossible to follow- so I'll use this line to prove a different point: Love for the sake of love is still sweet, just like the freesia outside still smells sweet even if I don't go smell it. But so what? Like anger, love is a driving force that requests action. We are free to languish in our love, like the forest that eats itself. We are free to ignore its demands. My invitation to you today is- what if we didn't? What is your love asking of you? Where is it directed? Pull #2This pull is from a beautiful deck that was a gift from my dear Dalta Rex, called the Tarot of the Divine. The King of Coins is the embodiment of the masculine form of earth, and the image is taken from the Iroquis legend of Hah-nu-nah, the great turtle on which the earth rests. This legend is also the opening story for Braiding Sweetgrass, which I'm reading right now. The synchronicities are synchronizing, y'all. (Shout out to Helen for saying that line exactly as I was thinking it). At a time when every freaking thing we see happening seems to be destabilizing, I'm pretty glad to see a card that represents stability. Hah-nu-nah is strong enough to support not only the earth itself, but the hopes and dreams of its denizen creatures (including us). The function of his love is his strength and support. This service doesn't require his active participation, it's a function of his nature. Just like the friends I have who give me comfort and make me feel less alone simply by existing, it requires no specialized effort on their parts other than existing in the world exactly as they are. So my question to you is, what is holding your world up? What might you be holding up, even without your active effort? And how does that serve your love? If your love were Hah-nu-nah, what would it be carrying on its back? I think we need to give a shout out to another part of turtle's nature here- their speed, or lack thereof. We are living through a strange time. I feel we are being tasked not with repair, but reinvention. Reinvention of our cultures, our relationships to our environments, and how we support ourselves and go about conducting business. Reinvention and evolution are both marked by their slow speed. Rashness and passion burns out- but dedicated, sustainable, and loving effort over time alters realities. So maybe that's what the friar meant by "love moderately." Not with less fire, but with more intention. Slowly, every day, on purpose. What does our love require of us...not in a grand sweeping sense of our lifetime...but for today? What does our love require of us, today? Don't go back to sleep. xoRachel |