Woo Corner for May

Good morning, Glories, and happy Bealtaine! And if you don't know what that is, happy May! FINALLY the warmth is returning to the northern hemisphere. I check the earth daily to see what's poking up from a long slumber, and if that sounds boring, it's not (to me).

If you are curious what Bealtaine is and want even more functional woo in your life, you can listen to the podcast I recorded about it here (20 minute listen).

If you're new here (heeeeey!) I use this monthly shout out as a place to put all the corners of the internet I've been hollering into the last month, and also of course- to deliver Woo Corner (at the bottom of this email). Grab yourself a beverage and sit down and rest yourself a moment. All of you is welcome here.

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On the Audacity Works Podlycast in April:

• ​Episode 127: Perfectionism - not a moral failing on your part perfectionism and its relevance in feminism- TL;DR: what if it's not the purpose of your life to be "correct"?
• ​Episode 128: Navigating Life in the South an episode I put off for a while because the scope is huge, but it's my honest boots on the ground assessment
• ​Episode 129: "I HATE setting choreography!" or Product based vs. Process based work exactly what it sounds like, and how to tell if you are indeed process-based or you're just suffering from perfectionism
• ​Episode 130: How to Get Feedback that Actually Works a subject near to my heart, full of actionable ways to take possession of your own creative process and not outsource your thinking (shoutout to Maestro for that excellent diction!)
• ​Episode 131: Advice from the Creative Trenches as I'm tits-deep in creation right now, some words from the arena in case you are, too

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On the Patreon:

​I only updated once in April, which my patrons will recognize as a pattern that happens when I'm actually creating with a fervor, and know that they will indeed be told all about it (and probably too much about it). :) The reason I get to be tits-deep in creation is all due to the generosity of Sarah Dionna of ARC Take 2 in Charleston, which awarded me Artist in Residence! April's post talked about that process, and the rest of the time was spent actually creating in this wonderful teal space.

I did the math yesterday and I've apparently generated 9 MINUTES of material in 3 rehearsals. My friends that is alarmingly prolific, especially for me who likes to take 5 years to create anything. This is the magic of dedicated space and time!! Thank you Sarah, ARC, and Aly for your support!

And the moment we've all been waiting for:

Woo Corner! May 2025

I have good news and I have bad news. First the good news:

The 10 of cups is the most evolved positive influence of emotional intelligence. It even comes after happiness (9 of cups) because after happiness, there's more! There's how TF you deal with happiness when you actually experience it.

I can't improve on this quote from my wise friend Jessie Rard, so I won't try to:

Please read that again.

For my part, I know that I certainly feel like I'm under A LOT of pressure, particularly the pressure to earn as much income as possible. I'm not actually doing anything about it, it's just a constant, low-growl pressure that I feel. I know why I feel this pressure and I think it's a perfectly rational response to the climate we find ourselves in. This month's woo corner has me checking myself though. Because...what's enough? Money and resources are helpful, there's no doubt about that. But without an endpoint or benchmark of some kind (enough) the quest becomes tedious. So, what's enough?

I remember being a rootless wanderer in my 20's. I didn't have a safety net, but I had myself. So my barometer for "am I ok?" became these questions:

1. Do I have the resources to feed myself today?
2. Do I have a safe place to sleep?
3. Do I have some occupation for my time that will yield a sense of accomplishment of any kind?

If the answer to those three questions was yes, then I was not allowed to ruminate on scarcity, because I had enough.

Why this is the good news:

Satiety (from the Latin satis - "enough") means enough. Satisfaction, success, matters settled as wished. This is good news. I hope if you take stock of your life, you will find that in most ways, you have not only enough but probably more than enough in some places.

Why this is also the bad news:

It is human nature to want more than enough. So this card isn't heralding a smorgasbord of ecstatic bacchanalian delights, it is heralding the calm and mature acknowledgment of "enough". So that's why it might not be the news some of you were looking for, because frankly we're all looking for reasons to feel good. A smorgasbord of ecstatic bacchanalian delights would be enough passive pleasure to feel good...but "Enough" is a good enough reason to feel some peace.

Card #2:

I started pulling a second card this year to dignify the first, and this months' pull is from the Tree Angel Oracle Deck- because I'm a tree hugger.

The Cedar of Lebanon.

I will be upfront and admit I lack the cultural lived experience to speak to the significance of this tree in Middle Eastern culture, but if you're intrigued by it I encourage you to see out lived experience from those who know.

What I DO know, is that this tree shows up in antiquity a great deal, and before we were all obsessed with oak, humanity was obsessed with cedar. It's known for its extreme resilience, and was used to build many temples and sacred buildings. The word 'majesty' comes up a lot in writings about it.

To me, this speaks to grace. Grace isn't earned or deserved, it just is. The foundational nature of your life is majestic grace- and there's nothing you can do about it but bow your head and say thank you. You can't be decent enough to earn it, because you can't earn it.

If you followed my advice above and took stock of your life, perhaps you did find that you have enough. Maybe you feel guilty about that. Stop. That's how it should be. Just say thank you, and instead of building higher walls, build a longer table.

Don't go back to sleep.

xoRachel