I have so much love and pride for the women of the world. And I mean all women, all countries, all races, all religions, all ages, all identities and all expressions. Specifically I am including trans women, black women, Muslim women, immigrant women, because they're facing the most of the racist, misogynist bullshit in this country. And I also want to lift up every person who had the label woman or man placed on them, who do not identify with it, who have to perform the labor of reminding other people of their names and pronouns. Women are not just people with wombs, and not just people who present as femme. I see you, I love you, I trust you, I'm proud of you and I stand with you. I love you every day, but today I make sure to make sure that I declare that love in public.
Image reposted from @h_e_r_s_t_o_r_y
Prepare Self-Defense Class
I just finished a 6-week IMPACT self defense class with Prepare Inc, and it was incredible, and not at all what I expected.
I thought I was taking just a scary exercise class, where I'd learn to punch, kick and yell "no." And yes, that's part of it, but I was unprepared for it to be so healing. The instructors held space for all of us students to be wherever we were, whether that was joking or crying. They discussed victim blaming, and how it's never allowed in class. It is never the survivor's fault. We covered ways to set boundaries, and how predators push those boundaries. We were taught to always trust our instinct about a situation. And we beat the well-padded crap out of the armored fight instructors.
We were taught to always deliver a blow with your full strength, so it'd be in your muscle memory and your body would know how to fight back even if your mind went blank with adrenaline and panic. The body's knowledge is so powerful, and something I haven't experienced before like this. In the last class, we had to fight in improvised scenarios. I was in full adrenaline reaction, and I don't really even know what happened in my fight. But I was standing at the end of it. And I watched my classmates each take on these challenges and fight so fiercely.
This class changed the experience of anger and fear for me, and let me feel my emotions and body in a whole new way. I feel more at home in my body, and more aware of my senses. And I feel safer, physically and emotionally. I am so grateful to my instructors and classmates for this experience.
If you're in the NYC area, you owe it to yourself to take a class with them. And there are other IMPACT organizations teaching this curriculum across the country. Scholarships, group classes, and private group lessons are available.
prepareinc.com
📷: "Hands Off" self defense manual by Bob Jones, featuring Stevie Nicks
(Of course we were working in sneakers instead of platform boots, but not everyone can live at Stevie Nicks levels of glamour.)
Shepherd's Purse
This is how I know spring is coming: tiny shepherd's purse shows her white flowers and heart-shaped seed pods.
Astringent and tonifying, she is a regulator of bodily fluids, a diuretic and hemostatic. She reminds me that even when I feel stuck, or like I'm moving too fast, I'm still in flow, and right where I need to be.
Shepherd's purse grows all over my Brooklyn neighborhood along the edges of parks and in tree pits in the early spring. If you look around, she's probably in your neighborhood, too.
I highly recommend getting to know your local wild plants. If you notice the same plant over and over, look it up and see what medicine it brings. Ask if you can pick some, take it home, see what it inspires for you. Bring the plant into any meditation or ritual work you do. But unless you know the soil and water is clean, don't eat these plants or use them externally on your body. There's a lot of pollution, heavy metals, and pesticides, even in parks. So see and appreciate urban plants, and take a trip to the country to gather.
Group Reading, and Thank You
Thank you to everyone I had the honor of meeting and serving tonight at Chelsea Wine Vault's Cabernet Carnival. I love reading at events and getting to talk with so many amazing people!
A few cards kept popping up over and over, and together they're a group reading for all of us tonight. Three of Pentacles, Five of Cups, The World, Judgement.
We're all learning to honor loss while being grateful for what's still here. We're learning to work together, that truly we have to work together to get anything important done. And we're waking up first as individuals, to our own potential, and then as a collective to our combined power. We're ready to do the work and change the world.
So let's get started.
Surfacing
My phone thinks this is a selfie.
It might as well be.
I'm just surfacing after a few weeks of deep reflection and processing. All the movement is happening out of sight, and the surface is the last to change.
I'm learning over and over, to keep going, that there is no once-and-done lesson. And I'm learning that sometimes that is exciting, and sometimes it's excruciating. Learning is ok and necessary no matter how it feels. Also, it doesn't have to feel as hard as I make it. I'm learning how to do that, too.
But I can feel the thaw starting, and everything moves easier in spring.
Service & Self-Care
This is the cycle of action, like night and day. Get out there and help people, then accept help from people.
If you want to make a difference, know that you can and you will! But you will be more effective if you take time to recharge so you don't burn out. I'm seeing so many people already feeling overwhelmed by the straight-up fascist new regime. I'm feeling it, too. I had to take most of the day to recover from an injury from literally and figuratively carrying too much.
Please don't be "on" constantly, stressed and fighting, watching the news on one channel while checking another source on your phone. You might be feeling like you have to know what's going on all the time, that your anger and fear are good motivators, but that's not true. When you're in that fight-or-flight mode, you may feel active, but it's a short-term response. You'll be able to make better choices and carry them out when you're coming to the table well-rested and well-nourished. Yes, please check the news a few times a day. And sit with whatever feelings come up. And continue to serve your community and speak out about injustice. Just know that this is a marathon, not a sprint. Remember to take breaks, feel gratitude for the good things in your life, spend time with loved ones. And then you can return to work recharged and ready to do your best.
It's Your Turn
This is it. It's your turn. All the things you've been thinking and feeling and preparing are about to become real. All the people who came before have passed the torch to you. It's your turn to shine out, to be who you really are, to act on what you believe.
You have so much power. Don't give it away now by checking out, believing you're defeated, waiting for someone else to take action, or by spinning in a cycle of frustration and fear. Hold your power, use it for good. There are things that only you can do, and can only happen in this time. It won't always be comfortable, but it will be possible.
Stay present.
Love yourself.
Be kind to your fellow people.
Speak up against systemic injustice.
Hold elected officials accountable.
Make art.
Spend time with your family and friends.
Seek and accept support.
Take care of your body.
Take care of the earth.
Trust your intuition.
Keep hope alive.
I love you. We are going to get through this together. We are going to keep making the world a better place in every small thing we do, no matter how much resistance we meet. There is no law or ruler that can ever compare to the power of our hearts. Keep going. It's your turn.
(Art: closeup of Friendship by Agnes Martin)
Fool's Gathering
Brooklyn Fools Tarot Journey started tonight.
My little home altar, after carrying the white rose in my hand for an hour on public transit, smiling to myself, yes, like a fool.
Thinking of one of the quotes from the Agnes Martin show we saw this weekend. "Love is all around us like air; pressing on us, making us more like love.”
I hope so. I hope that love is also like air pressure in that we have equal love pressing outward, keeping us in equilibrium.
Old Year Out, New Year In
2016 has been a year of cracking open and growing, in ways I never had imagined. I'm going to reflect on this and put together a longer post on all the changes and lessons of the year. One thing that I want to talk about now that I did this year, is complete my first ever Instagram tarot challenge. This was hosted by Jeff Hinshaw and Lindsay Mack, co-facilitators of The Brooklyn Fools, and two of the most tuned-in tarot readers in the world.
The whole month was an amazing learning experience (see all the posts on my Instagram here) and the last two days really brought some perspective to this time as we move from the old year to the new year.
Brooklyn Fools Instagram Challenge Days 30 & 31
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Day 30, The world. What karmic cycles did I fully release in 2016?
2 of Cups (then also drew 7 of Cups and The Magician, before chilling out and accepting the first draw).
I fully released connection and friendship JUST KIDDING. But I did release a lot of my expectations of how relationships "should" be, reservations about showing up and being vulnerable in existing relationships and taking chances on new relationships. I've put more time into long term friendships and my relationship with my beautiful partner.
I made a lot of new friends this year, because I got out of my comfort zone and actually did new social stuff with strangers. It's been great making connections, and that includes all of you lovely people I've met through Instagram.
And this occurred to me later, but a big thing I released, in terms of how I approach relationships, was my restaurant job. I worked at a great little neighborhood place where I met lots of my current friends, both as my coworkers and guests. I left to make more room for my healing works, and to have more quality time with friends and family. But that means that I no longer have this built-in face time in my week, and if I want to see people, I have to do it on purpose, and put effort into making it happen. This has been a amazing change, releasing what had become a barrier, albeit a pleasant one, to deeper, more purposeful connections.
The other clarifying cards I pulled because I was resisting the 2 of Cups, but they touch on other lessons of the year. I pulled 7 of Cups on day 27 of this challenge (message: get out of your head, your decision is made, now it's time to work on it), and The Magician (message: you have all this magic, time to put it out in the world) was my overall card for all of 2016.
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Day 31. What medicine does 2017 hold for me?
The Chariot.
HELL YES. I am so ready to move forward and embrace success and fulfill my potential. This sounds like another year of making things happen, which is great. The Chariot is balance in motion, and I'm ready to learn to incorporate some movement. I can do staying-still balance pretty well but this is new territory. I've learned so much this past year, and now it's time to put those lessons into action. I'm going to learn to trust the motion, trust what comes up for me, and work on moving from one yes to another. Bring it on, I'm ready.
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Thank you for hosting this challenge, Jeff and Lindsay. It's been amazing working with these questions and learning to tune in deeper and trust bigger. I'm grateful that you share your wisdom and experience so generously. Much love to everyone else who participated in the challenge, I've truly enjoyed reading your insights. I can't wait to see how we all continue evolving in 2017.
New Moon in Capricorn
NEW MOON IN CAPYBARA
I mean Capricorn, you know, the other goat-fish.
This is the last new moon of 2016, it's a great time to look back over the year and release old stuff and set new intentions, and that's really important, but it doesn't have to be serious and heavy. You don't need to plan out every detail of the coming year now. What will really help those intentions along, and make release easier, is some lightness. Shake it out, be playful. Nobody is grading you, and you won't get more out of the experience if you approach it with rigid rules. Cap is responsible and earnest, and in that earnestness is a kernel of sweetness and joy. Tap into THAT as you work with the energy of the new moon and new year. There's hard work at hand, but it's also awesome and transformative and fascinatingly weird, all at once. Laughter feeds your spirit, that's so greeting-card obvious, but it's true. Play with animals and children, watch comedy, do your silliest dance. You'll get more out of this time if you can let it be lighter.
📷: gianthamster.com
NYE Tarot Readings
NYE Tarot Readings in Red Hook, Brooklyn!
✨I'm offering tarot readings at @fortdefiance from 9-midnight.
✨Ji Hyang Padma will be offering intuitive astrology and tarot 6-9pm.
✨ Readings $35 for 20 minutes, book your spot at the link in my bio.
✨ All night long, great food, drink, and company courtesy of the FD crew.
✨Come get some clarity and good vibes to start 2017 off right!
Happy Solstice
Mercury Retrograde
Take it slow, keep taking care of yourself and keep taking care of other people, too. There are a lot of people who've had a much worse year than you. I'm not saying this to minimize your pain or try to make you feel guilty. But you're alive at the end of this year! You still have so much power and privilege. That's awesome. It's your turn to share. Please use that power to make the world a better place. You know how every Christmas movie is about the magic of love and belief, and usually that might sound pretty cheesy, but this is the time of year when you can kinda believe that it's possible. Try out some earnest do-gooder stuff and volunteer or go caroling, or call someone you miss. Be patient and kind as much as possible. You absolutely have the internal resources to make life a little better for people you meet. And if you have financial resources to donate, please give to charity.
You don't have to be do everything, but do what you can. It'll feel a lot better than trying to hide. And in general, give yourself good rest and hydration. Mercury goes direct on 1/9. You got this.
📷 from @geologypage
Full Moon in Gemini
This moon feels like taking a deep breath after unburdening yourself in some way. Like finally speaking a thought you've been hiding, sinking into a warm bath and feeling your muscles relax, or getting to your destination after a long day of travel. You've gotten to the other side of the obstacle and you're safe to breathe now.
Now from the other side, you can see that you've been carrying a burden that is no longer yours. You can set it down. You're safe without it.
In this place of safety, you have room to be playful and curious again. You're no longer just barely surviving. You're ready to thrive.
You're not done with all challenges forever, but the path forward feels exciting again. As you continue on, you'll bring with you this feeling of safety and ease. You are just where you need to be, going at just the right pace.
Luck
I saw this on my way to Namaste yesterday to buy tarot cards for a friend's birthday gift.
While I was browsing, I met a woman who was picking out her first deck as a birthday gift to herself. She asked me for a recommendation and I suggested the Centennial Smith Waite, the same deck I was buying.
No big conclusion here, just a series of sweet moments. Synchronicity doesn't have to be big and mysterious to be worth noticing.
I think most of "luck" is paying attention to the good things that are happening all the time.
Thank You, Water Protectors
Thank you, water protectors for taking strong, peaceful action in the face of such violence. Thank you to everyone who donated and supported Standing Rock. And thank you to the Obama administration for finally stepping up. Our work isn't done, but this feels like the victory we needed. Please keep the water protectors in your awareness, and keep donating whatever you can. They're in this for the long haul and will continue to need our support.
http://standwithstandingrock.net/donate/
#nodapl #mniwiconi #waterislife
Art by Christi Belcourt
http://christibelcourt.com/
@chrisbelcourt
New Moon: Mugwort Tea and Death
New moon 🌑
Mugwort tea and Death 🍵
Our invitation now is about letting things find their natural end. Letting go of things that have already ended. This time feels so much like a beginning, though, in its endingness. By letting go with grace, we're clearing out to make room for our own growth. Like raking up decaying leaves to find the first crocus sprouts underneath. We have so much potential, and all we have to do is make the space for it to flourish. (Here's where the message I'm bringing in reminds me of something else: @wildsoulhealing's beautiful post about this new moon as an activation. Read that if you haven't already.)
Happy new moon, everyone.
Mind Body Spirit + Advice
Sometimes you don't have to know why something happens, you just have to trust that it's part of the process. Keep moving, keep working, it'll make sense in time.
Mind: The Fool
There is literally no impediment to taking big chances in your thoughts. None! So what are you waiting for? What seems too big to even dream about? What would you really, truly love to make happen, that you're still a little bit afraid of actually doing? Take your wildest dreams, and crank them up a billion percent. This leap in your mind will prepare you to make the leap in your life. Right now, you're invited to imagine and envision the end result.
Body: The Chariot
Move that body, feel at home in it. Keep it strong and healthy. But while you're doing all of this, remember that a body is also a one-way ticket. You're never going to be able to escape or reverse aging, no matter how many fancy creams you buy, or how many probiotics you eat. Can you love your body as it is right now, and as it's aging? Can you be really present in the daily processes of your body? Your body is your vessel, and it also IS you. Take some time to really be in your body and feel its potential. If you can run, run. If you can breathe, breathe.
Spirit: 3 of Swords
Everything that comes to you is a spiritual lesson. Even if it's a fight or heartbreak, or just getting your hackles up about the barista running out of change when you're already late for work. See if you can hold those daily grievances with love, rather than feeding them to the fire of an old trauma. For instance, when somebody talks over you, and that triggers feelings about your worth and your parents. Can you notice when that happens, and your response to it? These daily irritations scratch the surface so you can find the bigger underlying wounds, and start healing them.
Advice: 7 of Pentacles
This card has been coming up a lot over the past few months, for me and for others. Gotta do the work, put in the hours. Show up every day, do your best, check one more day off the calendar. You build mastery through consistency. You build consistency one day at a time. We are being asked to take all of the advice of the three previous cards, and put those actions into our day-to-day life. Imagination, grounding in our bodies, gentle self-healing. Take those threads and weave with them.
Walking in the Woods
NODAPL Day of Action
Today's the day! Visit nodapldayofaction.org to find an action near you.
There's one at Foley Square in NYC starting at 4pm.
If you can't go, please do something else. Make calls (Paper Magazine has a list of phone numbers), donate directly to Standing Rock, move your money away from banks that support the pipeline, sign the petition to the White House, and share info on social media.
Taking action now is important because we need to support human rights, protect clean water for everyone, and hold government accountable. Right now this may seem like a distant cause, but please know that this is in your own interests, too. The immediate effects of the pipeline are bad enough but if it succeeds this will also set the precedent for destruction of other lands (yours) and denial of more human rights (yours) for corporate greed.