the incalculable cauldron
“Let us simmer over our incalculable cauldron, our enthralling confusion, our hotchpotch of impulses, our perpetual miracle - for the soul throws up wonders every second. Movement and change are the essence of our being; rigidity is death; conformity is death; let us say what comes into our heads, repeat ourselves, contradict ourselves, fling out the wildest nonsense, and follow the most fantastic fancies without caring what the world does or thinks or says.”
This quote by writer Virginia Woolf (who I share an Aquarian birthday with) always frees me, and it’s been ringing in my head amidst this Aries full moon. Aries sparks our soul into gear, and we go forth head-first to reveal — who is this rendition of ourself, in this moment? The Ram asks us embrace empowerment by stepping into our individuality. But we must remember it coincides with our mutability— contradictory and nonsensical.
Aries full moon mood, featuring handmade satyr horns and a dear hemlock tree
Often times we censor that which is bubbling up, because we’re unsure if it aligns with how others see us, or the static image of ourselves we’ve crafted. But by censoring ourselves in this way, we lose touch with the ultimate truth of who we are— changing. “Movement and change are the essence of our being,” as Virginia remembered it.
Allow yourself, during the potency of this lunation, as best as you can, to break through the self-censorship. How you desire to behave today might butt heads with a previous rendition of you. Who are you embodying? What a thing— to be in this body, this consciousness! Sing it out, loudly. Share your first thought. Shake. Move your limbs in a strange, somatic release. Everyone and no one is watching. It’s time we tend our incalculable cauldron and witness who and what is emerging.
decomposing in my tsuga music video
new music
These sentiments resonate with music I’ve released this month from my forthcoming album (October 13th!). Today, under this full moon, I release my single ‘decomposing’, which is inspired by the process of metamorphosis that caterpillars undergo.
Did you know that caterpillars contain the blueprint for their butterfly form in what are called “imaginal cells”? Within the primordial good of the chrysalis, these cells become activated, even as the caterpillar’s immune system tries to fight them off! (Oh, the echo of how we resist inevitable change.) Within dissolution, the imaginal cells begin to work together, creating a network, until the final culmination of— the butterfly.
We contain the blueprint for our next rendition. We just need to let go into the dissolution of our former self so that our metamorphosis may take place. It’s uncomfortable. There’s grief, tears, uncertainty. But this liminality is a vehicle for the soul’s wildest, weirdest, widest expression. Can we trust that?
Listen to ‘decomposing’ on Spotify, Bandcamp, or the streaming service of your fancy. While you’re there, check out my other singles ‘the great god pan (is not dead)’ & ‘tsuga’.
& here’s a blurb about another song I released this month: ‘the great god pan (is not dead)’
new offering:
‘plant messages’ photo & poem pocket oracle
This offering has been a long time in the making! It’s a deck of 11 plant photograph and poem cards, nestled into a portable metal case, to be your perfect pocket oracle. If you’ve received a paper print of my mugwort poem card with an order from my shop, this is the next evolution of this idea!
For plant lovers and those wanting to connect more deeply with herbal allies, these photo and poem cards offer portals for pause, ripe with insight and inspiration. It’s a visit to the garden oracle, carried in your pocket.
Each card acts like a drop of essence on the tongue or the inhaled scent of a fresh, crushed leaf— connecting you to the wisdom of these 11 plant messengers. We witness their gaze and hear their voice through poems and photos, allowing us to receive the medicine of their presence. The deck serves at once as an insightful guide as well as a learning tool, and its portable pocket-size metal case will make it a trusted companion on your journey.
Amidst the fog of overwhelm and uncertainty, we can lose sight of the path ahead. at a crossroads, we might wonder— which road to take? And so to find clarity, we ask for a message. The Old English sense of this word, message or ærende, meant a communication from beyond. But we need not look to the sky to seek divinity. Rooted all around us, plant allies offer signs and songs to guide us back to our path of purpose, and this deck carries messages, for you, from a beloved team of plants who you might meet on your earthen journey.
Pull out a card. A plant catches your gaze as you’re walking in the woods. Kneel before them for a pause to witness. Hear their words and receive the medicine they stoke within you.
{contains photos & poems from allies: angelica, mugwort, yellow violet, iris, mullein, mugwort, wild rose, dutchman’s breeches, bleeding heart, & hemlock}
