Archive | Spirit Matters

Scarves and Fishes

I was driving on, no joke, the Cranberry Highway–all hail the twee names of New England!–when I saw the Blessed Mother beckoning today. It’s enough to make me laugh though I never would at dear Mary, because it turns out she was answering my shallowest of prayers: to find a marvelous local thrift shop. Silk scarves and a leather trench coat she did lay upon me, as her son might have conjured loaves and fishes. With grace and an unappreciated wink,  reminds us of the magic of faith. How we need her sweetly sturdy beauty now.

The Temple of Rosh HaLunar

New moon, new moon, new moon! I haven’t been this excited for a moon in a dog’s age, and it’s appearing in hyper-controlling Virgo just as ocean god Neptune opposes Mercury and Mars in Virgo, and Venus sits pretty in this sign as well. What does it all mean? That this lunar cycle is less about tossing what doesn’t work and more about making cozy, clean order out of what does–even if it’s as nebulous and dreamy as Neptune himself. I complain about Virgo all the time, but the truth is she’s the healer of the zodiac. We feel safe and seen under her g-d-is-in-the-details gaze even when we rebel against the boundaries she sets. Continue Reading →

This Is Not Uncle

This week i’m writing a super-scary section of my book and am plagued with anxious questions and baroque self-doubt. Is this too dark? Too seamy? Too implausible (though it really happened)? And (worst fear of all) will anyone give a fuck? It occurs to me that we all constantly feel this way even when we’re not writing books or undertaking some other scary venture so I send solidarity if the sensation is especially acute. Feel free to send magic carpets and unicorn carrier pigeons if you’re so inclined. Golden parachutes also welcome, though in my heart of hearts I know there ain’t no way out but to write it.

"All, everything I understand, I understand only because I love."
― Leo Tolstoy