Dear friend,
I arrive to you on this final day of the month of January, on the eve of Saint Bridget’s Day, of midwinter, with a candle lit beside me and a glass of water with three drops of a blend in it that Suzanne made for me, and a book of Colette’s short stories, which I will get into soon.
The week has felt endless, I am exhausted but alight, the ice has broken up on the river and the sky is a uniform mass of cloud—the softest grey it is almost white. I imagine many of you are experiencing some combination of what I’ve described, even down to the weather.
Much has been calling my immediate attention. Namely, I have been in the process of applying to some graduate programs and I am about one centimeter away from finishing the last bit of the final application, but I came here to grab a breath of some different air.
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We are officially about to tumble over into Imbolc which is a time of fragmentation.
There of course is more winter (we are only in the middle of it) and snow and ice, but the sheer force of this has been fragmented by the natural pivoting of the seasons. Longer days, have you noticed? More light. Night’s density lessened slightly. And the idea of a thaw. The idea is enough to fragment.
And this is where we are. Something has stirred us in our sleep. Not enough to wake us up but enough that some part of the mind realizes we are, we have been, dreaming.
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So I arrive to you, running on steam, at this last gasp of the month, on this overcast day, to share something that has given me the idea of thaw. A glimmer that bust through a density and ever so slightly fractured its mass.
The first time I heard Mónica perform I was in the woods, out in front of a place we all lovingly call Cathedral II, under a warm toss of stars in moonless sky.
Her music poured through the trees, it effused like ink in water or like rain-bruised hyacinths, and wrapped around a friend and I to whom I was handing off a box of Solomon’s seal root.
It took two years, almost to the day, from that moment, but I finally met Mónica. This time, it was in a city and out back of a place lovingly called Lump. And gratefully it was not the only time I was able to spend with her while I was in North Carolina this past autumn.
There was Mónica in the kitchen, her face hidden behind a massive bouquet of flowers. And Mónica setting up her gear on a table behind me, out in the dark woods behind Cathedral II on Halloween last year. And it is now to you that I’d like to introduce Mónica—it is her Rhythm/Devotion that I want to share.
I have about a dozen favorite moments in her interview, but one that particularly moved me I will paste below:
While I don’t consider myself especially wise, I will say this: never let anyone deter you from following your creative vision. Our creative practices are deeply personal and sacred—they are what keep us tethered to the divine, to something greater than ourselves. Whether it’s through sound, movement, words, or any other form of expression, creativity has the power to ground us, heal us, and connect us to the world around us. Honor that connection, and trust the unique voice that only you can bring into being.
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And so, I invite you to put on some doris dana and let it be the lullaby soundtrack to Mónica’s interview, which you can find via this link, or by clicking on the photo of her below:
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I am wishing you all a candle-bright transition into February. May you find rest when you need it and feel into the fragmented pieces of your own dreaming, just to know its quickening pace.
May Mónica’s words wrap around you like the scent of hyacinth bulb or like the ring that sometimes forms around the moon ~
In devotion,
Chanelle
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PS: I have not forgotten to return to Colette. She is amongst my (many) favorite Aquarians.
And as tis the season, I chose to do a bit of bibliomancy with her short stories for the new moon we just had a few days ago, which also marked the Lunar New Year. So this Horoscopic Reading will consist of fragments for each of the signs, and I’ve included an essence recommendation for you, too.
Onwards ~
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Horoscopic Reading
Fragments divined for each of the signs on the New Moon at 09° Aquarius on 29 January 2025. Read for your rising, sun, & moon sign if you wish. See what lines, symbols, or images strike a chord in you. Take them with you throughout the lunar month.
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Aquarius:
“Until the cure, my friend, the real cure. It comes… mysteriously. You don’t feel it right away. But it is like a gradual reward for so much pain.”
— from The Cure
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