Dear reader,
It is spring, the windows of my home have been open all day, the rain is steady, & I am good-sore from being out in the gardens more often lately. There is always so much to do out there, in them.
And this spring is moving quickly here, everything is blooming at least two weeks earlier than I am accustomed to seeing. The apple has already dropped all its pink petals on the ground; the yellow iris from my grandmother’s garden is in bloom: this usually happens at Beltane, the first of May.
Every year is different, I suppose. And this one definitely is.
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What have you been up to lately?
How has the spring been unfurling for you?
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As for me: I have been entirely swept up in the speed & grace & current of the season.
Every chance I get, I try to slow my roll. Dig my heels in a little bit.
There will always be things to do & get done, but I am a firm believer in making time to turn away from the grind & towards that which I can only describe as a sensual pause.
In the pause, I may be active / I may not. The pause is mostly a door that I open & a room I step into which allows me to really be present with something—something that fills my spirit & that waters the parts of me which tend to get a little neglected in the hustle & bustle of daily life.
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Here are some of the things that have slowed me, some of the doors I have opened unto a sensual pause lately:
Translating works from French to English, & from English to French (a more challenging pause). Recently, I have begun to translate some of my herbal writings into French for the literary garden I created at Meredith College here in Raleigh.
Piano at night before bed. And my friend Kelli Frances Corrado has been helping me to refine my piano skills every other Monday night or so.
An occasional mid-afternoon nap, usually around three. Windows open, bird song lulling me, one cat curled up beside my knees the other under the crook of my elbow.
Tisane, always tisane is a key to this door. I just put together a blend for myself on the new moon, with the intention of cultivating more of these sensual moments: apple leaf, cardamon seed, plantain leaf, & wood mint.
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On the note of these little lately-rituals, I am delighted to report that the lovely, generous, & crystalline Corinna Barsan has shared her beautiful Rhythm/Devotion with us this month.
I had been interested in Akashic records for years but for one reason or another, I never sought out a reading. Perhaps it was timing, perhaps I wasn’t really looking, but it took me about twelve years from the first time I heard about Akashic records to find a practitioner with whom I felt a resonance.
This is where Corinna comes in.
She is an incredibly gifted & insightful practitioner whose words are still echoing in my mind months & months after our session… it is as if we paused the motion of the seas in our session & the waves are still landing upon the shores of my consciousness all this time later. Beyond her ability to tune into & articulate the Akashic, Corinna also works with the stone & mineral kingdom, as well as the written word in various forms.
It is my absolute pleasure to present Corinna’s interview with you. Here is one of my favorite moments from it:
I feel like a certain amount of order is necessary for creativity to thrive. And that could be creatively living your life, not necessarily making art. I don’t have children, but I’ve heard that routine can be an important framework for them. And I like to think it’s because a set structure grounds them so that they can be wild and exploratory and free to be themselves in other ways. Order as a foundation. Order as a canvas.
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Clear a little bit of space in your day & wade into Corinna’s interview by following this link here, or by clicking on the photo of her below:
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The rain has just let up & my french press of tisane has all been drunk & it is time to stretch a bit before the next part of my day calls.
Until next time, may the sun find you & may you find time to be in the sun. I am wishing you a beautiful end of the month of April: however that may look for you.
Warmly,
Chanelle
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Beautiful words friend