Mapping New Normal Seas

The shifting undulating chaos waves are back, they’re different in 2021, but back nonetheless. Time for some sea legs again, here's my little shanty…

2020 #WFH for me was all about spells and rituals, lore, prayer work, herbalism, oils, rootwork, wicca, saints, Druidry, Jungian depth psychology, esoteric alchemy and gnostic hermeticism, resilience training, grief work, ecology and all manner of occult, magic, religion, mythological and spiritual learnings.

This year it is about, what Gordon White calls coherence – and finding this in the astrological and animist systems. I continue to practically sharpen my probability nudging forecasting skills – from basic scenario planning, looking at cycle models, historical and celestial patterns to divination and fortune. We live in midst of crisis so our role is to recognise our part in that bigger story of chaos.

I’m currently following Rune Soup’s 'Out Here In The Field' course. It beautifully frames the Bayo Akomolafe question 'What if the way we respond to the crisis is part of the crisis?' around a planetary magic astrologial story, mashed up with fields and resonance. Through rediscovering this work I’m also listening to Audibles from Charles Eisenstein and exploring concepts of ‘sanctuary’ beyond White’s posited Rivendell x Helm's Deep model. I’m very happy to be back enjoying this magical resource.

This course reconsiders the theory of change far beyond human-centricity. It humbles yet invites us to reclaim agency – not to bolster up our egoic lives but to bare responsibility to a living planetary system. It also reminds me of Joanna Macy & Dr. Chris Johnstone’s ActiveHope and Jem Bendall’s Deep Adaptation – that awakened consciousness as a contributing collective is far more infectious than a coronavirus. It’s ideas we need to spread – ideas of harmony and hope and of co-habitation. Not division, not duality, not apartheid of ideologies, war and politics that restrain us from our togetherness (not to mention seriously pissing off Gaia). It is for our children, our babies that we must band together for. It is for the future – as a shared positive outcome. And I am grateful - gratitude for my family, home, job, friends and health.

We are all a part of the whole, the bigger cosmic system. Each of us is valued and plays a role in the shared story of a future of regeneration. We get there by changing ourselves, or how we view ourselves. Healing comes from an inner lens, it’s magic working both above and below. We must design a new view from which to take a stand, and a systems-thinking one. Everything we do has a little ripple effect in the big fishy pond of life in the Universe. Every argument about vaccination (for or against - I'm vaxed because I'm a mother and a pragmatist not a politicist), every me vs. you debate, every Brexit position, every racial war or woke polarity trigger. These divide us. Divisiveness is the real viral agent here. We need a more positive contagion, we need to be super-spreaders of LOVE. Fighting each other does not have to be our destiny in the timelines, we can choose a greater, older and more sacred response to perceived fear and media terror. We can elect to choose the path of beauty and wisdom, of harmony and truth, of nature and the divine, of wholeness rather than separation, of freedom and of healing over trauma. Resilience (magic) is transmissible, let's catch a healthy dose of that.

RS has introduced me to the work of writers from Permaculturists, thinkers, magicians, shamans, astrologists, podcasters, ecologists, anthropologists, psychologists, folklorists, cartomancers, wizards, mystics and wise ones – such as Carol Sanford, Orland Bishop, Lynne McTaggart, AiltonKrenak, Langston Kahn. And I’m digging out my Permie books again as well as my depth psychology tomes (hello James Hillman I have missed you so) as I shuffle a Rider-Waite pack and pull up a natal chart for fun and kicks on Astro.com. Artemis/Selene/Hecate – honey, I’m home - be my light again. Here's my May book listening list among a tonne of podcasts on Spotify:

I stopped my RSPM membership for some time (in a foolish ADHD hyper-focus attempt to economise) but this resource, just like wonderful Treadwells the book shop (please Royal Mail reduce your postal rates for shipping big magical books from London to Singapore soon), oils from Original Botanica, awesome independent blogs like Hermeticlessons and HOTTC, astrologers such as Chris Brennan and Austin Coppick on the The Astrology Podcast, AstroLada’s aspects course (and her Age of Aquarius video which lead me to learn about Steiner's Ahriman), the late great Nikola Stojanovic’s degree theory, Chani’s chocolate voice, The Leo King’s mad riffing on Dee and the monad secret Hermes and all manner of woo modalities beyond -  are my resilience toolkits in covid crazy times. I find their wisdom, voices and extended communities a blessing in uncertain Aquarian ‘airy’ times. These resources help me maintain my optimism and keep my frequency high. 

As a Scorpio Rising I often struggle with 8^th House psychological stuff in the darkness or 12^th House Pluto underworld exorcisms and deep plunging soul stuff, but leaning into my Aquarian sun for the collective reminds me of our role to each play a part in the bigger story – the humanity and planetary epic monomyth, the ultimate cosmic adventure: Life.

My Gemini moon (writing) find home once again in a blog – for just me and my entourage of Jungian archetypes, Planetary gods, angels & demons that constellate round my weird head orbit, a posse of dead poets in my mind & aching souls trapped in body, my inner crew.

I’m building out new maps. New models of reality here. Chris Johnstone’s College of Wellbeing resilience training helps me keep my water level high (see Chris' Boat & Water Level Mapping tool above) as I traverse the seas to navigate. Gordon White prefers pirate strategies to a naval response, but I think there’s room for both on my boat. My compass as my heart, to chart a course under moonlight and sail through the narrow Straits of New Normal, searching for the Lunar Maria within.

In the face of adversity and irrational nonsense in a crazy back-to-front-upside-down 'new normal' world, I choose to make my 2021 one of meaning, embracing a greater myth. Let's raise a captain’s rum toast to our salty impermanent kingdoms. May we each find our own legendary Sundaland in Java Sea. 

Hey! Ho! and up she rises.

Hey! Ho! and up she rises.

Hey! Ho! and up she rises.

Early in the morning.

Happy depth sailing y’all!