“When we view living, in the european mode,” Audre Lorde relays in “Poetry is Not a Luxury”, “only as a problem to be solved, we then rely solely upon our ideas to make us free:
for these were what the white fathers told us were precious. But as we become more in touch with our own ancient, black, non-european view of living as a situation to be experienced and interacted with, we learn more and more to cherish our feelings, and to respect those hidden sources of our power from where true knowledge and therefore lasting action comes.
At this point in time, I believe that women carry within ourselves the possibility for fusion of these two approaches as keystone for survival, and we come closest to this combination in our poetry. I speak here of poetry as the revelation or distillation of experience, not the sterile word play that, too often, the white fathers distorted the word poetry to mean — in order to cover their desperate wish for imagination without insight. For women, then, poetry is not a luxury. It is a vital necessity of our existence. It forms the quality of the light within which we predicate our hopes and dreams toward survival and change, first made into language, then into idea, then into more tangible action.
It can be easy to approach the world only through the mind, especially when the world is cruelly difficult.
but what do we pass down, feed on, lean on, in hard times if not art and poetry?
It may feel like a big ask to even consider sitting down and making art, turning it into another responsibility. But we make art all the time: Corita Kents tells us that “[t]o create means to relate. The root meaning of the word art is to fit together and we all do this every day. Not all of us are painters but we are all artists. Each time we fit things together we are creating–whether it is to make a loaf of bread, a child, a day.”
Art to me has always been a way of seeing; of looking around this and wondering, how does this relate to me? Or how does this part relate to another? I am comforted because that way, every moment can be its own song or basket or poem.
Art need not be inaccessible or high-minded. What if what defined an artist was “not so much the snatching at eternity as the tinkering, the grubbing in the dirt, the quiet attention to the most seemingly ordinary and insignificant details — not the grand unfurling of the universe but life at its smallest”.1
Art is what connects us to our lives, weaving together some form of meaning and connection when the mind and the worlds they have wrought lead to schisms, senselessness, and pain.
The mind can’t abide a void. Art needs it. Because committing yourself to being an artist doesn’t mean you always have something to say. Ligaya Mishan explains it well: “Then there are the hours of staring into blankness, be it of a canvas, page, stage or your own soul…From the outside, it might look like idleness (from the inside, terror)”.
But what if we saw that space as room for the divine instead of a darkness to fear?
In my experience, the mouth of creativity is dark. I close my eyes to see it, letting the emptiness permeate. When I drop a question into it, a series of images flash through that darkness— an owl flying over a full moon shrouded in clouds; a ferris wheel that spins so fast it sends up big orange sparks against a summer night— and I do not fear it.
New Beta Offering: Connecting to the Muse
I created my Muse Asteroid beta offering to give shape, a name to that divine darkness because it wants to befriend us, to nourish us, but also be celebrated by us. When the process of making art is itself a form of channeling the divine, it further deepens art’s connective ability.
By looking at the positions of the Muse asteroids in your chart, we can begin to define what the flavor of your artistic inspiration and output looks like.
Erato, for example, imbues inspiration via pleasure and eros, as well as the ability to mirror what you see, for better or worse. Kalliope takes the big, cliff-side view and a style that will always be a Classic but best remembers the limits of even the most encyclopedic undertaking.
In addition to researching the Muses as goddesses, their asteroid position, and role in Ancient Greece as creative deities, I have been working to get to know them directly through rituals, offerings, walking dates. Now, I need your help. It is only through conversation with others that I can adequately shape and confirm the knowledge I have gathered.
I am delighted to uncover the distinct personalities of the Nine Muses and the wisdom they can offer us beyond their surface categories.
I don’t believe, for example, that if you have Terpsichore, muse of dance, conjoined a prominent placement, that you will be a dancer. Instead, Terpsichore offers us the wisdom of rhythm, of the repetition of sun sets and rises that change even as they stay the same. She gives the ability to repeat the same note or movement or line over and over until it breaks open and becomes new again.
To support this reading and give you a fuller picture of your creative and devotional relationship, we will also be looking at:
Your 3rd house, place of praxis and intuition
Your 9th house, place of direct divination and relationship to God
Your 5th house, place of creativity and joy
Altogether, these places give us a picture of what an embodied, ensouled, creativity looks like for you. In addition to looking at the planets within, and ruling these houses, as well as any fixed stars involved, I will offer creative channeling and divination to guide you towards where you need to go.
This reading is a conversation, an initiation to a deeper connection to your Muse, your world, your life.
To honor the tragedy that occurred yesterday, 15% of proceeds from readings booked from now through Sunday will be donated to the funds for the Uvalde shooting victims.
You can also talk to the Muses yourself. In contrast to the planetary deities, I find the Muses to be quite friendly and inviting— so long as you meet them where they are. Of them Homer tells us “…they, uttering through their lips a lovely voice, sing the laws of all and the goodly ways of the immortals, uttering their lovely voice”.
If you want some creative inspiration, or simply want to remember the good things in life, contact the Muses. I will provide some general tips.
You can find out if you have any Muse asteroids prominent in your chart2 by going to astro.com→ dropdown menu → Horoscopes Drawing and Data → Extended Chart Selection → Scroll down to Additional Objects → Copy + paste these numbers into the “Manual Entry” Box: 22,84,18,33,23,81,62,27,30.
If any are within 3º of your 7 visible planets or one of your 4 angles, then considered yourself touched by that Muse.
Even if you don’t book a reading, you can still fill out my survey! I am trying to gather as much data on the Muse asteroids as I can so if you have a significant conjunction with one of Nine, I would love to hear about your creative practice.
If you want to connect with your Muse yourself:
First, a customary offering for them was milk and/or honey poured directly onto the ground. As they are also associated with fountains, I also believe fresh spring water is a suitable offering. While pouring, you can recite this Oprhic Hymn:
[75] LXXV. TO THE MUSES
The Fumigation from Frankincense.
Daughters of Jove [Zeus and Mnemosyne], dire-sounding and divine,
renown'd Pierian, sweetly speaking Nine;
To those whose breasts your sacred furies fire much-form'd, the objects of supreme desire:
Sources of blameless virtue to mankind, who form to excellence the youthful mind;
Who nurse the soul, and give her to descry the paths of right with Reason's steady eye.
Commanding queens who lead to sacred light the intellect refin'd from Error's night;
And to mankind each holy rite disclose, for mystic knowledge from your nature flows.
Clio, and Erato, who charms the sight, with thee Euterpe minist'ring delight:
Thalia flourishing, Polymina fam'd, Melpomene from skill in music nam'd:
Terpischore, Urania heav'nly bright, with thee who gav'st me to behold the light.
Come, venerable, various, pow'rs divine, with fav'ring aspect on your mystics shine;
Bring glorious, ardent, lovely, fam'd desire, and warm my bosom with your sacred fire.(source)
As they are associated with Apollo, God of the Sun, you can sync your worship to the Sun’s Day and hour if you so wish.
Other than that, trust what feels right and what comes through from the Muse or Muses contacted. You can also tune into one in particular (perhaps one connected to your chart?), which I have done to great results.
My consults help you understand the role that the Muses play in your life as well as how to fully unlock your creative potential.
Weather Report
This weekend, both the Moon and Venus will be in Taurus, the sign in which both of these soft, flowy planets have power and resources. I think Venus and the damn rest of us are done with the lesser benefic in her detriment.
What makes this ingress all the more sweet is that a fixed star called Mirach lies at 0º24’ Taurus. The moment a planet enters the fixed earth sign it is touched by the energy of this star in the Andromeda constellation. If you recall, Andromeda was the princess sacrificed to Cetus, the sea monster, saved at the last minute by Perseus. Manilius has this to say about the myth:
Even in the hour of sacrifice she yet preserves a modest mien: her very sufferings become her, for, gently inclining her snow-white neck, she seemed in full possession of her liberty. The folds of her robe slipped from her shoulders and fell from her arms, and her streaming locks covered her body.
There’s a tenderness to this star that may lead one to learn helplessness or be taken advantage of. But her strength comes in retaining her softness, her creativity and intuition, even when under attack. May this energy carry you forward through this harsh, unjust world.
I leave you with this video of Björk and PJ Harvey duetting.
Until next week sweeties,
Chloe
Do you have any Muse Asteroids prominent in your chart? Comment below with yours and any questions you may have about the Muses, art, daily practice ⛲ 🏺🐝
Generally, an asteroid is considered a worthy influence when conjoined within 3º of the 7 visible planets or one of the 4 angles in your chart.
Dig the PJ Harvey picture.
My muses: Erato & Sappho ('the Tenth Muse') conjunct each other (+0º22") and my 12th House Venus (+1º28"), which is also the ruler of my Asc
Polyhymnia is conjunct my 11th House Jupiter (+1º28") (Bonus: Mnemosyne is conjunct Polyhymnia (+0º01"))
Kalliope is too far from my Jupiter to count (+4º47")
Thalia is not close enough to my 7th House moon (+5º07") but it's at the edge of too far away from the exact opposition to my 1st House sun (+2º51")
And right next to my Klio which is exact (+0º02") opposite my sun
Euterpe is +1º17" distant from my third house Mars.
Melete (archaic muse) is opposite (+1º30") my Mars in Cancer
Melpomene in Aquarius 4th house isn't connected to anything - except it's closely conjunct (+0º16") my sun/moon midpoint
Urania isn't connected to anything in my Pisces 5th house
So, of course, the things that have been closet to my productive output have been astronomy/astrology (Urania), cooking (Thalia), history (Clio) and I have always tended to be interested in old school epic poetry (Kalliope). Never been one for organized religion (Polyhymnia), theatre (Euterpe), or dance (Terpsichore). 'Thought and memory' (Melete is also a big one). No comment on Sappho/Erato.
Bonus Graces comment: Euphrosyne (joy & mirth) is square (+0º29") my moon from my 10th house, Aglaja is conjunct (+1º35") my Venus, Peithos is in my First House, but only opposite (+2º24") my moon - and exact trine Urania (???), Gratia (Latin for grace) is conjunct (+1º28") my sun , and Charis is also in my first, but +5º47" away from sun (and +5º11" away from my Neptune).
Maybe I'm overloaded.
elm
hi!