Walking with the Muse
The only goal I have mustered for 2022 is to think less.
On my friend’s farm today, I planted carrot seeds the size of pinpricks and hauled wheelbarrows full of compost that turned my palm black. I bottle-fed a baby goat (🥲🥲🥲) and cut the tops off nettles that stung me even through gloves.1
You get a different sense of proportion working outside, in other words. As someone who spends most of their work day on the computer, I saw how, despite all the information at my disposal, it all feels crunched into a tinier and tinier space. When I’m at my computer too long, my shoulders hunch and I become focused on on the 12-inch rectangle of my laptops screen.
Outside, there’s space in between things. In between thoughts, the pauses getting longer, the body always remains, never in any sort of rush.
Thalia, Flourishing
I am currently studying the nine Muses and their corresponding asteroids, with the intention to eventually offer readings about them. This is challenging, as there is little information or mythology on these 9 sisters beyond their role as creative goddesses. As an oracle who continually cultivates a relationship with the unseen, I turned to asking the Muses themselves.
Thanks to a beautiful election this past Tuesday, I began this process via a ritual for Thalia, muse of comedy, whose asteroid is conjoined my ascendant. Since that night, she has been quite chatty about who she is, what she likes and how she affects me. But beyond the direct divination (9h), I have also been enjoying the correspondences that have arisen before and after the ceremony.
Some things to know about Thalia: she is also known to be the muse of pastoral poetry, and her name means “flourishing”. Is it any wonder that I can’t get enough of flowers? Tiny violets blooming in my parents’ back yard. Yellow violets made into a pale syrup. The first tiny purple bells of a comfrey plant.
But Thalia also has a sense of humor, as you can imagine. I went on a walk the day after the ritual, smelled lilacs and ~smoked~ a bit and something about the spring day got her going. Here’s a short list of some of the things she’s told me she likes while on that walk:
gossip and tomfoolery2
bright pink things
cheetos
and hot cheetos sometimes
the concept of freedom
wearing earth tones
stalks of wheat
Love her!!!
Stay tuned as I say hello to the other 8 muses. Most of my formal downloads/essays on them will be for paid subscribers but I will still share my beautiful snippets with all.
And if you want to combine the divine and your art practice, I am working on a new offering :) So stay extra attuned! To this newsletter, to your world, to your own muse.
And if you want to find out what the asteroid muses are doing in your chart, choose the “Extended Chart Selection” tab on astro.com and scroll down to the “Asteroids” section to select the 9 from the list.
Writing Stars
I don’t what it is, but a lot of my fixed star clients lately have been writers. Or storytellers. Or those who don’t think they’re writers but feel the pull regardless. I wanted to highlight a few of those and give you some information for if you have any in your chart:
Murzims: As the paw of the Dog constellation that rises before Sirius, brightest star in the sky, Murzims has long been known as “the Announcer”. Just as dogs were used as messengers before the written word, any paran to this star infuses you with the feeling of needing to speak or having something to say. In speaking of this star, Manilius tells us that “[w]ords run ahead of the speakers: the mind is too fast for the mouth”. There’s an oracular quality to Murzims; you don’t quite know what you’re saying but you have to say it.
Alnilam: This is one of the stars in Orion’s belt, always easy to point out because it features three stars in a straight line. Like its namesake, this star is concerned with linking ideas together as well as the toilsome work of mapping out and making those connections via writing.
Al Rescha: As a star in Pisces, the writings of Al Rescha natives can take on a dreamy, poetic style. As the star in the knot that yokes the two fish, this star is linked with connecting things you wouldn’t normally think to put together. Manilius speaks of its strong navigational skills, demonstrating the ability to wind through terrains and subjects while keeping the thread.
Castor and Pollux: These are the twin stars of the Gemini constellation. Dealing in duality, both of these stars are concerned with the interdependence of light and dark, good and evil. More than just writers, Castor and Pollux are story-tellers, relishing in reflecting on their experiences and coming up with narratives that convey the balanced truth of life.
Some others that could include “writing” in their manifestation: Alhena, Rigel, Arcturus and Spica
If you want to learn more about the stars in your chart and the contents of your soul, my books are open for Fixed Star Consults. These sessions are so alive, sacred and poetic; they hit different than a straight-up planetary analysis, but you’ll just have to see for yourself. I would be honored to aid you in connecting to the stars 🌌
And finally, as I have been listening to Kanye and just ~feeling myself~ enough to put two pics of me in the newsletter, I leave you with a prayer to the Sun.
Until next week,
Chloe
P.S. If you like what you read, share the love! Word of mouth keeps this going.
And if you have any questions or comments about anything I’ve written, I welcome any and all (kind) comments on the post <3
x
P.S. This friend’s farm, Campo Collective, also has a CSA starting next month! If you live in or near Portland, consider purchasing a share and filling your kitchen with the most amazing, collectively-grown produce.
I tried to change it to “pranks” and she wouldn’t let me.