SOLNOX NEWSLETTER #2

It's a long one, so buckle in :-)

Jan 15, 2022

Welcome back to the second edition of the solnox newsletter. I hope these ramblings find you well and winding down for the winter. (This was supposed to go out on the solstice, but life.) If you don’t remember, I'm sending this newsletter out four times a year, one for each season change on or around the solstices and equinox.

In my ideal life I would be celebrating all four of these seasonal holidays with people I love, and in places dear to me to honor the cycles and lessons each season has to offer. For various reasons— including a seemingly never ending pandemic, that’s not possible. I'm sending this out as a way to mark time, to pause, to reflect, to collect, and to connect. Hope you can enjoy some of what I’ve been gathering the last few months.

Subscribe if you haven’t already (or feel free to share with someone you think would enjoy this!)

“I am one who believes in the outrageous pursuit of hope.” - bell hooks

TLDR (Too Long Didn’t Read, or a helpful summary of What’s Below!)

Winter is for Grieving. (& That’s okay)
I sold some art! (More to come in the new year!)
Sign up for some Workshops with Stoke Collective!
It’s almost my birthday~
Monthly Jamz + 4 The Culture
Yobs + Opps

Winter Solstice Musings

It’s strange but I think I might miss a Massachusetts winter? Maybe it was the quiet nights, the warm mulled drinks of cider, and the way everyday felt short, but somehow spacious. There was limited light and outdoor activities, but the secret introverted side of me reveled in an entire season to hide away and cuddle up inside. I love that in winter it is, and historically more so, a socially sanctioned time to go inward. To reflect, take a moment of solitude, find peace in the stillness and quiet of a snow covered evening. For those that hate winter, I like to remind myself and others that technically, since the winter solstice is the longest night of the year, it means that all the days from here on out are getting longer and longer. Yes, even the light will return again.

I’ve been obsessed with Persephone (and generally revisiting lots of mythology recently). I especially love the representation of a goddess that brings both winter (death) and spring (life) all the same. I never really understood the deep undertows of winter, having grown up in a place where winter only meant a bitter wind and a snow that disappeared by noon. But now having felt the eerie quiet of a real winter, I get why the season so often is representative of death, grief, and solitude. When Persephone first went to the underworld, I assume, she too was afraid of the stench and depths of death. But even she, the personified hope of spring, came around to see the value of the cycles of life and death, and the role of the grief and the underworld. Thus she is often portrayed as the benevolent and powerful queen of the underworld. (If you want a dramatic retelling, I very much enjoyed this version in podcast form.)

Anyways, as I continue to orbit around these themes, in my art, in tending to grief, and in sitting with the hidden undertows of heavier things much easier to avoid— I’m thankful to welcome a season that allows some spaciousness for honoring these feelings around change, loss, and uncertainty. If this season is asking us to dive a little deeper into the hard feelings of loss, and misaligned values and yearnings not always met, I hope to meet it all and myself with a little more grace for the year ahead. I hope you can extend the same for yourself if you’re needing it.

Since it is my astrological season (Capricorn season came and it is not fucking around y’all!) I’m making plans for the new year of all the shit I want to get done. But I’m giving up on resolutions entirely and planting seeds instead, seeds (like garlic and potatoes) that can wait and then when the warmer months come, they’ll be ready to sprout. I’m planting seeds, literally and figuratively, because even if all the seeds don’t come to harvest we don’t see it as a failure, we look at the soil and foundation and see what we can do to improve the next harvest. I’m just out here hoping for the best, tending to what needs to get done, and reflecting on this moment.

On to the gatherings~

“We tell ourselves stories in order to live.” - Joan Didion

SHOP TALK: Winter Art Sales!

I’m in the works of building out my art + stationery sales! Thank you to everyone who supported my winter print run! (Yes the pom print was inspired by Persephone!) I’ll open up my shop again soon with more goodies. It was my first formal holiday sale & you all really showed up. I completely sold out of my Holiday cards which proved to be a very successful run and learning moment. Thank you again!

I’m currently doing lots of ~business~ research to see where I can take these stationary dreams. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled or check back on my website in the coming months for more art drops (& feel free to tell me what you’d like to see more of! Stickers? Cards? Calendars? Oh My!)

STOKE COLLECTIVE: Join me in TWO January Workshops!

I’m so excited to be joining the Stoke Collective in a more intentional way this year, and to start off the year we are offering two workshops to resource you for the year ahead, and yes I will be co-facilitating, so be sure to sign up.

STOKE is a decentralized collective of facilitators, educators, and changemakers committed to shifting culture by developing relational values and practices within progressive movements and projects.

We’re also offering an amazing facilitation training series. You definitely don’t want to miss it if Facilitation skills are something you’re wanting in your tool box. If any of this sounds like a fit for you, sign up below! If you’re not sure if it’s a good fit, but you’re interested, hit me up with any and all questions!

New Year, New Meetings (on Friday January 21st, 4:30-6:30 ET) is a participatory training to help you start 2022 fresh with more connective and strategic meetings. You will learn key tools and skills to enhance meeting practices and engagement, as well as basic facilitation tools, to engage you in harnessing the power of effective meetings. Ready to freshen up your meetings? Sign up here.

Grief & Resilience in our Movements: How It Shows Up & How We Can Show Up for Each Other (on Sunday February 6th, 1:00-3:30pm ET) is a webinar that talks about anger, grief, and joy and our ability to cultivate collective resilience. Together we hope to reflect & build practices that can be integrated into movement work that acknowledges and works with grief. Sign up for this webinar here!
Facilitation for Changemakers Training Series (weekly, Thursday February 3rd-Thursday March 3rd, 12:00-2:30 ET) is a 5-week facilitation training series oriented towards strengthening the facilitation practices within existing changemaking groups. STOKE believes good facilitation builds inclusive, productive, and structured organizations that are more effective and resilient, and thus is a core practice to hone. Limited spaces are available. Sign up today to secure your spot!
Register Today!

Birthday bb!

I’m honestly not that excited and I’m not celebrating and I’m completely fine with that, its covid outside so…. Don’t worry, I will be delighting in my sweet solitude for this solar return. But if you do want to celebrate with me, please do so by donating to any of the options below!

Lyme Treatment for Desta - Help my friend access medical care <3

Support Water Protectors: Line 3 | Wet’suwet’en

West Fund: Safe Abortions for El Pasoans!

Donate to the STOKE Collective

Monthly Jamz

Since this was also supposed to be the end of the year edition, I thought I would include all my monthly playlists from this past year. It’s both a way for me to track time, and track vibes. Please enjoy.

January Juggernaut | Fierce February | Miraculous March

Astute April | Manic May | June Jammin

Jades of July | August Ar·go·nauts | September Sabbatical

October Ocelot | November Nixe | December Dice

Bonus Playlists: Venus Retrograde.

My Top Songs of 2021

~Albums I’ve been loving recently:

Leon Bridges - Gold-Diggers Sound

Bongoziwe Mabandla - Mangaliso