The Fig & The Wasp

"My Favorite Road"

Hidden in that girl’s house is a little sheep that comes to visit whenever it feels like it. The sheep loves to walk along the girl’s braids and chat with her. At first, she was surprised, but now it’s a friend who soothes her heart.

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Acrylic on wood panel Lines were drawn with pastels. 30cm x 20.5cm x 2.2cm

※It comes with a hook on the back, so display it right away.

Friday, August 7 - Sunday, August 9, 2026

Just a couple of days - really, a weekend.

Learning - remember, it takes years and years to train a “prima donna.” Be patient and give yourself time.

Thinking and reasoning - it’s okay (in fact, it’s salutary) to sit with our feelings for a while, before and during the time we work through our problems.

Communication - no whining, please. Let the other people have their turn to speak, too.

Friday, August 7, 11:43 UTC

Chart erected for Washington, DC

Not a very grounded chart, with Earth signs represented only by a pair of Centaurs (Chiron Rx/Taurus, and Pholus Rx/Capricorn). Possibly an insensitive one, too, with only Mercury/Cancer and a third Centaur, Nessus Rx/Pisces, occupying Water signs.

But, this is a chart for a solar event (the Sun reaching 15°00’00” Leo, precisely halfway between the Cancer Solstice and the Libra Equinox), and look at that amazing exact trine between the Sun/Leo and Saturn/Aries! An excellent “season” to begin to really do that Saturn/Aries work:

Stepping up and taking personal responsibility (even when we didn’t “do it”)

Learning to work independently, in solitude

Meeting the challenge to become worthy of what we’re trying to accomplish

As for the Moon, it’s part of a “Kite” formation. There’s an Air sign grand trine between the Moon and Uranus together in Gemini, Venus/Libra, and Juno Rx with Pluto Rx in Aquarius. Women! Let’s talk (and listen) to each other!

The focal point for all that Airy energy is Neptune Rx/Aries. There are (surprisingly) plenty of ways to express this:

Working on our “spiritual warrior” side - from our right to be spiritual at all, up to our right to be spiritual in the way(s) that we determine for ourselves what is best for us

More artistic authenticity (e.g., people who can actually sing well without autotune, AI, etc.)

A more straightforward and direct approach to spirituality and religion (rather than elaborate rituals)

=+*+=+*+=+*+=

Happy Lammas for the northern hemisphere, and happy Brigid for you southern hemisphere folks! Since I always seem to start these with flowers - in these parts, it’s black-eyed Susan time:

(Own photo, from 2013)

We have gradually lost an hour of daylight, where I live - not really even perceptible, unless you have to wake up before 6 am. Now, though, “all of a sudden” the total daylight time begins to shrink very quickly and noticeably:

August 7 - 14 hours, 3 minutes

August 31 - 13 hours, 6 minutes

September 23 - 12 hours, 6 minutes

The shadows are darker, and their edges are sharper. This definitely adds to a slight urgency to our diminishing days.

The fresh produce makes up for it, for me anyway. For this cross-quarter we feast on peaches, blueberries, and corn on the cob.

CHAPTER ONE: WELCOME TO THE CONCRETE JUNGLE, WHERE MAGIC NEVER SLEEPS

magic isn’t just for the deep woods and moss-covered stones. it’s not limited to candlelit covens or ancient runes etched in a sacred grove. magic is where you are. in the humming neon signs, the flickering streetlamps, the rhythm of bus doors opening and closing, in the energy of walking amongst a crowd on a busy street.

urban magic is about finding the mystical in the mundane, harnessing the city’s restless energy, and using every graffiti tag, liminal space, cracked pavement, and forgotten coin as a tool for enchantment. the city is alive—a churning, breathing, chaotic organism—and if you listen closely, it’s whispering spells in the wind between skyscrapers.

this isn’t some high-brow, ceremonial magic doctrine. here, we work with sigils written on coffee shop napkins, metro card protection spells, and phone screens charged as scrying mirrors. this is magic for the streets, for the punks, for the witches in walk-ups and studio apartments, for the ones who find the divine in the hum of a dive bar at 3 AM.

WHAT MAKES URBAN MAGIC DIFFERENT?

the biggest shift between traditional and urban magic is the environment. instead of sacred groves, we have community gardens. instead of rivers, we have storm drains. instead of bonfires, we have neon lights and power grids pulsing with raw electricity.

but just because the setting is different doesn’t mean the magic is weaker. city magic is potent as hell, because it’s charged with movement, history, technology, and millions of lives overlapping in real-time.

ELEMENTS IN AN URBAN CONTEXT:

• earth → concrete, bricks, asphalt, parks and park dirt

• air → the wind between high-rises, the whispers of overheard conversations, the endless streams of information moving across the city

• fire → electricity, neon lights, the heat of a crowded bus, a match or lighter

• water → rain pooling in the streets, sewer systems, fountains in public squares, water dripping from rooftops

• spirit → the city itself, the collective energy of its people, the ghosts in old buildings, the echoes of everyone who’s walked these streets before you

this practice isn’t about forcing the old ways into a modern setting. it’s about adapting magic so that it fits your world, your reality, your city.

THEORY & FRAMEWORK: CHAOS MAGIC, QUEER MAGIC, AND CITY SPELLS

urban magic thrives on three key principles:

1. ADAPTATION – use what’s around you. city witches need to be resourceful as hell. your “wand” can be a pen, a drumstick, or a crowbar if that’s what speaks to you (though a crowbar is a little extreme). your “altar” can be a windowsill, a shoebox, or even temporary like the back of a bus seat where you traced a sigil in the condensation.

2. INGENUITY – urban magic is subtle, fast, and often disguised. your ritual circle might be drawn in spilled coffee, your sigils hidden in street art, your glamour spells worked through fashion choices and body language.

3. INTERACTION – the city is alive. talk to it. work with the spirits of your apartment building, the crows and raven and wandering city cats who see a lot, the graffiti messages that seem to answer your questions in cryptic scrawls, street names that feel like answers to questions. trust your gut, keep watch for the synchronicity

MAGICAL SYSTEMS THAT THRIVE IN THE CITY:

1. CHAOS MAGIC: THE DIY APPROACH TO WITCHCRAFT

urban magic truthfully falls under the umbrella of chaos magic.

chaos magic is sort of like punk rock spellwork. no rules except what works. it’s the belief that magic isn’t just about ancient texts and strict traditions—it’s about belief as a tool. hacking reality, using symbols, and experimenting with what actually gets results. if something stops working you chuck it and move on to something new.

• create sigils from street signs, corporate logos, and subway maps.

• use “reality hacking” spells—like placing intent in a QR code or whispering an incantation into a social media post before it goes viral.

• swap out outdated correspondences for modern tools—your phone can be your scrying mirror, your router a beacon for intention-setting.

chaos magic thrives in the city because cities are chaotic. they’re full of random encounters, glitches, synchronicities waiting to be tapped into.

2. QUEER MAGIC: BREAKING RULES, BENDING REALITY

witchcraft has always been the domain of outsiders, rebels, and the marginalized. queer magic embraces fluidity, resistance, and radical self-expression.

• use genderfluid deities, archetypes, and spirits in your workings.

• cast spells at drag shows, pride marches, and underground raves—because those are modern sacred spaces.

• turn self-love into a spell, defying the narratives that say queer people don’t deserve power, joy, or love.

urban queer magic is loud, unapologetic, and built on the bones of those who paved the way before.

TOOLS & MATERIALS: USING THE CITY AS YOUR SPELLBOOK

urban witches don’t need fancy supplies. we use:

• 📱 smart phones – scrying mirrors, digital sigil boards, enchanted playlists

• 🎫 metro cards & transit tickets – protection charms, travel blessings

• 🗝 keys – for unlocking opportunities, closing doors that need to stay shut

• 🖋 pens & sharpies – sigil-making, graffiti spellwork

• 🪙 spare change – prosperity charms, offerings to city spirits

• 🧾 receipts – paper magic, petition spells, glamour workings

if it exists in your daily life, it can be a tool.

EVERYDAY SPELLS & RITUALS

🔮 PROTECTION SPELLS FOR NAVIGATING CITY LIFE

• “doorway ward” – rub salt along your threshold, whispering “no harm may cross this line.”

• “metro shield” – imagine a glowing energy bubble around you before stepping onto public transit.

💰 PROSPERITY & SUCCESS SPELLS

• “lucky coin” – pick up a found coin, say “bring me fortune,” and carry it for a week.

• “resume enchantment” – anoint your job applications with cinnamon for luck before sending.

💡 HACKING REALITY WITH CHAOS MAGIC

• “digital sigils” – set a sigil as your phone wallpaper and charge it every time you unlock your screen.

• “parking spell” – whisper “open the way” as you search for a spot—watch as one appears.

🌀 COMMUNITY SPELLS & URBAN COLLECTIVE MAGIC

• “city-wide sigil work” – drop the same symbol in different places and see what manifests.

• “full moon offerings” – leave a quarter at a crossroads to honor the city’s spirits.

THE CITY IS YOUR ALTAR

this is your grimoire, your spellbook, your guide to turning the city into a magical playground. don’t just live in it—work with it, enchant it, let it enchant you back.