everyone's mom

whatever. gijinka time

A lot of this is going to be dependent on the diety in question. In the case of Selene, your first step should be to do some research on her specifically. What stories exist about her? what offerings are traditional for her? What values does she represent? These are the sort of questions I often ask when doing any sort of diety work.

By learning more about Selene herself you'll get a better understanding of how to work with her, and then from there I would suggest making an offering and establishing boundaries. Boundaries look different for every diety but every diety worth respecting will respect your boundaries in turn. If presented with a take-it-or-leave-it situation, you would then want to consider if it's worth taking.

A prayer poem in Latin along with its English translation for the Greek goddess Selene and the waning crescent moon:

In Latin:

Selene, dea noctis, inluminatae Lunae domina,

Sub lunae cornicis tui lumine carente,

Oramus te, sub tua clementia,

Da nobis pacem et per vitam duc nos gratia.

Tuam pulchritudinem caelestem, signum in nocte,

Tenebras illustrat, somnia ad lucem deducit.

Sub argentea tua luce, super nos viges,

Dum per mundum erramus, magni et parvi.

In regno tuo tranquillo, ubi stellae caelum ornant,

Praecipio sapientiam, dum dies fluunt.

Duc me per umbras, tua arte miti,

Revela veritates absconditas in corde meo.

O Selene, dea lunae superius,

Animam meam implebis radios tuos, amore.

Cum crescente lumine et stellis fulgentibus,

Sentio praesentiam tuam, quamvis longe.

Benedicte Selene, in tua tranquilla complexione,

Invenio solacium, serenitatem, et gratiam.

Dum ad te aspicio in silentio noctis,

Scio te mecum esse, splendes valde.

In nomine tuo, hoc precem offerimus, vere,

Ad Selene, deam cornicis crescentis coloris tui.

Tua lux ducat me in hoc itinere terrae,

Dum per vitam progredior, te duce.

English Translation:

Selene, goddess of the night,

mistress of the illuminated Moon,

Under the light of your waning crescent,

We pray to you, under your mercy,

Grant us peace and lead us

through life with grace.

Your celestial beauty, a sign in the night,

Illuminates the darkness,

leads dreams to light.

Under your silver light, you watch over us,

As we wander through the world,

both great and small.

In your tranquil realm,

where stars adorn the sky,

I beseech for wisdom as the days flow by.

Guide me through shadows,

with your gentle art,

Reveal hidden truths within my heart.

Oh, Selene, goddess of the moon on high,

Fill my soul with your radiant love, oh nigh.

With the waxing light

and sparkling stars so high,

I sense your presence,

no matter how far you lie.

Blessed Selene, in your tranquil embrace,

I find solace, serenity, and divine grace.

As I gaze up at you in the silence

of the night, I know you're with me,

shining brilliantly, pure and bright.

In your name, we offer this prayer,

so sincere,

To Selene,

goddess of the crescent moon's cheer.

May your light guide me

on this earthly flight,

As I journey through life,

with you as my guiding light.

Here is a list of Latin affirmations with English translations dedicated to the Greek goddess Selene and her gifts from the moon:

Latin: "Lumen lunae in me lucet."

English: "The moon's light shines within me."

Latin: "Tua gratia, Selene, me fovet."

English: "Your grace, Selene, nurtures me."

Latin: "Sub lunae lumine, anima mea floret."

English: "Under the moon's light, my soul flourishes."

Latin: "Tu es speculum lunae, Selene."

English: "You are the mirror of the moon, Selene."

Latin: "Luna tua, dona tua."

English: "Your moon, your gifts."

Latin: "Lunae dona in corde meo refulgent."

English: "The gifts of the moon shine in my heart."

Latin: "Sub Selene custodia, me sentio secure."

English: "Under Selene's protection, I feel secure."

Latin: "Luna tua, via ad sapientiam."

English: "Your moon, the path to wisdom."

Latin: "Per lunae viam, me invenio."

English: "Through the moon's way, I find myself."

Latin: "Selene, lumina meum iter."

English: "Selene, light my path."

Creator Spotlight: @jdebbiel

Deb JJ Lee is a non-binary Korean artist based in Brooklyn, NY. They have appeared in the New Yorker, New York Times, NPR, Google, Radiolab, and more. Their award-winning graphic memoir, IN LIMBO, about mental illness and difficult relationships with trauma, released in March 2023 from First Second.

Below is our interview with Deb!

Have you ever had an art block? If so, how did you overcome it?

That implies I am over my art block, but I’m still in it! I think about Kiki’s Delivery Service a lot and how she had to stop doing a thing, and that you can’t really force it, and you have to let it come back to you. It’s a pretty humbling moment, realizing there is more to life than just drawing. I’ve been trying to consume other content like reading or watching movies—anything that is not drawing-related—and to trust that it will come back to me. I think not being afraid to do the small pieces before committing to the big pieces is helpful. Because big pieces are what I am known for, I dig myself into a deeper hole, thinking that each piece has to be bigger than the last one. So yeah! Relaxing and doing the small things before overcommitting to a big piece is the best way to go about it for me.

Which 3 famous artists (dead or alive) would you invite to your dinner party?

I feel like these are all artists that I have second-degree connections with! Jillian Tamaki, Victo Ngai, and Tillie Walden would be my picks!

What are your file name conventions?

…What file name conventions? I mean, I don’t have specific file name conventions, but I actually have a public Google Drive archive! But I usually put “djjl_whatever-the-title-is_final,” and I would always know it’s the final and legit version.

What is a recent creative project that you are proud of?

I did an illustration for the whiskey brand Johnnie Walker. It’s so wild because I only had four days to finish it, and it usually takes me a week and a half if I rush. And honestly, it’s probably one of my best pieces from this year, which is funny. It was for the Mid-Autumn festival, so I made it as Korean as possible.

How has technology changed the way you approach your work?

I only use my iPad to draw everything now, and if I want to pretend that I have a steady workstation, I’ll use my Cintiq. I still am not as comfortable on the Cintiq as I am on Procreate, but it’s still pretty solid and nice. That’s the good part about technology. The bad part about technology is how AI art has been messing things up for me. I’m currently in a lawsuit about AI art as a class rep. Some of my stuff got turned into AI art late last year, so I have to give a deposition at some point. 

What is a convention experience that has stuck with you?

Honestly, they’re all good! I feel like Lightbox Expo has been really nice because it’s truly been a convention for artists. I feel like that’s where most of my audience is, and they’re all around because their purpose is to be better at art. That’s where a lot of original artists do well because they’re getting art they’re inspired by, not so much fanart. I like the Lightbox Expo because it encompasses the pure love of art very well. 

Top tips on setting up an Artist Alley booth?

Use a Y axis, not just your X axis! Take advantage of it! Branding is also something to think about. It is definitely something I’m getting better at. Having an assistant is also very important. I’ve also heard that 8.5x11 to 12x18 inches is usually a good size for prints, but I also provide postcard-sized prints because sometimes people don’t want to commit to a larger size. 

Who on Tumblr inspires you and why?

You know this is so funny. I’ve been following @alicexz for over a decade on Tumblr and other platforms. I’ve followed her work since high school, and we’ve only recently become peers. I found her, and we met for the first time in real life, and she recognized me. And then I found all my drawings from when I was in my Alice phase, back in high school, and I was like, “Yo, this is when I was trying to be you so badly!” and she was cracking up and was like “Wow, this is so good!” It was such a sweet moment. I wanted to take a picture of her holding my drawing up. It’s really nice because now we’re peers.