#correspondances

"I hope to find some peace on the sea, during these long days. But true peace, I know where I will find it — with you, alone in the world, with an eternity of love."

— ALBERT CAMUS À MARIA CASARÈS, Vendredi [24 juin 1949]

"Oui, la langue égyptienne n'était pas seule à être enveloppée de ténèbres. Vous êtes, Zelmire, le hiéroglyphe le plus douloureusement impénétrable auquel je n'ai jamais été confronté. Votre image est une composition inconnue à laquelle je n'ai su résister. Des signes. Vos gestes, votre regard, votre voix. Des idéogrammes, vos créations, votre talent, vos engagements politiques. Cet ensemble c'est immédiatement inscrit en moi au plus profond. Une inscription énigmatiquement imprégnée de mes plus anciennes, de mes plus intimes réminiscences qui m'a transporté dans une région de moi-même dont elle m'a révélé l'existence. Y aurait-il dans cette écriture quelques métaphores cachées, une clé secrète. Je n'ai malheureusement pas trouvé la pierre de rosette qui m'eut aidé à vous déchiffrer. Elle m’eut peut-être sauvé. Notre séparation, votre silence, je les récent comme une perte de ma propre substance. Des bribes de ma chair sont restées accrochées à cette écriture mystérieuse, inaccessible, l'être aimé. Vous. L'être aimé. Vous. Je sais, je tente de m'en convaincre que je ne vous ai pas été indifférent. Ce qui m'a été le plus pénible sans doute, je vous le confesse, c'est une singularité que je n'ai rencontré que chez vous dans vos lettres. Je veux parler de ces lignes soigneusement biffées, de ces phrases entièrement rendues illisibles par des ratures serrées. Comme si dans un impitoyable retrait vous aviez tout de suite voulu effacer des moments de confiance, d'abandon, qui peut-être m'eussent comblé. C'est en tout cas ce que j'imagine maintenant avec quelle amertume. Cette attente que vous m'imposez, je ne puis plus la supporter. Ceci est ma dernière lettre. Fasse le ciel que l'Égypte, ses monuments, ses pharaons, ses sarcophages me permettent de vous oublier. Il y va de ma survie. Adieu. "

Et oui... Certaines écritures restent indéchiffrables...

Ces lettres sont rassemblées dans un recueil. C'est ici pour plus de détails :

Correspondences

Nature is a temple where living pillars Let sometimes emerge confused words; Man crosses it through forests of symbols Which watch him with intimate eyes.

Like those deep echoes that meet from afar In a dark and profound harmony, As vast as night and clarity, So perfumes, colors, tones answer each other.

There are perfumes fresh as children's flesh, Soft as oboes, green as meadows, And others, corrupted, rich, triumphant,

Possessing the diffusion of infinite things, Like amber, musk, incense and aromatic resin, Chanting the ecstasies of spirit and senses.

— Geoffrey Wagner, Selected Poems of Charles Baudelaire (NY: Grove Press, 1974)

Correspondances

La Nature est un temple où de vivants piliers Laissent parfois sortir de confuses paroles; L'homme y passe à travers des forêts de symboles Qui l'observent avec des regards familiers.

Comme de longs échos qui de loin se confondent Dans une ténébreuse et profonde unité, Vaste comme la nuit et comme la clarté, Les parfums, les couleurs et les sons se répondent.

II est des parfums frais comme des chairs d'enfants, Doux comme les hautbois, verts comme les prairies, — Et d'autres, corrompus, riches et triomphants,

Ayant l'expansion des choses infinies, Comme l'ambre, le musc, le benjoin et l'encens, Qui chantent les transports de l'esprit et des sens.

Wild onion and its magical (and mundane) uses.

It's spring here in north america. All around you'll see curly shoots of "grass" popping up out of the ground. Upon closer inspection, they may look similar to chives. They technically are. This plant is an allium vineale, which is apart of the same family as garlic, onions, and chives. Allium vineale does have a toxic lookalike- but no fear. They're uncommon, and easy to tell apart. Real allium vineale will smell of garlic or onion. These curly little plants are edible, and very useful in magic.

Properties of onion and garlic which are applicable to this plant:

All three are heavily associated with protection, healing/health, and prosperity. Uniquely, green onion corresponds to money and strength, garlic banishment and curse-breaking, onion with love and lust.

Personal and unique correspondence:

As these plants are the first to spring up (the bulb carries sunlight providing energy as winter fades), they are associated with the sun and springtime. Because of this, I correlate them to new beginnings and fresh starts.

Uses:

You can use them as you would any of its family members in cooking. If your herb garden has yet to take off as we struggle out of winter, pulling some from an area (that hasn't been treated with pesticides) can provide a nice splash of colour and flavor to your food.

Magically, you can use it to substitute both onions and garlic.

For specifics, I like to braid together the strands and hang it by doorways as a means of protection.

Here is an example I made just today.

They will wilt naturally, but you can dry them in the oven as you would any other herb. I find using these braids as protection very effective. If you don't mind smelling of onion, you could absolutely wear a braid as a bracelet.

If allium vineale grows near you, take a gander, and consider using it in your practice.

Mercury Retrograde: Spring 2022

”Mercury will make everything capricious in outcome and quite disturbed.” -Valens

Navigating Retrogrades

Retrogrades remind us that life doesn’t move in linear motion. They mark a time to pause and tread lightly in whatever area that planet overrules.

This Mercury Retrograde might feel more disruptive than others, since it’s our first crossing Taurus since 2017.

Mercury Rulership

Mercury oversees all exchanges and trades in life from information, to goods and resources, currency, services, and bonds. During retrograde periods these transactions and their tools are often compromised. You can expect the following areas to be affected by a Mercury Retrograde:

Education

Correspondence

Interpretation

Accounts

Markets

Banking

Business

Tracking Mercury

This Mercury Retrograde will begin its journey in Gemini, where Mercury feels at home. From there it will backtrack into Taurus, moving from an Air sign to an Earth sign. You may notice struggles shift from intellectual and communicative issues to those dealing with material matters, banking, or physical goods. Thought the supply chain was bad already? Buckle in.

Want to know how this retrograde will affect you on a personal level? Book a Yearly Mapping session with me! I’ll give you insight on how this transit will move through your chart, what areas of life might become more tense, and together we’ll come up with a plan to help you best weather the astrological storm.

Mercury Retrograde Survival Tips

Retrograde Dos

Take it slow, avoid trickster Mercury’s false sense of haste

Double check your work and all spelling

Cross your t’s and dot your i’s

Surrender to the fact that not everything will go according to plan, and that’s okay

Retrograde Don’ts

Try to avoid launching new products, services, or ventures

Avoid signing contracts, or anything involving fine print

Do not assume that communication is clear