Language Above & Below
Books Open for May & June
Hello all,
Recently, I finished re-reading David Abram’s Spell of the Sensuous, a classic of ecological literature. An overarching theme of Abram’s argument throughout the book is that alphabetic literacy (amongst other things) is responsible for our current state of separation from the natural world. After investigating the many ways that our own signs and symbols have led us to ignore the sensuous language of the more-than-human world, the book concludes with an impassioned plea to weave the written word and land-connectedness together again:
“For those of us who care for an earth not encompassed by machines, a world of textures, tastes, and sounds other than those that we have engineered, there can be no question of simply abandoning literacy, of turning away from all writing. Our task, rather, is that of taking up the written world, with all its potency, and patiently, carefully, writing language back into the land. Our craft is that of releasing the budded, earthly intelligence of our words, freeing them to respond to the speech of the things themselves - to the green uttering-forth of leaves from the spring branches. It is the practice of spinning stories that have the rhythm and lilt of the local soundscape...Planting words, like seeds, under rocks and fallen logs - letting language take root once again, in the earthen silence of shadow and bone and leaf.”
David Abram, The Spell of the Sensuous, pgs. 273-274
Reading this passage on a Sunday afternoon in a park festooned with blooming flowers, I couldn’t help but to notice the resonance of such a passage when the Sun and Mercury are transiting through Taurus, the sign of the Earth’s blooming beauty and wild fecundity. At this time in the Northern Hemisphere, all the Earth explodes in fresh leaves and exquisite blossoms. Trusses of rhododendrons open to reveal freckled petals and long pistils. Roses unfold their layers to reveal sweet fragrances and stunning colors. Figs begin fruiting, and strawberries start to swell with juice.
Mercury is the planet of intelligence, and Taurus is a sign of embodiment, growth, and natural beauty. Thus, Mercury in Taurus can draw us to an awareness of the intelligence within the natural world. The sensing organs of our bodies are our hands, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin. They provide us with data to discover the world and a means to interact with it. Much like our hands, roots, shoots, leaves, and petals are the Mercurial appendages of the plant kingdom. They too seek to apprehend and interact with the world, drawing in minerals, water, and sunlight into their own sensuous bodies. Trees communicate with one another through their roots and the mycorrhizal networks they are embedded within. Although we anthropocentrically assume them to be mute, plants are engaged in a form of speech all their own.
As the Earth below and her children speak, so do the Heavens above. The great changes promised by this dynamic year continue to unfold. At this point, Saturn and Neptune have completed their conjunction in Aries, leading to an energy crisis and the disintegration of the “rules-based order” of the past century. Uranus is now in Gemini, ready to amplify technological disruption and stir revolution. And Mars and Saturn completed their conjunction in Aries last month, seeding a new cycle of malevolence, with this one’s primary focus being the war in Iran. But there is still much to come, including an auspicious benefic conjunction in Cancer, the minor grand trine between the outer planets, and another eclipse season. 2026 is a rocky road, and we’re not even halfway through yet.
For those curious to explore the road ahead and how it may impact your own natal chart, my books are open now for May and June! Current sessions available include all my typical offerings including those focused on Mars, Saturn, or your Solar return. There are also sliding scale options available for members of historically marginalized communities. For more information on consults and sliding scale, check out this page.
In this season of lengthening light and deepening green, I challenge you to find a sentence hidden in a stem or a book concealed in tree bark. Listen more closely to the patterns unfolding both above and below. If you’re interested in scrying the sky’s divine writing, I’d be happy to be your interpreter.
Ad Astra per Aspera