Where Do the Clues Lead?

Today in Reverb15, Kat McNally offers us this prompt:

In her seminal book Bird by Bird, Anne Lamott offers the observation: “The evidence is in, and you are the verdict.”

Regardless of where you live in this crazy beautiful world, I’m sure you’ll agree it’s been a BIG year.

Today, I want to acknowledge that you are here and I am here and we are here.

We’re just… HERE.

That feels like a BIG DEAL.

And, that being said, I invite you to reflect on all that this evinces. What are you the verdict of?

What a fun a fabulous prompt.  The exercise in Lamott’s book continues to say:

“Everyone is running around as an advertisement of who he or she is – so who is this person?”

It’s occurred to me that despite my great love for abecedariums, I’ve done very few this year.  In an effort to remedy that, I thought perhaps I’d answer the prompt with one.  These are a few of the advertisements I’m running around displaying.

A    Alchemist.  Seeing as how this Reverb15 theme is alchemy, I can’t resist laying claim to the title alchemist.   In a very concrete sense my work as an aromatherapist holds alchemical energy, but I like to think all our life is about transformation and creating what’s golden.

B   Bibliophile.  So many books to be devoured, never enough time.

C   Chapeaux lover.   I wasn’t born in the right century to make proper use of my hat passion, but I don’t let that deter me.

D   Dendrophilous (fond of trees).   The Sanskrit word for tree, padapa, means the one drinking with its foot.  Knowing that, can you ever look at a tree in the same way again?

E   Epithet gather.   I have a friend who is the best conferrer of titles in the universe, and I’m always welcoming her latest bestowal.  I’m totally loving “Fanner of the Flames of Delight, Truth and Rhythm”.

F   Floriography fan.  So much about this Victorian-age language of flowers delights me.  With flowers and messages to decode, and did I mention flowers – what’s not to love?

G  Gallimaufry creator and displayer.  I fell in love with this word meaning hodgepodge at first sight.  I think it’s a wonderful descriptor of what I love and what I hold.

H   Hawkshaw  (detective).  Of course I’m more of the armchair variety, but sprinkle some clues in front of me and I’m the job.

I    Illuminary.  That’s my job description.  I light the way so people can see for themselves what brilliant light beings they truly are.  I may be a bit biased but I do believe I have the best job ever.

J    Joyance inviter.  I think one of my most important missions in life is to keep my feet on the joy trail.

K    Kinkle lover.  I always smile when I say that word.  Kinkle means a slight kink. And I think we’re all kinkly – full of little twists that make us so delightfully unique, so deliciously eccentric, so wonderful.  Here’s to all our kinkles – let’s wear them proudly!

L    Logophile (lover of words).

M   Moon devotee.

N    Nectariferous means producing nectar.  I just love the way that sounds rolling off my tongue.  I stumbled upon it quite unexpectedly shortly after I created the secret code name Nectar Formation for a project I was working on.  Cosmic wink anyone?

O   Ordinary.  I like to celebrate the everyday sacred.  It’s cultivating our eyes to see what our heart already knows – that what seems ordinary is in fact quite extraordinary.  We are surrounded by beauty and grace and fabulousity.

P   Pomegranate explorer.  I love pomegranates, both the fruit and the connection to Persephone.  I’m deeply interested in the reclaiming of her story not as a victim, but rather as the sovereign Queen of the Underworld.  Bonus points because I found a wonderful pomegranate charm this year, added a cluster of vintage ruby colored beads and created a touchstone necklace to remind me.

Q   Questioner.  Isn’t it good to be curious?  Don’t you want to know more?

R    Radicated  (rooted; established).   There are so many good things in my mind about being deeply rooted, and then there are the pieces that chafe, like perhaps being too immoveable.  I’ve been meditating on this in hopes of finding balance.

S    Scribacious means given to writing.  Isn’t that delightful?

T    Telarian.  Given that my surname means weaver, I’ve always felt a particular affinity to spiders.  And this year I discovered telarian means web-spinner.  I’ve come to think of all of us as telarian and wonder what webs we’re spinning and what connections we’re making.

U   Ubuntu believer.  The Nguni speakers of Bantu in South Africa have a fabulous word Ubuntu, which roughly translated means human kindness. It is “often used in a more philosophical sense to mean ‘the belief in a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity.”   In these challenging time of divisiveness I believe we all have to do as much as we possibly can to promote Ubuntu.

V   Valentine champion.  One of my core beliefs is that the world needs more love letters.  Lots more!  And I have a soft spot for Valentines, particularly vintage ones.

W  Windlass   (Circuitous movement; indirect action.)  I’m a meanderer and rabbit hole explorer.

X   x(oxo) distributor.  More love and kisses please, less unkindness.  Shouldn’t that be our global manifesto?

Y   Yin and Yang. 9 Star Ki is an Asian system of profiling based on astrological information.  I’m 3.1.7 meaning I’m yang wood, water, and yin metal.

Z   Zinester.  I delight in creating zines (and small editions of artist books).  The medium suits me perfectly – paper magic that freely allows me to express my quirkiness.  What’s not to love about that?

Ok, there we go.  An A through Z listing of some of the evidence of who I am.  Now tell me, what do you think the verdict is?  Do you believe, as I do, that we’re all Wunderkammer – fabulous cabinets of curiosity and wonder?  And are you, as I am, glad to be here?  I’m very glad indeed.