i want what SHE has

For our second to last Spirituality and Politics on Radio Kingston, Marielena and I are joined by returning guest, Eliza Swann - writer, educator, artist and alchemist, to continue our conversation into The Emerald Tablet. Last month on the show, we focused on the first paragraph of the Tablet. Today, we revisit it with Eliza, who shares their depth of knowledge and experience in working with the text. Eliza then carries us into the second paragraph with a strong analogy that helps to make sense of this somewhat esoteric text, the bridge between the ineffable and the mundane.

Amanda Marlowe shares how and why she began to work with children through the medium of upcycled art. Our conversation touches on themes of grief, loss, letting go, and cycles of life. We left unresolved her resistance to the label artist, and are still unpacking what to do with the "shoulds" that surface from time to time. Clearly there's more for us to talk about. I could listen to her share her creative ideas for what to do with leftover toys and arts supplies for hours and am excited to try my hand at making paper!

Joining us today in conversation is Liridona Duraku, who teaches us about what Land Divination is and how she began communicating with the land and its many occupants. The conversation weaves through some of the practical, and often the magical of being in right relationship to the land, plants and animals. She offers monthly Earth Oracle readings and Land Divination workshops at Spiral Mirror in Kingston, NY, as well as an online Land Divination course. You can find her paintings, ceramic work and herbal potions for sale on her website as well as at Pink Clementine in Kerhonkson, NY, Feast and Floret in Hudson, NY and soon at Holding Space in Kingston, NY. Liri offers private reading and ritual sessions as well as custom aura paintings.

Today I get to speak with Nicole Nyhan (they/she) who underwent a Kundalini awakening in 2021 that radically transformed their life. This consciousness and healing journey ultimately led to the creation of The Bridge, a space built to foster individual and communal healing, restoration, and connection.

Marielena ties the Tarot to the Emerald Tablet, and we work through some of the meaning and purpose of the text. This may be cringy for those of you well steeped in the text, but it's a window into the beginner's mind and how someone, like myself, is coming to it seeking an understanding of how it's relevant to the art of living. We explore the notion of the "One Thing," what are miracles, and what it means to be perfected. Is it a formula for creating, for being like "GOD?" We've got more to go and will continue in our next conversation in December.