🌗 December Last Quarter Links

“Go where the love is. Why are you going where it’s not?” —Michelle Matlock 🌗

Hi friends

I’m at what my friend Melissa calls “Club Silencio.” 🤫

Happy Solstice (belated). I hope you find ways to honor this and other celestially significant moments throughout the year. If nothing else, you can remember the Moon whenever I email you for the new, full or last quarter lunations (or join me in the first quarter chat).

For this last Last Quarter List of 2024, I’m sharing the best of links and link-makers —things that have most impacted me this year (plus a few favorite memes). Not sure why the A theme emerged… though one C came through. 🤡

Many cosmic blessings to all,

Sebene

P.S. I’ll be back in the new year and in the Chat on 1/6 for the First Quarter Moon. 🌓

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Image ID: Tidal Streams and H-alpha Cliffs, from NASA; Image Credit & Copyright: The Deep Sky Collective

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🌗 Last Quarter List 🌗

Activisms

• I do t compare myself to sneakers on-the-ground movement activists/organizers. However, I can engage in activisms. Here are some things I practice:

  • Listen to Indigenous people. This year I hope to attend more events through the American Indian Community House. I learned so much at a recent dinner they hosted. And I regularly donate to them through the Manna-hatta Fund (where 10% of December paid subscriptions will go).

  • In my experience, the people most on the margins have the greatest perspectives and strategies. The people most on the margins are also the most at-risk. I aspire to use whatever privilege I have to stay informed and advocate for immigrants, trans folks and poor people. There are so many resources out there for staying rooted. Here’s one to get you started.

  • I also try and diversify my intake of media and information in order to hear perspectives that differ greatly from my own. It’s not like I’m reading Breitbart, but I did recently start this and am curious to dive deeper after the new year.

  Affluence

  I’m not attacking wealth nor valorizing poverty. This is simply your regularly scheduled announcement from Auntie-Seb that billionaires should. not. exist. It is very difficult for us to comprehend the difference between one million and one billion, let alone the absurdity that is the multibillionaire. If you’re never clicked when I’ve shared this link, I encourage you to DO SO NOW. As I’ve said before, this is a point I will make on the regular.

  Africa

  I regularly comb/troll the NYT for any Africa related content and almost always come up short. Here is their recent (basic) overview of the wars in Ethiopia (with a terrible title). Al Jazeera, The Guardian and BBC generally do better coverage of Africa. I prefer these other aggregating sources plus my boyfriend, Trevor Noah.

  • For all things Ethiopia, Maya Misikir’s Sifter gives a helpful weekly breakdown which always has me feeling less lost amidst the swiftly shifting realities there. Ameseghinalehu Maya!

  • Africa Is a Country (the name alone, lol) for culture and commentary.

  • Isaac Samuel’s African History Extra is a treasure trove of historical research about the continent. This is the one I most forward to my dad (and African Studies scholar).

  • This Week in Africa gives a basic rundown of events on the continent.

  • The Africa Brief is the most business focused and my least favorite but helps me understand development trends better (or at all).

  • I especially love listening to Trevor Noah’s podcast when his friend Christiana Mbakwe Medina co-hosts and the two dish on all things African.

  Art

  Recently, I had an insight into how central a role art plays in my spiritual life. It’s not like my nearest aren’t mostly artists of some sort or I haven’t appreciated my soulful connection to the arts over the years or perhaps even said this exact same thing before, but I’ve been struck over and over by art as sacred while reading The Work of Art by Adam Moss. This collection of interviews with all types of artists about the creative process around one piece (a painting, a novel, a film, a song, a recipe, a joke…) offers me glimpses into the mystical experience of art making. The text is helpfully augmented by images of works in progress and I find myself deeply absorbed by certain artist’s processes, continually faced with a truth about myself: I feel profound pleasure when moved by art. When I read, see, hear, taste, or sense beauty (including the beauty of the creative process itself), I experience a pleasure that often feels transcendent. Which reminds me of the story about Buddha’s teaching to Bahiya, an ardent student who asks him about the key true freedom. The Buddha says to him that when we see, hear, taste, smell, sense, or know things truly—without distortion, just as they are—just this is the end of suffering.

  Astrology

  Along with the buddhadharma, astrology has been the most impactful spiritual system I’ve ever encountered and the only one I’ve learned without any direct tutelage. I’ve been devotedly studying it now for four years. I sense that one day I will find someone from whom I want to learn more intimately. Until then, I continue to put a LOT of energy into listening to podcasts, watching videos, taking workshops and reading widely. Here are a few things that I’ve found most helpful.

  • I went again to see Worlds Beyond Earth at the Hayden Planetarium. If you’re in or near NYC, it’s so worth the trip (but it closes at the end of this month!). If not that, there are many fantastic planetariums around the country. The beauty of our cosmos can’t not elicit awe.

  • If you’re curious to learn more about astrology and not sure where to start, The Chani App is a great tool and the free version has more than enough to get you started on signs and houses and more. Chani Nicholas also has a fantastic book called You Were Born For This introducing you to your big three (sun, moon, rising) and why they matter. And, yes, from there, you may want to get your chart read… finding a good astrologer is similar to choosing a good healer—it helps to spend some time asking around and researching before spending money on a reading/session.

  • If you’re curious about including the other than personal astrologies, the series Changing of the Gods (based on the book Cosmos and Psyche by Richard Tarnas) explores the correlations between world events and the movements of the planets, meticulously charting patterns across centuries into our present realities and including interviews with scientists, spiritual teachers and activists.

  • If you’re ready to dive deeper into all things astro, I recommend the many multi-hour marathon episodes on The Astrology Podcast.

  Autism (and ADHD)

  Besides clowning, the single most transformative experience I had this year was reading Unmasking Autism by Devon Price. My friend Jeff gifted it to me and also introduced me to the next mind blowing step in my education on neurodiversity—the book Neuroqueer Heresies by Nick Walker. I can’t speak knowledgeably about any of this yet. But/and, although I usually refrain from directives here, I believe that anyone in a teaching or leadership role (especially involving kids) would benefit immensely from reading these two books. Also, all of us.

  Autonomy (from social media & nonsense in general)

  It’s been over a year since I’ve been on Instagram. I know many of you enjoy it for the memes and animal videos and such. I’m happy for you. For anyone who uses it for work, my sympathies. I do not miss that place. Amelia Hruby whose Off the Grid Clubhouse is a sanctuary away from those algorithms has helped me transition. Amelia is insightful and witty and steadfast in her vision and integrity around leaving social media and you can hear all of this in her recent episode as a guest on We Can Do Hard Things. I got to know Amelia when I took a yearlong seasonally-aligned series called Living Systems with her and Grace Allerdice where they taught me how to use Notion properly (thank you!). It was a brilliant offering. And Grace is a force unto herself—I’ve been wildly circulating two recent podcast episodes of hers: this short piece which was by far my favorite election hot take and this recent one on initiation deficit which made me feel very seen.

  Clown

  I’ve written about clown, here and here (where you can find the reason for the above quote from my first clown teacher, Michelle). My latest teacher, Tallie, is also uh-mazing. And Brooklyn Comedy Collective is the best. Clowning is definitely the hardest thing I’ve done in ages (and I do a lot of hard things, though usually not by choice). Clowning scares me literally to the point of nausea. So, of course I’ll be back for more in the new year lol…. Please, let’s send in all the sacred clowns to deal with these fake-ass clowns rolling in next month.

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