The artist this week is Howardena Pindell.  “Pindell often employs lengthy, metaphorical processes of destruction/reconstruction. She cuts canvases in strips and sews them back together, building up surfaces in elaborate stages. She paints or draws on sheets of paper, punches out dots from the paper using a paper hole punch, drops the dots onto her canvas, and finally squeegees paint through the “stencil” left in the paper from which she had punched the dots. Almost invariably, her paintings are installed unstretched, held to the wall merely by the strength of a few finishing nails. The artist’s fascination with gridded, serialized imagery, along with surface texture appears throughout her oeuvre. Even in her later, more politically charged work, Pindell reverts to these thematic focuses in order to address social issues of homelessness, AIDs, war, genocide, sexism, xenophobia, and apartheid.” – Black Art Story

****These pieces are huge and do not justify the work please look her work up.

 

Solar System highlights for the next two weeks

We have a Full Moon in Aquarius on July 29^th.  Ask the moon for help when collaborating and innovating for a brighter future.  Mercury is retrograde in Cancer until July 23^rd.  A time to recharge, reflect and redo.

 

EXTRA

*If you want a more in-depth look into the planets and tarot elements and how they affect you, you can get those with the yearly AstroTarot reading or if you sign up for your personalized monthly New Moon readings.  Leo, this is a perfect time to get that Astrological Tarot Reading for your coming year.  And Aquarius, it is your halfway mark for your birth year, so if you need a Planetary Reading for a check-in, now is the time.

**** I have a tip jar if you want to leave a gratuity.

May light be on you, around you, and within you.

Nina Fox-B

**Reading from Shadowscape tarot deck by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law

 

Aries

Three of Cups – The Muse of Friendship comes when you need a little boost from your closest crew.  In the next two weeks, the muse asks you to  find ways to hang out with your besties.  Whether this is in person or by phone, this not only fills your cup, but it fills theirs too.

 

Taurus

Three of Pentacles – The Muse of Collaboration is your companion for the coming weeks.  This muse shows up when you need other perspectives or help to move along a project.  You are not meant to do things alone.  Now is the time for community building.   As they say, three sets of hands/heads are better than one.

 

Gemini

Moon – The coming weeks are meant for deep reflection into your emotions and the unconscious habitats behind your actions. The Muse of Emotions ask how does you everyday life feel?  Are you on autopilot? Have you tuned out?  Spend these next two weeks getting back in touch with your emotions, watching cyclic behaviors, and bringing your subconsciousness forward to gain more insight into your daily life.

 

Cancerian

Two of Wands – The last two weeks the muses were asking you to be totally present and breath.  Now the Muse of the Future would like you to begin perusing your goals.  This energy is a balance between experiencing each moment while also looking outward and setting goals.  This muse reminds you that this is less about practical/materialistic goals and more about the actions you would take to define who you want to be.

 

Leo 

Ten of Swords – Happy Birthday month! You are on the verge of ending a shadow cycle. The Muse of Disasters comes to remind you that some things are out of one’s control.  Shit Happens.  But this muse reminds you that this cycle, like all cycles, is about to end.  However, your remaining work is to see how you navigated these trials.  Are you holding on to the negatives that are no fault of your own and therefore making them yours?  Or are you seeing how you amazingly made it through hard times with a better sense of who you are? That you are better able to rely on your intuition when times are illogical?

 

Virgo 

Knight of Pentacles – The muses would like you to spend the coming weeks, slowly and steadily, making headway on your physical goals.  All knights represent movement and this energy is about being surefooted and methodical in your actions.  This is not a time to rush.  The muses suggest you set goals for each day, so not to get stuck in the morass of overthinking.  For example, plan out your meals and clothing in advance.

 

Libra  

Sun – Okay, two more weeks with the Sun’s energy shine down on you. Hopefully you took this muse’s advice last week and stepped into the limelight.  If not do so now, and if so continue shining.  She reminds, you have an inner light that you have dimmed and now is the time to it switch back on.  This muse recommends you chant this blessing: May the light shine on me, in me and with me.

 

Scorpio

King of Wands – You are on fire, in a good way, for the coming weeks.  The Muse of Confidence will be your companion to help you rise to the occasion.  This energy would like you to see your superpowers and use them in the world.  So first this Muse would like you to identify at least three of your superpowers to focus on.  What are you uniquely good at?  Hone those skills and share them with the world.

 

Sagittarius

Four of Cups – The Muse of Belly-buttoning is your companion for the coming two weeks.  Usually, this muse shows up when you need to turn inward and do some reflecting.  There is some inner knowledge that you need to comprehend.  However, the key with this energy is, once you have some ideas, you need to bounce it off someone else to see if they feel right.

 

Capricorn

Five of Swords –Okay, for the coming two weeks you are dealing with some form of chaos.  The Muse of Ego is here to help you through it.  This muse usually shows up when you think you can control all the bits and pieces of this swirling energy.  To help she reminds you to ask yourself what is the priority? What is truly under my control?  What can I let go of at least for now?

 

Aquarius 

Four of Pentacles – Happy half-birthday! The Muse of Savings has come to hang with you for the coming two weeks.  This muse usually shows up when you need to watch your spending.  She reminds you that you can spend money; however, just on things that you need not that you want.  And if you can, put some in the bank or invest.

Pisces

Two of Swords – Decisions, decision, decisions.  For the coming two weeks you will come across some hard choices.  The muses remind you that the decision is not really about your destination.  Right or left, either path will get you there.  But it is about the journey that you would like to take.  So, they suggest when making decisions going with your what your heart says and not your brain.

 

Hi All,

The artist this week is Ana María Hernando, @anamariahernandoart.  She is a multidisciplinary artist, but here I am focusing on her textile work “New Worlds”.  Partially because it just makes me happy and I wanted to share some of its joy with you.

From a 2024 article in NWMA, Hernando speaks about her work:  …my work focuses on the feminine, using empathy to make the invisible visible and to question our preconceptions of the “other,” their worth, and value. Though we are constantly bombarded with urgent, hard-to-hold, awful news, there are small gestures infused with kindness, perseverance, hope, and clarity all around us like waterfalls. However, if we allow ourselves to be buried in sorrow, hopelessness, and disappointment, we can miss them. This is why I want to celebrate these quiet actions, bringing them into the light for us to be nourished by them. The hope of a new world brings renewal to every cell inside me.

A new world is one where nobody is invisible, where our interconnectedness is felt in our bones. In a new world, lies would be diluted by the boldness of those overflowing with generosity, who have committed themselves to the very long view of caring and wisdom, those who set a path forward toward the humbleness of real power.

Your Pondering: How can you help make something that nourishes visible? In your life and in others? What would your new world hold?

Solar System highlights for the next two weeks

We have a New Moon in Cancer on July 14^th.  Ask the moon for what you need to nurture yourself.  Mercury is retrograde in Cancer until July 23^rd.  Time to recharge, reflect and redo. And Jupiter moved into Leo for a year.  Look to your natal chart where Leo sits and that area is being prime for abundance.

EXTRA

*If you want a more in-depth look into the planets and tarot elements and how they affect you, you can get those with the yearly AstroTarot reading or if you sign up for your personalized monthly New Moon readings.  Cancerians, this is a perfect time to get that Astrological Tarot Reading for your coming year.  And Capricorn, it is your halfway mark for your birth year, so if you need a Planetary Reading for a check-in, now is the time.

**** I have a tip jar if you want to leave a gratuity for the art-casts.

May light be on you, around you, and within you.

Nina Fox-B

**Reading from Grow Oracle deck by Justina Blakeney and Dr. Ronnie Blakeney

 

Aries

Attachment – The Muses would like you to look at your attachment style.  Are you holding on to something to tightly?  If your attachment grounds and nourishes you then there is no reason to un-root yourself.  But if you attach so tightly, not allowing growth now is the time to loosen your grip.

 

Taurus

Order – Chaos abounds in the world.  Though messy it still has its positive: to help creation, imagination and alter perspectives.  The counter point to chaos and part of humaning is to create meaning from the disorder.  The muses would like you to practice creating order and harmony in your environment and/or relationships.  If having trouble getting into the groove try rearranging your closet/drawers/a corner of your home.  The challenge is making sure that your arrangements allow for growth and a space to breath without expectations.

 

Gemini

Whimsy – Whimsy is defined as ‘capricious humor or disposition; extravagant, fanciful, or excessively playful expression.’  In the coming weeks, the muses would like you to indulge in this levity.  The key with this energy is ultimate to test if you allow yourself to be unpredictable and a bit mischievous.  This is playful trickster energy.  Your assignment is to get people to laugh and doing so will thus lighten you up too.

 

Cancerian

Breath – Happy birthday month.  The muses would like you to be present and breath in the coming weeks.  Breath is one of the amazing things that show us the act of giving and receiving with the natural world.  As we breath in we are receiving life, the gift of oxygen, from the plants around us and as we breath out we give back to them a portion of their nourishment.  We do this gift exchange unconsciously from the day we are born.  By consciously breathing you become more aware of your relationship and place in the present and the world.

 

Leo 

Synchronicity – The muses would like you in the coming weeks to watch for synchronicities.  These “coincidences” connect your inner self and the outer world.  By allowing your mind to notice and follow patterns and signs you begin to navigate your outer world with your inner world as the driver.  The challenge is discerning that everything is not a sign.  So, the muses remind you they are easily identified if they have meaning.

 

Virgo 

Beauty – The muses would like you to spend the coming weeks examining your concepts around beauty.  As children we see beauty in making rainbows in sprinklers, raindrops on a window, butterflies, a smile, the veins on our grandparents’ hands…. The muses remind us that as we age society often dictates what is perceived as beauty. So, the muses challenge you to rekindle the eye of a child- to align beauty more with wonder than with perfection.

 

Libra  

Sunshine – It is your time to shine.  The muses would like you to step into the limelight for the coming weeks.  You have an inner light that you have dimmed and now is the time to it switch back on.  The muses ask you to chant this blessing: May the light shine on me, in me and with me.

 

Scorpio

Mountain – The muses would like you to gain some perspective in the coming weeks.  So, they ask you: how do you ground yourself?  What heights do you aspire to? Are you adequately prepared for this journey?  If you do not know the answers to these questions, now is the time to gather your energy, gear and map out your trek.  If you can answer all of them adequately, it is time to climb that mountain.

 

Sagittarius

Self-compassion – Of late you have been too hard on yourself, too judgmental. The muses would like you for the coming weeks to show yourself some compassion.  They remind you that deflecting your emotions or walling them in does your brain and body no good.  Treat yourself like you treat your buddies and give yourself some slack.

 

Capricorn

Moonshine – Happy half-birthday! The muses would like to know if you followed their advice last cast and on June 29^th’s full moon in Capricorn, you made a plan for the coming 6 months? If so great, then you are ready to embark on this new cycle. But if you couldn’t the muses are gracing you with another 2 weeks to conjure one up.  Either way they remind you to embrace the rhythm of the tides’ ebb and flow, nothing this year is set in absolute stone.

 

Aquarius 

Plants – During the coming weeks the muses would like you to connect with plants/nature.  By embracing their presence, they will teach you how to grow, bend, weather a storm, contribute to your surroundings, give shade and nourishment, all with more ease.

Pisces

Magnetism – For the coming two weeks the muses would like you to pay attention to what you are attracting into your orbit.  By doing so you can then fine tune your energy to pull in more positive energies.  They suggest you start each day with this chant:  I pull in what I need to become more balanced and successful.