Let's go back to the start*

The inscription around Cupid:
I have seen he who can tame the wild lion:
I have seen he who alone can tame hearts: Cupid

And the verse:
All these noble hearts, these sons of courage,
Are naught but playthings of my great power
And the target overwhelmed by the force of my efforts.
The lion is vanquished by my dart, which tames him.
But if I can thus subdue those of greatest valour,
Who will not fear the effects of my flame?

*

Let love rule

 

🕊️

Enough said.

Love and peace are verbs

 ...doing words, actionable words. Not the naïve verbiage of the kumbaya-minded, as the cynical among us would dismissively have you believe, but a reckless attitude, a fearless determination to make the world a better place. Not simply the absence of war but justice, equality and non-discrimination; and not just for some but for everyone.

I can't believe what you say (for seeing what you do)

Bizarro has spoken, and totally in line with his usual smoke-and-mirrors MO, too; outlining goals and intentions in one speech, denying, deflecting and deriding in the next. Nazis got mentioned more times than your Bullshit Bingo card could possibly handle, there was no mention of peace, and the START treaty business, serious as it is, was almost anticlimactic.

If this man loved his citizens, he wouldn't oppress them and terrorize them as he does. If this man loved his country, he would cooperate on global matters and problems instead of sating his personal ambitions and interests. If this man loved his neighbors, Bucha, Irpin or Izium would not have happened and Mariupol would not lay in ruins. If this man loved life, he would not send his countrymen to their deaths, and he would not condone their cruelty and ruthlessness. If this man loved the world, he would concentrate on building and creating, not destruction and neglect. If Bizarro knew the lexical definition of the word integrity, he would never give another speech.

Ode to joy

Every spring we have this thing called Eurovision. The Eurovision Song Contest. Around forty countries perform at the semi-finals, and even though only one will stand victorious, it's more a love and fun and inclusiveness and queer energy and positivity fest than a cut-throat competition. That's why it's so widely and well-loved; it's a ray of light even in the darkest of times. Everyone rooting for everyone, absolutely no assholery allowed, mutual support is the name of the game. It's kind of a prerequisite. And it works! Haters and bigots need not apply. How wonderful and rare is that?

Ukraine is last year's winner, and as wonderful as it would have been to see them host everyone in Kyiv this spring, a hater and bigot did his damnedest to ensure that didn't happen. Runner-up United Kingdom has graciously stepped in and will welcome the Eurovision family (if you're a fan, you're family) to Liverpool in May. Which leaves you several weeks to follow national selections and get in the mood and the groove.

The spirit of Eurovision. We need more of that.

Stop! In the name of love

So. Monday. Another Mayday. I'm sad to report that the carnival weekend in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, ended in tears. Torrential rain, more than twice the monthly average in just 24 hours, led to landslides, mudslides and flooding. Lives lost, homes destroyed, the climate crisis in devastating action.

For the love of whatever you value most, abandon all hope. I'm not joking. Let's stop hoping someone or something saves us from ourselves. Let's hope less and do more. None of us will fix all of this but we can all do something. Considering everything we are (as mammals), everything that surrounds us, everything we eat, wear, live in, work with and build with and otherwise consume comes from nature, every choice we make affects nature.

There is no disconnect, no distinction, although the fossil fuel industry for one would like you to not notice that fact. Well, screw that and screw you; you broke it, you bought it, now clean up after yourselves at your own expense because you damn well should.

Hell yes I'm angry. Aren't you? I love this planet of ours; I love it so very much; it's fascinating and full of beauty; it gave us life and what do we do in return? I am sorry for all the ways in which I may have harmed her, and I am sad for all the ways in which we keep harming her, this system that sustains us.

Love your mother. Make good, smart choices whenever possible. Vote conscientiously. Demand answers and demand action. Brook no bullshit.

It's your world. Honor it.

Rhythm divine

Carnaval is on, sweetie darlings! The pre-carnival street parties, blocos, have been going on for weeks, but this last week before Lent pulls out all the stops for the biggest and loudest street party on Earth.

Oh, to be in Salvador right now. Yesterday, Ivete Sangalo (a fantastic, formidable baiana) opened the folia with this song, three minutes of riotous joy. 

Get your heart pumping, your feet thumping, and have an ardent, bouncy weekend, my dearest, dearest denizens. 🎊

Before I forget

A quick word on art, museums and the power thereof! Something recognizable, something unfamiliar; something that puts your soul at ease, something that gives you a jolt. What art and museums have to offer. A connection to the past, present, possible futures, and yourself.

If you happen to be in/coming to Scandinavia, visit Amos Rex in Helsinki for The Quiet Parade. I went round and round, walking through a dreamscape, an ashen landscape beyond time but anchored in our world. Ah, Helsinki. The city that said no to Guggenheim. I admire their chutzpah. (And they must be sooo glad they did, the Covid closures would have cost them an arm and a leg and who knows which additional appendages.) Two exhibitions to look forward to: Albert Edelfelt is coming home in April, and Tom of Finland will be parking in Kiasma for a six-month visit.

And let's not forget Fotografiska in Stockholm and Tallinn. (Yes, I know, Estonia is not geographically part of Scandinavia, but Tallinn, Helsinki and Stockholm are great friends and a ferry ride away from one another.) No matter which Fotografiska (more than those two, mind you), no matter the exhibition, you are never disappointed. Seriously, no need to know, just go.

What do museums have to do with love? If it puts your soul at ease and/or gives you a jolt, it must be good for you, an act of self-care. (Still oddly uncomfortable with that word.)

[The news, though! He could have been a white hat. He chose to be an asshat instead.]

Be still my beating heart 💓

I know some shun this day for its commercialism, but you don't need to spend a cent to celebrate it. Use this day as an excuse, if indeed you need one, to cultivate loving relationships; with others, and yourself. As the late but great Whitney Houston used to sing, Learning to love yourself, it is the greatest love of all.

Never pass an opportunity, however small or fleeting, to honor love. Today, why not do something, anything, that makes your heart beat just a little bit faster. (I'm going to devote this afternoon to writing.)

Happy Valentine's Day, dearest denizens. 💋

A cure for wellness

So. Monday. So. Did you? Enjoy your weekend? Yes? No? Had a wonderful time? Seemed to have no time, for anything, when in fact you were busy doing everything? Where do the hours go?

I asked a group of friends I trust to give me an honest answer how they were feeling. The results of this totally unscientific questionnaire? Respondents reported feeling tired, anxious, stressed or unmotivated, or some mixture of the above. Work issues, family issues, health issues, financial issues, global issues, all got a mention. And time. Demands on their time. Clocks, calendars, days, hours.

We talk about the importance of self-care. What does that mean? Self-care as opposed to what? Self-harm? Self-indifference? I pleaded with you (as 2022 ended) to take good care of yourself because isn't everything we do an act of self-care, or if not care then harm and/or indifference? How we eat and sleep, how we act and react, how we care or don't care for our mental and physical wellbeing, personal and social and work relationships. Everything, every little thing we don't even pay attention to most of the time because there doesn't seem to be time, affects us. But what is it that afflicts us, really? Is it the feeling of not being in control of everything everywhere all the time? (Never gonna happen.) Is it the feeling that we've been programed to function in a way we don't recall signing up for and are at odds with? (Yes, that feeling.) Is it the feeling that the more efficient and streamlined and productive we become the more we are expected to do and accomplish? (This.) And don't get me wrong, I know you need a goal and a plan or you'll probably get nothing done, but all this quantifying and qualifiers, information overload and efficiency requirements, the sheer speed and volume of things... Where does it end? How much is enough? Nothing ever seems to be.

Wellness is a trillion-dollar industry. They heard our plea, they smell our fear, they've commercialized it and they've monetized it. And sure, hooray, okay, we are looking after ourselves, or our employers are, finally, good for us. But what is this? What are we doing? Aren't we just tackling the symptoms we suffer from and not the system making us sick and tired? I fully understand those demanding lesser hours, a four-day workweek, quiet quitters; they fully understand this is madness and we are mad to go along with it because there is no end to it and we are not benefiting from it, far from it.

Have you reached terminal velocity yet? What are you gonna about it? What are we gonna do about it? Resist, or continue being abused? 

And if you've already surrendered, by which I mean conceded defeat and admitted you are a mortal and not a machine and have stopped demanding of yourself and have stopped allowing others to demand from you what you would never dream requiring others to do to prove they are worthy of walking this earth, good for you. Good for you, sweetie darling.

See your shoes and your spirits rise

We started the week with a song so why not end it with one, an uplifting classic courtesy of The Cure.

Enjoy your weekend, sweetie darlings, wherever you are. 🤗

🤎

Thursday, a good day to read Chocolat, watch Chocolat, or eat chocolat while reading/watching Chocolat. Because you will start craving it. So prepare accordingly. And quality over quantity, please. We're pampering ourselves, not punishing our gastrointestinal bits.

Did you get my SOS? Excellent.

▄ ▄ ▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄▄▄ ▄ ▄ ▄

Valentine's Week calendar says it's Proposal Day, so here goes:

Event: Planetary Conglomeration of Catastrophes and Emergencies
Target group: You
Proposed by: Me
Hosting org: UNICEF, Save the Children, Médecins Sans Frontières, The White Helmets, Red Cross or Red Crescent Disaster Relief, that local fundraising rally you know and trust...
Date: Ongoing
Venue: Planet Earth
Amount requested: Whatever you can spare

How did the rose

Ever open its heart
And give to this world
All its beauty?
It felt the encouragement of light
Against its being;
Otherwise
We all remain too frightened.

It Felt Love, from The Gift by Hafiz

Electric blue Monday

This Monday, any Monday really, could use some Giorgio Moroder magic and the sultry warmth and strength of Donna Summer, so why not start the week with some synth-based pop even the young ones will recognize (thank you Stranger Things). Deceptively simple, this song is pure self-suggestion; use it wisely.

(Full disclosure, this whole month is a head fake, as much for me as it is for you, to keep one going in these relentlessly calamitous times.)

Let's go nuts

This Sunday is World Nutella Day. Yes, it's a thing. Sounds like an evil yet yummy plan to sell a sugary treat, and I'm here for it. Or rather for the goddess of all things delicious, Nigella.

If you can't eat nuts, I am so sorry. Nuts happen to be one of my favorite healthy snacks. Thankfully, soup-to-nuts Ms. Lawson has plenty of scrumptious desserts on offer, so fret not, sweetie darlings. And nothing says I love you like baking for your loved ones. Just because. And because Nigella. And okay, jeez, Nutella.

Have a tasty weekend, dearest denizens, wherever you are.

No-bake Nutella cheesecake by Nigella.

P.S. I'm in no way affiliated with Nigella Lawson, but I do worship at her...stove?...pantry?...she has saved me time and energy more times than I care to count.

Omnia vincit amor

 ...et nos cedamus amori. 

Love conquers all things, so we too shall yield to love.
― Virgil, Eclogues 10.69

For Caravaggio's painting, visit Berlin.

It is to Cupid that I dedicate this month 💘