Skip to main content

All Things in Moderation


Do you ever get the feeling that the universe is trying to tell you something, but you're just not willing to hear it?

I got a new phone for my birthday and I was pretty much glued to it, constantly scrolling through Facebook and Instagram. I would sit down to have a coffee with my boyfriend, and totally ignore him as I stared at my phone. I thought to myself, this is too much, I need to put my phone down. Hours later, my phone was stolen. Not having a phone was actually really nice. I felt liberated. I could go places without panicking about where my phone was or whether I could find free wifi. It was really nice to sit down for a coffee and actually have a conversation. But still, I felt the urge to Instagram everything. Soon I got a new phone, second hand actually, and was once again glued to it. We then moved house, and our broadband provider told us we would have to wait a month to be reconnected. Oh no! How would I live without internet at home? It was actually really nice to come home and enjoy the peace and quiet of just snuggling on the sofa, and picking up a book if I felt like reading something. Books! I'd forgotten about books! But stil, I was looking forward to getting internet because I wanted to be able to record videos, edit them on my laptop, and upload them from home. Then my laptop stopped working. Black screen. No way of accessing all the pictures and videos on there. Well, at least I still had my phone, and I would have my broadband connected soon. I was told that someone would come to connect us between the hours of 1 and 8, so I took the afternoon off work and waited for them. I kept picking up my phone, wishing I hadn't used up all my data. I listened to the radio and read books and tidied the flat. 8pm came and the people hadn't turned up. 

Dear universe, are you trying to  tell me something? I sat and stared at my unused desk, where I hadn't made any artwork in months. Piles of art materials cluttered the space. The radio sang to me "do it, do it now" and I knew what it meant. It meant sit down at your bloody desk and make some art! Smart phones and laptops have been distracting me for too long. I need to unplug. 

Even so, I'm on my phone now, typing out my blog, waiting to use the free wifi at work so I can upload it. My desk looks sad and unloved. The universe keeps nudging me with its big glittery elbow. Thank you universe. 

Annika 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Back Again

I found my old blog by accident. I forgot all about it. Apparently I have to pay a subscription fee to be able to access the same features that used to be free. Maybe that's why I stopped blogging. I've been using instagram as a blog for a few years now. So it's been almost a decade since I last logged in here. What can I update you with? There's a little bit too much to say. I split up with the boyfriend I was blogging about last. He was a lovely guy, but it ran its course. I found a little studio flat in the centre of town and lived by myself for a year. That was a really nice experience. While I was there I met a new guy and started a whole new chapter. We moved to Weymouth in 2021. It will have been 4 years in August. The time has passed quickly. I turned 40 last year. I don't feel any older than when I was 30, but I feel frustrated that I could have done more with my time. The state of the world hasn't gotten any better, and I'm increasingly aw...

Approaching Summer Solstice

The tarot card I pulled today was The Knight of Swords. This card provokes us to consider activities we want to do, travel, being out and about, getting things accomplished. I feel lately that I just don't have the time or energy to do all the things. I am feeling tired, a little lost, somewhat fed up. I am trying to connect with what brings me joy, my passion. The Knight points to a need for silence and space to deepen our understanding. Clear cut answers are revealed when we focus our minds in meditation. The oracle card for today is Mystic Mermaid. She reminds us to pamper ourselves with a heavy dose of self-love. I think it's been difficult for me to remember to look after myself with the most basic things like a healthy diet and good sleep. I am having to remind myself to drink water and stop doomscrolling on my phone. 

Mother's Day

Back in the Middle Ages, life revolved around folk religion, devoted in most of Europe to the Mother Mary. The beliefs of common people gradually changed as literacy increased and they were able to read the Bible for themselves and make their own interpretations. The printing press was a cultural revolution which allowed all kinds of previously forbidden books to be mass produced. I think that era would have felt similar to the emergence of the internet, and the way that suddenly new ideas could spread. Then as now there were a lot of conspiracy theories driving folk mad. Fear of physical and spiritual attack increased the intensity of Marian worship among all classes. With the dissolution of the monasteries and the Catholic church losing influence, public shrines to Mary became increasingly popular in England. Some conflated all the Marys of the Bible into one "mother of all". Mary represented every woman, and everyone was a child of Mary. She is explicitly linked to Eve, bu...