Spookiness

Hello hello

Sweltering hot today and yesterday! That boiling drippy sizzle on asphalt/ sweaty glasses of iced tea/ ripped shorts/ fat flowers..its summertime in the city! I am feeling prickly with excitement about so many things this summer. Some of my family is coming to visit from England soon, things are blooming, love is in the air, and I am in a heavy love affair with Detroit: anxious to dip myself in more and more. DEMF is soon! So good the feel to city's raging heartbeat by the river.

Joo Howell's Flickr

Yesterday was filled with friends, hula hooping, drumming, and adventures. First it was to Dabl's African Bead Museum! I had never been there before, and Seairra told us about it. We headed there in her car with all the windows rolled down listening to Sixto Rod Riguez--yes! Dabl is this very wise very calm older man who spent 9 years transforming two buildings and a field into an entergetic, spiritual, and simply beautiful art installation. It appears out of nowhere, between crumbled buildings and unassuming traffic. He painted the sides of the buildings with bright colors and attached broken mirror shards all over them so that as you walk around, your image flits in and out of view (isn't it strange to look at yourself in a mirror while out doors?)

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There is an African imported bead shop with hundreds of strange beads of every kind....bone, metal, charms for all sorts of things. I picked up a couple for myself and one for a special love.

The sculpture garden outside has a huge wooden demon with mirror eyes.

Then, last night I went to the Theatre Bizarre for the first time! I was driving down the State Fair St. at midnight, and was just begining to wonder if I was lost, when I saw, through the pregnant trees, yellow circus lights and heard the sounds of strange music and witchy laughter.

static photo.net I parked, Vanessa met me and ohhhhh...

Step into your dreams for an old fashioned spooky theatre of nitmarish proportions. The moon smiled shyly through the clouds and skeletons swayed in the breeze. A campfire illuminated darkly dressed zombies. Meanwhile, sexy burlesque ladies did their thing, and gruesome fake body parts were smashed. Excellent! Ghosts and strange wayfaring spirits dancing to the strange circus music. Where its All Hallows Eve all the time: my kind of place.

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The below pictures were taken last night by Vanessa.

Ooh...this gal was tantilizing.

Dream of dreams...Remember this scene in The Royal Tenebaums?

Wouldn't it just be amazing to spend the night in a Natural History Museum? If you find yourself in New York, the AMNH can organize a group sleepover in the museum for you. (http://www.amnh.org/kids/sleepovers/%20) Although, I think it would be way better if you just snuck in with one or two people and a bottle of wine. Probibly the paid sleepovers are well lit and supervised...I think wandering around with a flashlight would be much more magickal...and spooky. All those strange shadows, taxidermied beasts, suspended dinosaur bones..and the thick dusty quiet would be the best part. It would be a night that would last forever.

Today was calm and hot. I went to Cranbrook Gardens with my mom to swoon at the huge flowers and elegant sculptures. I wish I could live in a secret garden. So many faeries.

I hope you are all doing well.

peace and love

Madeleine

P.S.

Speaking of spookiness...

These two are so turned on...(hmm. Is this turning into a cocorosie fan site or what? It completly unintentional, I swear) and coming to Detroit soon!

Rachel Brice Tribal Fest '06

Old Ships/ Past Lives

I love bedrooms. The act of nesting and manifesting your own space is magickal and important and healthy. This is a post of old bedrooms I've had. I don't know why I feel compelled to put these pictures online...It feels good to share though. Every bedroom I've had (except, perhaps, the one I currently inhabit) have become ship-like and somewhat out of hand. The one I'm in now is much more clear and light, thankfully.

Old old old bedroom at my mom's house...I do miss that room. These photos are quite old. 2007. Highschool self. Taken by my dad.

Old bedroom at my dad's.

My bro as a wee one. I bought the little "vase" for my dear grandma when I was little and was deeply proud of it as I presented it to her for Christmas one year.

Wow. Don't remember it being quite this crazy. I've streamlined ALOT since. It was a jumbled sort of time in my life.

I digress...

Kitty cat pile-up. We're the luckiest to have all these kitties. From left to right its Tora, Artemis, Gray Kitty, and Ollie. (Thumby is missing)

Inside cover of A Good and Happy Child By Justin Evans. Way too scary to finish...maybe I'll try again next Hallowe'en?

El Dia de los Muertos last year.

I hope you are all well.

madeleine

P.S.

"God Has A Voice, She Speaks Through Me" by CocoRosie

Sea air

Posters are drooping lazily from my walls as the humidity rises and rises. Moist twilight out there. The cool stormy breeze feels wonderful in my bedroom. I am drinking herbal tea and burning incense and...what an ocean of bliss.

School has ended, yet that distant stress feeling still lingers feeble and light....Wait--shouldn't I be doing something? No. Nothing to do. Nowhere to be. Pure luxury.

One of the most interesting classes I took this year was "Folklore and the Internet". We went deep into the world of seedy chatrooms, strange obscure websites, urban myths, faery tales...a cacophony of all that is good and odd. It was a strange class--on Thursday evenings. I would bring tea with me and sit mostly quiet. I drew the following things in my "note"book.

Little caterpillar baby most probably inspired by my friend/boss Laurie. http://www.laurieeisenhardt.com/

That dog ate the baby.

I like to dissipate my inhibitions and act like a little kid sometimes. Like, in the context of painting or making a huge mess and not caring or eating candy crazily with a friend or wearing lots of pink glitter--which I have/do.
More and more I feel the instantaneous quality of existance here and feel like a little child, an old person, a teenager, and myself all right now at the same time. Right meow.

I watched this great interview with CocoRosie. They talked about their song "God Has a Voice, She Speaks Through Me." They talked about how religion has damaged so many people and groups of people. They have used this song and their most recent album as a landscape for people to re-invent their own religion; their own personal connection with god/spirit/nature/divine/light.

I talk about them alot because they are pure validation to myself and many close friends.

My lack of school has given me opportunity to read (at last!)

Current books are:

"The rediscovery of psychedelics in the late twentieth century caused shockwaves because the modern psyche had been cut off from the direct access to revelation formerly possessed by the shaman and the seer."

"Trust your divinity, trust your brain, trust your companions."

This is a book about a woman (Ina May Gaskin) and several other midwives who helped women deliver babies on The Farm (a commune in the late 60's and early 70's) This book contains amazing stories about women giving birth, beautiful photographs, and medical diagrams/advice. Ina May talks alot about "original touch"--the healing touch we are all born with which becomes diluted by time and the developement of our egos. She discusses that, if we tune in to ourselves and others, we can re-awaken this original touch and use it to heal, love, and help others. We are all shamans. The book stresses the importance of birth as a sacred, joyful, and deeply spiritual process and I am leaning alot. After reading this book, I definetly want to go the route of a spiritual midwife if I ever have a little baby of my own.

Here are a few pictures of little nooks in my current bedroom.

The wooden box was made by Vanessa...moon goddess. Such a sacred gift. Thank you.

Goodnight and Namaste,

Madeleine