March: The Depths Rise to Meet Us
Oh, surface world, how tempting it is to be certain of you! What lives on the surface can be seen and named and seems to live in contrast to some unknowable depths that lie beyond our reach and vision. But in human pursuits, the field of what is seen and known is always in flux: we develop technologies to see and name things that were once inaccessible to our senses; our psyches stretch, explore, and learn, creating new associations and narratives for experience and selfhood. The surface world—the conscious world—grows and this growth is fed by the depths.
Our universe is not static. Everything circulates in some sort of cycle and vibrates with some kind of frequency. Surface and depth—known and unknown—conscious and unconscious—these fields are in constant exchanges with one another. We are living in a time when what has been hidden is beginning to surface—quite literally, in some cases, as glaciers melt and sea levels rise. How do we respond when the depths rise and show themselves? What do we do when the unforeseen arrives at our doorstep; when surprises surface in our relationships; when shadows show themselves to us in dreams and visions? While fear is an inevitable response, it need not overwhelm our other responses.
About this Spell
There are times in our lives when we choose to descend—we hear a call and brave the darkness in hopes of discovery, reclamation, integration. More often though, what is below rises up and requires our attention. Like the mushrooms in this month’s image, when something surfaces from the depths, it signifies a network of unseen activity. Ocean waves and tides are a result of unseen forces. Forests cannot be forests without what happens underground. Humans harbor whole communities of organisms within our bodies, and exist within even harder-to-identify connections between us and each other, between us and all life, between us and our own shifting sense of self—all of which are critical to our existence and survival.
We’ve made one spell already in praise of the depths, but here we’re not just speaking of its importance but of its dignity. When we identify strongly with the surface and knowable world, the depths may become feared or even despised. But fear is like the fruiting body of mycelium—when it arises, it signifies a whole network of activity within us. If we can accept this complex uprising that exists within us, we are poised to tend to our fears with agency and intention.
In dignity, the depths and darkness hold all our potential for growth, learning, and expansion—the very fuel we need to continue to become ourselves and co-create our world. In dignity, we learn that we are not in control, but we do have choice. What conditions must be met in order to honor these uprisings as the teachers and nourishment that they are? To work with this spell, we encourage you to explore the obstacles that arise when things surface from the depths and also the power that lives in respecting these messages.
Meditation on The Depths Rise to Meet Us
For this meditation, please find a still and quiet place to let your body rest and be comfortable. Let your breathing help settle you, down down down. See if each inhale can expand your awareness and sensation of your body while each exhale helps you release whatever thoughts and tension you are holding. Let yourself feel gravity tugging on you, and let that pull be personal—your own unique relationship to the center of the earth. For, here you are! Alive and breathing, heart beating, a living body experiencing time and space on the living earth. If it feels alright, let your eyes close and sink into the darkness behind your eyes. You may notice the sounds in your environment and the thoughts that move around on the surface of your mind. In whatever way feels most accessible, see if you can rest your attention in the spaces underneath the sounds you hear and the thoughts you have. Try to sink your attention into and saturate the spaces below... What happens? With permission or resistance, just try to notice your experience. And then—even if it means settling yourself again—can you access a capacity to engage intentionally with this experience? What path do you choose to take. Just notice what happens when you decide. If you ever start feeling too much or not enough, or if you are ready to close this exploration, come right back to your breath and the feeling of the weight of your body. Gradually, make contact again with the world of colors and shapes.
About the painting:
Corina: When have I not been fascinated by mycelial networks underground that distribute resources invisibly between trees, preserving a delicate ecological balance within the larger forest? And yet trying to draw what is vast and mostly hidden from view is a challenge. I remember we wanted to show a macro view of the smallest parts of the forest here, at least above ground, those tiny mushrooms that are not much bigger than the moss flowers surrounding them. I’m in love with that tiny above, vast below way of being.
Jocelyn: For someone so fond of what happens underground, I find it very hard to paint. I appreciate the way the simplified mycelial structure in this image is meant to symbolize and highlight a much more complex world. I had other visions of how to depict this same image, but I wound up really appreciating its balance of starkness and tenderness.
This month's offerings:
We have two calendars left!! They’re yours to claim on our Etsy site.
We are excitedly beginning our work on the 2021 calendar and another very exciting project we hope will launch this year. More soon!
As always, you can follow our shenanigans at @abacuscorvus on Instagram. And you can find out what each of us is up to by following @corinadross and @jocelyncorvus
~ In It Together~
Jo & Corina