Learn the Rules Like a Pro so You Can Break Them Like an Artist
and a little rant from an elder millennial stuck in the 90s
Learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist
~ Pablo Picasso
Hey Friends,
This newsletter’s coming later than usual because I was up late last night learning Goddess Reiki and gazing at the moon. It’s nearly full, and, I don’t know about where you live, but here in Maine, the moon’s been wearing a pinkish-orange hue recently. It’s gorgeous!
I registered for the Reiki class at the last minute, a decision influenced by the tarot cards I’d pulled for myself in the days leading up to it. I’ve never studied Reiki but I have received it. Recently, I started experimenting with hands-on energy healing for myself and my dogs. But letting my intuition guide me could only take me so far, and now feels like a good time to learn the traditional approach to an ancient healing modality.
The card I pulled for you today agrees.
But first, I just want to say how grateful I am to have grown up in an era where concerts were filled with people waving tiny fires in the air, not smartphones.
Jason and I saw Whiskey Meyers in Bangor Friday night. It was our first concert since we saw Snoop pre-Covid, and, man, was it different. Don’t get me wrong, I had a great time! But I was gobsmacked when the big-screen cameras cut to the audience, and less than 20% were actually looking at the stage. Most people seemed more interested in capturing content to post on Instagram, and witnessing that was a little disturbing.
I try not to let my phone distract me from experiences like live music, and I always appreciate it when artists insist the audience keeps them put away.
Enough preaching from me!
Truth is, part of me is still living in the 90s. We’ll never get her back.
Speaking of that, may I recommend this NYT Morning newsletter on The Movies of 1999? So good.
I graduated high school in 2001. My yearbook cover photo is a neatly scattered pile of assorted movie ticket stubs from 1999 and 2000, many of which appear in the aforementioned newsletter. When I was 17, I thought this design was cheesy. It was dramatically different from any other yearbook I’ve ever seen.
But now… now I look at the cover and get misty-eyed with nostalgia for what turned out to be a truly magical period in filmmaking history. Now I want to take my yearbook cover photo, blow it up to poster size, and frame it.
It’s like my classmates on the yearbook committee knew something I didn’t at the time. That things would change. A lot. Big thanks to them for preserving these memories of a time before the Marvel franchise took over. I seriously get choked up about it now.
Also, Bruce Willis.
On a related note, this YouTube video about how Jon Favreau created Swingers is excellent and very much worth watching. Credit to Brendan Leonard for sharing it in his Friday Inspiration newsletter a few months ago.
Onto the tarot reading for the week!
The High Priest and the Page of Wands
You may recognize the High Priest from his recent appearance a few weeks ago. Sometimes the same card pops up repeatedly when the querent (me) is missing the point it’s trying to make.
I didn’t want to repeat the original message of a possible spiritual awakening, so decided to draw a clarifier card to get more info about what the High Priest is trying to tell us.
The High Priest is a teacher, mentor, or guide representing traditional knowledge and wisdom passed through generations of ancestors. That’s why I said this card supports my decision to take a Reiki class instead of just feeling my way through energy work and learning from my own mistakes.
The High Priest is the structure of formal education — the rules we must learn and master before we can bend and break them.
The Page of Wands can be a breaker of rules. They allow inspiration to guide them through uncharted territories and boldly venture off on their own without a map or compass.
Together, these cards are urging you to master the fundamentals of tradition before trying your hand at innovation. Learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist. It may not sound fun, but it’ll give your creativity the skeleton it needs to stand on its own.
Thanks so much for reading! If you want personalized insight on an issue, you can click the button below to book a virtual tarot reading with me.
I love you!
Lauren