Whimsy For The Win!

What if the rational response to our crazy-clown-car-circus-cataclysm is not outrage, but outrageous quirkiness... and preposterous magic?

Mayday, Mayday, Mayday! I am invoking some May Day magic at this dark, disastrous time where there is so much distress!

I'm creating a collage with the following tidbits of information and some optional random stories for those who want additional reading at the bottom of the post, with the intention of offering magical alternatives to the predominant narrative.

I also recorded a supplemental audio story for the little kid in you, which you will also find at the end of the post!

• On May Day, the veils between the worlds are said to be the thinnest (along with Halloween —both mark the midpoints between an Equinox and a Solstice, reminding us of the cycles of change that are constant in our natural world).

• The etymology of “apocalypse” is unveiling or revelation (refers to hidden knowledge or divine truth).

• SO MUCH is currently being revealed that has been hidden for far too long —including the injustice, violence and cruelty inherent in patriarchal systems.

• The biblical references to the Apocalypse/ Revelation/Armageddon referred to cataclysmic endings of cycles.

• One of the definitions of “apocalypse” is an event involving destruction or damage on a catastrophic scale. That is definitely happening!

• SO MANY structures and institutions that once seemed stable are crumbling around our feet with nothing solid to replace them.

• We have people in positions of power who are actively working to bring about Armageddon. Here are three news article links , if you missed this ➡️ : 1 & 2 & 3

• Mayday is the international distress signal (no relation to 5/1 - the phonetic equivalent of the French m'aider)

• Sometimes we need to burn tired old stories and sit in the ashes like the Phoenix before something new can arise. (See *1* below)

• Our previous methods of only validating science and things that are deemed rational and logical has not been working very well (!) Perhaps it’s worth considering something else in addition to those useful tools (see *2* below)

• May Day is also International Workers Day, a celebration of the rights of the working class that originated here in the U.S. (see *3* below)

• May Day (aka Beltane) is a holiday celebrated with delightful whimsy, including flowers, faeries and dancing around a May Pole.

• May Day honors the marriage of the May Queen, and the Green Man which is about the balance between the masculine and the feminine.

• Given the “Rape Academy”, the Epstein files, and the current erosion of women's rights, as well as many other indications of a seriously dangerous imbalance, this balancing seems all the more essential this year. (see *4* below)

• This year, Mayday falls on the Full Flower Moon in the Year of the Fire Horse.

• There are many rituals associated with fire on May Day and the night before —Walpurgisnacht. Beltane means “bright fire.”

• Ancient lore holds that fairies are able to travel through those porous May Day veils to visit and work their magic.

Fire fairy 6 by Paranormallily

We are living through a time when our previous way of life is clearly being revealed to be unsustainable, unviable, and consequently there are flames, and deep cracks appearing everywhere.

Change is a nonnegotiable and absolutely necessary constant that we are neurologically programmed to resist, because our brains perceive anything unknown and different to be an existential threat.

Almost no one makes big changes if they're comfortable and life seems easy. (I know I certainly don't. I have been dragged kicking and screaming into every wonderfully transformational change for which I now, feel profound gratitude. And even with this life wisdom, I'm definitely not 100% on board with the big changes that I see coming.)

Our culture views discomfort (which accompanies most changes —including all natural cyclical endings) as wrong and bad and in need of fixing (especially with addictive fixes).

What if we needed to reach a point where things have reached a point of extreme, dysfunctional, and horrifying absurdity (crazy-clown-car-circus-cataclysm) before we are both able to see what we have not wanted to see and engage with life in a different way?

And what if the way to counteract the toxic lunacy is with playful, magical strategies, rather than attempting to “figure it all out” and fix with “rational” and “logical” methods —which usually include some level of violence (blaming, resisting, verbal or physical conflict) or trying to fix that which just might need to be broken.

And what if inviting magical (see *5* below) support from the supernatural (such as ancestors, religious figures, oracles, prayers —and yes, even Faeries!) can actually work miracles? It can't hurt to ask! Call in the faeries on this full moon and see what happens! Ask me more on how to do this if you are genuinely curious.

“Fairies Dancing” by Hans Zatzka (1859–1945)

There are many thousands (if not millions) of stories throughout time, from people who have experienced what they believe to be miracles, and I am one of them.

So I'm inviting whimsy, curiosity, creativity, and Faerie magic this May Day!

Maybe, even as a kid, you didn’t clap for Tinker Bell to show your belief in faeries. And maybe, as a sensible adult, you have never entertained the possibility that unexplained occurrences (sometimes even miracles) are anything but anomalies that probably have some rational explanation. You can still benefit from a touch of magic and exploring surprising and fun ways of showing up in the world!

I encourage you to activate the willful suspension of disbelief that you use when watching movies or reading fiction. It kind of feels like we're watching a bad movie right now, so why not tune into something different?

Even the most hard-core skeptic (⬅️like the jaw-dropping story that happened to the actual editor for Skeptic magazine!) can still benefit from magic. And we can all definitely benefit from more whimsical strategies at this surreal time!

I'm always hoping that you, dear reader, will share your thoughts or stories in the comments. I would love to hear from you about your thoughts on magic and how it has been a part of your life —or share your skepticism! I don't have all the answers, so I appreciate having the opportunity to hear different points of view!

💐🧚‍♀️🪻🦄🌸🦋🌷🧚🔥🐦‍🔥🌼🫧🌹🧚‍♂️🐸✨

In case you want to explore further, below are some stories and images that correspond with the numbered items in the post above.

*1*

On Beltane a few years ago, I literally burned up my old stories. Piles of journals and old love letters. And I danced while they burned. I feel like old stories are figuratively burning now. It's scary, but it also feels like letting them burn is the right thing to do. And who knows what lovely new stories might rise from the ashes of the old world?

Since the world is full of surprises, we truly do not know what will happen next!

So why assume the worst and allow the stress and misery that comes from believing “zombie stories” all that time and space? Why not entertain other more delicious possibilities? It certainly feels better! (and I feel like I need to once again, insert the disclaimer that this does not justify sitting on your couch and thinking happy thoughts, but not taking any responsible actions!)

*2*

I recently created this collage for myself, as a way of playing with what magic means to me. My intention was not to share it with anyone else. It was more about the process of doing something right brained instead of doom scrolling, writing, and reading. But I decided I would use it here to demonstrate that there are more ways of exploring topics than with words. Plus, it’s got faeries, fire, and flowers, so it fits in with the Beltane theme!

*3*

In my old stomping grounds of South Minneapolis, I loved going to the May Day Festival. It started in 1975 two weeks after the Vietnam war ended with a small group of people and over the years, grew into tens of thousands, who gather every year (although Covid temporarily paused it) with a parade of giant puppets, food trucks, and bands to celebrate the warmer weather, and community coming together as well as International Workers Day and political protest.

Powderhorn Park where the event takes place is about a mile away from George Floyd Square and close to where the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti took place.

This year Minneapolis is still experiencing the federal occupation, but the organizers said “it strengthened our shared resolve & love for our neighbors that we see openly demonstrated at May Day every year” and “we are committed to making this beloved event happen. We are committed to community joy, laughter, and whimsy”.

I love seeing how Portland and Minneapolis (and so many other places) have used the tools of everything from inflatable frogs and unicorns to flying dildos and singing and dancing flash mobs, to highlight playful ways of addressing very serious matters.

*4*

This image of The Beltane Green Man is from a powerful article by Elayne Kalila that addresses the ways in which both women and men have been harmed by the patriarchy. Elaine is a longtime, delightful community member whom I adore! We are definitely a whimsical bunch —with a fabulous faerie godmother and friend (see today's audio story for more about her) as the creator of this group ! The article is serious and long, (and is in response to another incredible linked article within it), so give yourself the time and space to drink it in. It one of the best things I've read in a very long time. And I read a ridiculous amount!

*5*

I’ve gone into detail on previous posts about acknowledging the dangers of “magical thinking” —and they are very real. Also, I know I risk losing all credibility, since the prevailing beliefs are that “magic” is obviously not real. Anything that’s attributed to magic is debunked with a “logical” explanation, scoffed as cheap trickery or is ignored. This is a long and complicated (but fascinating!) topic that I have previously offered some stories about and will explore more in the future.

The above stained glass piece hangs in a window across the street from where my mother lived in Oregon (and coincidentally, the woman who owns it is coming to visit me tomorrow!).

My mother might still be alive today, or at least have had a happier end to her life if it weren’t for falling into a deeply dangerous kind of magical thinking.

It’s a fine line between beneficial and harmful. As I write this, I have a candle burning for a friend receiving a hopefully life-saving treatment that falls under magical thinking for many people and certainly most oncologists. But her story is very different from my mother’s for many reasons.

I ask you to just entertain the possibility that there are things that cannot be explained, and that there is incredible power in belief. Here’s one random article about belief, but there are hundreds of highly compelling research studies.

💐🧚‍♀️🪻🦄🌸🦋🌷🧚🔥🐦‍🔥🌼🫧🌹🧚‍♂️🐸✨

This scene is from the song, My Favorite Things, in which Maria helps frightened children in a storm focus on the gifts of every everyday magic.

Watching Maria from The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins in the movie theaters when I was an impressionable little girl strongly influenced my choice to spend much of my life in the company of children. My life's work is to bring as much magic as I can to the children I care for, AND to the children that live in all of us.

Trauma brings out the frightened child inside of each of us, and since there is an abundance of upheaval right now; here is a little audio faerie story for you. And some short magic stories here to remind you that magic is possible.

Here is Shelby and the Blue heron from the story and the link for Ariel’s book