chooniverse

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David Brooks, in his New York Times Op Ed, June 10,2019 The Age of Aquarius, All Over Again! was lazily inspired by a lengthy article by Tara Isabella Burton in The American Interest regarding “The Rise of Progressive Occultism”, adding his own rambling speculations to hers about the increasingly visible intersection and impact of resistance (“left-wing”) politics, astrology, mindfulness, wokeness and Witchcraft.  Brooks acknowledges them as a responses to the “major needs of the moment” but fails to understand what those real needs are and how Witchcraft, in particular, has provided meaningful answers for much longer than a moment.  He’s all over the map, dismissing it all as “occultism” in response to troubled times, which is why he’s confused by the “surprisingly normal” political activism of Witches. Brooks doubts “it’s possible to have “tight community and also total autonomy,” doubts that we can have something “life-shaping” because we have “detached [our] spiritual practices from the larger narratives and cultures,” doubts it is “sustainable.” It’s precisely the kind of privileged, patriarchal pontificating that makes women (and others) run naked and laughing into the woods when the moon if full.

https://wildhunt.org/2019/06/letters-to-the-editor-the-world-needs-her-witches.html 

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My first piece for The Independent, on gaybashing in London and why our straight allies need to do better. 

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Wrote a thing on renewables, and why the switch from death cult fossil fuels to eco-compatible green tech is not only possible but essential. For @Dazed's rad #AFutureWorld series 💚♻️🌿

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Wrote a thing for @Dazed on the pagan boom. In a nutshell: young people are (a) increasingly sick of patriarchal monotheism, (b) driving a generation gap in organised faiths across the UK/US, (c) increasingly interested in decolonising their spirituality & seeking something greener, sexier, more intersectional. Spoke to a bunch of smart and sweet experts for this, include Pam Grossman of the Witch Wave pod and academic/druid Jonathan Wooley. Up the pagans!

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Spoke with rapper/artist/author/queero  Bunny Micheal about their beautiful new self-help book, Love Notes From Your Higher Self, for Dazed 🧡

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Spoke with director (and ex MRR ed!) Arwen Curry for Dazed, on her excellent Ursula K. Le Guin documentary, finally doing the rounds on UK soil this month – starting with a screening at the inaugural New Suns lit fest today.   

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My piece on the rise of woke witchcraft, for Guardian Culture 

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Ooh, the Oct/Nov @AestheticaMag just arrived, and as always, the cover is a beaut. In this issue: my interview w/ Berlin's @faraomusic, on her (v good) Soviet disco/90s r&b-inspired album, Pure-O (out Oct 19th), and a long review of Haiku Salut's There Is No Where Else. 

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"Witchcraft is liberation spirituality, and it has to be liberation for everyone. Small batch, ethically made products by witches is one thing, but mass-produced anything is problematic. Its delusional at this point, to think we can go on this way.”

Spoke to a couple of irl witches about *that* starter witch kit and why you don't need to spend big bucks to find yr inner magic. Hard co-sign on everything Erin Aquarian says. She is gold <3

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Spoke with Linkin Park’s Mike Shinoda, ahead of his solo shows at Reading & Leeds this weekend.  

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Binging my way through Summer Camp Island. Adorable viewing! Like a Paperchase card come to life <3

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Because identity politics without eco justice = death. Sign-up, share and signal boost, pls! <3 

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Wrote a thing on the creative continuum that is slogan t-shirts, and the conditions that shape the political phrases we wear on our bodies.   

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Friends! I've started a thing! Please join, share and signal-boost. I’d like to see this grow beyond a digital presence. 

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"I think her face should be on money and stamps.” 

My first piece for Means Happy, in which Janelle Monae stans explain why we love the Q.U.E.E.N <3

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Fuck. This EP is all killer. Nasty, sweet, noisy, puckish homopunk. Flowers has split me open in the best way, a curse from the depths of queer rage. Sing along and remember who you are:  

“And in my dreams I crawl across freshly cropped lawns, past your dogs and your cars and your guardians and the things that leave you feeling comfortable and safe and I will crawl through the smallest cracks in the bricks of the walls to your building and I will climb your stairs and go to your bedroom where you lie sleeping and I will wake you and I will welcome you to this bad dream Arghh! In your head you can fuck without a rubber In your head set congressmen on fire Feel no guilt in your desire Become 16 feet tall Pissing on hypocrites below Pissing on hypocrites below Feel no guilt in your desire Enraged by what they did to you Enraged by what they still do”

Also: OH GOD GILMORE GIRLS IS HOWL-WORTHY TRUTH 

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Blaya’s baaaaack <3