Testing 1, 2...Testing, Testing...
Just do it.
Yikes! I think my subtitle is a commercial catch phrase of the shoe company Nike.
Oh well, right now, my title/subtitle pair offers an accurate snapshot of the tension in me: Me, in a cave by myself with a mic, saying “Testing 1,2…”, quite comfortable there… possibly existing there for years…
…and the jolting force of my spirit-within that pushes me out into the sunlight!
Just do it!
I’m starting this monday publication to serve both creative and practical functions. Hello Giant. is: 1) A pathway through which I can express myself creatively to others. 2) A place to announce which plants are ready and what supplies to bring that week for our herbcrafting group on wednesdays.
So, here I am, and this is Hello Giant., a pathway and a place.
Yah know, my name - Nicole, Nikki, Nikole - comes from the Greek root ‘Nike’(Ancient Greek: Νίκη), not a shoe company. She is the goddess of Victory from the mythic landscape of Ancient Greece.
To know someone well, it’s good to look at who they come from. Nike is the daughter of Styx and Pallas. Her mama Styx is a shadowy river goddess, dwelling in the Underworld, who oversees all solemn oaths. Mama Styx is the daughter of the primordial mother and father of all waters on Earth, Oceanus and Tethys. Papa Pallas, called “The Giant”, is a sky god warrior ‘brandishing a spear’, his starry chariot arising in late spring. He comes from the Titans - Krios, the Ram of the south who initiates spring, and Eurybia who presides over human mastery of the sea, including navigation of the wind, water, and stars. In sum, Nike’s 3 grandparents and mother are placed squarely in the watery realms, and her paternal line roars through the skies heralding the season of rebirth. Her siblings are Zelos (zeal), Kratos (power), and Bia (force).
Hmmm…. Each sibling expresses an embodied quality, but at first glance, Nike’s description ‘victory’ seems to be a result of, not an embodiment itself. Can this be so? If I’m exploring elementally, Zelos is Emulation, which feels to me of the spirit, of fire. Kratos, feels to me of earth, rooted Strength. Bia feels to me like the Might of a rushing river. This would leave Air to winged Nike. I take this to be, Victory as a mindset. A kind of mental confidence one engages that makes it possible to even start a thing. The choice to believe, and orient towards the possibility that a goal is accomplishable, and that one might be such a person who is capable of accomplishing it. Another resource says that the deeper linguistic roots of Nike could be the proto-Indo-European word, neik, which means “to start vehemently”.
(Bronze sculpture of Nike, made in Taranto, Puglia, Italy, c. 500 BCE.)
Well folks, in this moment, I’m feeling simultaneously called in and inspired by my bold namesake here. I didn’t know that this is what I would talk about in my first newsletter, but it seems quite fitting that Nike has presenced herself here today. Honestly, her confident presence shines a light upon so many cowering places in my mindset. It’s safe to say that I never start things vehemently; I start them…………………………….. hesitantly. I can see that I lead with self-doubt, maintain loosy goosy commitment levels, and prefer only toe-dipping to secure a quick out. My withholding in my own life feels cowardly in her presence.
An Experiment: I stand up and take on her body position in this statue. I sense into the presence of wings spread at my back. As I attempt to contact a mindset of Victory, what happens? I find, it focuses my gaze on my North Star, it summons the power of “I will …….” from my gut. I actually find this state seductive and magnetic.
So, this week, I have some homework to do, like answering: what truly is my North Star with this effort?. So for now, I’m taking Nike’s advice…
I am just doing it!
***
(I meant to talk about why I chose the title Hello Giant, but that’s in question now, cuz I just discovered that my mythic dad is a Giant and I have a lot to think about…..)
See you next week!
Singing Nettle Herbcrafts
I have decided to change the structure of this herbal garden group from a monthly membership to be a series of wednesday workshops, 1-2 per month, going from July through October.
This wednesday, I will be out there working from 3-5pm.
Same for June 5th and 12th. You can join me as a volunteer if you would like. June 16-27 I am out of town.
I am in the process of finishing planting all the baby starts, weeding what has already been planted, and watering everyday.
Plants available for harvest right now are :
Spearmint
Mugwort
Motherwort
Dandelion
Plantain
Yarrow
Rose
Red Clover
Nettle
Thyme
Oregano