It’s been a while since I’ve posted a poem! While it might not be every day, I will be posting poems again as part of my devotions to Hela.

Evening Ebb
~ Robinson Jeffers

The ocean has not been so quiet for a long while; five nightherons
Fly shorelong voiceless in the hush of the air
Over the calm of an ebb that almost mirrors their wings.
The sun has gone down, and the water has gone down
From the weed-clad rock, but the distant cloud-wall rises. The
ebb whispers.
Great cloud-shadows float in the opal water.
Through rifts in the screen of the world pale gold gleams, and the
evening
Star suddenly glides like a flying torch.
As if we had not been meant to see her; rehearsing behind
The screen of the world for another audience.

Dear David,

Today would have been your 73rd birthday. You left this world, and the people who love you, just a few weeks ago, but it feels like an eternity.

I had hoped to have one more visit with you, one more chance to hold your hand and see you smile, while I tell you again how much I love you, for yourself, for the beauty you brought into this world, and for the dramatic effect your work has had on my life.

I remember that day, so long ago, me as a young girl, being allowed into the store I was not legally old enough to be in, so that I could choose a Tarot deck. I remember first seeing the box for The Aquarian Tarot, its glossy black surface a dramatic contrast to the face of the box. As an Aquarius, I was delighted to find something named Aquarian, and felt that the deck had been created just for me. None of the other decks were of the slightest interest; the Aquarian had captured my attention.

As I became familiar with the deck, your art captured my imagination, and my heart. The deck was my only deck for years and years; despite being given other decks as presents, I never bonded with any of them the way I instantly connected to the Aquarian.

Fast forward to 2010, and my receiving an email from Michael Orlando Yaccarino, asking if I would be interested in speaking with you, which was beyond any possibility I had ever imagined. I cannot adequately describe the combination of nervousness and excitement as I waited for the phone to ring with your call. You were every bit as charming as I expected, and even more delightful than I had hoped.

Then you kindly graced us with more of your time to record a podcast with me and RoseRed in May of 2010, and then—wonder of wonders!—we were able to meet in person that summer. A lovely lunch with you and RoseRed at the Sherman Library and Gardens, made all the more wonderful by basking in your presence for hours, with no interruptions or outside concerns. You spoke to us further about the book you’d read an excerpt from on the podcast, and I was thrilled when you agreed that Tarot Media Company could publish The Journal of an Artist.

Then, in 2012, I received a call from Stuart Kaplan, congratulating me on the publication of The Journal of an Artist, and suggesting that we do a book on your Tarot art. I was speechless with delight at the prospect of writing a book with you on this deck that was such a part of my life. Letters and phone calls, and meetings at the lovely Sherman Library and Gardens to work on the manuscript, were highlights of my year as we worked together. And thus, Painting the Soul: The Tarot Art of David Palladini came into the world in 2014.

Never did that young girl in 1972 imagine that she would ever meet the amazing artist and incredible man whose work spoke to her, even as young as she was. Never did she imagine that her love of art and affinity for Tarot would take her all over the world, meeting wonderful people and having incredible adventures. Never did she imagine that she would share time, bread, and wine, with the artist and man who seemed to know her so well, even before they ever met, and who gave her the heartfelt gift of his art.

David, you were a gift to this world, and through the gift of your art, made a place for yourself in the world, and in the hearts of all who view your art, and whose souls are enlightened, comforted, and guided by the wisdom you instilled into your work.

Know that you are loved by many, and find comfort in the knowledge that your work has made boundless, positive differences to the lives of countless people, through its beauty, honesty, and depth.

I offer you my infinite gratitude, my deep appreciation, and my unending love for you.

You truly painted the soul, my dear David, and I thank you, from the bottom of my soul, for all that you have given to the world, and to me.

Anastasia Haysler and David Palladini, Sherman Gardens, Corona del Mar, CA July 19, 2010

There will be a private service for the family; no other memorial is planned. If you would like to do something to honor David’s life and work, make art and support artists by buying their work and sharing it widely.

You can also donate to the Pratt Institute (his alma mater), and designate the funds for an art student scholarship, and make the contribution in David’s memory.

Thank you to everyone who attended my Bindrunes workshop at PantheaCon! You can find the Rune Meanings Quick Reference Worksheet here, and the Bindrune creation worksheet here.

I’d love to see the bindrunes you create—feel free to email me with your work! It’s always wonderful to see how creative people are with them.

Is it art? No. Was it fun? Yes.

I was having lunch with a friend recently, and she confessed that she was worried because she didn’t have a side hustle generating piles of money for her. She has a Good Job (steady work, a living-plus wage that is fair for the job, and decent benefits), but she felt she should be making more money by working more—specifically, by turning her crafts into an Etsy store, and also running a white label service for other people to sell her crafts. She does amazing things with paper, and, in fact, I had just exclaimed over her latest project, thoughtlessly commenting on how great it would do on Etsy. (Note to self: stop that.)

We talked it through, and she concluded that no, she doesn’t need a side hustle, despite what all the side hustle gurus (Chris Guillebeau, in particular, was the one that had given her serious doubts about relying on her day job alone) assure us that we all need, and must do, no matter what.

The side hustle sages tell us we shouldn’t rely on just one income stream, that having multiple sources of revenue is the only way to achieve financial security in the Gig Economy. But isn’t running a bunch of side hustles instead of / in addition to having a Regular Job just perpetuating the Gig Economy? If you’re spending every minute you’re not at your day job working your side hustle, when do you have fun? When do you do things that bring you pleasure? When do you sleep?

She doesn’t need the money; sure, who doesn’t appreciate extra cash in their bank account? But it would not enable her to quit her day job (unless it became her day job), and it would take a great deal of her free time, which she really needs to decompress from her day job. Instead of being a source of relaxation and creative pleasure, it would become one more area of pressure—to produce, to be perfect, to devote more time and energy, even when she didn’t have much of either. One more obligation, on top of the obligations she already deals with every day.

When I was in college, some friends had a band for a while. They eventually split, unable to agree on why they were playing—two of them wanted fame and fortune, and the third one wanted to play local gigs and have a good time. When I asked him about it, he explained, “Music is my joy. If it becomes my work, what am I going to do for fun? Work in an insurance office?”

I paint. I’m terrible at it—I can’t draw well, so the paintings are a mess, but, to borrow from Winston Churchill, “painting keeps the Black Dog away”. Painting is something that has absolutely no connection to my day job, and isn’t part of my public persona, so there are no expectations. I can paint (badly) all I wish, and the result is a few hours spent peacefully, and my improved mood. No amount of money generated by a side hustle can buy that for me.

I make clay objects for my altars (some of them featured here and here on my blog!). Making them is fun, and is also a form of devotion. Are the objects perfect? No. Could I sell them on Etsy? No. But they don’t have to be perfect, they just have to be good enough for me to feel good about putting them on my altars.

I took a tapestry weaving class, and then took several months to weave a tapestry for runecasting. It’s far from perfect, but it’s complete, it’s usable, and I greatly enjoyed making it. Would someone pay me to make one for them? Not even. But the reward of learning to weave, and spending those hours engaged in a pleasant and relaxing activity, is far greater than the cash such a project would produce.

Allow yourself to have free time. Allow yourself to do things because you enjoy them, even if you don’t think you’re very good at them. (If you ever need to feel better about your skill level at something, come over for a visit—I’ll show you my terrible paintings; no one will ever suggest I open a a gallery.) Allow yourself to make mistakes with those things, to learn and improve—or not—as you play. Do things for fun, for pleasure, for personal gratification—regardless of whether you are good at them, or whether you can make money doing them.

If you do want to monetize your hobby, or have a fleet of side gigs—gig on! Make all the money! I wish you all the best.

As for me, I’ll be over here, painting unsellable art and making imperfect candle holders for my altars.

Not every hour is billable, and personal benefit is as important as financial profit.

Recommended reading:
Molly Conway, “The Modern Trap of Turning Hobbies Into Hustles”
Jia Talentino, “The Gig Economy Celebrates Working Yourself to Death”

Another masterpiece, certain to fetch a staggering sum, posthumously.

Good morning, PantheaCon! Happy Saturday!

Today at 1:00 PM in the Boardroom (2nd floor), I’ll be presenting “Bindrunes for Magical and Practical Purposes.”

While you can combine runes to create words (who doesn’t like spelling their name in other alphabets?), runes can also be combined to join their energies for magical purposes. Bindrunes can be used to create talismans to empower the wearer with good health, cleverness, strength, and other qualities. Runes can also be combined to create a symbol of personal power, or as a way of marking your possessions so others know the owner of that cup, dagger, or other very cool object. We will create our own talismans.