I was a Religious Studies major in college.
Not the kind that was preparing to become a nun (like many people asked) but the kind that wanted to know why religion has had such an impact on humanity; why it has, throughout history, made people act the way they do (you know what I’m talking about.)
One of the classes I took was about Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam.
I remember learning about the Whirling Dervishes, who spin for hours in meditation to reach an ecstacy-like trance.
Our professor showed us a video of them whirling, and I thought they looked like spinning tops.
Two years after I graduated college, I actually got to see them IRL in Turkey. And in-person, they didn’t look like spinning tops.
They looked like celestial bodies in orbit.
It was like the room we were in was a galaxy, and here were the planets before me, spinning their way to god.
The theme of this month’s zine is Orbit. I’m constantly mesmerized by the Whirling Dervishes, but I was also inspired by how the word holds a dual meaning.
An orbit is a path, and it’s also the space around you.
The orbits of planets make beautiful shapes, as you can see below. But a human’s orbit? The life paths we stumble through here on Earth? Slightly less elegant.
I wanted to explore the space around us—what do we carry in our orbits? What’s inside that ever-present spaciousness? And can we become more aware of how we interact with that space?
So, this month, I offer you, my fellow gorgeous human, The Interstitial: The Orbit Issue.
Inside, you’ll find poetry and pretty words, original artwork, a freezer spell (for keeping people/entities OUT of your orbit), and some whimsy.
Download it below to access it. Share it, post about it (pls credit me if you do!), print it, write all over it. Please, make it yours!
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