Maven recommends: Hilma af Klint at the Guggenheim will get you in your gut

Good morning, Wednesday. Still here in my gym clothes, writing from my sofa and working on a million things at once. I love it. I'm happy Thank goodness. I'm enjoying being a shut in so very much. At some point I may go nuts, but I'm LOVING it right now.

So something I've noticed in the past year or so is an interest in the occult or witchcraft or astrology, even. I noticed a ton of holiday gifts this year centered around astrology (good gifts for Leos, best colors for Cancerians, etc.) and I literally received three witchy kits as gifts which included a smudge stick, some Palo Santo, and things like feathers to help bring good vibes into the home. I'm wondering if it's because of who's in the White House and the whole me too movement right now- and if women in particular are feeling the need for protection and to get into their power as much as they possibly can. And we all know the phrase "witch hunt" has been trending since Trump has been tweeting it nonstop. Interesting that.

I've always been fascinated by the positive force of something otherworldly- and some of you may know I have my own psychic abilities when I'm tapped in to them. I suppose we all do, really. I have always felt that for me, organized religion was not really where I found spirituality, because my intuition is my spirituality. When I'm fully committed to it, it will never steer me wrong.  The force is strong within me. Ha. And I think that women are drawn to things like witchcraft and astrology because intuition is a major feminine trait. I'm not at all suggesting men don't have it- but most of the women I know are guided by intuition and when they trust it, there's no stopping them.

So this past weekend I saw a show at the Guggenheim which confirmed all that I thought about intuition as a spiritual guide. If you have not yet been to the Hilma af Klint show, you must, must go. Like, literally fly into New York and go see it if you don't live here. And if you live here, go now. Today if you can. It's the coolest show I've seen in years. Her use of the color pink alone just gets me in my feelings in the best of ways.

 Hilma was a Swedish artist who is often called the mother of abstract art. She was born in the 1862 and died in 1941. Her paintings were a visual representation of spiritual ideas and visions she had. A physical manifestation of the spiritual realm. And good Lord- they are magnificent. She was part of a group of five female artists called Da Fem (I need four more ladies to form a group with that name, which I absolutely love) who shared her ideals. These ladies often held seances and were deeply in touch with something otherworldly.  She created works for an imagined temple- that they should only be shown there- and not coincidentally, the temple itself resembled the Guggenheim, so a more perfect setting for her work would be hard to find.  She was not well known in her lifetime, and even caveated that her paintings could not be shown until 20 years after her death. The show also includes a ton of sketches and notebooks and is a fascinating revelation into the life of a pure creative soul, guided by something bigger than her. I'm in love.

So what does this teach us or what was my takeaway from the show? Recently I've been doing a ton of work on myself- working with a coach to help uncover what's next for me. Needless to say, I'm well aware that I find my way by figuring out what I don't want. The work I did with the coach was amazing, but the elaborate business plan we crafted did not fly with me at the end of the day. Because I know in my heart that all I truly want to be is a writer. My intuition has always led me there. In my 20s I was never, ever in touch with my intuition (murky times) so it makes sense I lost my way when it came to writing back then. I literally did not write a word for most of that time. Cut to many years later, and here I am. Tapped in to where I need to be. I do feel as women get older, we get far more in touch with our intuition, because so many other things go out of whack- our bodies change, our tastes change, the way we think of ourselves change. But our gut becomes like a beacon. And I for one am paying attention. 

So whether you are a churchgoer, temple dweller, or sonic twirler, listen to that inner guide. It won't fail you if you trust it. And go deep to get to it. Seeing Hilma's show, an artist who left this earth a long time ago, made me feel so very present. And as I write this on my sofa with candles lit around me, I'm right where I need to be. And that's the best I can do right now, or ever, really.

Cause that's what's up this in touch kind of Wednesday in the 718. Yours, in spiritual guidance and female intuition. XO