Burning Mummies
In Egypt, mummies were more plentiful than trees and cheaper than coal.
(This newsletter was first shared in the newsletter in January 2024.)
Consider all the practical uses of a well-preserved mummy.
Ground up mummy meat was the active ingredient in a Renaissance-era medicine called mumia, a panacea for injuries, epilepsy, painful periods, and the plague. Mummy limbs were lopped off and smuggled into Catholic churches in Europe, where they were worshiped as relics of saints. Bits of Egyptian house cat were disguised as the holy remains of Joan of Arc.
Unwrapping mummies was a popular form of entertainment for elites in Victorian England - and YouTube has been chasing the high of unwrapping ever since. The pre-Raphaelites shadowed images of Circe and Ophelia with aluminum tubes of paint called “mummy brown.” Guess what it was made of?
In Egypt, mummies were more plentiful than trees and cheaper than coal. The ultimate fossil fuel, the British purportedly hurled mummies into the steam engines of locomotives.
Like most people, I spent my twenties working a series of dead-end jobs. I checked out grocery orders in a high end supermarket and herded rich international students through NYC landmarks for $7.25 an hour. My pay increased when I pivoted to the back office of a hotel, but my shifts became more erratic. It worried me that my coworkers kept dying of strokes. I spent a year at an insurance call center where my calls were meticulously monitored and timed. My headset was tethered to my computer with a too-short cord so I couldn’t fully stand. I had to request bathroom breaks by email and was often denied. When I finally left the call center, it felt like an ascension. Then I started my next job.
All the while, I was obsessed with preserving my body. I performed endless asanas in my living room and my diet veered towards veganism.
Those were my lost girl years. Wherever I went, I was shoveled into the steam engine. I began to see myself as fuel.
I went to grad school twice and had started teaching around the time of the “millennial burnout” discourse. Shortly after, there was a pandemic and everything shut down. My borough was hit hard and hospitals were overwhelmed. There were trucks overflowing with bodies from the morgue on the street, but the living could not rest. As a teacher, I was overworked, but at least I was hermetically sealed into my dark apartment. Hospital employees, Uber drivers, and supermarket cashiers didn’t have the luxury. Children stood on the balconies and banged frying pans with wooden spoons to celebrate the essential workers.
When I caught the virus, I felt that I couldn’t afford to take days off. I had too much work and was already too far behind. Even when my heart raced as though electrocuted and my temperature plummeted to corpse-levels, I faithfully logged into Zoom. I was swaddled in scarves, shivering, typing furiously, flinging myself into the fire.
Humans don’t allow the Earth to rest either. Our agricultural system takes more from the soil than it replaces, leaving each subsequent harvest with fewer vitamins and minerals. One of my teachers described seeing grapes growing in vineyards so depleted that the roots grow on top of the soil. One study shows calcium levels in fresh vegetables dropping 12%, iron levels dropping 37%. I spent years trying to survive off anemic vegetables.
The fossil fuels that power our cars and make up our take out containers are the pulverized corpses of a previous extinction. Trees proliferated, but there were no fungi to decompose them. The trees reproduced, fell, and piled up. The Earth was covered in waste, much like it is now. The trees of that former extinction whisper a warning: you can’t keep growing and producing forever.
Milky Oats
If you are suffering from burnout, milky oats can support and restore the nervous system in unique ways. Milky oats are the seed of the oat plant. They are harvested when the seed produces a white, sticky substance. When taken over time, milky oats can rebuild the myelin sheath around the nerves. It is best taken as a tincture or as an overnight infusion. Oats are safe for most people, but those with gluten sensitivities may want to be cautious.
Events
2nd Chance Candle - Astorians: My handmade herbal goodies are for sale alongside holiday chocolates and Lisa’s elegant candles at 2nd Chance Candle. I’m offering three ritual oils, including a new formula called Forest of Elders, and a calming herbal tea blend. This is a great place to do some local holiday shopping!
Be Your Own Healers Ceremonial Bazaar - Also for Astorians: You can find me at the Ceremonial Bazaar at YUG from 3 PM to 7 PM where I will be selling some herbal goodies.
Love Notes
I’m sharing an oldie but goodie because I haven’t had much capacity lately. Sending you love if you are feeling similarly spun out! This autumn feels several years long.
If your looking for reasons to feel more anxious, may I recommend the podcast Tech Won’t Save Us.
Have you looked at a gingko tree lately? They blanketing the pavement and any cars parked beneath them in golden leaves. Have you thanked a ginkgo tree lately?