Virgo
A celebration of craft, clarity, and care—where precision, service, and devotion transform knowledge into meaningful action.
Virgo
Mary Astell, “A Serious Proposal to the Ladies, for the Advancement of Their True and Greatest Interest (In Two Parts).”
53-63
For since GOD has given Women 53as well as Men intelligent Souls, why should they be forbidden to improve them? Since he has not denied us the faculty of Thinking, why shou’d we not (at least in gratitude to him) employ our
... See moreMary Astell argues that women, possessing rational and immortal souls equal to men’s, have a moral and spiritual right to education. Denying women intellectual cultivation, she insists, weakens their judgment, distorts their will, and leaves them vulnerable to folly, manipulation, and shallow pursuits. Astell distinguishes true learning from trivial knowledge, warning that idle entertainment and fashionable reading fill the mind without forming wisdom.
She proposes that women be allowed serious study, especially philosophy and theology, not to claim public authority but to understand their faith, govern their lives wisely, and prepare their souls for heaven. Education, for Astell, refines character, deepens piety, and enables women to live purposefully, serve others charitably, and use time well. True religion and learning, she concludes, do not diminish joy but elevate it, aligning reason, devotion, and happiness into a disciplined yet life-giving whole.
Realizing at last that we can relax and be wrong is an enormous relief. Not only can we be wrong; we can rest in the certainty that we will be. We don’t have to know everything, and we don’t have to try to manage everyone in our lives so they behaved to our liking, and we don’t have to stand behind the planet and push it to make sure it turns as we
... See moreThe first thing I do every morning is feed the animals outside—the squirrels, the birds—because it gives me a sense of accomplishment right away.
It may sound boring, but having that simple routine grounds me, and then I build my workday around it. That rhythm creates a feeling of normalcy.
And as an independent consultant, my personal and
... See more“I know so many people who are far more talented than I am who could absolutely thrive on their own, but what holds them back isn’t skill—it’s the mental block, the insecurity.
I want to encourage them, because there’s nothing better than doing your own thing and spending most of your time on the work you actually love.
Sure, there are
... See moreDance never felt like a hobby or an extracurricular activity. It came from a very cellular, soulful place. I took some classes when I was little, but it wasn’t a focused practice. The first real dance class I took was when I was about 8, and I thought, “Okay, that’s it.”
When grownups asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I was 9 or 10
... See moreToday I read The Ants and the Grasshopper, and it reminded me of a truth every artist must hold: you have to trust that your community will support you and your art.
If your community turns away like the ants did in the Aesop Fable version, then it’s your role as the artist to find one that welcomes you.
A community that feels moved by your work
... See more