You Need Hobbies... Start Here
I'm an adult hobby evangelist. Welcome to my first sermon. ++ AN EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT!
Buckle up, y’all… there’s a lot happening in this episode.
BUT BEFORE WE GET INTO IT, I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT! in case you missed it…
🪐MY ASTROLOGY BUSINESS IS LIVE🪐
(more on this here, but needed to tell you all again because I’m SO EXCITED!!!)
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back to our regularly scheduled programming…
Quick Letter From the Editor (LOL I’m the only person who writes this newsletter)
My Monthly Musing: Hobbies are the Spice of Life
There is truly so much life to be lived on this earth. So much fun to be experienced, so many amazing things to learn and enjoy..!
Hello, it’s me, your favorite inspirational cat poster.
This carpe-ing of the diem brings me to one of my favorite topics: HOBBIES. The spice of life.
One of my favorite aspects of The Good Place *MAJOR SPOILER ALERT* was when they realized that heaven was just eternally chilling out, they could do whatever they wanted… so they learned how to do new things. One of the characters made a bucket list that included orchestra conducting, woodworking, basketball, painting, and burping the alphabet. 🤙
I often get mis-typed in Enneagram as one of the perfectionist or achiever numbers (1 or 3), when in reality, I’m a 7 baby — here for a good time!
If you’re like, aight betch you lost me — don’t worry about it. The point is: I’m hoping to share some of this carpe diem joie de vivre with all of you. I’m an adult hobbies evangelist.
Adult life can often become monotonous, utilitarian, and… lacking sparkle. Though we can derive joy from things like work, exercise, and family life, there is so much beyond our responsibilities and day-to-day maintenance! Juiciness, richness, and feeling fully ALIVE — all of this comes when experiencing more of what life has to offer.
When we’re children, particularly of the millennial-and-younger variety, we’re often thrust into a variety of extracurricular activities. Ballet, basketball, karate, music lessons, community theater, science camps… we’re exposed to so much. I feel as though these get stripped away little by little as we age and have to “be serious” and prioritize other things.
Why can’t we prioritize the enlivening of the soul!? Not to be dramatic but this is serious! There’s a reason why the phrase “soul-sucking” is used so frequently when people talk about their jobs. Having something(s) you’re passionate about can mitigate this.
My homework for you: start exploring things that light you up, and start pursuing them as pastimes. You most likely know my hobbies… learning languages (duolingo in da club), golden retriever passion (stella’s mom), pilates, ballet, painting, travel, astrology, making google slide presentations, reading, being obsessed with perfume, making tiktoks, podcasting… hell, even writing could be considered a hobby.
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observe (above): three of my hobbies intersecting. four, if you include ‘talking’ as one of my hobbies.
these hobbies have taken my life to new places, in new directions. I’ve met new people, experienced new opportunities, MOVED TO A NEW COUNTRY… to name a few. I’m excited to see how your life opens up when you embrace more passions. pretty please leave some comments about hobbies you’ve been exploring or are about to try! xx
Paris Updates: This, Madame… is Versailles!
Ok so back to my opening photo and what that was all about…
As fate would have it, there’s an all-night rave at Versailles every year with period-accurate garb and a mask being the two entry requirements (besides a valid ticket, of course).
What is this madness? It’s Le Grand Bal Masqué de Versailles
It starts at 11pm and lasts until 8am, which ironically is my exact sleep schedule so this was a doozy for me. Fortunately, if I am even ADJACENT to caffeine I cannot fall asleep for many hours, so a midnight snack of Coca-Cola classique (yes, I mean real actual Coke like the soft drink!) kept me going for quite a while. I went to bed at 7:30am. I’m still recovering.
If you’re considering a trip to Paris next summer, or live here and want to go, I’d HIGHLY recommend. This was truly one of the most fun experiences of my life. Beginning with a stunning fireworks show over the gardens, you’ll be led into the building adjacent to the Orangerie (not the palace itself), where a singing mermaid in a pool and costumed dancers greet you before you descend into the massive party through halls of vaulted ceilings. And, of course, a massive crowd of modern-day adults cosplaying as 18th century courtiers and royalty. A slay.
There are DJs playing techno/dance music — not usually my thing, but it was fun! Then every 30 minutes (perhaps every hour, don’t hold me to it), there’s some kind of spectacle — a crazy-cool live dance performance. They really do be puttin’ on the ritz down at Versailles. Give ‘em the ole razzle dazzle as they say in the biz.
There are snacks sold all night, so you can get waffles, hot dogs, chips, soft drinks, champagne and beer. As for the costumes, I rented mine with the girls at Sommier et Fils in the 10th and they were SO kind and lovely. We picnicked before the ball itself at the Louvre gardens (the Tuileries) and got stopped by dozens of tourists for photos (so cute). I’ll make a TikTok about it as soon as I regain the rest of my brain cells/sleep debt.
Last Paris update for now… one of my favorite Americans in Paris joined us on This Is Fine! this past week. Tune in to hear Morgan Hizar’s (@bisousmorgan) episode:
Astro Update: Jupiter is in Gemini
A quick cosmic check-in before we part… Jupiter moved into Gemini on May 25/26, depending on your time zone. It’ll be there for a year. What does that mean?
At a basic level, our planet of luck, expansion, growth, making things bigger, more-is-more energy has moved into the mutable air sign of the twins.
Gemini is curious, quick, quick-witted, funny, chatty, talkative, playful, and — at times — deeply unserious. It’s intellectual, social, and embodies duality. Think about someone who has a zillion hobbies, the person you’d want on your trivia team because they know an insane amount of random facts… they’ve likely got a lot of Gemini energy. Gemini — like the other air signs, Libra and Aquarius, is a cerebral sign, a sign of the mind, and a sign of information. It’s ruled by Mercury, which can give trickster, almost Loki-esque energy. Not malevolent, but oft mischievous.
So what does that all mean? I look at it like an equation, in simple terms. (Planet’s Energy) + (Sign’s Energy) = Transit. (FWIW, this is wildly oversimplified, but a good place to start!).
So for Jupiter in Gemini, we’re looking at expansion, growth, and perhaps bounty and blessings in Gemini territories. Aggrandizement of speed of the spread of information perhaps? Jupiter isn’t exactly vibing or at home in Gemini (his home is in Sagittarius, directly across from Gemini, or Pisces, directly square from Gemini). My two favorite astrologers, Shannon Aganza and Oak have shared that this could lead to a distribution of misinformation — something to keep in mind! Listen to minute 35 of this podcast episode for more intel from Shannon.
For you personally, look to your chart and find the house that Gemini occupies (we went over this in the last newsletter!). Expect a little dose of magic and abundance from your cosmic fairy godfather, Jupiter, in the following areas:
Aries Rising: Gemini is your 3rd house of communication, publishing, short distance travel, neighbors and siblings, vehicles
Taurus Rising: Gemini is your 2nd house of resources, talents, food, materials, money, your STUFF
Gemini Rising: Gemini is your 1st house of self, the body, YOU
Cancer Rising: Gemini is your 12th house of the spirit world, endings, things that are hidden/behind the scenes/beneath the surface, blind spots
Leo Rising: Gemini is your 11th house of community, the collective, larger friend groups
Virgo Rising: Gemini is your 10th house of career and public life
Libra Rising: Gemini is your 9th house of long distance travel, higher learning, religion and philosophy, other cultures, all things foreign
Scorpio Rising: Gemini is your 8th house of power dynamics, other people’s money (loans, investments, inheritance), psychology/therapy
Sagittarius Rising: Gemini is your 7th house of 1:1 relationships, business partnerships, individual friendships, romantic partners/marriage
Capricorn Rising: Gemini is your 6th house of daily routines, work, health, health routines, organization, menial tasks, pets
Aquarius Rising: Gemini is your 5th house of FUN, pleasure, play, inner child, creativity, creative projects, actual children, dating
Pisces Rising: Gemini is your 4th house of home, family, and what makes you feel rooted
If you need more help understanding this, you can book with me here :)
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Sending you the biggest hugs and gros bisous.
xx,
Dominique