arellawho 🌙

☆ creative soul ☆ showcasing my personal curation of artwork, interests, and aesthetics ☆ get in touch to discuss art, philosophy, literature, tarot, or commissions ☆ leo sun, taurus moon, cancer ascendent ☆

[lunamonchtuna]

— Charles Bukowski (via lunamonchtuna)

[lovecharms-deactivated20201212]

charging cards, w/ love

kiss them gently, hold them to your heart

let sunshine fall upon them so they’re warm in your hands

leave a fresh blossom on top of the deck every once in a while

sit outside one night and introduce them to the moon & stars

sing whatever you’d like with them around

let an animal you love near them

say thank you and mean it

[secretwurlds]

“I would rather die of passion than of boredom”

- Vincent Van Gogh

- Vincent Van Gogh

[lunarylamb]

Charles Macaulay,

- “The secret history”

[crapademiaa]

how about instead of asking me out, you tell me i've bewitched you body and soul?

[inkskinned]

sometimes a poem is just a poem and sometimes a poem is actually a confession and sometimes a poem is a person and sometimes a poem is a cardinal. sometimes art is just art and sometimes art is actually therapy and sometimes it’s a pipe and sometimes it’s also not a pipe. 

sometimes the text is “got home safe!” and sometimes the text is actually saying i already miss the way your hair feels in my hands and sometimes the text is a warning and sometimes the text is thank you for caring. sometimes you are on the phone with your friend and you’re talking about curious monkeys but you’re also both admitting how lonely you are but you’re also both talking about how love can be a bicycle and sometimes it is not a conversation it’s an intervention and sometimes it’s not a conversation it’s a poem and sometimes it’s not a conversation it’s an art piece and sometimes it’s just a conversation but more often it’s holding hands without touching

& sometimes you are in an argument about the dishes but none of the things you are mad about are about dishes, they’re about the stuff around the dishes and the hands and the soap and how he smelled on sunday of another girl. sometimes the dishes aren’t even dishes they’re blankets and sometimes they’re burnt food and sometimes they’re your favorite book. sometimes the song isn’t a song sometimes the song is a manipulation and sometimes the song is just bad and sometimes the song is stuck in my head from you singing it in bed and sometimes it is “i listened to this so i could learn what you like” and sometimes it is “i showed you this because i want to also show you my palm lines and my heart and the inside of my head.” 

sometimes you are dancing alone but you are not dancing alone because you are picturing seeing her in a green velvet dress across the room from you, and sometimes you are dancing with ghosts, and sometimes you are dancing with your mother’s voice. sometimes it is not a dance it is a walk and sometimes it is not a walk it is lying in bed and sometimes it is not lying in bed, it is not-dying, which is often good enough for survival purposes. 

& sometimes you say  oh, take a cookie with you when you go and you mean that i should take a cookie and sometimes you mean - take me with you, also. sometimes it is just burning something and sometimes it is burning something and sometimes it is burning a lot of other things first. sometimes it is just a shirt and sometimes it’s what you wore when you kissed her and sometimes it’s what you wore when you didn’t kiss her and sometimes it’s what you wore to the movies when you saw your last in-theatres movie without knowing it would be your last in-theatres movie. 

& sometimes the poem is just a poem and sometimes the poem is my earring in your hand and sometimes the poem is your smell and sometimes the poem is calligraphy and sometimes the poem is good lord you are addicting and sometimes the poem is a poem and sometimes the poem is unfiltered yearning and sometimes the poem is an anvil and sometimes the poem is - can i write a home, can you crawl in, can we be like little ferns, all curled up in bed. sometimes the poem is a poem and sometimes the poem is a dance and sometimes the poem is saying - no, i will skip showering, if you need me there, i’m coming.

[arellawho]

i absolutely adore these words.

[nomdelune]

How to romanticize life

Perhaps that has been talked about before (it certainly has been talked about before, but I’ve never seen it implemented towards a romanticization of life specifically). 

This thought started once upon a time, when I was seeing many of those posts talking about how to romanticize life, especially when it was not romantic at all to begin with. The thing with these posts that I’ve seen (not a problem, just an observation) is that all of them talk about specific images of romance, rather than talk about how to achieve these. For example, one would talk about “strolling down a wooden area” or “wearing a specific ensemble”, but from my own experience, these actions alone are not enough to properly romanticize one’s life. 

And then, after I enjoyed a particularly romantic moment myself (doing the dishes, of all things!), I sat down and wrote about it, wondering why this specific activity (which I usually find myself indifferent to) brought upon me those feelings. And then, it dawned on me.

To romanticize one’s life, it is not about a specific activity, but about the grace, the elegance, we put in any activity we do. 

It is about being mindful of the action itself. About deliberate movements we do to achieve that elegance. And, at the root of it all, it is about being in the present. 

Elegance is rarely achieved naturally. It is true, some people might appear to us elegant by nature, because of how they talk, how they walk, how they hold themselves, but mostly, elegance is a choice. And it comes in two easy steps.

1. Posture.

When someone brings about the image of a long commute on the bus and how wretched that makes one feels (I know, this is a time of pandemic, we avoid the bus when we can, but for the sake of the experiment, let us imagine). It requires a simple shift in posture, to elongate one’s body against the back of the seat, to bring the head a little higher, and to hold onto a phone or a book with care, as if the item is precious (as it should be). And suddenly, the ride becomes romantic. Because, at that moment, your brain shifts from your thoughts (about the ride) to your body. Take a moment to appreciate the fact that your body is now talking to you in places you usually ignore it and look out the window. You are now in a period drama. 

2. Slowing down.

One particular movement I can think of that brings about either indifference or complete hatred is this one: putting on a mask before going out/going in a closed space. Well, even that singular moment can become elegant, therefore romantic, with this simple step: when one slows down their movement to put it on. It takes just a couple of seconds, no more than usual, but it demands an attention turned towards the body rather than the mind. Feeling each fingers stretching with the elastic going around the ears, softly pulling the fabric above the nose and under the chin, making those last adjustments before going in. The whole thing takes around 3 seconds. But your brain, in those 3 seconds, is able to override any thoughts you might have had then, and focused on those movements. Take a moment to appreciate hearing your body where you thought it was once quiet. The period drama you are in has multiple episodes. 

There are plenty of other small ways to bring more elegance (and romanticism) in one’s life. Taking the time to pronounce our words better, reading a book and clearly hearing all the words in our head, carefully selecting which clothes to wear and feeling their material on the tips of our fingers, choosing a style of writing that is more polished than usual, no matter the language (which I did at the beginning of this post, to prove a point - writing a post on Tumblr is far from romantic, but I made it happen for me anyway and then I got bored because I’m only human and I can romanticize things only up to a point). It does not matter where you are, how much you have, the style you prefer to walk around. It is all about taking the time to feel those actions in our bodies.

Romanticizing life is akin to a meditation. For people who do not like meditating. Think about those period dramas you like (c-dramas count, they’re just as aesthetically pleasing!), think about those youtube video you can’t stop watching (thinking of Bernadette Banner here, as well as Liziqi). They all have that in common. They show us deliberate, carefully chosen images, and those images have a proper posture (no shaky cam) and every movement look somewhat slower so we can properly see what is happening on the screen. 

Of course, it is entirely possible to romanticize our lives in retrospect. To think about our week and see all those times life has been romantic, despite us not trying. But true romanticism is lived in the moment. So enjoy it as it lasts.

TL;DR To romanticize something is not about doing certain activities. It is about being present in any actions we take. It is about mindfulness. It is a form of meditation for those who do not like meditating. Being in the body rather than in the mind. As romantic and pleasing as images and ideas are, it really is through the body that we experience the feeling of romanticism. 

Now, go forth, and feel the romanticism of your life as it is. 

[arellawho]

this is so beautifully put. 

[divinecynicism]

“Behind every exquisite thing that existed, there was something tragic.” - Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

[arellawho]

“some things are more precious because they don’t last long.”

when i first read dorian gray, i remember being a bit put off by dorian’s character and unclear on where the story was going. yet in the end, this piece turned out to offer a fascinating critique on vanity and self-preservation, and touched on a lot of important topics regarding aesthetics, artistry, intellect, even empathy. wilde’s dialogue is an enticing fusion of satire and eloquence. though some of his characters may be deplorable, i found that this was a necessary way to highlight the flaws in the human condition and present a critical commentary on beauty and the arts.

[arellawho]

My illustration of The Greek Muses

In the Ancient Hellenic world, it was said that the king of the sky, Zeus, joined with the goddess of memory, Mnemosyne, and from them the nine great Muses were born. The Muses reigned alongside the Olympian deities at Mount Olympus, where they were worshipped for their expertise in art and science. With cult followings throughout all of Greece, these nine goddesses were venerated beside Apollo, ruler of the Sun and one of the most beloved Greek gods. Moreover, they inspired numerous classics, such as Homer's “Odyssey” and the “Iliad.”

Although Western society has grown further from Pagan traditions, the relevance of the Muses remains. The fact that these female figures were able to play such a significant role in a patriarchal religion is valuable for society still and speaks to the many divine qualities which women continue to offer.

— A.W.

[enamouredpoet-deactivated202205]

“before you die, experience the love of a writer, poet or painter.

if you’re lucky enough to be an artist’s muse, they will immortalise you.”

- Soledad Francis

[witchmanor]

If you don't like this world – create your own

[arellawho]

the lovers: the power of choice, duality, harmony, speaking something into existence from nothing, creation. 

[preraphaelist]

ophelia by alexander cabanel; ophelia by friedrich wilhelm theodor heyser; ophelia by jean baptiste bertrand; detail from ophelia by john everett millais

[arellawho]

ophelia, driven mad out of grief and love, falls into the river with flowers in hand and strife in heart. there she drowns, singing softly to herself as the water pulls her under.

[astrohiraeth]

Tarot Tricks

1 - Nervous about a situation? Shuffle and look for The Fool. The two cards on either side will advise you on how to approach it.

2 - Are you looking for a new romance? Shuffle and look for The Lovers and the Ace of Cups. The cards in between will help guide you to finding love.

3 - Looking for a new beginning? Are you ready to start a new venture? Shuffle and find The Magician. The cards on either side will guide you in the right direction.

4 - Doing some soul searching? Find The Hermit. The cards around him will shed some light on your introspection.

5 - Going through some major life changes? Shuffle and find The World. The cards around it will give you the advice you need for this new chapter. 

6 - Had a confusing dream? Shuffle and look for The Moon. The cards on either side will help you interpret the meaning of it.

[arellawho]

i love asking the tarot for guidance in day-to-day affairs. these are some really insightful ideas!

[blaxkpoetry]

English literature academia aesthetic appreciation post.

[arellawho]

some serious november vibes

[flowerytale]

Bram Stoker — Dracula

[arellawho]

i recently learned that stoker’s “dracula” was inspired by romanticist poet lord byron. once described as “mad, bad, and dangerous to know,” byron lived a remarkably unconventional and chaotic life, but he is perhaps best known for his development of the byronic hero archetype in literature. this subtype of the romanticist hero is your traditional dark, brooding, and mysterious individual, trapped in an existential conundrum, at odds with both the world and themself.

[mexisco]

The new Rodarte collection is stunningly gorgeous.

[arellawho]

our daily does of awe-inspiring women

[academia-aesthetics]

Her heart was made of liquid moonlight