Welcome to Practice*
An Intuitive Newsletter
Hello Dear One!
If you’re reading this, there may be a couple of reasons why. 1 — You’re a cherished friend, family member or colleague who I thought might be interested in what I’m up to. 2 — You’re a complete stranger who was led here by a person (or algorithm) that loves you. If you don’t want to read this, feel free to leave now! Regardless of how you got here, by now you’ve probably figured out that I’m starting a newsletter.
I’m so happy you’re here.
Welcome to Practice*, an Intuitive Newsletter. Starting today, I’ll be publishing monthly reflections on my life and my intuitive practices. I’ll also share community offerings, like tarot readings and yoga classes, for anyone who’d like to practice with me. I’m interested in building a clientele for my offerings without relying on social media, so sharing is appreciated.
This newsletter itself will become a type of practice for me and it will contain glimpses of my other practices. For example, below, I share some reflections on the King of Cups tarot card. As I am first and foremost a student of all of these practices, I think it’s important that I also share with you the teachers I’m learning from. Those teachers are people, books, art and more.
I may even slip in some astrology in the future.
All that is to say, this newsletter is alive. It will grow and change, it may stop and start. I look forward to creating it with you.
You can access the growing Practice* archive at hkgoldstein.com.
Let’s get started.
What I’m Doing —
Last September, I joined The Ishtar Collective — a pro-sex work, anti-trafficking organization working to decriminalize sex work in Vermont.
In February, I started a remote job at the New York Transgender Advocacy Group.
I’m settling into my new home in Bennington, VT. We’ve built two thirds of a coffee table and I’ve connected with the local theater.
I’ve also started seeing an art therapist and have tapped in to my inner painter.
Where I’m Learning —
I recently began practicing yoga with Kallie Schut of RebelTribeYoga. Her free YouTube videos are about an hour, which is longer than most free YouTube classes I’ve seen, and are very grounded in traditional yogic philosophy. Try this class on working with adrenal fatigue.
A couple of weeks ago, I attended a workshop with Michelle C. Johnson about anti-racism and yoga. During the workshop, we did a writing exercise reflecting on the idea of “where I’m from,” both literally and figuratively. I thought about how I am from two imperialist nations, the traumas survived by my ancestors, and the experiences I’ve lived through myself.
Last month, I read Stagestruck: Theater, Aids, and the Marketing of Gay America by Sarah Schulman. Schulman’s novel People in Trouble was plagiarized by Jonathan Larson to create the musical Rent in the nineties. In Stagestruck, Schulman shares all the gossip on how it happened, and how that act of plagiarism epitomized the commodification of gay rights and the AIDS crisis for mainstream America. This book hit me right in my queer-anti-capitalist-theater-kid-who-just-left-NYC heart.
Honorable mention to the publication inspired me to create this newsletter (among many other things) — The Reading, a monthly offering of creative advice from my partner, writer and critic Yanyi. I’m especially delighted by his image descriptions and seek to emulate their simplicity and accessibility.
Cards I’m Pulling —
The King of Cups (Emotional Mastery)
Moving Image by HK Goldstein — The King of Cups from the The Carnival at the End of the Word tarot deck* rests on a light wood tabletop. The King is a serene, six-legged buffalo, a spear in his left hand and a fish in his right. He’s balancing atop an ice float with a teacup on his head. Sharp diagonal shadows from a window frame the card and soft sunlight dances across its face.
I asked the cards, “How will I know when I should put myself out there?” I was specifically asking about art and performance, but the resonance of this being my first card pull for my newsletter experiment is not lost on me. Sometimes I ask the cards a question that I think I have, and they reflect back the question I really mean.
“How will I know when the time is right?” “What is the right thing to do?” “What do people want?” “What do I have to offer?” I think I’m nervous to start something new!
I was dizzying myself with questions about what the “right” thing to do was and the King of Cups said, “Stop. Take a breath. You don’t need to figure everything out. You can just be.”
The King of Cups represents balance atop of profound emotional depth. His ship is well built and floats steadily across vast oceans. He speaks of skillful understanding of oneself. Feeling grounded, even when there is no ground. As with all court cards, the King of Cups might stand in for a person — someone else, or, more frequently I find, who I need to be.
I pull this card often, for myself and for others. It’s one of my favorites. Every time it appears I break into a smile. It shows up to remind me that I cannot control what is happening outside of myself. It speaks of working with my own anxiety, my own fear.
In Madame Lulu’s Book of Fate, Lulu writes, “in stillness you will have stability… on your floating island you have some buffering distance between yourself & the troubles of others.” The danger of this advice lies in bypassing the outside world and focusing solely on myself, but for me, as someone who has historically given just about everything I have to others, it reminds me that I can untether myself from that which I cannot control.
For much of the past year, I’ve felt like I was at the center of a deep dark ocean. In the moments I return there, the King of Cups points me to my life raft.
*This deck was gifted to me by my sweet, lifelong friend Danielle Leggard. She’s gifted designer and one of the first people who piqued my interest in tarot. Take a look at her work.
What I’m Offering —
TRANS* YOGA — First Saturday of the month starting April 3rd at 3pm EST. A 70-minute yoga class for trans and non-binary people of all bodies. Our practice will be rooted in personal physical autonomy and authority. We’ll move through a series of postures and breath work, in order to connect with our inner physical ecosystems, and then end in a decadent, restorative rest. Any or no experience is welcome. Suggested donation $5-$20. We ask our cisgender allies to support us by leaving the space for trans and non-binary folks. Sign up here.
FRIENDLY TAROT — Curious about the cards? Been stuck in an anxiety spiral? Want to know how to approach a sticky situation? Let’s do a reading. I offer 45 and 60-minute tarot readings on a pay-what-you-can scale of $50-$100. Book yours here.
PRIVATE YOGA — One-on-one yoga sessions with me are available on a pay-what-you-can scale of $75-$125. I will work with you to understand the needs of your body and develop a practice that will help you connect with your inner ecosystem. Email me to schedule yours.
With all my offerings, I’m happy to trade or work with you on pricing to meet your needs.
Thank you for stepping onto this new path with me! We’ll talk soon.
Love,
HK
P.S. — Needless to say, if this email isn’t what you need in your inbox, I will not be offended if you unsubscribe.