THE AUGUST REVIEW

silence, 90's covers, and archetypal magic

Sep 04, 2024

agrimony spotted in the wild of summer

Hello beautiful readers, the monthly review is a curation of books, shows, movies, song, podcasts, and other things that have brought delight to my life. It is usually for paid subscribers only, but I wanted to share The August Review with you.

And guess what? Until the end of summer (September 22, because I am a farmer and go by the ecological clock), I am running a sale for a year subscription! Podcasts, playlists, mini-classes, and more ❤️

Hello friends,

As I’ve shared, August was an incredibly challenging month with issues on multiple levels, but I am also deeply grateful for the joy that late summer brings me. There is something so bittersweet about the fading away of the season I love so dearly. In just a few days, September will bring us (in the Northern Hemisphere at least) turning leaves, cooler days, and the feeling of the pivot.

But before we dive into this new chapter, here are some pieces of sweetness from this last bite of summer!

What I’ve been reading…

In 1993, Erling Kagge was the first person to ever reach the South Pole alone and spent fifty days walking across Antartica solo. His experience of true silence inspired him to write Silence in the Age of Noise. This book is slow and steady, quiet and reflective. Kagge shares the need for silence as a human one that is essential to health and happiness. I really enjoy his writing (and the translating of his work) and I am looking forward to picking up his book on walking next.

Many of you know that I LOVE dystopian fiction. It is one of those genres where I find myself staying up way too late in order to finish the book. And I Who Have Never Known Men kept me up in the best way. This is a slow, unnerving story about 39 women who live in an underground bunker and have no idea why. We follow the only young girl in the group as she begins to wake up to the horrors of their existence and the need for escape. The author, Jacqueline Harpman, was born in Belgium and escaped WWII with her family and there are threads of that experience woven into this book. I highly recommend it.

This essay titled Predator or Prey by Diana Saverin is stunning. I don’t know how to talk about it, other than sharing that it made me feel so many things. As someone who is a hunter, a lover, an ecologist, a hopeless romantic, a wild woman, and a nostalgic - I felt very seen in this beautiful work.

What I’ve been watching…

Web Therapy is an older show that was way ahead of its time (the premise being poking fun at the idea of therapy sessions on the computer…if they could only see us now!) and is really funny in a dry and awkward kind of way. Lisa Kudrow plays a therapist who sees clients online and we watch mini-episodes of these complicated humans and their complicated relationships. It is also partially improvised, which is always so impressive to me.

I’m currently teaching a wild program on the major arcana of the tarot and it is the most fun I’ve had in a long time. One of the best parts is creating a curriculum that is weird and wonderful. This week, my students are watching the bizarro 70’s experimental Aquarian dream (or nightmare), The Holy Mountain. I don’t even know how to explain this film (or Alejandro Jodorovsky’s work in general), but it definitely isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. I invite you to watch it with curiosity and humor and perhaps the alchemical magic of the film will rub off on you.

As a regenerative rancher, I am always educating myself on the experiences and challenges of other farmers and ranchers who are fighting Big Ag. Kinabuhi is a short documentary about Filipino coconut farmers who are trying to survive against industrial agriculture exploitation and “natural” disasters. As I always say, get to know where your food comes from and who makes it possible for you to eat.

What I’ve been listening to….

I love Counting Crows, especially their slower songs from the 90s. “Round Here” is one of my favorites and this cover is incredible. Not because of his voice (which I personally don’t enjoy all that much), but because of the raw emotion that you see him embody. Even if you aren’t a fan of Counting Crows or Gunderson, I highly suggest that you watch - if only to see a man who usually sings softer pop cry and scream some of the saddest lyrics to ever exist.

And speaking of covers, this is a mashup of “I Keep Forgetting” by Michael McDonald with the drum loop of “Close to Me” by The Cure and it is SO good. This is a Laura Jane Grace stan newsletter as she will forever be my crush, and this song is a brilliant creation with a voice that you can recognize anywhere.

Bush released a remix of “Glycerine” and it is weird and I like it. More importantly, they are about to start their “Greatest Hits” tour and I REALLY want to go. I don’t care if that is cringe - when I am singing songs from Sixteen Stone, I am FREE.

Other things that have brought me delight….

✨ There is a guy on TikTok who finds YouTubers who have very few (if any) subscribers and boosts their content. He chats with them, donates money to their account, and shares about their projects with his massive following. It is so wholesome to see how excited they are to have one follower, which then turns into a hundred, which then turns into a thousand. Seeing their reactions to so many people supporting their work makes me cry happy tears.

✨ Mimosa flowers! They are the most delicate and effervescent little beings. If you haven’t smelled a mimosa flower, please find one and do so. The blossoms are used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat depression and grief and once you see their hot pink koosh-like bodies, you will understand why. They also have “touch-me-not” leaves, which curl up when touched and are the sweetest thing.

✨ Tried and true meals and snacks. As someone who loves novelty in many forms, I am often finding new and different foods to eat. And as amazing as that can be, there is something to be said for a few staples that do the trick. For me, that is currently a chicken caesar salad, strawberries, bone broth, yogurt with peanut butter filled pretzels, and raw milk. Just a reminder that you can eat whatever you want and if you find things that work for you, it’s ok to stick to just eating those.

That’s it for August! September already feels like something fresh and new is on its way. I am sending you blessings of a clean slate and of infinite possibility ❤️

Xoxo Binyamina Aisha