Chrysalis Mist: The Cypress Circle

distillation of mediterranean cypress, spider silk, and cicada shell with essence of malva sylvestris

this season’s distillation of cypress is a (softer) continuation of the last. in 2022 we were deep in the saturnian trenches. the cicada charging in dark soil. now we have broken through to the surface and met the sun. in the period after emergence, waiting for wings to unfold and expand. fresh eyes & iridescent flesh
settling into new form


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cypress spindles cocooned in countless webs,
indras net unending

grounding within the cypress circle. softening transformations of rebirth and drawing in helpful spirits along the way. this water is big on ancestral support and inter-generational healing. acceptance, forgiveness, and REST. be gentle with yourself while slipping out of old skins. evolution takes time. focus your breath. what feels stuck? where is your internal compass leading you? what will you bring with you and what should be left behind? this is the time to build your strength and set a course. the stronger the tension, the more glorious the transformation

a wash for protection, purification, ancestral veneration. a balm for grief and growing pains. a womb from which we give birth to ourselves over and over again. distilled on the axis of seagoat and oyster shell


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the category is primordial goo
the chrysalis is the pupa’s own body turned into itself. in a feat comparable to miracle, they melt down (almost entirely) into goo. unraveling on cellular level to begin again. mother malva (mallow), when made into an infusion, produces a slimy, slippery goop. a coating that eases respiratory constriction and smoothes frayed edges - reconnecting us to our breath and our voice. a sweet, cooling, nutritive being, caring for the energetically & physically depleted

personally, this corridor of cypress trees are my closest companions. this spot has been an important part of uncovering my lineage and working through loss. my conduits through time. they have supported me through countless shifts and sheddings. sitting with them, surrounded by the cypress circle, is the greatest comfort i’ve known. they are my mothers and my mothers mothers. to share this water with you is an honor.


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LEY LINES OF STRUNJAN
it is important to note that the cypress and roses (rose water, strawberry venus) grow together and they were very much present in this distillation. their spot at the top of our hill aligns with the moon bay monolith - neolithic marker of the ley line that runs through strunjan and across the sea to duino.