The Dirty Debrief 925
A little look back at September
With the semester in full swing, I wanted to try out a new format. You can still look forward to more formal personal essays and the occasional Yappy Sunday, but as I grow the Dirty Divine, I’d love to test different formats to express myself, share about what I’m learning in divinity school, and connect with all of you.
In that spirit, I wanted to try a monthly roundup: a mix of sacred reflections, casual obsessions, and a hot take or two.
Here’s to making it through September!
From the Syllabus: “NO!” - Karl Barth
In my Christianity and Fascism class, one of the first things we read was Natural Theology, a publication comprised of Emil Brunner’s Nature and Grace and Karl Barth’s response, simply titled NO!, two parts of a much longer, very public, debate between the two Swiss theologians and friends, originally published in 1934. Barth believed that Brunner, and theologians like him, were enabling the rise of fascism by legitimizing the idea of Natural Theology (the idea that God can be known at all through nature or man’s own reason).
Do I actually expect you to go and read a few hundred pages of immeasurably dense theological debate from a century ago? NO! 😉 But I do need you to know that the boys were out here FIGHTING. It’s reality tv level drama and this stuff is significantly more fun to read than you would imagine.
Let me know if you want more theological beef in future roundups 🤭
YouTube University: Is consumerism the perfection of slavery?
As I adjust to life on a student budget, resisting the endless void of consumerism has been top of mind. I loved this mini lecture by Professor Jiang titled Consumerism is the Perfection of Slavery. If you’ve got thirteen minutes to spare, I think it’s worth a listen.
Card of the Month: Temperance
Every January, I do a personal year ahead tarot spread, pulling a card for each month of the new year. I take some time to reflect on what each card might mean as I pull them, but I really love looking back as the year unfolds and seeing the many ways the dots connect. I find they always do.
For this September, I pulled Temperance. The fourteenth card in the Major Arcana, Temperance has always been one of my favorite cards in the deck. It makes me feel held and poured into, and reminds me that I have everything I need.
The guidebook of my most used deck, Neo Tarot, says this card appears when “a tempering process is needed” to “bring some contrasting elements into harmony”. Jerico Mandybur, the book’s author, offers an interpretation of this card as a reminder that you are protected and surrounded by beauty.
September was, indeed, a tempering process. My classes started the Tuesday after Labor Day and I have been up to my ears in theological texts ever since.
Being back in school after 11 years requires a tempering process.
Being thousands of miles away from most of the people I love requires a tempering process.
I am adjusting in every way. But dammit if I’m not surrounded by beauty.
Every day when I step onto my back deck, I am greeted by the bunnies who always seem to be grazing in my yard. I take their constant presence as a sign that I am somewhere safe.
Every time I start out on my walk to campus, I’m struck by how beautiful my neighborhood is. If you passed me on my walk to school, you’d usually see me smiling ear to ear. I’m just so grateful to be here, grateful for the work I did to get here, and grateful for the ways I believe the universe was working overtime to prepare the most beautiful space to hold me through this transition.
Temperance indeed.
For October, I pulled the Ten of Swords. Wish me luck.
On Pigeons. I don’t even like birds, but the more I learn about pigeons, the more I’m convinced we need to protect them. DamnMindy did a masterful breakdown on why we should all be nice to pigeons and it’s actually really important to me that you watch it.
On Chilling Your Cookie Dough. I’ve been on the hunt for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe and, so far, this one from Jamie over at A Sassy Spoon is a crowd favorite. I’ve been adding toffee which adds a lovely fall touch, but something about her recipe helped me finally get it through my head that letting your cookie dough chill for at least 20 minutes really makes a difference in letting the flavors deepen.
On Digital Collages. You know when you know you’ve been influenced but you’re not sure who it was by? That’s me with my Instagram stories lately. I’m feeling the need to create digital collages, adding cut outs from other photos, layering texture, and screenshots, and text. These are my first three attempts at some digital collage magic. We’ll see how it evolves next month.
On Threads. I avoided joining Threads for ages, because why do I need another Meta app on my phone? Turns out, it’s an absolute blast over there.
On Full Size Pillows. They’re actually a scam and I won’t be convinced otherwise. Why do you need alllllllll that fluff when your neck is really what needs supporting? I bought this cervical neck pillow after seeing a video from a Korean beauty influencer suggesting using a small towel rolled up under your neck instead of a full sized pillow to avoid wrinkles. I will never be going back. Side sleeper approved. You’re welcome.
Thanks for reading my first Dirty Debrief. I hope it was at least half as fun to read as it was to put together. I love feedback, so please don’t hesitate to drop a comment or reach out with thoughts on what you loved and want to see more of or what you hate and never want to see again.
Wishing you a wonderful October, and please remember to be nice to the pigeons.
xoxo
Kayci
