A
FOREST
SLUT
RITUAL
packing list:
– a soft blanket
– a bottle of water
– comfortable clothing
– a beloved piece of rock
– a few shroom friends (optional)
– disinfection spray
– the packet of sliquid that’s been lying around in my pouch since that one party
– a bottle of water
– comfortable clothing
– a beloved piece of rock
– a few shroom friends (optional)
– disinfection spray
– the packet of sliquid that’s been lying around in my pouch since that one party
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/391de8398a592dc5011af9dd5abaff7a0d32273b9000755b8dd5200e33aa5976/Screen-Shot-2023-06-19-at-1.01.28-PM.png)
my frozen creative state has
been bothering me for a while,
and corona’s not been any help.
by now i’m used to my mind's eye being foggy, but lately my head-radio is alarmingly silent, too.
today i take time for a ritual
to re-sensitize my creative center.
i cycle to a nearby forest and
take a deep breath of the local flora
and its pollen.
i explore and take my shoes off
to better feel the soil,
the roots,
the plants
and the endless beings—
dead and alive—
that make up the earth.
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/4b7882020c68933cfe8be37d37f1c884dc3b3dffa61df89895695ab99c099cd6/Screen-Shot-2023-06-19-at-1.01.19-PM.png)
when i feel ready, i go
off-path
to find a sheltered, damp spot;
a bit like a darkroom or
a womb.
it’s okay (even exciting) for me
to be seen —
i’m a forest slut and my pleasure is radiant and belongs in the open
— but i don’t like feeling exposed.
i hope to be surrounded with trees and still get a sliver of sun in my eyes.
there is no one perfect place to melt,
so i settle.
i spread my blanket and arrange a makeshift
altar with the items
i brought along. now’s the time for those shroomie friends.
i lie down and play a guided meditation.
“loving your inner child” is freely available and speaks to my heart.
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/bfe902ebbaa539488e216cc235c4a772cc453150424a3241ad0c77d86577405f/Untitled_design-removebg-preview.png)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f746eb6ddecfea4c7849398429c7c58b1832d7b1c71f9f31c3ad76d13bd5f418/amethyst-crystal-point_5-removebg-preview.png)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/017fd0d5c12c2830559d0065869987ef5b63046ebff7083d0233750644f9bebb/Untitled_design__1_-removebg-preview.png)
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/57cf5830092a6fba62ff3a484f185d287fbfa455cbac0adce08fefa62e5784cf/Glass_Mineral_Water_Mockup_1ok-removebg-preview.png)
renee sills says
there’s a bubble surrounding me;
when i inhale,
it fills with my radiance;
when i exhale, i take the world in.
i’ve arrived.
thanks, renee!
i start saying hello to my body.
“hey, chest,”
i squeeze; “hi, leg,”
i scratch; “hello, hand,”
i bite.
i make sure to give attention to all the nooks and crannies of my ends. reaching under my panties for ends i haven’t touched yet, i notice how excited i am.
the forest turns me on
like few humans do.
the fungi i ingested speak to the fungi all around me; we are ecstatic. i’ve been ready since the moment i got here, but now i go even slower and linger to realign with the sun. moments after i release, hikers find my bubble and pass through it.
i smile at them.
echoing through the trees, i hear a mesmerizing melody.
i bike over to find the musician playing it. it's a screeching crane.
“come record me,”
it calls.
this feature is directly inspired by @heybabeitsem‘s self-love ritual piece – originally printed as part of the @lllecken zine: community standards #1. design by em, with photography by @melinamiez & mohnish landge
discover more about em’s sexological bodywork & somatic counseling here ︎︎︎ https://embody.place/
many thanks to Arts Promotion Center Finland (Taiteen edistämiskeskus) for supporting this editorial collaboration.
discover more about em’s sexological bodywork & somatic counseling here ︎︎︎ https://embody.place/
many thanks to Arts Promotion Center Finland (Taiteen edistämiskeskus) for supporting this editorial collaboration.