‘A Miracle!’ / That knocks me out
–from Sylvia Plath’s “Lady Lazarus”
Several years ago, I dreamt that something extraordinary would happen when I had blue fingernails. Haha, dreams are so weird, right? Well, if you know me (and if you’re reading this blog, you likely do know me to some degree), you probably know that I might take that as a premonition. And so, for a time, when I had something significant going on, I’d get my nails done in blue. I did blue immediately after my T.V. show screentest (and then, Discovery Channel pulled the funds for pilots, and Covid, I am pretty sure, put the final nail in that coffin). I did blue nails for writing competitions and big tarot events. And over the years, nothing ever happened, so I quit trying to force a correlation. I just laughed off the blue nails, and I didn’t even think about it for a long time. And then last week, I was in the nail salon looking over their selection and thought, What the hell. Let’s go blue. For no reason at all.
And then, it happened—the thing. I have known about Sylvia Plath’s hermetic caduceus for over ten years. It is a hand-carved wooden magic wand sort of thing she made when she was 15, covered with alchemical symbols and it bears her initials, S.P., at the base on one side. Plath Profiles featured this article with a photo well over a decade ago. I never even considered the possibility of owning it. It was well-known to be held by Dr. Richard Larschan, a friend of the Plath family.
Long story short, my friend Catherine Rankovic is a scholar of Aurelia Plath, Sylvia Plath’s mother, and had been in contact with Larschan. She told me that Larschan was looking to put this caduceus in the hands of someone who cared. Someone who appreciates Plath’s interest in the occult. And she connected us.
Richard Larschan sent me an email, and I wrote him back immediately. After days, I did not hear anything and tried again and again. After all, this is Mercury Retrograde, and all four of my responses did not get to him! Catherine told him that I was trying, and he texted me. That worked, the deal was made, and I received Sylvia Plath’s hermetic caduceus by mail (imagine how I gritted my teeth with all this retrograde stuff happening, fearing it might get lost!) on Wednesday, May 11, 2022.
I can’t quite believe it. This caduceus is now the most precious and valuable object I own and is locked up off-site (but visited often!). Dr. Larschan also included a beautiful 1952 photo of Sylvia Plath, inscribed on the back by Aurelia, with its provenance papers and a DVD of interviews with Aurelia Plath.
Dr. Larschan calls it Plath’s “letter opener.” My husband has nicknamed it my “splinter.” I call it my magic wand, as I feel now that I can do anything. I am blessed beyond measure. It is such a reassurance that despite all the opposition and exile I’ve faced from the Plath academics over these years, none of their superiority, insults, or petty jabs mean anything anymore. I am so obviously on path. What greater gift could Sylvia have given me than this? No jewelry, clothing, or drawing could mean as much to me. With its built-in alchemy and hermeticism, it is exactly right for me. Even Plath’s tarot cards, which were auctioned off last year at over $207K, were not made by her own hand! (And I do doubt those cards were her only deck, as I have so much evidence that she used a Rider-Waite-based deck for the Ariel poems, but that’s a whole other blog for another time).
How is it that one of the most extraordinary things to ever happen to me just fell into my lap? Aside from a few emails, I didn’t even try. This is how God works. Thanks for letting me share my joy with you. More photos are up on my Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Let me know if you can’t find them.
P.S. If you’re a scholar or friend who wants to see it, let me know, and I’ll make arrangements to have it ready for you.
CADUCEUS, HERMES, HERMETIC, HERMETIC CADUCEUS, HERMETICISM, HISTORICAL OBJECTS, LITERARY, MAGIC WAND, MERCURY, MERCURY RETROGRADE, MIRACLES, PLATH OBJECTS, RICHARD LARSCHAN, SYLVIA PLATH, VALUABLE OBJECTS

​Tom and I have a joke: “Food makes me sick.” I’m not sure how this little saying started, but we use it when we have those off-times when there is an occasional flattening of the appetite and nothing seems appealing. I’m in one of those times right now.
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And these are such strange times, eh? Beyond the wars, politics, pain, and sadness, it is still an incredibly magical world if you’re open to seeing it. I’ve seen the weirdest parallels and synchronicities in my own life lately. The kind of stuff an intuitive person takes note of: license plates telling me names and dates (two of them side-by-side in front of me today!); new people coming into my life with a bang; icon images resurrected of people from my past; strange emails arriving on fortuitous dates; dreams and memories helping to make me clear on what is happening and how to process it.

I know this sounds very cryptic and obscure. What I think I’m trying to say is that it’s about connection. I know that I continually crave connection. I yearn for it. Whether it is a connection to friends, to animals, to a lover, to my work, or to the Source, I am always seeking it.,

I used to think that this was a problem, that I didn’t know how to manage alone. That I was needy and not strong. I used to strive for independence. I don’t do that anymore because it’s all about oneness, right? Unity, not division. I will connect as deeply as I can in all relationships that are open to doing the same because in that place there is love, expressed in so many different ways.

My old Night Times friend Aaron once told me, “You are one of those Malcolm Gladwell’ connectors’.” He was referring to the book, The Tipping Point. And I am a connector, but I think it is for far deeper, more selfish reasons than networking. Or, maybe “selfish” is not the right word. Maybe it is for higher reasons. It is using every scrap of energy I contain to be fully here and completely with those I feel love for, however circumstances shape that love. It is a hunger for life, and for that, I will always have a healthy appetite.

In closing, I realized that these blog entries are no longer dated since my website update! I’ll make it a practice to date at the end of each entry until this gets corrected. I have much more work to do on this website–there are still things to fix on my Media page, so please bear with me. The Decoding Sylvia Plath postings here are on hold until I hear from my publisher whether it is OK for me to continue posting.

May 5, 2022

CONNECTIONS, EVERYDAY MAGIC, SPIRITUAL CONNECTIONS