Spirit Stories
On Elderberries and Other Divine Insults
The other night, I had what I can only describe as a spiritually comedic breakthrough.
Or maybe just a snort and a laugh with my guides.
I’ve been working on the skill of meditating while drawing — something that sounds dreamy in theory but I'm very easily distracted and the line of communication is thready, at best. Usually my full attention is laser-focused when I work: visual art in front of me, audio book or ambient music in the background, and absolutely no room for anything else unless I invite it in.
But lately, I’ve been trying to keep the lines open while I draw — a sort of visual channeling, or at the very least, mental-multitasking.
Anyway — the other night, I was deep into a drawing session, working on botanical illustrations for engraving but also venting my anxious little heart out to any spirit within earshot, mostly muttering vague questions like: “Am I doing the right thing? Everything feels overwhelming!"
You know. Real chill energy.
At one point of exasperated frustration I loudly thought "VALIDATE ME!" and the next thing that popped into my head was the scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail where the Frenchman shouts insults and heckles King Arthur from a castle wall.
Specifically:
> “Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of ELDERBERRIES!”
Now, I love that scene. I always have. My sisters and I used to quote it constantly growing up. It’s absurd. It’s nostalgic. It’s hilarious every single time. So of course, I laughed.
But then… I paused.
Because I realized what I was drawing.
Elderberries.
I was actively, zoomed-in, hyper-focused on drawing tiny elderberries.
I hadn’t been consciously paying attention to what plant I was on — it was probably the 8th or 9th drawing of the night, and I was all detail, no big picture. And yet, here comes this perfectly timed reference — absurd, hilarious, and perfectly on-brand for me.
And just like that: validation. Not the grand, booming kind with crow familiars lightning strikes and glowing runes — just a weird little moment of resonance. A wink or a nudge that says, “We hear you. We see you. You’re doing fine — also, remember to laugh.”
So I’m just going to take a moment and steep myself in gratitude that:
a) my guides have my sense of humor (they would though, wouldn't they?) and
b) remind anyone who might be reading this blog that the validations you're looking for are far more potent when you validate yourself than when they’re sought externally.
Answers to the questions we’re asking can arrive in ways that feel exactly like us, dressed in nostalgia or a callback to the most inside-est of inside jokes. They might not make you cry, or shake, or fall into trance. They might make you snort-laugh in the middle of your work, and that counts too.
Trust yourself
And stay A'Mused
