Healed by a Hoard of Feet, and Not Because I have a Foot Fetish
When I was sixteen, I lost all my friends.They were stolen from me.
Where I had once been immersed in a ragtag group of kush-loving hooligans, now, I was alone on the sidelines. The culprit? Magic the Gathering.
My beloved nerds had gone to the dark side, and by dark side, I mean the dank garage where they compulsively played Magic like their lives depended on it. If you are not familiar with my Card Game Nemesis, then Gob Blezz you. I won’t dane to explain the game further, but let’s just say my friends were abducted into a land of elves for no less than four years.
You may be thinking, ‘Life’s too short to beef with a card game’, or, ‘If you can’t beat em’ join em’!’…
Alas. For as long as I can remember I have detested rules, and thus, detested games. They feel confining. Reading and following directions? If you find that fun…uhhhhh…. where do you get off?! I hated following instructions so badly that whenever I set out to build a piece of Ikea furniture, I immediately threw the directions away and would proceed to spend triple the allotted time trying to figure out what the hell was goin’ on with all these screws. Whether my do-it-and-figure it out attitude is fueled by misguided impatience or a more noble desire for growth, only Gob can judge me!
So there I was, my friends occupied, and me, crying lonely cowboy tears. Metaphorically. But then one day something changed.
I was with my OG ex-boyf, trying desperately to kill time on an overnight ferry ride (who knew those exist?) through his native, Croatia. The first few hours passed uneventfully in our Zone where we and many of our fellow passengers (we’ll call them the Midnight Riderz) sat airplane-style in rows of seats, all facing TVs blasting popular Croatian music videos, many of which featured a reverence for the Fish kingdom.
Suddenly, in a coordinated effort, the likes of which I have yet to experience again, the Midnight Riderz slipped off their shoes in unison. The smell was enough to take the wind right out of your sails, to use Popular Boat Lingo (PBL). We had eight hours to go before reaching our destination, and no hope of sleep in our foot-scented chamber. With nothing but a pack of Magic cards and half a spliff to pass the time, we Hit The Deck (PBL) and played. And played. And played. And guess what? I actually liked it. I liked the container created by the rules. I liked being enveloped by a constructed world. I liked the creativity inherent in the game. Why had I been such a naysayer?
As someone who craves the highest degree of freedom possible, I used to believe that something as simple as playing within the rules of a game limited my freedom. I thought that the way to pursuit my free ideal was through a wide expanse of limitless possibility; no structure and total freedom from moment to moment. But then I realized I felt existentially anxious all the time. I couldn’t move forward on any of my creative projects in a real way. That’s when I learned that freedom exists when I feel safe, and I feel safe when I have structure. While I am still quite selective about the games that I do choose to play, I have learned that for me, rules and containers have the potential to create more freedom. Just as casting a circle is a fundamental principle of ritual magic, or a therapist holds a safe space for their client, game rules create a container for the play to happen.
All this to say, if you are a similar rebel who hates being told what to do, I feel you. A “rules shmools” attitude is 100 p encouraged here.
I offer the Hot Gurl Freakz Game Rulez, not as an assertion of the way it is, but as one possibility of the way it could be.
These Game Rulez draw a circle for play to happen inside. They are a possibility, a suggestion. They are one doorway in an infinite Scooby Doo spooky mansion of doorways, so take it, leave it, take some, leave some, and in the words of my favorite astrologer, make the meaning thats meaningful for you.
Without further adoo, let me, let it, rip:
✦✹✦
1
Say Yes to What you Want
Pursuit your dream life. Don’t worry what others think, no one is paying attention because everyone is focused on themselves … so you can fly under the radar and do what you want!
Excitement is guidance.
2
Say No to What you Don’t Want
We all have a right to be discerning with what we allow into our life. You don’t owe anyone any part of yourself. We have a responsibility to ourselves to protect our own energy with boundaries.
3
Do it In Style
Be iconic. Shine your light. The world needs beautiful powerful femmes (and everyone else for that matter) in their pleasure and joy. Use style to embody archetypes and become the character(s) you want to play in the game.
So we've stated the rules of the game, now its time to play. 😈
