My first time in Copenhagen was a lovely solo trip in 2021. I couldnât help but make mental notes back then on how similar or different it felt to Stockholm. Copenhagen certainly has its own energy when comparing the interactions with people, culture, architecture, street food, and style. One of the luxuries is that itâs just a weekend trip away, and I should visit more because I like it so much.
Last October, I giddily took the overnight train there on a Friday and returned to Stockholm on Sunday. While looking forward to the trip, I felt a mix of nerves and excitement about travelling to a different city to see my words printed out in the zine and to say, âYes, that's my workâ while among other writers. There was also the joy of being back there with close friends I had met in Stockholm and seeing A. publish her zine in her hometown. I shared an excerpt from my piece in the last newsletter.
I like the term âbody memoryâ as a description of knowing that lives in the body. While in conversation with non-native English speakers, I would notice when they described an instinctive knowing like muscle memory in this way, and it always made sense to me in the given context. As I finished my piece for the zine, the title also emerged through contemplation on its themes of how time and place shape one, memories of home, what we carry from place to place, and planting seeds for future generations.
I'm fascinated by memory, as well as time, and its other artefactsâthe way that everything is shaped by time in some way. I like how writing, art-making, documenting, and journaling are forms of memory keepingâways to return to the self over time and share experiences with others.
So much of writing and creating involves being willing to explore and recollect memory, to attempt to make sense of things, and perhaps recontextualise and see them in a new light. In the same way ideas processed and refined over time can become clarified, not only in isolation but in connection to other things.
In pottery, there's also the term clay memory, and the idea that clay remembersâclay has a memory. It can store initial impressions that may become visible as it moves through the process from a malleable raw material to a vitrified or non-porous ceramic object. Vitrification is one of the last steps in clayâs transformation journey, so I try to finish my work as best as I can and pray to the kiln gods for safe delivery.
Thanks for reading, and Iâd love to know if you have any favourite spots & recommendations in Copenhagen for my next time there! đŠđ°
âď¸ Some reflection prompts on my mind âď¸
What experiences, lessons, and gifts has this past season brought you?
What are you returning to? What are you releasing?
What are you giving space to sprout or bloom? What are you clearing space for?Â
What gives you inner and outer strength? / What allows you to build strength? / What does strength mean to you?
What feels true for you in this season and at this point in time?
âź Cool things âź
đ§ This conversation with Dina Nur Satti on The Slip Cast podcast is one of my favourite podcast episodes. Some of the rich topics discussed are art and spiritual practice, cultural memory, and building a sustainable art practice within capitalism.
đ Remembering is Resistance: Archival Practices to Disrupt Memoricide by Jacquelyn Ogorchukwu IyamahââCultural memory refers to the shared body of knowledge, traditions, and experiences that are transmitted from one generation to the next within a particular communityâŚâŚ..These physical objects and places become vessels that carry the essence of a culture, creating a tangible link to the past, present, and future.â
đ§ Just Because You Can Doesnât Mean You ShouldââWhat would it look like to feel worthy of ease?ââI appreciate
reflections on capacity and possibility while also tending to our bodies, dreams, creative practices and communities.đ This quote by Martha Graham from
thoughtful reflections on 2023 has stayed with me:
Keep the channel open: There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open (Martha Graham)
So many gems in 50 pieces of advice from 2023 by
ââ32. May we all evolve towards childlike suppleness massaged by the texture of time and life.âđ§ Creating Rituals for Every Moment with Tracee Stanley on The Deeper Call podcastââHow to deepen our questions, our rest rituals, and our relationships with our ancestors.â
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Funmi, thank you for your writing. I love how you effortlessly connect different insights into one coherent text. Copenhagen left a warm lasting impression on me the last time I have visited it. And body memory is a phenomenal thing. It can be muscle memory as well as sounds, smells and sensations connected to a certain personal experiences that evoke when that sensation is triggered again. Also, Eckhart Tolle has a term "pain body". Which works on the same principle but with the right practices we can transcend it. Good luck in jour writing journey.