Read about how The Real MainStream is reworking itself to better serve Iowa and Illinois. Whenever I run across one of my keepsake copies of the first 13 editions of The Real MainStream, published before the current worldwide pandemic, I feel awash in memories and sensations. “We’ll never give up the handshake!” joked a customer and I in early March. Mere days later, he and dozens of others in our circulation area announced they were saying “no” to not only handshakes, but all in-store traffic for a few months. Back…
WTF?? That’s the impetus for this month’s tarotscope. It conveys frustration, exhaustion, and exasperation. It’s a universal and collective WTF to this year, this country, this society. And it’s more of a statement than a question. The first six months of 2020 were a wake up call for many people. A lot of others chose to remain asleep, but that is a story for another day. Those of us who began to awake saw, for the first time, the mirage-like quality of our lives — something symbolized in the Castles…
As a heteronormative, cisgender, white woman of European and English descent, who has lived a life of privilege, I feel inappropriate when I say, “I am tired.” But I am. Many of us are. Physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Being tired is good. It means we are doing the Work. It means we are pulling our heads out of the sand. If you’re white, it hopefully means you are swallowing the pride that comes with the color of your skin. You’re starting the long and arduous process of dismantling, brick…
The Cards: Queen of Cups, Five of Swords, Four of Coins The Deck: Spolia Tarot Just when we thought maybe things were chilling out. This tarotscope falls in alignment with the full moon in Sagittarius , AND lunar eclipse, this Friday, June 5. We have the potent vibes of the full moon, along with the special energy of eclipses. Eclipses upset the natural order of things. During a lunar eclipse, the shadow of the Earth falls across the face of the moon, bringing the unconscious to the surface. This can…
Today, modern American society tries to bury death. Many go to great lengths to avoid discussing death, or even acknowledging it. As though not talking about it will prevent it from happening.
The preceding weeks and months have been confusing, uncertain, and scary…. . As we begin the process of emerging from this darkness, we must find ways to orient ourselves.
Welcome, everyone, to my new bi-weekly feature for The Real MainStream: Tarotscope for the Collective! Every two weeks, I’ll be coming to you with a new tarot reading intended for the good of us all. A tarotscope? You mean like a horoscope? Yes and no. A horoscope offers insight and advice for the upcoming month according to astrological signs. A tarotscope is a tarot reading for the community as a whole. It’s a way to speak to folks on both a small and large scale. While everyone gets something different…
As COVID-19 sweeps across the globe, we are faced with the very sudden and very real concept of loss. Loss, as it is associated with illness, often revolves around the idea of death. And while the thought of losing loved ones to the virus is without a doubt in the forefront of many people’s minds, it is not my intention to discuss that kind of loss. Instead I want to talk about a different kind of loss: a type of loss that, until recently, did not even have a name.…
IOWA CITY — They call themselves the Iowa City Deer Friends, and they’re out to change the way Iowa City has chosen to respond to complaints about deer invading people’s yards and living spaces. Formed last year, Deer Friends tried to prevent and is still working to stop the city’s practice of hiring both sharp-shooters and bow-hunters to take down deer en masse. The mass deer execution, which will resume again in February, is a threat to other citizens and residents, inhumane to the animals, and is ineffective in stopping…
Mission Statement The Real MainStream (TRM) covers news, culture and opinion from a progressive perspective focused on truth, fairness, compassion and building better future relationships. TRM aims to inspire useful discussion and historic action for a more compassionate, collaborative Iowa that does better for everyone, especially marginalized groups like women, people of color, LGBTQ people, seniors, people of different belief systems, and people with conditions or diseases, or who are differently abled. How to Engage Take out a Classified Ad — for Personals, Employment, Housing, Services, Products & Goods, or…
