Greetings from New York!
We finished the first Spring Gathering yesterday. It is still a little too close to describe cleanly, but it was one of those rare moments in life where time felt altered. It was rich and slow. Phones left, forgotten in purses and pockets. There was a softness and gentleness to the attention, that you don’t often encounter, everyone slightly more present than usual, slightly more themselves. Free.
I’ll share more once the photographs return and I’ve had time to understand it better. For now, I’m staying in the city a few extra days, walking, letting it settle. I’ll post fragments on Instagram if you'd like to follow along. xo
A thread that kept returning over the weekend was how little time most of us actually give to our own creative work. To sit down, uninterrupted, and make something with your hands. A letter. A seal. Even fifteen minutes of that begins to feel like a small act of refusal, a decision to place your attention somewhere deliberate and JUST for YOU.
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Today I’m releasing the Daffodil.
I kept thinking about a line from The Winter’s Tale:
“Daffodils,
That come before the swallow dares, and take
The winds of March with beauty.”
It’s exact. The daffodil appears before conditions are favorable. It does not wait for confirmation.
And then Wordsworth:
“I wandered lonely as a cloud…
…a host, of golden daffodils.”
In that version, they are already in motion, animated, almost as if dancing for the viewer.
Here are couple I made during the retreat.
| The Daffodil Seal |
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| The Daffodil Seal |
The daffodil is often named as a symbol of rebirth, of beginning again, but its meaning is more exacting than that. The daffodil begins before there is external confirmation that it is time, rising into uncertain air without proof or permission. Yet, it holds internal certainty, not only that it will bloom, but that it will do so fully, with movement and brightness. It will dance.
That was, in its own way, the feeling of the weekend as well. All showed up to the the gathering with the blind faith that they were meant to be there.
The seal follows that same idea. The trumpets are angled so they catch light in the impression, so the form reads clearly even at a small scale. It needed to feel specific and carry a feeling of our own belonging among the daffodils.
I’ll share more soon. xo
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In Case you Missed it - Special Conversation
I recently had the pleasure of joining poet, astrologer, and author Heidi Rose Robbins on her podcast The Radiance Project. Heidi began working with me around the time I launched Kathryn Hastings & Co. It was through her that I first learned about astrology and started understand how closely my life path and my art mirror my chart.
Heidi has spent more than two decades working as an astrologer and guide, helping people live with greater authenticity and clarity. Her show blends astrology, poetry, and conversations with people doing meaningful work in the world.
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In our conversation, we explored the art of letter writing and the deeper philosophy behind it. We spoke about why handwritten letters still matter in a digital age, the ritutal of seals and so much more!
Heidi also reflected on my astrological chart and how it relates to the work I do in reviving the epistolary arts, the creation of wax seals, and the larger vision of restoring beauty, craftsmanship, and slowness to the way we communicate. A few highlights from my chart that feel a bit uncanny:
Virgo Sun & Moon
- Attention to detail
- Craftsmanship and refinement
- Devotion to quality and improvement
- Love of small, delicate, or carefully made things
- Ritual, practice, and mastery through repetition
Taurus Rising
- Love of beauty and sensual experience
- Appreciation for material excellence and craftsmanship
- Attraction to objects that last and become heirlooms
- A steady, grounded approach to creating and living
Venus in Libra
- Harmony and aesthetic balance
- Refined taste and design sensibility
- Love of art, elegance, and beautiful environments
- Meaningful exchange and thoughtful relationships
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If you enjoy thoughtful conversations about creativity, ritual, and the enduring power of letters, I hope you’ll take a listen.
| The Radiance Podcast: The Epistolarian with Kathryn Hastings |
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| Listen to Podcast Episode Here |
Calla Lily Seal
The Calla Lily Seal captures the strength and upward grace of one of history’s most symbolic flowers. Architectural in form yet entirely organic, the calla rises in a single clean line, gathered and deliberate, as if ascent were written into its very structure.
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