The mundane and the divine are part of each other, like body and soul.
I’m sure a lot of people have asked themselves, “If I were going to run a restaurant, what would it be like?” It’s fun to think about what the menu would be – all our favorites, of course – and what it would be named, and what the ambiance would be like.
I wouldn’t necessarily like to run a restaurant, nor would I especially like to run a pub. But if I did run a pub, I would call it The Rat and Stars. Why? I’ve always been impressed by the “quirky” names of British pubs, like “The Swan with Two Necks” or “The Bull and Spectacles” or “The Cat & Custard Pot.” How on earth did those names come about, I like to wonder.
So how did the Rat and Stars come about? It used to be the name of an old blog I did on various topics, but that’s not a sufficient origin story. Really, I don’t remember anymore, other than that I like the idea of something very earthly, small and mundane (a rat) coupled with something very spiritual, large and divine (the stars). A lot of life is like this for me – something utterly day-to-day has a deeper, spiritual significance. (Plus, I like rats a lot.)
The Rat and Stars reminds me there is always some amount of the divine in what is earthly, and always some amount of earthiness in the divine. Body and soul are intertwined, a part of each other. You cannot neglect one, without neglecting the other. I believe we are in church all the time — all day, every day. It is a reminder not to neglect my spiritual side.
The Rat and Stars is a reminder to me not to get too caught up in intellectual pursuits, nor to get bogged down in the trivial and petty. Finding the balance is healthy and fun.
A story behind one of the cards in The Tarot of Michelle. Follow the developmental art as a Patron on Patreon.
michelle rau 