Cosmic Warriors,

Scooting into 2026 with my first newsletter of what has already become a jolting year. My nervous system feels like a lightning rod and I know I’m not alone there, as Uranus rumbles toward Gemini, Saturn stomps into Aries, and we roll into eclipse season. I’d hoped to post some kind of “year in review” — to finally talk about things like the resurrection of my home court- A Sea Bird, the two classes I taught in the fibers dept at Massart, my absolutely rejuvenating residency in Monson, Maine. Maybe I’ll come back to those things in time. But it’s tough to process what’s already passed, as we’re catapulted into a present-future that will undeniably ask us to be braver than we’ve ever been before.

I just wrote some reflections on the role of an artist in community resistance, but I think I’ll save the longer form for later. The main point was that- I feel it’s important that artists not abandon their work, which fascism pushes so hard to derail. And simultaneously, we really do need to show up outside of the studio- in whatever mundane or unglamorous ways- to protect our neighbors and communities. No one is exempt. As I really struggle with feeling pulled in different directions, I’m reminding myself of this daily. And I’ve said it a thousand times, but Boycotting is a legitimately effective, low-risk way to “do something” simply through the act of abstaining or finding alternatives to the status quo.

I tend to write about what I find most harrowing and sublime. Lately I’ve been sharing more relfections on hope and miracles, which I don’t intend to be escapist. For one, I am in uncloseted solidarity with the miraculous. You’ll often hear me say “consider this post an Ex Voto” which is sort of like a receipt or testamony of a miracle performed. But also, I’ve felt more useful confronting fear with logistical communication- resharing resources, intel, connecting people- over reflective analysis.

So in this newsletter, I share at least one miracle, one testimony of tenacious queer solidarity, and an invitation to the opening reception (Friday the 13th!) of a sparkling three person exhibition that I feel so honored to be part of. I’ll share them in time-sensitive order.

OPENING RECEPTION: Friday, Feb 13th 6:30 to 8pm @McCoy Art Gallery, Merrimack College

Cosmic Threads brings together work by three artists – Funlola Coker, Erin Genia, and Maria Molteni – that considers humanity’s relationship to the universe outside the dominant lens of technological expansion and colonization. In their work, the cosmos becomes a site for reflecting on the interconnectivity wedded across all matter, human and non-human alike.

The works in Cosmic Threads bound across timelines and through space. Each artist carefully weaves together their own set of personal, cultural, spiritual, mythical, and historical references. The works travel into deep time, dialoguing with spiritual traditions from Yoruba, Dakota, and syncretic Catholic lineages. Collapsing the past, present, and future, the works in Cosmic Threads propose new models for considering our place in the world—centered on relationality and interdependence across vast and microscopic scales.

The exhibition is curated by Boston-based artist and Merrimack adjunct lecturer Megan Hyde.

Find the McCoy Gallery at 150 Walsh Way, North Andover, MA (be sure to enter through the Flaherty Road guest entrance and make your way to the gallery inside of the Rogers Center)

This time last year, I was so busy I didn’t even get to send a newsletter about my solo show at Practice Gallery in Philly (shout out to Dave Hannon for inviting me!). The show was titled “Heart of Stone” which became an exciting, and ongoing, framework for the work I’ve been making related to stones, stars, and the divine.

An excerpt from the show statement:

Sibilline Books of Cumae speak of Cibele, a large black meteorite stolen from Phrygia by Romans when they learned of the great mountain mother’s rock form. Biblical excerpts coax the human heart away from the earth and toward a purified “flesh”. Meanwhile, the animistic world, by which shells, lagoons, mountains, comets and stars are alive and pulsing, observes the heart of stone.

I’ve FINALLY updated that project page with professional shots of the show. I invite you to take a look! Bits of this work will pop up in upcoming 2026 group shows at the Boston Center for the Arts, Calandra Italian American Institute, and more.

The first couple days this month were pretty epic. During the February 1st Full Moon in sunny Leo, which also fell on Imbolc, I got to be a real witch at a seven year-old’s REAL WITCH B-DAY PARTY. The next day we started install for Cosmic Threads- fitting given the theme of the show. February 2nd is the day that all the members of my Italian queerdo chosen family celebrate Candelora.

I’ve spoken just a bit about Candelora on my Patreon and Substack and there’s much more to say about it. But in short, Candelora, similar to Imbolc, celebrates the first signs of growing light after a long, dark period following Winter Solstice. On/around February 2, in the Italian region of Campania, queer, trans (and regular-degular Catholic) devotees of the Madonna di Montevergine climb to her mountain sanctuary. Here they perceive her, amidst boisterous crowds that exude “sacred and profane” dichotomies. They honor and beckon her miracles through emphatic dance and song called Tammurriatta. I was incredibly lucky to pilgrimage there in 2024, with Summer Minerva and a group of queerdos. Together we explored “Sacred 3rd Gender” myth and mysticism, particularly related to Femminielli, and learned to dance Tammurriatta.

Defining Femminielli is complex and culturally sensitive, so it’s not my place to full explain (I would be wary of Americans who claim to fully understand). But the word sort of translates to "feminine men”, possibly intersecting with, but not exactly the same as, today’s Trans-feminine identities. Some also make the case that the Femminielli descended from the Galli - Priestesses of Cibele.

But what does this site have to do with the gays or the Femminielli?

1) The Madonna di Montevergine is known for her greatest miracle through which she spared the lives of two gay men who were banished by the Church to the mountain to freeze to death. As the story goes, she sent a miraculous beam of light to melt the ice around them. She is known to be a mother protector of the LGBTQ community today.

2) The mountain where her sanctuary stands today is also believed to be the site of an ancient temple to… you guess it- our meteorite goddess Cibele!

I write a bit more about Cybele/ Cibele in the Tarot in this post on my Patreon: La Leonessa Sleeps

This year, I sadly did not get to travel to Italy for Candelora, but I was able to celebrate in my own special ways. On the actual holiday, I came home late from install, weary and worried over everything I’d been following in Minneapolis. My dear friend Jessica had shared a link to an amazing webcam live-stream recording activity in the Madonna’s chapel. Of course I missed all the action, but I decided to turn it on, pray a bit before it, and leave it rolling next to me through the night. It was almost completely and eerily dark. At a wee hour, around 6am my time, I randomly woke up and saw a brilliant beam of light coating her face. I thought this must be what it looks like in the day time, but a few minutes later, the strong beam disappeared and I fell back to sleep.

After finishing install at Merrimack, I hit the road to Philly for a belated Candelora celebration hosted by my amazing friends from Philly Radical Italian Network. I shared more info, including adorable photos and videos, from celebrations in both Philly and Italy, on my instagram, if you want to check out the post.

ONGOING MUTUAL AID CALLS!

Contribute to the “Build a well in Gaza” campaign through Cactus Mutual Aid and/or the two mutual aid campaigns I’ve posted to my new “Special Offers” page on my site.

Hawk-Eye painting fundraiser support Mother's and families of Palestine. Click here to learn more!

Thanks so much for reading and supporting and following my work.

❤️‍🔥 Maria 🌹

* All images, concepts and writing are my own and may not be replicated or used without explicit consent and credit to me.

* I do not use generative AI in any aspect of my work or life and do not consent to any form of my work or writing being used to train generative AI (aka machine learning)