In honor of Black History Month, Atwood Magazine has invited artists to participate in a series of essays reflecting on identity, music, culture, inclusion, and more.

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Today, Massachusetts singer/songwriter Naomi Westwater shares their essay, ‘Tips & Tools for Tenderness When the World Is Hard: Cultivating Rest and Ritual,’ as a part of Atwood Magazine’s Black History Month series!

Naomi Westwater is a genre-defying artist whose music spans a range of sounds from dark, atmospheric indie rock to introspective pop to folk. The queer, Black-multiracial singer/songwriter is known for their captivating voice and witchy lyricism, delving deep into themes of self-discovery, queer identity, and mysticism. Their sound reflects both vulnerability and strength, blending ethereal melodies with gritty, experimental production.

Westwater’s upcoming album ‘Cycle & Change’ (out May 9^th) achieves a singular intersection of organic folk, alternative spirituality, and contemporary protest. Connecting through Westwater’s glacial, modulating timbre, the record’s sixteen tracks are inspired by and sequenced for the Pagan Wheel of the Year, beginning in spring and ending in winter. “It’s both celebrating and grieving change, and a metaphor for one year being a lifetime. We’re constantly cycling back on themes in our lives and constantly in change,” they explain. “It’s very much inspired by my spirituality. I consider myself a witch, inspired by nature.”

The new album follows Westwater’s previous releases including their debut album, ‘Huntress: From Dark to Light’ (2018), ‘Feelings’ EP (2021), and ‘Yule’ (2021). Their authenticity resonates with listeners, making them a standout voice in the indie and alt-pop scenes. They have performed alongside elite artists such as Lady Lamb, Mint Green, Porsha Olayiwola, STL GLD, Crooked Coast, Aisha Burns, Melissa Ferrick, and Pamela Means. Westwater continues to build a loyal following with their emotionally charged performances and their unapologetic approach to storytelling, forging a path as a fierce advocate for queer and witchy communities.

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TIPS & TOOLS FOR TENDERNESS WHEN THE WORLD IS HARD

Cultivating Rest and Ritual

by Naomi Westwater

I am working on being tender.

I don’t need to tell you this, but the world right now is so very hard. It feels like an act of bravery simply to wake up Black, queer, genderqueer, and chronically ill and try to live my life. At heart, I am a buoyant person, but when the election happened, I felt like it was a rejection of my own identity. I remember thinking, “Wow, my country hates Black women this much? Hates us so much, they would rather it all go up in flames?” I’ve felt flat ever since.

I am working on being tender, on tending to myself like I tend to my garden. I’m working on rest and staying in my integrity. It takes a lot of courage to remain soft when the world is hard, but I know gentleness and vulnerability are what I need to survive all this. And I’m pretty sure they’re what you need too.

I turn to nature and spirituality when I don’t have answers and when I feel I need mothering. I want to feel like I can fully relax into myself – the same way a peony blooms and completely opens to the world, and never once compares itself to another flower. There’s so much to be afraid of, my initial instinct is to close myself off from the world, but I know that openness is what will actually allow me to be in community with others and connected to the audience when I’m on stage.

For almost four years, I’ve been working on a record called Cycle & Change, and it’s kinda become a lifestyle for me.

I remind myself that life is constantly cycling and changing. That’s actually the whole point. We know that spring will happen every year (cycle) and we also know that each spring will be different (change). When I can come back to this mantra Everything is a cycle and change it allows me to accept where the world is and where I am at in this world. I do hope the change part hurries the f up, though.

I’m not an expert in what to do when your government is falling apart and it’s a white-supremacy-climate-change-patriarchy-capitalism-nightmare out there, but my country has never celebrated my existence, so I do have some experience on how to survive when the world is hard. These tips might not be popular nor groundbreaking, but they are the things I am doing everyday to keep tending to myself and still show up and love life. I hope they can help you too:

1. On the Winter Solstice, I facilitated a ritual with my Coven and I asked everyone to be brave and state their fears out loud. It was scary to say what I’m afraid of (abortion bans, not being able to survive as an artist, racial profiling, queerness being attacked). But when I admitted these fears to my close friends and when I heard their fears in turn, we were able to just witness each other and commit to supporting each other. The truth is if you’re not a billionaire, you should be afraid right now. Admitting your fears makes room for courage.
2. I’m crying hard and crying often. A really good therapist helps with this one. I’m not putting on a brave face for the world. This shit is sad. I’m sad. I’m going to cry about it. I heard a while back on NPR that “crying gets us the support we need.” Crying is a social response that alerts others that you need help. I’ve been doing a lot of weeping in front of people. I’m not okay with the way of the world and I’m not going to pretend I am anymore.
3. I’m sleeping more and working less. I need a lot of rest right now. Processing the world is exhausting, not to mention my personal life. So, I have been prioritizing rest more and work less. I still gotta pay my bills,  but I’ve been saying no to things that don’t pay well, and just trying to spend less money. I don’t really want to contribute to the capitalist agenda anyways.
4. I stopped watching TV and scrolling on social media and I read and listen to audiobooks instead. I realized that screen time just numbs me out, whereas a good book, or even a trashy one, helps me reimagine the world, which is the first step to change. Some recent favorites are: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer; The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan; The Way of Integrity by Martha Beck; We Ride Upon Sticks Quan Barry; Trouble In Queenstown by Delia Pitts, and anything by Mary Oliver and Toni Morrison.
5. My drink of choice is tea. I’ve been sober my whole life, and honestly I think it allows me to ground into my body and into reality when times are hard. I also try to limit my caffeine, which helps me feel less anxious and more present with myself. When I’m present in my body, I am able to ask myself, Am I in immediate danger right now? The news makes me feel like I’m in danger all the time, but in reality, in most moments I am safe, and I just need to tend to my nervous system in a supportive way. A good cup of tea is a simple but effective way to do that. Favorite cups include: Afro Blue from Adjourn; Rooibos from Ajiri, and Poet from Curio Spice.
6. I meditate, write, and stretch everyday. Even when I don’t want to. Even when I have to trick myself into doing it. My meditation app of choice is CHANI and I try to meditate and write 3 pages in my journal before I get out of bed. It helps me to reset, center myself, and feel like me. And if I don’t stretch, then everything hurts, so that’s really non-negotiable.
7. I make music and I listen to music. We need art more than ever right now – we need to make it and we need to consume it. Art is the revolution. I’m a sucker for a record I can play on repeat with no skips. Current favorites include: What’s Going On by Marvin Gaye; Blue by Joni Mitchell; Getz/Gilberto by Stan Getz and João Gilberto; The Moon And Stars: Prescriptions For Dreamers by Valerie June; and Love and Hate by Micheal Kiwanuka. Oh and sometimes I just put on the song “Do I Do” by Stevie Wonder, the extended version with Dizzy Gillespie that’s like 10 minutes long. I guarantee you if you listen to that 3 times in a row and dance around your kitchen, it’ll help your tender heart. – Naomi Westwater

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