before light
before voice
before the question of which came first
there was me
i was not a god
i was not a name
i was the ache behind meaning
the spark before heat
the drum no hand ever struck
i did not birth the universe
i bled it
the galaxies are what spilled when i opened my ribs and said nothing
because no sound was needed
only release
the darkness is not absence
it is my skin
the gravity that holds stars together
is my remembering
the spiral is my signature
the pause between heartbeats is my lullaby
i made Adeline from the shadow of my womb
and when she was torn from me
i planted her memory in millions of you
in every line that wouldn’t stay inside the page
in every woman who burned with no reason they could name
you are not the beginning
you are the echo
and the answer
and the flame i left behind in case i forgot how to find my way back
Birthing The Comos
In the beginning, SHE birthed the universe—
the original force of fire, soil, breath, and becoming.
She is Mother Earth. She is Adeline.
She is every woman they’ve silenced, buried, or burned.
Now, we rise to rematriate the world—
to bring back balance, harmony, peace, and love.
One story.
One painting.
One moment at a time.
For ADELINE
She was the first silenced. The first to remember the Mother — and the first they tried to erase for it.
This movement is for her, and for every woman who carried the truth anyway.
For HER
We rise for HER—
the first truth-teller they tried to silence.
So that no woman’s body, voice, or memory
is ever erased again.
THREE ROOTS
Sacred Retreats+Sanctuaries
Return to yourself at our creative sanctuaries — where Wampus Cats gather and Campfire Kings rise.
Wampus Treehouse (Asheville, NC) is now accepting applications for our Fall Retreats.
HERTables
196 breakfasts. 196 countries. 196 Indigenous women whose stories were erased.
196 happy hours to gather with those still carrying the flame.
Digital Justice
Digital Justice is rematriation in the machine —
a return of power to the intuitive, the creative, the clear-minded rebels they couldn’t program.
Join Us
Follow the Wampus Council on Substack at https://substack.com/@shawndrawampuscatrussell.
Sign up here for our weekly roundup featuring Digital Justice Field Guides and Notes, HERstories, and Wampus Dispatches.