if you have been reading Be Not Afraid of Love, you will have met the most enchanting and beautiful illustrations by my dear friend Somnath Bhatt @m0henjodaro. as the book was forming, i knew that i wanted to work with them. their work is deeply spiritual, symbolic and emotional. because every chapter is based on a different feeling, i gave som five key words for each chapter. without much prompting, som knew exactly what to do, and i could feel their own emotions in every detail. i’m particularly moved by the final illustration of the two deer, one dark and one light. i think a lot about how returning to a place of embodied love is the coming together of both shadow and light. that’s what this entire journey feels like for me, and somehow Som knew that before the book was even complete. i loved this illustration so much that i got it immortalised on the skin on my back, by another dear friend of mine @hotbirdbath in the middle of a sacred forest. what a blessing, to create with community and to allow all our visions and interpretations of love to dance with each other. i am infinitely grateful for @m0henjodaro, @hotbirdbath and all the queer artists i am in community with. our spirits are all speaking to each other.