Escapist Roots

Escape at its best is not a denial of the present but an embracing of a new set of possibilities.

In the song “Déjà Vu” by Crosby, Stills and Nash, they lament…” We have all been here before”. But have we? A plague, a pandemic, a trip through the rabbit hole that wreaks havoc on our lives, our practices and our traditions. Coping with limitations on personal freedom has been most unbearable, and the choice of fight or flight response, is the latter. Escapism. 

For urbanites, it is the choice to abscond to the Countryside, and live the Cottagecore experience. Taylor Swift’s Folklore” captured the zeitgeist of the moment of nostalgia, mysticism and whimsicality.           @grove_cottage_ is a popular Instagram destination right now. Not all are so lucky to escape the present realty.    But there is a myriad of options, without ever leaving home.

Coping mechanisms are frayed and many are opting for virtual visits with Tarot diviners. YELP revealed that Spiritual Readings doubled in April, while the NY Times featured an article on the increasing relevance of Tarot Readers during the pandemic. The app KEEN also provides tarot readings, but parlays your visit into therapy and counseling. Indoor gardening has also taken root, with budding communities such as Black Girls with Gardens delivering a green-infused sense of community, healing and discovering.

For women, the escape to prior romances and bodice rippers is at an all time high, with the up and coming “The Pursuit of Love”, starring Lily James. For men, Amazon’s rejig of “Lord of The Rings” is adapted thousand of years before the original time period. In the milieu of video games, which receive both plaudits and pans, the game Tenacity is praised for increasing the player’s mindfulness. But the artistic endeavor of Gorogoa is a visual and psychological feast. Artists and museums are top of mind as homebound inhabitants peruse uplifting forms of escape, from intense virtual tours to full immersion multi-sensory exhibits. 

Escape is always a dimension of culture, yet now takes on another layer of bearing. The Sport and film experience, two standbys of the not-so-distant past, now have supreme competition. But escape we must, and the supernatural is a widespread option.