Dr. Nicole Rawls
Anthropologist Astrologer Artist. Storyteller
~It’s time to create and tell our own stories as a way to build new worlds.
To Support Dr. Rawls’ Work
In-Person & Online Events!
Queering Chaos Conversations
February 17th, 2026
7PM CST
Dorothy Downstairs
2500 W Chicago Ave
Chicago, 60622
In the final of the panelist driven conversations led by Dr. Nicole Rawls, queer folks gather to connect & share in these chaotic times.
It is time to dream, and dare to bring those dreams into reality. But, what does it mean to dream, and then act on those dreams, in times of chaos?
Queering Chaos is a project about Queers who dare to Queer with the Chaos Man at the steering wheel of the American Empire. In our last Queering Chaos Conversation the host and creator of the project, Dr. Nicole Rawls, is in conversation with two Queer artists and friends who she dreams with regularly - Dr. Moya Bailey and Forest Brooks - as a way to show what it means to conjure new worlds through a Black Queer lens.
Doors at 6pm and our conversation begins at 7pm. Dorothy remains open after the event until 11pm.
Tickets are sliding scale $10-20 in advance and $20 at the door.
Dorothy is 21+ and requires physical ID for all to enter. Dorothy is also ADA accessible with elevator access on Campbell Ave. If you are a guest who requires elevator access, please wait by the black door with our logo in the window and call our staff to assist: 773-770-3799
Please note: refund requests are only available until 24h before the event (2/17, 7pm). No other refund requests will be honored.
Astrology of 2026 Lecture - Fire and Air Are Here
January 28th
6PM CST ONLINE
2026 marks the beginning of the elements changing to Fire and Air as the Outer Planets all make their way, and stay, in new signs. Pluto in Aquarius kicked this off last January, and this year Neptune moves to Aries in January and Uranus to Gemini in April. Fire and Air are here so how do we work with these elements so they do not work us?
Join me online for this interactive lecture where I will break down the major transits of 2026 through a Black Queer Anthropological lens and discuss ways to work with this new energy as the world we know transforms around us.
JANUARY CALENDAR OF EVENTS
It is time to tell new stories so we can create the futures we say we want. So it is a time of the storytellers and story weavers to tell and weave new stories for our humanity.
To tell new stories we need to embody our humanity and believe the reality we are in so we can dream and create the societies that can actually hold and support life.
How do we learn to embody the knowledge we have learned?
What does it mean to strategically dream as a way to world-build the societies we say we want to live in?
Can we allow ourselves to play in the dreamscape(s) and bring those dreams into reality?
If we are our ancestors’ wildest dreams, how do we dream WITH them as a liberatory practice?
These are some of the questions I explore in my Patreon, the online arm of my Embodied Futures Lab, as a way to create a space for people to imagine our world differently and then dare to bring those imaginations into reality.
Subscribe to learn more and have access to exclusive content! Come and dream with me!!
Dr. Nicole Rawls
Welcome! My name is Dr. Nicole Rawls and I am an anthropologist, astrologer, strategist, poet, writer, and storyteller.
I use my knowledge and training to deconstruct societal mindsets and imagine a world without oppressive systems governing us. I obtained my Ph.D. in Anthropology from Michigan State University in 2011, specializing in race, racism, citizenship, and the nation-state. I previously taught and worked at Michigan State University, The University of Bristol (UK), Beloit College and Brown University before leaving higher education in 2021. You can read more about me here.
My work and offerings are multifaceted.
I am the founder of the Embodied Futures Lab and Dream Praxis Studios. With a focus on creating clarity, choice, and action through a humane lens, I offer cultural and organizational strategy services to individuals and organizations/businesses alike through a process I call “ embodied strategic dreaming”. I am really interested in exploring the question: What does it mean to be human? And to answer that one must go on a ride through space and time and understand how we became a society that values dehumanization in the first place. This is where my creative work comes in. As the creator of “Embodied Strategic Dreaming” I help others learn to believe and embody their experiences and learnings and work in the dreamscapes as a way to strategically world-build the societies we say we want to fully live through my podcast, Patreon, writings, speaking, astrological analysis, creative projects, and active social media presence, where I discuss a wide range of topics including the concept of the human, ancestors, and society. My multidisciplinary approach allows me to bridge the gap between academia and spirituality, offering a unique perspective that challenges existing norms and encourages individuals to imagine a world free from oppressive systems. I am currently working on my first book, “Reclaiming My Wild: A Modern Day Marronage Folktale” (working title).
My passion lies in my commitment to social change and the belief in the transformative power of imagination and dreaming to have us come back to our humanity.
Yappin w/ the Stars - The Podcast
(LATEST EPISODE)
Jan 25th-31st: Neptune Moves to Aries - Time To Sober Up And CREATE Reality
This week is a literal fire storm as we have Neptune making her way into Aries, emerging from the deep waters alongside a large Aquarius stellium that is personal as all the personal planets make contact with the Lord of the Underworld, Pluto, in the sign ruled by the Crone. Fire is here, and with it brings aggression, heat, and the spark of war. But it also is an energy of creating as tensions rise to the surface to be faced individually and collectively. So it is time to sober up and CREATE the reality that will allow us to live - so what kind of world is that?
This is the weekly forecast for Jan 25th-31st: Neptune in Aries - Time to Sober Up & Create
Welcome back to Yappin' with the Stars, the show where I talk about what it means, and takes, for us to become human once again in a world that is tryin to convince us all this is it.
And it is not.
So, lets talk with the cosmos and see what else is possible.
I'm your host and guide, Nicole Rawls — a storyteller who comes from a line of storytellers who weave and tell stories in many different ways, and as an anthropologist, astrologer and artist I work with astrology and ethnography to explore the stories of what it means for us to be human. Cause right now the present is up for grabs, so who is leading the stories that will bring us into our futures?
Every Sunday, we check into the chaos we call society and ask:
What's the cosmos showing us this week?
Where are we being called to move, create, burn, build, OR reflect on.
Join the Patreon for full access to this episode and more!
Book A Consultation!
Through The Embodied Futures Lab, I help visionaries, creatives, and leaders turn their biggest ideas into actionable, sustainable strategies by working with their dreams.
Whether you’re a founder, a creative, or an organization seeking clarity, I help my clients design a roadmap that aligns with your purpose and leads to real transformation using my process “Embodied Strategic Dreaming.”
If you are interested in 1-on-1 strategic work with me, have a budget, and want to explore options then book a consultation call!
NOTE: At this time I do not have a sliding or barter scale for my 1-on-1 services.
