Another encore post, this time, part one of two that I wrote back in February, 2006. Behold, this crocus is a withering flame… — Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Barren Spring, 1870 The signs of Spring are becoming increasingly insistent and unmistakable. In my garden, purple and yellow crocuses are opening in the noon sun, before slipping … Read more
Another encore post, this time, from one I wrote back in 2005. Court the Wild: Find Your Secret Spot in Nature Courting the wild–spending one to two hours each day in nature–is a suggestion from author Jim Merkel. In his book, Radical Simplicity (New Society Publishers ©2003) he offers this important recommendation for how to … Read more
These days, she says, I feel my life Just like a river running through The year of the cat.. — Al Stewart According to the Chinese Zodiac, today is the beginning of the Lunar New Year, ushering in the Year of the Tiger. The Tiger is the third sign in the cycle of Chinese zodiac, … Read more
Do you not see how mighty is the Goddess Aphrodite? She sows and gives that love from which all we upon this earth are born. — Empedocles ca. 490-430 BCE Instead of honoring the various Christian martyrs named St. Valentine on this date, let us celebrate what we REALLY want this day to be about: … Read more
For the 3rd year, I am delighted and honored to join in the ever-growing Brigid Poetry Slam. Throughout the blogosphere, everyone is invited to post poetry in honor of blessed Brigid, Goddess of Poetry on Her holy day. My contribution today is a beautiful selection that my sister used for an art piece she made … Read more
Fire of dawn-light in Her hair, Fire flows like milk from Her hands. Fire of bright promise in Her springing step, Fire of the flame in Her eyes. A blessing on Your hearthfire, On Your gift of words, On the brightness of Your sacred body, A blessing on Your flame. — Cait Johnson Blessings for … Read more
There, at the foot of the tree, belonging to no man, A silver apple falls. There, amongst the branches, the mother sits. Weaver of dreams against the weft of the wood, Insight falls like gentle rain on a moon-bathed garden. — Song to Hecate, by Alison Jones Now we make ready for the great festival … Read more
Many people fail to understand the magic of poetry. Perhaps it was a run-in with some dull English teacher in middle school; or forced marches through obscure parts of Dante and Whittier, with the emphasis on rote memorization, not the passion and meaning of the words. But as most shamans, priestesses, bards, Kahunas, Druids, and … Read more
The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place: from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web. – Pablo Picasso Today, we complete the second-to-last chapter, Recovering A Sense of Autonomy. We have some exercises to finish, and I … Read more
May the Graces Bless Us with a Joyful New Beginning! xx Take out, then take in: Bad luck will begin. Take in, then take out: Good luck comes about. Blessings of the Year of the Empress – the fertile, Great Mother energy of the Tarot. I’ll be writing much more about what this means in … Read more