goddessing

cosmology, consciousness, contrariness
goddess religion: pagan blog
www.goddessmystic.com


Flowers! 

Monday, April 17, 2006

Flowers! posted by Sage -- 4:49 PM.
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Spring photo-mandala: Pulmonaria, so named for the spots on its leaves.

I thought I'd chronicle the succession of blooming plants, native and hybrid, but so many have come up in the last 3 days that I can't keep track or get them all posted. What a seductive season.




Bloodroot, so named for the reddish sap, sometimes used as a dye.




Dutchman's breeches, so named for the shape of the petals.


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Quan Yin in Early Spring 

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Quan Yin in Early Spring posted by Sage -- 3:30 PM.
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From a close look at her, it's clear our dear garden Quan needs a bath! Those annual spring processionals of deity-statues taken from temple and village center down to bodies of water for purification weren't just symbolic rituals! Those deities accumulated soot from incense, dirt from rain-splashes and high winds, and the inevitable microbial communities that grew on them. It's time for our village's first annual procession of the Goddess to the lake for purification rites. I wonder who I should invite?


Garden Chronicles, Early Spring 

Garden Chronicles, Early Spring posted by Sage -- 1:51 PM.
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The highbush cranberries bear fruit in mid summer. Apparently the fruit, which remains through summer, fall, winter, and early spring, doesn't taste good, so it's eaten by the birds as a food of last resort in early spring before other sources of sugars become available.

The highbush cranberry is more closely related to honeysuckles than to cranberries. They like soil that is consistently moist and well-drained; this one grows about 20 feet from the lakeshore.




Yesterday, I burned another round of fall leaves raked and toted to the fire area by my pal Julie.



While I burned, she uncovered the cottage garden and the rose garden.



The freshly cleared cottage garden made easy feeding for this robin, who didn't mind at all that I was close enough for this shot. He pecked at the ground. Stood erect. Looked around. Hopped a few inches and started all over again. Once he seemed to be looking as intently at me as I was at him.



These crocuses were near the end of their blooming, but still glorious in the sun.



Three years after planting a single poppy plant, we have a bumper crop this year! We'll be transplanting some of them in the next week, weather permitting, along with about half of the plants in the cottage garden. The poppies are usually joined by volunteering motherwort, and they make a lovely welcome at our front door.



Feminism, Music, and Sleeplessness 

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Feminism, Music, and Sleeplessness posted by Sage -- 2:44 AM.
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Third sleepless night in two weeks. Time to break out the 5HTP. Oh the joys of fibromyalgia...

I just caught up on parts 2-4 of Sarah Bebhinn's series on "Subversive Songs - How the Third Wave is Reinventing Feminism."

The goal of her series:

Through four specific songs by four self-identified feminist songwriters, Tori Amos, Cyndi Lauper, Ani DiFranco and Dar Williams, I’ll show how these artists are exemplifying ... Third Wave ideals in their songs.

Food for thought for this Second Wave feminist, and an interesting synchrony — this afternoon I watched Rosanna Arquette's 2005 documentary, All We Are Saying.

More food for thought, of several varieties.

Favorite quotes from the video:

I live in my head. I like it there. (Chrissie Hynde)

If the magic faery comes down and takes a wand and says 'What would you like to do?' you should absolutely say 'rock star' cause it is the most fun thing. (Stevie Nicks)




The Vernal Equinox / April Fool's Connection 

Saturday, April 01, 2006

The Vernal Equinox / April Fool's Connection posted by Sage -- 10:00 PM.
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Signs of spring in these parts:
  • the winds of change had all but the largest oaks dancing vigorously for three days in the week before spring equinox
  • the wind storm was followed by a respectable snow storm (4-inch accumulation)
  • a few days later, the thermostat on the screened porch explained why the temperatures outside and inside seemed to match: it pointed to just above 60 on the dial
  • standing on porch and later on exposed grass and raw earth, I wondered at the remnants of snow, stubbornly clinging to shaded spots in low-lying places, and the word "anachronistic" came to mind
  • I saw my first robin of the season the day before equinox, and also a pair of geese enjoying the comforts and delights a lakeshore offers in early spring
  • my beloved and I observed the equinox, informally but precisely
  • a recapitulation of snow a few days after the equinox brought worries for the robins, and a reminder about how vulnerable life is in transition times
  • I was overcome with a seemingly mysterious must-listen-to-music fit, which explained itself when tears and fresh emotion were evoked by Norah Jones' Don't Know Why
  • pal Julie showed up a week ago with rake, leaf blower, and a smile, and we spent Sunday raking, toting, and burning the leaves an early winter snatched from our yardly ministrations last fall (ok, she raked and toted, I burned); we stayed around the fire for hours into the dark; she spoke wisdom in her gentle way
  • this week a young cat, never before seen in this neighborhood, drew our eyes to the crocuses in bloom when we saw her napping before them in the sun; I invited her onto the porch; she declined

And today, tengrrl's April Fool's joke at BlogShares made the Vernal Equinox / April Fool's connection and reminded me again why I so like Wikipedia

What seems certain is that it is in some way or other a relic of those once universal festivities held at the vernal equinox, which, beginning on old New Year's day, the 25th of March, ended on the 1st of April. This view gains support from the fact that the exact counterpart of April-fooling is found to have been an immemorial custom in India. The festival of the spring equinox is there termed the feast of Holi, the last day of which is the 31st of March, upon which the chief amusement is the befooling of people by sending them on fruitless errands. (April Fools' Day, Wikipedia)