the season of Spring

Things progress more slowly on this mountain and the subtlety of  the season has unfurled daily.

Now we are ready for Beltaine.

There had been early heat that brought the valley to bloom just to freeze in a late snow.

and then we started all over again

rebalanced
into Spring. 

But before all this strong sunshine and dry earth

it was grey.
Marvelously grey, like our spirits,
uncertain and disturbed.

We had gotten it together to go see family, almost mid-way across the country,

and were to leave just after our Vernal Equinox ritual.
It was a tight schedule and a lot of effort but it was the time.
The challenges of travel, family and health colored the holiday for everyone
and fortuitously we ended up just us 3 for ritual.

A family ritual of balance. 

 I remember the lush green moss in the woods as we processed to the Nemeton.
Now the moss is dry with strong sun only slightly filtered
by just budding trees
and little water.

There were few flowers but even without snow, we thrilled at the awakening of the earth.

Bryan and I did a lot of the ritual sacrifice together, maybe not hand-in-hand but 

heart to heart

or side by side.

Our teenage son, silent in the West, but wholly present,
taking photos until the camera battery died.

Strawberries to our directions, a spot of color on the silence of the landscape,

breathing in and out to the water flowing,
the last of his Bailey's to the Earth Mother.

we burned our sweet grass and grain sheaves and poured seeds down the well.

our contained fire was small but alive.

 

 Just giving thanks from deep in the recessed corners of our pockets from the lost winter and for the season to come.

A large smudge for final sacrifice,
throwing the rune sticks in the North,

Our Omens
from the Honored Dead: Ansuz or the Voice-LISTEN you are being spoken to.
from the Spirits of Nature and Place: Wunjo or JOY-camaraderie, fellowship, getting along.
from the Gods and Goddesses: Nathuz or NEED-what you need.
for the Season: Perthro or LUCK- the chance cup.

and one extra just to make sure: Algiz or Protection-, the Elksedge, BE ALERT,
the world needs more lerts.

  balance and flow

Iceless Imbolc part 2

so it is several weeks ago already, several weeks of wild weather, 

of wind and sleet of snow and immediate snow melt, of springlike temperatures followed by sub-zero temps followed by T-shirt weather. All in one week. 

it is hard to know the springtime as we haven't had the blanket of snow
the endless white, frozen landscape, moon-reflecting iced over earth.

It is now leap day of leap year.
An extra day in this revolving cycle of days, weeks, months, years.
This incredible time, this incredible life, how quickly it passes.

We no longer have an easy writing program for the blogs,
so formatting isn't creative
photos aren't watermarked or named or placed artistically
echoing the sense of the time as if the blog was an extension of the experience
the retelling itself a visual redo of the ritual.

It has been unseasonable and warm but windy and ominous.
Good to gather simply, just a few Susans, a Bryan and finally a teenager too. Drinking water and coffee and a few snacks, catching up on and reaffirming
life and the passage of time.

Sharing some photos and notes,
it is never the same as being here, even the recall brings back small moments,
but fleeting ones.
Maybe that is all that is needed anyway.

 our well of spheres of frozen bowls
in and of itself complete:
silence, light, fissure, reflection, metallic color, transparency

the boy had offerings for the well, suddenly participating with the sliding orb 

 sunny sacrifice

first flames

all the Bridgets

all the Goddesses Bridget
all the cauldron collection burning
catching the sweet scent of the garlic stalks and leaves.

 

 

 let this fire be a good fire

 

green smoke- all the greens
winter harvested greens
red apples surrounded by green smoke
magical endless smoke
permeating us all. 

sometimes we don't know what is happening
sometimes it just is

 

our omens were different, not so easily accessible

usually we read runes and sometimes the Ogham as secondary

 and often we receive the same or similar messages from season to season
but this time we read the Ogham and then Bryan pulled tarot cards.
In between another friend, not coming for the holiday, showed up,
so that would be a third oracle.

It was about letting go of fear and clearing your energies to move ahead with focus.
Seeing the blinding, the binding, as maybe a safety action,
to hold ourselves back from incorrect motion, to not be distracted,
the proper harnessing of energy

 

 

we bring our Bridget, all the Bridgets, into our hearth.
We share food and talk, folks who plan to be here and folks who don't,
little amounts of food become a feast.

Iceless Imbolc part 1

The weather is weird or just wyrrd,

but the days lengthen
and this season
 of floating in the lost and found
 continues.

Imbolc drift

Bridget is cool with the lack of weather or changing weather or our lack or our changing.

We do out best with what we have and offer gratitude and love.

This is a picture Bryan took in the days before our Imbolc ritual. 

It's a place holder until I have the time to share the rest of our holiday.