Vernal Equinox BOOM

 It's been a beautiful prolonged Springing.
Energy like sap rising,
still encouraged to go slow and steady,
flowers and trees bloom
with days of rain.

Warm bright sun when shining,
days as long as August
but with no leaf shade,
the busyness of the season
is immediate and strong.

Dappled pinks, pale greens and yellows,
spots of crimson or deep madder,
and the rushing stream
-still a little cold-
fill the landscape.

Balance is a verb.

Between then and now there was
 the last and some of the only snows,
total solar eclipse and full moon,
first flower harvests and initial garden clearing,
renewed life
in the midst of continued global destruction,
prayers and more prayers,
opening hearts.

Notes and pics from ritual with some comments from now
at this almost Beltaine time
looking back at how far we have come

Vernal Equinox ritual
on St. Patrick's Day,
peas planted
in the not frozen Earth.

Lots 'o' green

messages about messages

the wasp emerging from the dead bee in a jar
(the internal larval stage of it is what probably killed the bee)

what is this early Springtime with no Winter?

 when things aren't transformed
that's when they rot
the green in the old wood
maybe two dozen shades of green
in our collective wardrobes

  all the sprouting and garden talk
seed sharing and seedling sales
itching to get into the garden
but it feels too early
though our minds and hearts race forward
to dahlias and peppers and herbs

a woodpecker and birds loudly presenting
as we set our sacred fire
and then silent until the end
budding maples and the peach tree
and the coloring of the willow

simple and straight forward
cold wind and light biting rain
and then the sun
and sunlight in the rain
and dark clouds
and small snow hail
and silence
and clearing skies
Springtime

Thank you
Thank you
Thank you
Balanced and Grounded
and Springing Up

 Appreciating the present

Love is the answer

setting up the house
setting up the fire
lastly gathering napkins from the laundry downstairs,
as folks arrive.

Full of colors and fabulousness
and green shamrocks,
bottles of mead & salads & deviled eggs,
hugging ladies
in the Center of the House

And then they arrived
with shining hair like sunlight
and a cast iron caldron of roasted potatoes

I couldn't vacuum,
barely mopped
grateful for store-bought food
and fruit and sprouts.
Acknowledging what is
and what is easy,
makes things easy.
 Lists from the night before
as guidance
to dismiss and/or use
as needed.

 The preparation
is itself
always
a ritual
of focus

 gathering around the fire
at the 5 Circle fire pit
the weather turning cold
even as the sun shone bright

Nicci ("don't kiss me, I love you")
and Leah in a beautiful green velvet dress
and light jacket in big coat weather
and Eric with good homemade food always
and Sophie and Charlie barely dressed
and wrapping up in the blankets
and finally Mary Jane
silently appearing
during ritual
beaming joy

 Sunlight and Wind
and flowing Water

Reverence of Space and Breath
Simplicity of Sacrifice
Everyone get three sticks for the Fire

Specific defining of the Outsiders
say them by name
have a nice snack of almost forgotten cheese offering
and leave us alone
please

3 nickles
a quarter and a dime
for the Well,
overflowing with water

a piece of the Bridget's cloth
woven into the split bark
of the aging
-but still alive-
Willow Tree,
covered with galls
and imperceptibly
budding

sage for our Fire,
LET THIS BE
A GOOD FIRE,
LET OUR PRAYERS
BE CARRIED
THROUGH THESE PORTALS
WITH LOVE AND GRATITUDE
AND FOCUSED INTENT

Lavender and the finest Grasses
saved on the mantle
for Bridget and Mananan

oil and sage

Eric with pantry flours
making the fire "foom"
Katrina with pine boughs
and hydrangea
Elizabeth sacrificing peat for Bridget
with words of praise in her own tongue
quiet invocation of love

 a jar of last year's rose petals
for our dear Honored Dead,
the recently departed,
those closest to us,
the casualties of these crazy wars,
and those long ago
gone before.

Nettle for the Spirits of Nature & Place,
sprouting gardens & weeds & bugs,
all the trees and sticks
and rocks,
birds and fish and critters
and flowers.

Oatstraw for the Gods & Goddesses,
givers of great gifts,
beings with special powers
and of so many names.

flowers from the florist from this last season
for all.

one dried white rose,
broken off
from the bouquet
that was heartfelt but meager condolences,
and that lasted for weeks
blooming in the kitchen window,
offered with loving prayers
flew out of the fire
bouncing on the wind
towards the East
and disappeared

much gratitude for
this Season of Balancing
equal day and night
Springtime bursting forth.

Let us be able to keep up.

Grounded flexibility
gently guided transformative
evolution
in good health and strength.

Oh Kindred Spirits
hear and answer us
give us a sign.

stone beat on the drum
meditation
while we wait to hear
the omens
from 3 divinatory tools

from our Honored Dead:
the Virtues-Fertility, the Runes- Sowleu or the Sun,
the Ogham- Beith or Birch
Purification, Changes, Initiation, Beginnings, Brightness, Renewal
from the Spirits of Nature and Place:
the Virtues- Integrity, the Runes- Uruz or the Primordial Ox, the Ogham- Duir or the Oak
Serious and Ancient Strength, Protection, Nobility, Endurance
from the Gods and Goddesses:
the Virtues- Vision (upside down), the Runes- Perth or the Lottery Cup and Chance, the Ogham- Ruis or the Elder
Blushing, Transformation and Regeneration, Renewal, Magic, Good Luck
for the Season:
the Virtues- Wisdom, the Runes- Yera or a Year and the Completion of Harvest, the Ogham- Nuinn or the Ash
Full Cycle, Order, Weaving Harmony and Balance, the Connector Channel to All that is, Support

keeping sacrifice simple
there was exactly enough

what is enough?
is enough the same as boundaries?

of what do we know of the meaning of life?
the waters of life!
And from whence do those waters come?
from the bosom of the Earth Mother,
the ever-changing all Mother.

Bryan drank those hallowed waters
right out of the pitcher
(also green)
because there were not enough glasses

duck, duck, duck, duck
there is no goose

gathered in our circle
in the growing light

Ann barefoot and Bryan with shoes on
and fuzzy green socks

 gentle interplay of young ones
smooth hands,
shoes off,
socks on or off

sitting in a chair
standing near the fire
laying on the earth
interconnected

and again the temperatures drop
the daffys are freezing at night
nature slows to almost normal
but without snow,
without reserves
as it has been for a while now

there is a feeling of instability
of impending doom
and insanity 
and yet
our honoring of this new season
seemed to portend
good

good enough

Beltaine-Suddenly Everything is Green

Cold rain slows the tumbling race towards MidSummer,
but it happens anyway.

Taking the time to do it right is a good thing.

There are no notes because it was so totally full.

Full of friends, full of hugs, full of food, full of laughter, 

full of joys and challenges.
Such is this life,
building up and letting go,
with grace and strength.

Welcome to the May.

Give thanks for finally getting to here.

It has been an eternity.

Budding, blossoming, blooming, becoming.
We no longer see the branches or clearing in the woods,
there is only full verdant leaves.

Bridging Spring and Summer,
the beginning and the fullness,
some of the longest days before we are accustomed
to the languidness of the season,
May is always astounding.

On May Day we decorated the crown
of our new tall and mostly vertical and majestic May Pole
with many daffodils and forsythia 
and a branch of each of the flowering fruit trees
and painstakingly redid all 8 ribbons counting them again and again
though one was gone by the time we danced the next day 
and the rest were totally entangled with the mullein stalk growing next to the pole site.
Such is this life,
gentle work and prayers put out and plans crafted,
with outcomes unknown.

What does it mean to let the light shine through our crown into our body and entire being

and flow through us deep into the earth?
To let our light shine through crowning our body and being
and flowing from the earth?

A simple complicated dance of breath and balance.

 

Almost time to take it down for another year. 

So much family gathered here then,
family with generations who have come here, 
some of the kids grown, some still growing
and finding their way,
some generations not yet born.

We were 10 folks present, spirits of at least 3 younger ones now grown and elsewhere,
and Elizabeth (and Ted) brought to mind and heart.

Beginning to interconnect, inter-reconnect
re-enter and remember.

Such a long Winter.
Give thanks for the Sun.

Some pics from then with commentary from now.

Gathered together and comfortable
the first flowers, the last year's herbs,
spring cleaning clearings and everything else.

We center and meditate, let go and be present,
close our eyes and open our ears and hearts.
We honor the Seven Directions
and Our Earth Mother.

Chiming the Well

-Flow within Us-

that which reaches down and rises up
Sacred Tree
-Grow within Us-

  

Lighting the Sacred Fire
-Glow within Us-

We honor Mananan and request his kind gatekeeping abilities.

We make offerings to those outside our sphere of support.
We welcome our special insider Bridget
with sweet smelling combustibles and much gratitude.

  

Circular fire accepting sacrifice for our Kindreds

and our Heartsong.

I love when even the quiet folks or younger people offer prayers,
emptying all my pockets in prayer.

Final sacrifice

Hear and Answer Us

We Pray

Our expressive fires speak volumes.

Our Omens

from Our Honored Dead: Gibor -Giver/Giving/Gift,
the Open Hands, Giving AND Receiving,

the Ancestors know what this is all about
I would say let's remember to use the gifts
those humans no longer here have so generously given to us
*

from the Spirits of Nature and Place: Algiz- the Elksedge,
 it is about attention/awareness, it ain't about slack,
be on guard,

BE ALERT THE WORLD NEEDS MORE LERTS
I like the idea of standing tall, shoulders back and ready,
flexible like the trees and strong like the stones
*

from the Gods and Goddesses: Yera-the Harvest,
the only rune broken into two figures,
but it is about balance, a whole year,
the time that it takes for the stuff that it makes
I keep hearing to slow down and allow for natural unfolding

*

for the Season: Ansuz or we say Os -the Voice or the Wind
or Odin,
it has to do with a message heard and received.
Listen UP!
Maybe it is our own voice and maybe we are singing.

GZYO!

We take in those blessings

 (at times blazing and at times smoky)
with our refreshing water and giddiness.
We give thanks with we all that we have left.

We gather to feast together,
food in the house,
sharing our plates and flatware,
like old times.

Strange but tentative.
A good start.

The dance of Seven.

Hurdy Gurdy all the time!