 This coming Saturday, Feb 24th, that lovely white orb in the inky night sky will reach full illumination. It’s the Full Snow Moon and the last full moon before the Spring Equinox. I’ve always had an affinity for the moon. Do you feel this way, too? Maybe it’s because I’m a night owl, or perhaps it’s that I’m a Cancer and therefore a Moon Child. Whatever it is, there is a quiet whisper and an insistent tug that grows stronger as the moon cycle draws closer to full. Do you feel it too? It’s a restlessness, a sudden burst of creativity, of energy, and a primal awareness that there is some "otherness" pulling us, just as it pulls the ocean’s tides to a crescendo.
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 Over the past decade or more, there’s been a rise in the interest of Tarot decks, Oracle cards, Runes and other tools of divination. Now, divination doesn’t mean that these tools can “magically” predict the future, but what they can do is serve as a tool to connect with our Inner Knowing. The Inner Knowing we all possess is our subconscious, our intuition or sixth sense and, as I believe, can also be the quiet voice of our Higher Spirit or connection to a Universal energy. But for now, let’s focus on intuition and the subconscious mind.
 Do you adore Fall as much I do? Of course, if you live in the Northeastern US, it hasn’t yet felt much like Fall, but I’m still hopeful! The pumpkins have been gathered, the summer porch has been “Autumnized” (yes, I’m making up words) and we’ve gone out collecting cattails and lovely tall grasses and I am in my happy place! This is the color pallet that makes my heart sing and even though we won’t be blessed with our normal New England color this year, I’ll certainly be making up for it with natural, seasonal embellishments.
 I’ve just come through a little over a month’s worth of overwhelm. From jobs in my screen-printing business (that’s my real-life job) to garden chores such as transplanting an overabundance of seedlings (like, I’m talking hundreds), to struggling to find time to work in the studio (and mostly losing THAT battle), to everywhere I look something demands my attention… meal prep, laundry, dirty bathrooms, outside commitments … you know the drill. I know it’s not an original story. Nowadays, virtually everyone feels the pressure to go faster, work harder, keep checking off ALL. THOSE. BOXES. …and some days, it just seems too much.
 Next Friday will bring us the Full Flower Moon and I often like to indulge in a quick online search to see what alternative moon names I can find. There were several Native American names traditionally used by different tribes. Frog Moon was by far my personal favorite, as the first sign of spring for me is always the peepers and tree frogs. I love to hear them serenading the twilight hours on a cool, spring evening. There was also Budding Moon, Planting Moon, Egg Laying Moon and (rather amusing) the Moon of Shedding Ponies! Not having had ponies, but instead dogs, I can definitely identify with that one!
 Connemara, County Galway, Ireland It seems that spring has suddenly become thrust upon us. After the endlessly mild winter, it feels strange and all at once too soon. I feel torn in a hundred different directions, my attention drawn away from studio work and with the month nearly over, I realized in a panic that I hadn’t given half a thought to the March blog post.
 Oh, what a magical night! The air is perfectly still as tiny snowflakes drift silently to the ground and a hush has fallen over the woods surrounding the property. The soulful cry of a lone coyote reverberates through the darkened timberland from the north end of the pond. Joining in from the northeast, a Great Horned Owl begins calling and yet another answers faintly, some distance away. As if that wasn’t enough to fill my heart, somewhere close by in the snow-covered branches of the pine trees comes the soft trilling of a Screech Owl. All of Mother Nature is awake and reveling in the flawless beauty of a winter’s night.
 TEMPLE OF JANUS If you’ve been following my work for any amount of time, you probably already know how much I love mythology. You may know that I made a small line of “Janus” earrings, in the shape of an abstract door, the significance of which soon follows. But did you also know that January is named after the Roman god Janus? Given that it’s the first month of the calendar year, Janus, the god of beginnings and endings, gates and passages, doorways and transitions, feels wholly appropriate as we welcome in the new year. On Roman coins and statues, Janus is depicted as having opposing faces… one looking to the past and the other, the future. This all sounds curiously similar to our many new year traditions.
 Okay, I have to say it, full disclosure… For years I have not been a fan of Halloween, not since early in my twenties… sorry to disappoint! The tipping point was when I got my first house. Thanks to some insanely stupid traditions, Halloween suddenly became more of a “Save the Pumpkins!!!” yearly ordeal. After so many hours and monetary investment, my Fall decorating was my pride and joy… until the 31st of October rolled around. You’ve seen those smashed pumpkins in the roads, right? Some of them were mine…
 This year the Autumn equinox occurs on Thursday, September 22, 2022 at 9:04 pm EDT in the Northern Hemisphere. The Autumn equinox is when the sun is exactly on the equator and we have 12 hours each of daylight and darkness. But the best part of all? IT’S THE FIRST DAY OF FALL!!!
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AuthorThank you for stopping by the blog! My name is Carol and I'm a metalsmith and fiber artist who makes amulets and talismans. You can find my work at Willowsongstudio.com Archives
January 2024
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