Queen Mabon

The Wheel Turns. Light is fading and Queen Mabon or Maeve as she was once called, adjusts the folds in her dress, as she floats down, settling herself upon the land.

Looking around with her appraising eye, she notices with satisfaction the leaves that were once a nourishing green, are slowly changing to deep russet, vivid orange, and perfect red.

"Perfect red?"

A saucy chipmunk pops up from its burrow:

"Who said that? Perfect red? How can a colour be perfect?"

"Well then, how about blood? ruby? sanguinous?" answered Queen Mabon.
"Those adjectives are so worn out."

"All right, picture this - glowing red, friendly red, autumn red?
"That's a stretch!", retorted the naughty chipmunk.

"O.K. smarty pants, instead of sassing me, tell me this - have you started gathering acorns for winter?"

"Of course! Do you think I need you to tell me what I've been doing instinctively for years??"

And with that, he popped back down into his burrow.

With a sigh of gentle patience, Queen Maeve turned her attention back to her immediate duties. Licking her finger in the time honoured, old fashioned way, She next tested the Air.
"Hmmm, cool and a little crispy, as it should be, but warmed with just the right amount of Sun - Perfect!"

Looking around, She noted with satisfaction that Lily of the Valley had transformed right on schedule. From Maidenly, delicate, white bells in the early Spring, to robust red berries of Autumn.

(don't look too closely at this pic or you'll see that the red berries are actually cherries and not Lily of the Valley berries, but I liked this pic immediately when I saw it).

Rose also was showing her hips - red and luscious and inviting...

" Hmmm, well, I'll have to keep my eye on that one!" Maeve muttered to herself.
Queen Mabon looked around and smiled. Everything was as it should be. Animals scurried about, preparing for the cold winter months ahead. In the gardens, chives, lavender, basil, marigolds, pansies (among others) were busily sowing their seeds for next spring's crop of herbs and flowers.

She turned her face upwards, to scan the sky; looking for that last sign that the Wheel of the Year was indeed turning - that it hadn't gotten stuck in the mud, or broken a spoke along the way.

And then she heard them. Softly at first, but unmistakable.... the honking
of Canada geese, flying South to warmer lands; their distinctive V-formation marking their journey through the Sky.

And when Swirling Mists began their Work of dampening and softening the landscape, Mabon knew her work was complete. Autumn had arrived on time - to meet the Fall Equinox.

She sighed and let down her hair - all was in order...for now..... and yet her Work had only just begun, for Samhain was already tugging impatiently at her skirts...

Edges.....

Borders.....

Fringes......

Lines...lips.....

Contours....margins,

Periphery....

A faerie ring

A distant shore

Thresholds...

Portal!

Balancing on the edge,

Equal day and night
Tween times....

It's Mabon. First day of Autumn.

Day and night are balanced.

Edges of light and dark more delineated.

Where there are borders, there are faerie folk.

We are between Worlds just for a wee bit of time.

And as the Wheel Turns, darkness grows stronger; as light recedes.

So for now we Dance on the edges.

Full September Moon

It's good to remember
The Full Moon in September

How did we get here?
Where are we going?
Who will we meet on our pathway?

I feel secluded
I wish to flee
And stay
I am safe, yet restless.

I am free, yet bound.
I feel trapped in a forest
And yet can step out whenever I please
But I always come back...
There is something yet to learn....
The Time is not right yet.

Love surrounds me like a cape.
Yet chokes.
But wait - True Love does not choke. True Love lets go.
Love and Let go. Love and Let go - the hardest lesson on the planet (at least I think so).
Who is holding on to Who?

Somebody said this is the last Full Moon of summer. I hadn't thought of that.
But summer is coming to a close.
Soon it will be Fall, as the Wheel Turns once again.

Nights are chillier; early morning cool as I step onto my deck, looking for Father Sun to say good morning. I shiver, put on a sweater, sip my morning coffee. Early morning is my favourite time of the day and I like it to be warm. But at least, I can still go out. It's not too cold yet to walk among my flowers, listen to birds calling back and forth, watch chipmunks scurrying to and fro in search of food.

In another month it will be too cold. But for now I will enjoy the chilly early morning air, the clear sun peeking at me through the leaves of my oak trees, as I quickly stretch and honour the Four Directions.

Gentle is how I see this September Moon. I am feeling gentleness.
And learning to be gentle with myself.

Full Moon Clarity

August full moon. Corn moon. Moon of the Harvest.
Last night before going to bed, I looked out to see if I could see Mother Moon. She shone through the clouds Strong and Clear.

I don't remember seeing her so Clear before.

Luminous - yes.
Bright and shiny -yes.

Hazy - yes. Partially obscured - yes.

But Clear and Warm? Strange combination.

I tend to think of Clear and Bright as cold. Like the clear, bright Stars you see when you look up into the darkness on a cold, crisp winter's night.

Strange....I went to bed and did not give Her another thought. After all, Her fullness was not due until tonight, Thursday.

Ah.... but the ways of Mother Nature are mysterious.

Out for my morning walk, earlier on, I was mulling though something that happened the day before. The Clear Moon day. I had taken some pics of my grandchildren. There were about 10 of my granddaughter playing in the park and only 1 of my grandson. He had been with his mother (my daughter) while we were at the park, so little Nathan was left out of the pics.

Standing at the front door saying goodby, little Nathan (safe within his mother's arms) gurgled and laughed as only 6 month old babies do. Instantly I whipped out my camera. I had to take this pic.

At home, I uploaded (or down, I can never figure out which) the pics. The one of little Nathan was good, except that there were too many distractions in the pic, taking away from his dear little face. At first I was disappointed.

Hmmm, maybe it's time I learned how to "edit" my pics. The edit feature that comes with Windows is extremely frustrating (at least to me). I don't want to "draw" on my pic. I don't want to "erase" the background. I've tried that and it looks horrible. I just want to crop the baby's face and bring in into focus. The rest of the background can be "out of focus" or soft and blurry.

After a bit of searching, I did find an edit programme. I think it might have been photobucket. And even with that programme, the cropping took me a long time. Either I don't have the proper technique (it kept slipping away from me), or it's just difficult to do (which it should not be).

So, as I was walking, mulling this through, it struck me that my failures are really stepping stones. I've always cringed at the thought of failing. I think most of us were brought up that way. Failing was something embarrassing. Something to cry over. Failed exams, failed casseroles, failed businesses, failed relationships.

But now with the gift of Clarity from Mother Moon last night, I see failures in a different light; as a place to begin. A launch pad. The first step on a path. Instead of meeting Failure with Frustration, I will now look at Failure and ask "o.k., what's the next step?"

I have never been as interested in photography as I have in writing. That old "fear" of not being as good as the professionals. That old, nagging voice saying "you're not artistic, you can't do that", has kept me back. Or the other limiting thought pattern "you have to choose: writing or taking pics, you can't do both."

But now I'm finding out just how much fun creating and editing photos can be. It doesn't have to be perfect. It doesn't have to measure up to somebody else's standards. I can do it for the sheer joy it brings me.

So thank you August Mother Moon for helping another piece of my Creative Self to sneak out. And for the Clarity to see "failure" for what it is - not an ending, not something to be feared, but a Light, a glow, pointing the way to success or at the very least, change.

Beneath the surface....

my garden is alive! Alive with little beings.....
who live in their own secret world, far away from prying eyes.
Of Humans, who would want to capture them.
And put them in cages.
And study them.

Under the leaves, in the shadows, the faerie spirits dwell.
They are the ones who make magic.
They are the ones who weave the spells,
to make Our gardens grow.

They are the ones who bring magical and medicinal properties to herbs,
for healing, for changing, for growing.

Welcome them into your garden.
You won't be sorry.

Full Moon Ritual did not...

....go as planned.

I did not unearth my crystals. I did not light a candle. But I did see Mother Moon! And I did drink a glass of red wine.

It rained off and on all day. A thunderstorm at suppertime. Never did I think the sky would clear up. But it did.

I opened the door, looked half-heartedly at the sky and saw........Stars! Stars? Hey, it's cleared up! So flip-flops flopping, I hurried down the wet driveway, hoping not to run into Mr. Groundhog, or Mrs. Raccoon. Did not even think of Ms. Skunk. I would not look forward to stepping on Ms. Skunk in the dark.

Slap, slap, slap, echoed my flip-flops in the dark night. Crickets chirped, and insects droned (funny how much louder they sound in the dark). Passed by the ghostly shapes of heavy machinery at the end of my street, left over from the day's construction workers.
An innocuous line of mail-boxes hovering in the shadows, looked like a crouching creature waiting to spring.

A bat flew overhead. Oh good! First bat of the season. I like bats; they eat insects. It's been too cold here this summer for night walks - so I haven't seen any bats. Or fireflies for that matter.

Strange how cold the night air was last night. No matter. Excitedly I scanned the tree tops for a sign of Mother Moon. What laughed back at me were clouds. Clouds? Where did they come from? Why is the sky so clear overhead and yet cloudy on the horizon, just where the moon is supposed to come up??

Tough toenails! (bet you haven't heard that expression in a long time). I'm just gonna stand here until Mother Moon shows herself.
I waited.
Nothing.
I waited some more.
Still nothing but pesky clouds, clouding my vision.
Where or where was that darn moon, anyway?

Hmmmm, maybe it's my fault. Maybe I have the time wrong.
Turning back, I started for home.
All of a sudden I heard a car's tires crunching in the gravel behind me. Since it was pitch black, I jumped to the side of the road to avoid being hit. In doing so, I glanced back up at the sky to see.......the shining face of Mother Moon - regally ascending her throne in the sky! The clouds had parted to make way for her shining face.

Drawing down her silvery light; her powerful energy, I asked of her to grant us world peace. This is my wish - all the time. World peace - if we could ever attain that!

Yes, I stood there in the middle of the silent, dark road; hands in the Air, hoping nobody was looking out their windows, and at the same time, not really caring.

July Full Moon

Also known as Mead Moon, Hay Moon, Buck Moon, Lightening and Thunder Moon.

The energies surrounding this full moon are ones of success, happiness, and fulfilment. We are blessed with the first harvest of the season - a reward for all our hard work.
The Moon at this time brings us feelings of being connected. Connection to Spirit encourages us to first recognize blessings in our own lives, and then pay them forward - thus continuing the cycle of positive energy.


Rain is expected once again tomorrow, so I will not be able to get a good clear picture of Mother Moon. Last night I saw her briefly through the clouds. Stepped out my back door, walked down the driveway to the street in an attempt to catch Her. I wanted to see her in all her almost- full glory! But she remained elusive. Hidden.

Thinking She was hiding in the trees, I trespassed on somebody's property to see if I could find Her. Doesn't sound like much of an offence, except that I'd called Security Patrol on these neighbours one afternoon last month because they were lighting an open fire in their backyard. I was worried the wind would carry the flames and spread the fire.
As you can imagine, I did not want to be seen traipsing through the wet grass of their lawns!

All that to say, Mother Moon has been elusive this cycle. I have not felt Her power, Her magic as I normally do during these summer months.

However, a Full Moon Ritual is planned with my group of Earth Healers. For my part, I doubt that She will be visible to me, so I will see what it feels like to simply sense Her presence. I will absorb her hidden energy tomorrow night, and Listen.....

Beforehand, I will unearth my crystals and choose a few (those that feel appropriate) to use in a ritual. Lighting a candle or two always feels right. At the end, I will raise a glass of red wine to toast Her, and Listen....