Hardships often prepare ordinary people
For an extraordinary destiny.
- C. S. LEWIS
For an extraordinary destiny.
- C. S. LEWIS
The whole world is going through a cleansing, to be sure, and we, too, have this opportunity. Things we struggled /struggle with may have meant chaos, despair, even, and it is now up to us to bring back full light with our own creations.
Today is Tuesday, the day Romans celebrated with the dance of Salii, to force winter to leave the cities. They danced to provoke crops to grow. They dances to march on (specifically their armies) into a new day. Salii was an ancient dance where twelve (note the number, and this was pre-Christian) noblemen was joined by another person who led the dancing and singing.
This was the time when the Norse honored the goddess Ostara with a pre-summer festival for finding summer. It was honoring the light that took dominance over the dark days of winter.
In Egypt the goddess Isis is honored with festivals and festivities.
Somehow, we need to find a way to lift ourselves above the doldrums of what life is right now. We need to rise to joy at the turning of the season.
Rise and celebrate and create.
Challenge : Florals (Andrea Gay Paul
I began this painting on a canvas board. I stenciled with gesso and gave it a wash of bright yellow.
I lightly sketched in the character with a charcoal pencil.
I started under-painting.
I began work on the flowers next.
Layer by layer, she came alive.
Have faith, spring’s joy is about to burst in on song. Honor your goddess self and honor the day with some new ways of experiencing this time in the world.
©Carol Desjarlais 4.21.20
Lovely Carol...I just love the feeling of spring after a dark winter... weirdly we are in our autumn and heading into winter. It's been quite a hot autumn so far (this is Australia after all), The days have been still and at night I can hear the surf booming in the stillness, but soon the chill will start to creep into our mornings and evenings and in my part of the country, the winter rains will start. We get a lot of squally, wet days and we go into a form of 'hibernation'... nothing new there, we are all already into lockdowns and isolation. Welcome your spring and enjoy all that nature has to offer xxx
ReplyDeleteI love the changing seasons, well, most of them. It is a time where, because of self-isolation, we will be wanting to take drives and see the eagle nests and the breaking into spring. It helps get through this all, I think., Winter has been rough with this isolation and fear. Perhaps this will make it lighten up in many ways. xoxoxo
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