Leaving Our Legacy

 

 

 

The Hunger Moon, Marge Piercy

The small birds leave cuneiform
messages on the snow: I have
been here, I am hungry, I
must eat. Where I dropped
seeds they scrape down
to pine needles and frozen sand. 

Sometimes when snow flickers
past the windows, muffles trees
and bushes, buries the path,
the jays come knocking with their beaks
on my bedroom window:
to them I am made of seeds.

To the cats I am mother and lover,
lap and toy, cook and cleaner.
To the coyotes I am chaser and shouter.
To the crows, watcher, protector.
To the possums, the foxes, the skunks,
a shadow passing, a moment’s wind.

I was bad watchful mommy to one man.
To another I was forgiving sister
whose hand poured out honey and aloe;
to that woman I was a gale whose lashing
waves threatened her foundation; to this
one, an oak to her flowering vine. 

I have worn the faces, the masks
of hieroglyphs, gods and demons,
bat-faced ghosts, sibyls and thieves,
lover, loser, red rose and ragweed,
these are the tracks I have left
on the white crust of time.

Metaphors and Symbolism of the Snow Moon/Hunger Moon are many.  The colors of this moon are light blue to violet.  The flower is the primrose.  The stones to put on yourself or your altar are amethyst, jasper and rock crystal.  The tree of this moon is the cedar tree.  The animals, birds are otter, eagle and chickadee.  The work to be done during this time is all about forgiving self and redirecting future plans to meet this new forgiveness.

Let the rhythms of snow drifting quietly across the landscape be your rhythm.  Let the quiet, muted, sounds be your sounds.  It is a time of hunger in all realms of the Medicine Wheel:  physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual.  Draw close to family and friends and make do as best you can with fulfilling your own needs.  Let the prints you leave in the snow be soft.  Listen to the quiet.  Be frugal with yourself and with all things in your life.  The hunger is upon us and the wait for green grasses, for fresh foods, for newness leaves us wanting.  Hush!  Even the snow shrinks at this moon.  Find quiet time to write, to draw, to log your legacy.

©Carol Desjarlais 2.28.21

**painting **inspired by Next JENeration Art and Jenny Manno

 

Snow Moon/Hunger Moon

 

 

 

And so, we move into Snow Moon; the Hunger Moon.  Again, the lessons of this moon cycles around.  How many Snow Moons have been in my life and I am still learning the lessons? 

I am an exuberant hand talker.  Long before I met my Italian side of the family, I used my hands when I talked.  

 

 

Then there were times that others said I yelled when I talked, or sounded made when I talked.  It was difficult for some to recognize I was being adamant.  I caused some communication errors.  So, I softened my voice, or did not speak, when I was upset. I realize there was power in the quiet.  Not speaking left a huge elephant in the room... in the room of my voiceless heart.

Wolves, howling at the moon raise them for a purpose.  On snowy nights, their voices carry so that it sounds like they are feet away. 

As we consider that this moon is all about sound, I have heard our first sounds of spring in the voices of Robins.  Water is trickling in the house gutters.  I can almost hear the melting snow.  I remember living on the banks of the Mighty Peace River and, in early spring, about this time, great cracks could be heard as the icefloes began to break off.  Of course, the next sound was great grinding and then came the floods, and one time, evacuation up into the hills, for me to experience.  One night we saw two wolves riding an icefloe down the river headed towards Lake Athabasca.  In full moonlight, it was really something to see.  But the crunching, crushing, sound was drowning out any other thing.

January, and early February’s snow is dissipating.  Little green shoots of daffodils are sneaking up through the cold dirt and lilacs buds are budding.  I cannot hear them, but there is sound to color and images betimes.  This is the month we all want to break free.  Once it was cabin fever, now it is covid-restrictions’ fever.  There is an energy building that, if we take a moment to stand in the quiet, we can hear. 

This is the time when we howl our intentions to the Universe.  It is the time to declare our bravery, courage and power to rise.  This is the time that dens are cleaned, every kind of home is heading for a deep spring cleaning, even ours.  This is the time for change, for upkeep, for prettying up our homes, our inner home included. 

The Virgin-Maiden and Virgo bring powerful energetic healing, nourishment for body, mind, heart and soul, and surely, we need such.  Turn on your ‘work-kind-of-music’ and get going on cleaning out the dark, dusty, spiderweb places all around and within, above and below.  Be hungry for change, for renewal, for making your own vibrational-aura music in the world.

©Carol Desjarlais 2.27.21

 

 

***The wolf in this painting, above, is made of packing foam sheet.