On Warmer Days...and Life

Truth be told, it was a long cold winter here in the northeast. Weeks at a time of temperatures well below freezing, snow on the ground from December to March. Now I do enjoy grey skies, cozy snowed in days with a crackling fire in the fireplace, the smell of crisp freshly fallen powder, the early morning snow laden boughs before a warm sun coaxes the bluish cloaks to loosen up a bit and enjoy the patter and plop to the cooler, frozen blanket below...but there comes a point when plowed piles of dirty snow get old, and fast!

A fuzzy bumblebee landed on this bush just as I was snapping shots of its blooms

So how happy was I to finally see all the snow melt, the first green sprouts popping up through still chill, damp earth, the mix of both frigid air mixed with warm pockets, and to hear the spring peepers on those mild March evenings! The combination of the songs of frogs and the magical echoing of the wood thrush would truly be the master composition of the natural world!

Tiny water beads on the spine of a Honey Berry leaf

On Returning...

The wheel of the year cranks ever onward into new life, growth, freshness, and warmth. Possibility and awakening. And here am I at the ready. I've been out of sorts for various reasons for a hot minute now, and honing in and fresh starts have been elusive for too long. I've entered a stage in life where I am no longer who I was, I am not yet who I will become, and so I wait in this liminal place. The ladies of a certain age will understand! Unfortunately modern western society offers little support for the journey, as we are expected to remain constant, ever pressing on, hustling, juggling,... status quo, while our hearts and bodies crave a slowing down of quite literally everything! But truth be told, as I mentioned before, I am not that woman, I am no longer that artist, and that, in itself, is a devastating epiphany! When what you have practiced and perfected for so many years no longer resonates! I'll be the one to tell ya it's earth shattering!

Honeyberry Blossoms

But I'm not here to share too much about that even though it's what I have been ruminating over the past few years, and it's what has quelled my creativity and production...my spark. Whatever was truly my quintessential center. I've been all over the place trying to find what resonates, trying to find a viable market for at least something I can make and sell to be able to ease the need for a day job. This is uncharted territory but so has been the entirety of life really! I'm just so acutely aware of it now! I've been hesitant to share much work (and I have a lot let me tell ya!) It feels...not me...not authentic though it was at the time of its creation...I think I'll have more words on this, but at this time I'll digress...

On another note, I've been toying with the idea of a Discord server (that's already mostly built to be honest), where likeminded grounded artists of any medium can come and share their art, thoughts, spirituality, inspirations, growth, epiphanies, whimsy and such! I have found that many Discord servers that add an element of spirituality are often dominated by younger people, and that's fine, but to be honest, I don't want to read post after post of how your mom was mean to you, your boyfriend of two weeks broke up with you, and your teacher made you do your homework!

Last year's rose hips dotted within new growth

These are valid feelings, mind you, but not indicative of the community I would like to foster! If you're like me, an artistic soul, building a life, managing all the things, navigating everyday life while balancing a practice and belief system that goes against the grains of the socially acceptable dinner table chat, finding magic, wonder, softness, beauty, and purpose in this world whilst having to commute in rush hour traffic, protect yourself from the abuse of working with the public in general (hello Amethyst and Black Tourmaline), endless bills, and constant political discourse! We're all islands out here, when we could better help each other in community. It may happen. We shall see!

As always, Best Wishes,

Archaena