The Dark is Rising

I re-listened to the Dark is Rising, one of the novels in Susan Cooper's series from the 1970’s. The story feels so familiar with the current timeline we've been living. I also recognize that the dark has reared its head many times through existence on this earthy plane.

Here's a quote from Susan Cooper that I found on her website: thelostland.com

"There were two things about that childhood that helped to turn me into a writer of fantasy. Since we weren’t allowed out after dark (every house in England was blacked out at night, to be invisible to the bombers) and there was no television, I read everything I could find, from fairy stories to Dickens. And since every air-raid was a reminder that an enemy was trying to kill us, I developed a very strong sense of us and them, good and evil, the Light and the Dark."

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I've been contemplating the origins of the Twelfth Night with elder legends of the Wild Hunt. There is Odin, the horned God Cernunnos and his more modern archetype Herne the Hunter from Shakespeare.

From the matriarchy we have Holda, a complex archetype, often called the White Lady because of her white hair. She is the wise crone, who can embody the triple Goddess similar to Hecates. Holda, also called Holde, is a sky goddess who rides the wind, and a female leader of the Wild Hunt.

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The symbolism of horns often represents that primal, raw power of nature, often referenced as the uncontrollable wild magic of nature.

In Coopers book Greenwitch, the "Wild Magic is equal in strength to both the Dark and the Light, but that it stands apart and is unaffected by either.”

This evening of the Twelfth Night represents the time of the wild hunt, we can use this energetic imprint to go deep within, access our shadow self, lurking at the fringes of our unconscious and releasing those demons out into the dark night.

A few associated perfumes for anointing: Q for the power of the Oak, where Herne is said to reside, Figure 1: Noir,  Figure 5: Bois, La Dame Blanche and Terrestre.

In related news, GreenWitch will be back shortly.

At the Cross Roads

Around the circle we go, with the shift from light to dark becoming more apparent. The spiral has led us to the footsteps of the fire festival of Samhain, which has many other names such as All Hallows Eve, All Souls Night, Halloween, etc.

Samhain reminds us that the cycle of life includes death and decay, an aspect that western humans have a challenging time accepting, unlike other cultures. The Egyptian Book of the Dead and The Tibetan Book of the Dead come to mind. The later being an ancient Buddhist text based on a large corpus of writings titled The Bardo Thodol. The popularized version here in the west was written by Dr. Walter Y. Evans-Wentz and first published in 1927 by Oxford University Press.

In the alchemical tradition, we observe nature as a mirror of our self. As the landscape colors shift, the flowering cycle ends and leaves fall off trees, these individual elements shift. In their decay they have a vibrant afterlife, nourishing fungi, animals and becoming part of the collective mulch, all part of the gears in the fabric of life. Somehow, more than ever, humans are gripping, with bloody fingers, to a one dimensional timeline of living. Obviously, with the onset of the Anthropocene, we are at a significant crossroads with an end of life scenario looming out on the visible horizon, at least according to one timeline.

The holiday also brings with it a myriad of other traditions like the honoring of ancestors, embracing our shadow elements and a host of archetypes, including my favorite -> the witch.

Generally I get a little triggered by the one dimensional, incomplete manner which she is portrayed this time of year. Luckily we have wise women like Caroline Myss and Clarissa Pinkola Estes who have provided us with a much richer and dynamic perspective on her as the crone in the triple aspect of the Goddess.

We honor her at this crossroads, where she guards the gate between the worlds during this time, when the veils at their thinnest. Be mindful if you encounter her, she is wise and powerful, often challenging us to encourage our own growth and awareness. May we humans bear witness to the shadow realm, honor our ancestors and embrace the cyclical journey of life, including the recognition that death and decay are part of the whole.

22

It’s a 22 day, a master number associated with the end of a cycle and divine creation and also auspiciously the first day of Leo. Number 22 is considered a master "builder" number, as it is 11, another master number, multiplied by two but with its energetic power magnified by four.

"Number 22 is one of the power numbers. The color associated with it are cream and coral, the symbol is the cross. The keyword of this number is Light, harmony and co-operation, when the vibration is found, there is the co-operation to work with Sources plan on Earth."1

We can dig deep and find all sorts of interesting references about this number, here are a few. Each of us will be attracted to different items on this list depending on where we stand and our belief systems. I tend to like to observe these things and then put the ones that resonate and feel most authentic into my magical backpack.

• "The 22 elements by which God created the world.

• At his Ascension, by twenty-two times Jesus blesses the creation.

• The Word of God is at the 22th level of conscience. The cosmic conscience would subdivide indeed into 24 dimensional or spiritual levels. The maximal conscience level, the 24th, would be attributable only to the God-Father and the 23th level would be considered as being an energy protective area surrounding the level 24. The 22th level of conscience would be also that of the antique Elohim also named the 24 Ancients.

• Twenty-two is the number of biblical books of the Old Testament - Hebrews and Protestants. This number is obtained by counting for only one book the twelve minor prophets, as well as the Judges, the Kings, Ezra, the Chronicles (each one being generally divided into two books). It is also necessary to integrate Ruth with the Judges and the Lamentations with Jeremiah. And it is thanks to this last restriction that we obtain finally 22 instead of 24. Flavius Joseph (Against Apion, I, 8, 1st s.) is the first one to have proposed a distribution in 22 books.

• The Mezuzah contains fifteen verses of the last book the Old Testament, the Deuteronomy, VI, 4-9 and XI, 13-21, for a total of 170 words, always written in 22 lines. This small roll is inserted in a tube of wood or metal and is attached to the superior right side on the frame of a door, according to the commandment of the Bible: "And you will write them on the frame of the door of your house" .

• The 22 chapters of the Vendidad, book of the Avesta, written by Zarathustra.

• The 22 prayers ("Yeshts") of the "Khorda-Avesta".

• The Chronos god was surrounded by 22 main assistants and 22 secondary, according to the Phoenician Sanchoniaton.

• For the Muslives, the Koran is the recording of the oral revelation authorized by the grace of God to the Prophet of Islam during almost 22 years, in the beginning of the seventh century of the Christian era - from 610 to 632.

• According to S. Doucet and J.-P. Larosee, the man is composed twenty-two evolutionary bodies gathered in four categories: subtle body, energy body, galactic body and temporal body. Each one of these 22 bodies is formed of 1296 "partitions" that they call circumferences, vibrating each one at a precise frequency. This number 1296 is called "Energizing number", since it is the product of 12 (Cosmic number) and 108 (Universal number). By multiplying 22 by 1296, they obtain the total number of 28512 circumferences composing the 22 evolutionary bodies of the man, that is according to them the number of the man and also that of Infinite Energy.

• Several old alphabets had twenty-two letters: Chaldean, Sabean, Roman, Copt and Hebraic. The letters of the Hebraic alphabet are divided into three mother letters (Aleph, Mem, Shin), seven double letters (Beth, Guimel, Daleth, Kaph, Phe, Resh, Tau) twelve simple letters (He, Waw, Zain, Heth, Teth, Yod, Lamed, Nun, Samekh, Ayin, Tzade, Qoph).

• According to saint Yves of Alveydre, the primitive alphabet of all the humanity, at the period of "Ram" (adam alphabet or "Watan"), would have comprised 22 signs.

• Salemi points out that the Hebrew Candelabra includes 22 chalices, 22 apples and 22 flowers by counting the point superior of the axis.

• "From the twenty-two great Masters that counted the "Templiers Order" since its creation to its term, seven lost the life in combats; five died of their wounds, one of voluntary fast, having fallen to hands of infidels. Finally, James Molay had to be burnt alive under Philip the Bel, but the Order was dissolved when this crime occurred. It is therefore on the whole thirteen great Masters in function who paid of their existence the honor to command the soldiers of Christ." (John Carpentier)

• The 22 cards of the Tarot - 22 mysteries major.

• The Cosmos would shelter 22 Super-Universe.

• The totality of mystical knowledge is contained in the symbolic of the first twenty-two numbers, according to Bambaras.

• The initiation of Pythagoras with the Egyptian priests lasted 22 years.

• The twenty-two channels linking the ten "Sephiroth" between them in the "sephirotic Tree" of the Cabal.

• According to some mediumnic revelations, it would exist 22 main stars where all the entities will pass to achieve the complete cycle of their evolution.

• Twenty-two is the number of writable regular polygons in an Euclidiean circle: 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 24, 30, 36, 40, 45, 60, 72, 90, 120, 180, 360. These are twenty-two of the twenty-four dividers of 360, the two first, 1 and 2, not defining polygons.

• Length of the cubit in number of fingers, for Bambaras, which corresponds to the totality of the categories of the creation: this cubit from Bambaras represents therefore the universe.

• Number of total stars of which is composed the Little Bear. However, only seven of them are visible to the naked eye.

• 22 divided by 7 gives the number "pi", which represents the mysterious and approximate ratio of the perimeter of a circle to its diameter.

• The head of the man is constituted of 22 bones: 8 for the cranium and 14 for the face." 2

References:
1 SpiritualUnite
2 Riding the Beast

The Birth of Venus

Round and round we go, here we find ourselves at another day of Veneralia, the feast of Venus, although the masses use the modern name Easter with celebrations that include chocolate bunnies and church.

As you know, I tend to like to delve deeper and look at source material, like where exactly did this ritual come from? After all, Spring existed here on planet Earth long before the arrival of the individual named Jesus.

April by the Romans was considered the month of Venus, just after March, attributed to the war God Mars. In Greece the name for Venus, the Goddess of Love and Fertility, was Aphrodite (Aphro meaning seafoam, and dite, bright.) Journeying further back we have Astarte from Phoenicia, a deity that may have been worshipped as far back as 1000BC and the potential source material for Venus, Aphrodite and imagery associated with Mary. 1

We already know that the Goddess culture existed long before the patriarchal Gods took over sacred sites where names were changed or great cathedrals built. It's possible that with the melting polar caps, particularly in Antartica, more clues into ancient time will likely be revealed shortly.

Opening image: The Birth of Venus by Alexandre Cabanel via wikipedia

Mercury Day

Wednesday is attributed to the heavenly body, closest to the sun. Although small in size, it is dense and heavily cratered like the Moon. The astrological of signs Gemini and Venus are ruled by this messenger of the God and Goddess. There is dualistic, curious, versatile component. In a conversation with my local buddy Avery he mentioned that there is a  "fluidity of the subconscious, a bridge that connects the waking and sleeping states, or the mortal and immortal nature of the soul.”

Although in Rome he was called Mercury, in the Greek Odyssey his name is Hermes, the father of "hermetic" knowledge who carried a golden herald, called a kerykeion, a caduceus by the Romans. Ancient texts associate Hermes with his lover Aphrodite, whose child was Hermaphroditus. According to Greek mythology he was merged into an androgynous form with the water nymph Salmacis. 

The color harmony of the planet is blue, relating to the throat chakra, home of our center of expression and communication. The stones attributed to both this planet and chakra tend to be blue in color to aid in our expression and communication.

Although tansy, yarrow and both blue chamomile and cypress contain the appropriate hue, in aromatherapy we use thyme and elemi to assist in self expression. Fragrances that contain an airy quality with notes containing some motion, like the air have more mercurial attributes. Pay attention to scents that encourage a feeling of fluidity in your communication, as if you have wings.

Stay tuned for more related posts as I dive deeper into the ancient mysterious of alchemy and astrology.

Planet Mercury gif via NASA
Painting by Adolf Hiremy-Hirsch
Photos and text ©RoxanaVilla

PISCES: Swimming without Water

Happy Solar Return to all you born under the influence of Pisces! The sun has entered this mystical, intuitive and watery sign today, February 19. The symbol of the two fishes is said to be derived from the ichthyocentaurs, who aided Aphrodite when she was born from the sea.

“We Pisceans know how to swim without water” 

― Munia Khan

I've been delving deep into astrology lately and all the wonders of this ancient, pattern tracking wheel, thus expect more on this topic here at the journal. I'm married to a Pisces and have lots of the sign showing up in my chart. All of us have some form of this mutable sign in some way and we can relate to an aspect of it personally or how the symbol shows up in others and the world.

What shall we scent our Piscean friends with, watery GreenWitch, intuitive Vespertina or the very tender and flow inducing Gracing the Dawn? Hmmm, I say it's too hard to choose, let's layer them up or, even better anoint a different part of the body with a different scent!

"And here fantastic fishes duskly float,

Using the calm for waters, while their fires

Throb out quick rhythms along the shallow air."

— Elizabeth Barrett Browning, A Drama of Exile

Opening image: Painting by Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis, Golden Indian Coin 

The Triple Goddess: Crone in Santa Fe

As you may already know, in September, Greg and I moved from Los Angeles, California to the high desert in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  It's been a bit of a wild, Mr. Toad adventure which has presented many challenges and interesting (to say the least) characters (Crazed Tesuque lady) along the way.

A few weeks ago, along the dirt road that leads to our new temporary dwelling, we met a crone that walks with a tall staff. After passing her on the road and waving, Greg and I turned to each other and gasped, “Female Gandalf!”

"In Joseph Campbell's classic work The Hero with a Thousand Faces, the first encounter of the hero on his journey is with a protective figure who provides him with amulets or magic devices against the dangers he will face. The crone is one of the most common of these protective figures"

Then as we returned home, just before making the turn down that same dirt road, I spotted about ten bee hives to the side of a house with a little sign that said "Earth Nurse". I gasped and pointed it out to Greg. We started wondering who the “Earth Nurse” was.  ???
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On another day, heading back from town along that same dusty and bumpy dirt road, we spotted the “Female Gandalf” once again. We choose to stop and say hello, assuming that she might be the "Earth Nurse”, after all she certainly embodied an Earth Nurse by her outward appearance and great staff. Her answer to the question was, “Well, the Earth nurses me.”

Indeed she is the "Earth Nurse" and in my opinion the community crone, a facilitator of balance in our little neighborhood here along the Santa Fe River. As we dialogued I learned that she is hosts many gatherings at her home and planning is to create a "closing" event for the Counter Culture exhibit currently at the New Mexico History Museum. Since the Counter Culture tribe is alive and well, particularly here in Santa Fe...meaning Holy Faith. Perhaps you have heard me mention that Santa Fe is the city of the retired hippie?

Despite the constant challenges, Santa Fe continues to enchant and surprise daily. In many ways she herself is the crone, an ancient city with a very bloody HIStory which may be being healed a bit by the creative presence found here.

Here is a link to the Counter Culture show here in Santa Fe just in case any of you are local or come for a visit in the next few weeks.

(1)  Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (orig. pub. Princeton University Press, 1968; 3rd ed. 2008), p. 57.
(2) Fine Art America, the Crone

Chamisa photo along the Santa Fe River and text ©Roxana Villa
I couldn't find attributions for the two pieces of art used in this post, if you happen to know who the artists are please leave it in the comments or send me a note. The second image says Wheel of Life, oil on canvas 1998 (?) with an attribution that is hard to read ©maiana.de perhaps?

La Dame Blanche

The folklore of medieval Europe contains a wealth of mythical stories where are modern day writers pull inspiration from. Diana Gabaldon, like JK Rowling, was influenced by a few of these legends when she wrote her infamous Outlander series. "La Dame Blanche, literally translated as 'The White Lady'. According to different mythologies the attribution could be a witch, healer, sorceress, spirit or ghost. Some stories say they are benevolent and wise, but others record them as being evil, and often a harbinger of death.1 

In his book The White Goddess, author and poet Robert Graves writes that the deity is the  can be sacred figures who are said to help or hinder those who encounter them.

Claire, the protagonist of the Outlander series, receives the name La Dame Blanche in the second novel of the series titled Dragonfly in Amber.

“What I want to know,” I said, pouring out the chocolate, “is who in bloody hell is La Dame Blanche?”
“La Dame Blanche?” Magnus, leaning over my shoulder with a basket of hot bread, started so abruptly that one of the rolls fell out of the basket. I fielded it neatly and turned round to look up at the butler, who was looking rather shaken.
“Yes, that’s right,” I said. “You’ve heard the name, Magnus?”
“Why, yes, milady,” the old man answered. “La Dame Blanche is une sorcière.”
“A sorceress?” I said incredulously.
Magnus shrugged, tucking in the napkin around the rolls with excessive care, not looking at me.
“The White Lady,” he murmured. “She is called a wisewoman, a healer. And yet … she sees to the center of a man, and can turn his soul to ashes, if evil be found there.” He bobbed his head, turned, and shuffled off hastily in the direction of the kitchen.
I saw his elbow bob, and realized that he was crossing himself as he went.
“Jesus H. Christ,” I said, turning back to Jamie. “Did you ever hear of La Dame Blanche?”
“Um? Oh? Oh, aye, I’ve … heard the stories.”

Excerpt From: Diana Gabaldon. “Dragonfly in Amber.”

La dame blanche is also the name of an an opéra comique, composed by François-Adrien Boieldieu a century after Claire is in Paris, which tells the story of a Scottish love story, a lost heir and a hidden fortune 2,, it is also the name of a perfume commissioned by Beth Schreibman Gehring. Here are a few of her words regarding the fragrance...

"La Dame Blanche is a voluptuous green floral with a heart of rose, jasmine and tuberose. There is a tincture of sapphires and horse hair, amber and wood. It was blended and released on Samhain 2014 and it is as complex, mysterious and voluptuous as the Sorciere herself. It's a gorgeous perfume and the beauty of it is that it doesn't quite make sense...You will  constantly be trying to decipher it's secrets."

Images:
The White Lady of the Noldor by the-pre-raphaelite on Polyvore
La Dame Blanche by Greg Spalenka
Photo of silver compact, Roxana Villa

1, 2 Who is La Dame Blanche, published in RadioTimes, be warned there are spoilers.

Mythic Worlds 2015

On Wednesday of last week Greg and I hopped on a plane into Seattle, Washington where we were picked up by Julie Baroh of Krab Jab Studios. While driving from the airport to the hotel I noticed that on the floor of the back seat next to me was a portion of one of Virigine Ropars dolls. I hadn't realized that I was going to have the opportunity to see her. The doll above is titled H21.

Virginie, like Greg and I, was one of the fifteen invited artist guests to the Mythic Worlds Convention that was due to take place over the weekend. Virginie and her friends David, Yoann and Claire had arrived extra early from Brittany to teach some classes and explore Seattle a bit.

Meanwhile Greg had an Artist as Brand workshop sponsored by Tara Chang Larson at the Krab Jab studio that took place on Thursday and Friday. Krab Jab is located in the Old Rainer Brewery Building which is now filled with live work lofts and several other types of businesses including an artisan chocolate shop called Frans.

Mythic Worlds, previously called Fairy Con West, felt like a mini version of Comic Con with a very woodland myth vibe. The cosplay was pretty spectacular with many artisan vendors who supplied the crowd with all the items that woodland creatures need for the evening masquerade balls. This fellow above seemed like he was the perfect mascot for my ivy perfume Hedera helix.

Unlike Comic Con, Mythic Worlds is very rooted in music with a Shadow masquerade ball on Friday night, a Light masquerade ball on Saturday night and a concert on Sunday night. During the day the music playing in the exhibit hall was Loreena McKinnett and similarly inspired sounds.

As guests of the event Greg and I each had a booth as well as presentations and a workshop. The class I led on Saturday titled Discovering Scent: Aromatic Energies and the Four Elements. I had a surreal moment at the start of my presentation when I looked out at my audience who was comprised of ladies dressed as fairies. Auspiciously there was a fairy for each element!

Our two booths were side by side and pretty simple, I had brought my two pop up banners with my little domes sit up on the table. We brought the Chiaroscuro banner that is normally in the workshop in Agoura, which serves as a nice backdrop for photos. Julie lent me a some horns to display my lockets which worked perfect in the context of the show.

Greg with one of his favorite models Jessica Lough (Figure 1: Noir).

On Saturday, as I was assembling all the essential oil samples for my presentation, George R.R. Martin (author of Game of Thrones) arrived with his wife Parris. They were headed up to the Cascade Rooms to hear a presentation titled "Why Are Strong Women in Fantasy Still A Surprise?" with Holly Black, Laurell K Hamilton, Charles deLint and Deborah Schneider.

We packed up our booth just as the show ended and zipped to the airport just across the street, but first we had to get a photo with our beautiful and talented friends from Brittany.

Favorite perfumes at the event seemed to be a toss up between Sierra Solid Gold and Q (the tree fragrances) and perhaps Chiaroscuro.

Although I was not able to take photos with my Canon because my battery died I did occasionally breakdown and use the I-phone, hope you enjoyed this little window into a Mythic World.

The Griffin and Impromptu

The reconstruction of Impromptu is starting to hit the website. As I designed the new little info and image card that accompanies the fragrance I choose the legendary Griffin as the archetype. I asked on my facebook page: Why do you think I've chosen a Griffin as the archetype for Impromptu? My customer Yvonne came up with this, which isn't exactly the reason, but I love it:

"Is it to do with an old legend ? .......... On the island of Usedom there is a recently made-dry swamp called Thurbruch, also Auerochsenbruch. Much of the area used to be covered by forest, in which griffins were said to be living. Once a herdsman took his little son with him in the forest, while grazing his herd. When he had to leave his son alone for a while, a griffin came and took his son with him to his nest, where he put him between his own young. When the herdsman returned and didn't find his child, he immediately knew what had happened. He hurried to the griffin's nest, and found the old griffin already flown out again. The father bravely climbed into the mighty fir-tree, and saved his son who had managed to keep clear from the griffin's young. When they stood on the ground again, he put the fir-tree on fire to destroy the griffin's nest. In that he succeeded, but unfortunately the whole forest was set on fire. So, until recent years, peat-diggers will sometimes find carbonized tree-trunks in the swamp, that reminds them about that big wood fire....... and the woody swampy herb notes of Impromptu."

Deciding on the Griffin all began with wanting an animal image because the fragrance is a "leather" perfume, albeit botanical. When I mentioned this to Greg he said, "It should be a bird because of the wings." I asked, "Why a bird?"  He said "I used the wings because it represents freedom and spontaneous, fleeting creation." Love that, but a bird didn't seem right. Then the Griffin popped into my head which led me to do some research to find that in ancient cultures this mythological creature, like the dragon, is a symbol of divine power and guards treasure.

In alchemical texts both the lion and the eagle are solar creatures often depicted in relation to the achieved goal, alchemical gold, and a new direction. This juxtaposition and dualistic nature stems from the Griffin having the attributes of two powerful beings. 

Since the color harmony for Impromptu is a antique mossy gold, chosen from Gregs illumination and Impromptu as a fragrance contains spice and smoke, the association of the sun and a spiritual guardian of gold seemed auspiciously appropriate.

Impromptu is a woody, smokey, leather perfume. The first rendition was not documented since it was created with the contents of bottles from multiple experiments. This new manifestation has been built by looking over the formulas of those experiments and rebuilding based on the fumes emanating from the two large empty bottles that housed the original version. 

The Pomegranate

Although Spring is soon to arrive it feels very much like the doldrums of winter at the moment, mainly because we've had very little rain and the land is fairly dry. If we do not get a bounty of rain soon I am doubtful that there will be extra honey for harvesting this season.

The poem below arrived in my inbox from my friend Jazmin – a writer, poet, mother. Thus, as I woefully ponder the weather my thoughts go Persephone and pomegranates, rather fitting since my daughter Eve has once more departed back to Vermont for the next school semester.

In the palette of botanical natural perfume we have a pomegranate seed absolute and a C02 extract by the botanical name Punica granatum. The absolute comes and goes from the market like the tides of the ocean. I have mainly used the absolute in blends for symbolic purposes to evoke the female. The aroma of the essence is very subtle. The C02 is a carrier oil, wonderful for the skin with interesting chocolate prune-like aromatics.





The Pomegranate
by Eavan Boland

The only legend I have ever loved is
the story of a daughter lost in hell.
And found and rescued there.
Love and blackmail are the gist of it.
Ceres and Persephone the names.
And the best thing about the legend is
I can enter it anywhere. And have.
As a child in exile in
a city of fogs and strange consonants,
I read it first and at first I was
an exiled child in the crackling dusk of
the underworld, the stars blighted. Later
I walked out in a summer twilight
searching for my daughter at bed-time.
When she came running I was ready
to make any bargain to keep her.
I carried her back past whitebeams
and wasps and honey-scented buddleias.
But I was Ceres then and I knew
winter was in store for every leaf
on every tree on that road.
Was inescapable for each one we passed.
And for me.
It is winter
and the stars are hidden.
I climb the stairs and stand where I can see
my child asleep beside her teen magazines,
her can of Coke, her plate of uncut fruit.
The pomegranate! How did I forget it?
She could have come home and been safe
and ended the story and all
our heart-broken searching but she reached
out a hand and plucked a pomegranate.
She put out her hand and pulled down
the French sound for apple and
the noise of stone and the proof
that even in the place of death,
at the heart of legend, in the midst
of rocks full of unshed tears
ready to be diamonds by the time
the story was told, a child can be
hungry. I could warn her. There is still a chance.
The rain is cold. The road is flint-coloured.
The suburb has cars and cable television.
The veiled stars are above ground.
It is another world. But what else
can a mother give her daughter but such
beautiful rifts in time?
If I defer the grief I will diminish the gift.
The legend will be hers as well as mine.
She will enter it. As I have.
She will wake up. She will hold
the papery flushed skin in her hand.
And to her lips. I will say nothing.

Image: Persephone by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Shadow Lands

Yesterday we hit another indicator of the shift from the light to the darkness as we moved the hands of our clocks back, The light here in the northern hemisphere begins to subside as it increases in the southern half of the planet. A great symbol of the duality found on this earthly plain we reside.

In most parts the trees are now loosing their leaves and moving into a more structural, silhouetted shapes within the landscape. Sometimes trees become slim architectural forms set within the whiteness of a background of snow.

Halloween celebrated the shadow, the darker aspects of the human and our unconscious desires. As we move into this time continual reminders of balancing the light and dark appear. The nemesis rears her ugly snake infested head once more, driving some to hibernation. That wont be the case for me, like my honey bees I will continue to forage despite the low levels of pollen. The great thing about nature is that she is constantly seeking balance between the opposing forces. We can seek nourishment in warm baths with lit candles and essential oils as well as great archetypal stories. Harry Potter, a classic of the light versus dark take is soon to be released and I can't wait.

I've learned that the nemesis, as awful as she might "appear", offers terrific gems to garner from the experience. The most important is not to allow a single individual or event to disrupt one from their mission and path.


While on the east coast last month we stayed with our dear friend Ric Meyers who is loaded with wisdom. In this interview conducted by Greg, Ric shares insight into how to deal with the perceived negativity and stay in balance. I love this one quote in particular...

"Don’t force things and don’t fight things.
Remember that water doesn’t choose its path down a mountain."

Enough about Medusa, something tells me her head will be getting cut off soon. I'm making chocolate solid perfumes today. Rather auspiciously it is Blanc and Noir that is being created here in the studio. Blanc is the chocolate natural perfume featuring vanilla as the main note while Noir is a musky, dark chocolate with patchouli. Read more here at this link on the journal and find them for a limited time in my E-shop.


Images:
The Head of Medusa by Simeon Solomon British, 1840 - 1905
Ric Meyers photo by Greg Spalenka
Medusa by Franz von Stuck German, 1863 - 1928
Chocolate Perfume Image Roxana Villa