Seasons of a Woman: The Maiden

Spring! The excitement of seeing the first crocus open, of spying a wild iris, of rejoicing in the sturdiness of the daffodils emerging from under a February snowfall, their bloom tips ripening from green to yellow. We are weary of winter.

We are yearning for spring.

The world reawakens before our eyes.

What happens after we die?

In my images of the Harvest Queen (autumn) and the Crone (winter) we saw the fullness of a woman maturing from mother to queen, as age lines began to emerge on her face. Her expression from queen to crone became somber, then sad as the despair of the inevitability of death became real to the crone, and then, full acceptance as she slipped into the peace of the final sleep. Where did she go? That is the great Mystery, isn't it?

In this image for the maiden, the comforting hand of the crone is upon the head of the infant ... the transfer of life energy is being completed just before the maiden awakens. And when she awakens, it is to the freshness of childhood, to play in the fields of new life, to awaken to desire and to seek purpose.

New life moves ahead, not looking back. Forgetting who she has been, forgetting from whence she came, and unconcerned with The Mystery that the Crone tried to unravel. The Maiden has no interest nor time for pondering the Mystery.

Spring springs forward!

Comments

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes ...

Nikolaus Gyzis' painting: Grandma Dancing with Granddaughters, 1883. I'm reading Mary Pipher's recent book, _Women_Rowing_North_, in which she shares her ideas about being a woman as entering her elder years. In her second chapter, Pipher wrote about ageism directly. The line that has stayed with me most clearly is this: What women mean when they say "I'm not old," is "I won't accept the ideas that culture has about me." However, in the real world, I've been taking my grandchild to a weekly preschool music class where we delight in rhythms, songs, trying out instrument. At circle time I used to sit down on the floor along with many (but not all) of the other parents and grandparents and their kids. Those who chose to sit on chairs instead of on the floor had their reasons, but I liked to participate, even on days when, in order to stand up, I'd first have to get on my hands and knees then push up slowly. I liked hol...

The Seasons of a Woman: Harvest Queen

Harvest Queen The Harvest Queen represents the Autumn Equinox, also known as the celebration of Mabon. The light and the dark are in balance on the equinox, and as the days unfold the darkness begins to overcome the light. We celebrate our harvests, and then come the days of contemplation. Wisdom emerges from our depths into our conscious minds, and if we fully accept this upwelling of knowing from within, we enter a time of new strength, preparing ourselves as we become, day by day, one who understands grace. Celebrating the Autumn Equinox She who has matured through her seasons, from infancy and childhood to maiden, thence to mother, and as she ascends her Autumn Throne, her crops are fully grown. She has earned her crown. The left half of the painting represents the end of summer, and the fullness of nature, and that of a woman fully matured. The right half of the painting represents the beginning...

Beautify Yourself

Beautify Yourself ... ... a Facebook quizzish thing, so I tried it. With tech magic the program instantly smoothed out my wrinkles, slimmed down my face, plumped up my lips, applied eye makeup, and minimized the bags under my eyes. Gee, I do think I look better! I think I look sexier in the made-over image. Younger, too. I wonder if I could get away with using the image as my Facebook profile picture. If I wasn't partnered and I had a dating site profile, I'd sure think about that: but I should think about what might happen if did that then I met someone in person who had judged my attractiveness based on the makeover ... hmm ... I'd have to wear a LOT of makeup to try to carry that off! And, I could spend a lot of time thinking about improving my appearance. In truth I do, actually. I rarely go out in public without tinted moisturizer, some eye makeup and lip gloss. For evenings I might add mascara and a bit o...

Rising Above Ageism

Search This Blog