Preparing for Imbolc

I’m excited about the upcoming Imbolc holiday and I’ve been preparing my home for the presence of Goddess Brighid. Many people celebrate February 2^nd as Groundhog’s Day but in many parts of the pagan community it is Imbolc. Imbolc asks us to pay attention to home and hearth. We welcome the deities closely aligned with those sacred spaces so intimately tied to our lives. I particularly adore Vesta and am making way for her as well. Since I’ve been sick I’ve really become mindful of cleanliness, especially since it is suspected that I had or have stomach flu. I have been cleaning and sanitizing all morning though I have little physical energy I have plenty of psychic energy. The aromatherapeutic benefits of the types of cleansers I am using are also giving me a spiritual boost. I am doing spiritual floor washes using lemongrass essential oil, while also burning very sweet smelling red and white candles and will finish up with a juniper smudge. Then for a longer term effect, I will light pine incense. I’m not kidding. These herbs are really energizing, even when you are not feeling well! In addition to the cleaning I am also making a humble split pea and veggie soup while baking in honor of the hearth and home goddesses. I have made corn bread and am working on some pumpkin mini-loafs because they are both quick and easy and their grains honor the hearth goddesses. Some years I let the Sabbats slip away but this year I am going to try to be more diligent about celebrating each and every one of them. The Sabbats, so closely connected to the earth’s movements and her ways really speak a sensible language with which I can relate. These special days keep me focused on what is very real but what our society often ignores in its hurry and focus on what is commercially viable. Imbolc reminds us, that in the heart of winter, spring is around the corner and it also asks us to make way for changes to come. That is why I am so excited. With the frozen, tundra-like landscape outside I can relish the time within my home and especially around the hearth. Cooking, clearing, purging, and banishing what is unwanted while welcoming and planning for the moist, colorful, fragrant, verdant days of spring. This image I am posting today is of an ATC that has been traded featuring the Great Goddess. Yeah! A test with a broom straw from my beloved Appalachian besom proves my mini pumpkin loafs are finished--time to sign off for today.

Gran Bwa

Gran Bwa is a lwa that helps you connect to ancestral roots or the spiritual home of Vodou. A friend of mine, who is an expert on Haitian Vodou, who has spent a lot of time in Haiti with the artists there, told me I had painted Gran Bwa when I made this spontaneous work out of walnut ink and sumi-ink on handmade paper. I had considered this painting a self-portrait. She now holds this piece in her private collection: Quite a few people are afraid of Vodou but it is an awe-inspiring tradition of bringing together plant energy with divinity, spiritual and personal energy. My friend who is very involved with Vodou, especially the art that surrounds it, is from European ancestry. She is light in spirit and bubbly, with a close relationship to nature and her garden. Vodou affirms the relationships between cycles of life, trees of knowledge and spirit. The Vodou vision of lwa , understands them as the intelligence of energy present in humans, nature and thoughts. Mysteries ca

Xochitl--Flower

(Winter Poinsettia by Stephanie Rose Bird, oil on wood) One of my Facebook friends does daily posts and shares called "I love Flowers." I love flowers too, in real life, in my garden, in paintings and as they are related to the gods and goddesses, in healing, as well as their use in folklore like Hoodoo. Not long ago I posted about Xochipelli (Sho-CHEE-pee-lee) prince of flowers and Xochiquetzal (Sho-CHEE-ket-zul) goddess of flowers in anticipation of April's blooming season. The Goddess and Prince of Flowers post is here. Today, I want to focus in on the root word of their names and it's symbolism. This word is Xochitl (Show-CHEE-tul) in the Nahuatl language of the Aztecs. This word means flower. ( Frida Kahlo "Self Portrait Dedicated to Dr. Eloesser) In many different belief systems there are nature gods and goddesses connected with flowers. Flowers possess symbolism,

Follow Fest Interview and Sharing

When I first became a blogger it was difficult to know if I had readers and visitors coming to my blog. I’d post and be met by the sounds of crickets. Then, I branched out into the world of the blogosphere, a world I didn't know really existed. From my ventures, I met a lot of interesting bloggers. I've started following and commenting on numerous blogs, for you see, prior to my outings, I too was out among the crickets. Lurking about but seldom saying anything. A fellow blogger I've met through my journeys around the blogosphere is Melissa Maygrove . She had the brilliant idea to have a Follow Fest , where we share about who we are, what we do and most importantly, how you can connect with us further. It is my intention through joining Follow Fest, that I’ll connect with many more readers and people interested enough in what I do to want to learn more by following. So, here goes my entry for the fest. Name: Stephanie Rose Bird Fiction or

Stephanie's Studio

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