dark moon

Today is a dark moon. It's time to stir the cosmic pot...it's not too late to add our longings, visions and dreams and it's not too late to season the mix with tears and laughter. We stir and mix and stir some more...crying until we laugh and laughing until we cry. Things are happening in the invisible world now and in a few days' time when the next moon round begins, what we need most will hopefully reveal itself.

Weaving rounds with the eldest sprite -- I left mine on the cardboard but she took hers off and it instantly morphed into the shape of a bowl, perfect for holding one crystal. All four sprites were here that day and each one got a tiny polished crystal. I want to be a nana who gives magic.

Beets, beets, and more beets. I usually saute the tender greens with garlic and onion and serve them up with red wine vinegar. My method for the roots is to drizzle a little olive oil over whole unpeeled beetroots, season with salt and pepper, and bake in a covered pot at 350 degrees for 40-60 minutes. I'm going to try freezing these after they cool down. Thinking it would be nice to have them at Yule with some creamy goat cheese.

Continuing the practice of returning plant material to Mother Earth, unusable tops go right back to where they grew. Hecate is the Greek Goddess of the Dark Moon, the night, and the shortening days of Autumn. She is also the Goddess of composting and transformation so I seek to align with her wisdom, especially at this time of year.

Mysteries of the Dark Moon by Demetra George: Composting materials are Hecate's gift of fertility from the underworld. From death and decomposition come the fertile substance that ensures and vitalizes new life. In her emanation as age, change, deterioration, decay and death, she finds the seeds for new life in the composting heap of decomposing forms.

Some little holders made with wire.  After tearing off the paper to be shredded and recycled, the wire spiral from notebooks can be wound into a ball. Any wire works, even a copper light string gone bad. I have to say that writing daily morning pages (The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron) uses up a lot of notebooks.

Flowers from the garden undergoing transformation for potpourri-making. In a few days they will be unrecognizable but still very beautiful.

Future bird seed -- cut sunflower heads drying.

Datura, Datura sp., moon flowers open up at night (and overcast mornings) and exude a heavenly fragrance. This year I am planning to collect and dry some seed pods. Datura is a sacred plant in some cultures but for the most part feared in ours because of its potent and potentially poisonous qualities. Since it grows and blooms in my garden so prolifically, I feel called to find a use for datura. Maybe what I'll find is that it is here to simply shine.

Soon a new round of the moon's cycle will begin and I'll feel motivated to start new projects and other extrovertive activity, but for now I just want to sink into the night. I love walking around the garden as soon as it gets dark. The dogs are in their element, of course, in the darkness and I try to follow their lead. I'm taking photos in the dark. I'm inhaling the exhalation of as many datura moon flowers as I can. I'm barefoot. Listening to night sounds, watching for movement. And stirring some more.

Shining of moon flowers to you. xx