A house wren shared it’s JoY with me this morning,
trilling from deep in its chest
at the tippy top of a purple plum tree.

Then a mystical bird song from deeper in the woods
–one I’ve not been privileged to before–
reminded me of the haunting flutes
from the plains of the West.

Magic appears when you become still enough
to be with it.

As I walked to the mail box I saw 3 scattered pieces of Oak branches, only six or so inches in length. They caught my attention only briefly but as I continued on, they played out their meaning in my mind. When I walked back I picked them up and searched out two more companion pieces. I knew they would be the star in the center of this weeks mandala. It was a beautiful albeit windy day so I made the mandala in the garage, trotting back and forth into the woods and the yard in search of supporting materials for my design.
It’s funny how they come into being. A simple walk to the mailbox birthed Gathering Stars Mandala.
Happy Mandala Monday!!

~Peace

I started with the one big pinecone and four semi-dry yellow maple leaves. The rest came together from bits and pieces from the ground. Not one freshly picked thing in this mandala — all discarded elements, and look how ruggedly beautiful that can be.

Along with making mandalas I have been busy on the Bee Lover’s Blanket. Adding honeycomb rounds by leaps and bounds!


The next round may take me awhile as it has 24 honeycombs in it. I’ve got 8 done so far ;-)

I also placed an order from House of Good Juju : it’s really quite wonderful stuff. These candles burn amazingly well and they smell good and have lots of little goodies floating on top.  And the room/pillow spray–mm mm good!

Well, beautiful people, I hope you have a terrific start to the week. May the light that greets the day meet the light that shines through you and light the world on fire!
Peace~

First things first, Thank You ALL for your heartfelt embrace for the passing of my dog, Winston. I appreciate all the love and positive vibrations you all sent up for us.

Now is the time to embrace the Autumnal Equinox –the time when night and day shake hands and share equally in their possession of the earth. Tomorrow we will awaken and the light will begin to withdraw from us earlier and earlier leaving the door open for winter to step in and encircle us.

My Mandala this week is full of the beginning colors of Autumn in these parts. Red is always the first to begin the season of vibrant color and my favorite offering is the candy red seeds of the Magnolia tree. They ring the inside of the mandala all brilliant and shiny! how can you not love them! plus, if you squeeze them they give off a fragrance all their own, sweet and reminiscent of the flowers that they give birth too in the summer. Seed heads from my crop of echinacea and red and green leaves from the Sumac plants that line the edge of the woods, add texture and dimension . I threw in a few mums from my newly planted pots. Making a little room on each plant for more vibrant buds to grow.

Lets part with a poem by Sara Teasdale called September Midnight:

Lyric night of the lingering Indian Summer,
Shadowy fields that are scentless but full of singing,
Never a bird, but the passionless chant of insects,
Ceaseless, insistent.

The grasshopper’s horn, and far-off, high in the maples,
The wheel of a locust leisurely grinding the silence
Under a moon waning and worn, broken,
Tired with summer.

Let me remember you, voices of little insects,
Weeds in the moonlight, fields that are tangled with asters,
Let me remember, soon will the winter be on us,
Snow-hushed and heavy.

Over my soul murmur your mute benediction,
While I gaze, O fields that rest after harvest,
As those who part look long in the eyes they lean to,
Lest they forget them.

Happy Mandala Monday!! Enjoy your week :-)

Happy Mandala Monday!
~Peace

The rain has stopped, the clouds have drifted away,
and the weather is clear again.
If your heart is pure, then all things in your world are pure.
Abandon this fleeting world, abandon yourself,
Then the moon and flowers will guide you along the way.
~Daigu Ryokan (1758-1831)

That is what it feels like to create these mandalas~ to abandon the world, to abandon myself. All I hear is nature all around, calling me, “this way, this way”.

I don’t know what it means for anyone else, I cannot speak for another. I only know that during this creative meditation, I am present and unencumbered. “All things in my world are pure and my heart is pure.”
Happy Mandala Monday~
Peace

This particular Mandala started with the leaves from a weed, the ever present dandelion. I choose the leaves because they look like arrowheads all in a line, to me and I love the idea of adding something so angular to a round piece.

Here are some other mandala moments from last week:

A piece I drew using nothing but color.

Some crochet happening:

Hope you all have a wonderful Labor Day and a Happy Mandala Monday!!

Peace~~