Art & Myth

There are so many wonderful artists and storytellers weaving their magic on the web these days that it would be next to impossible to cover all of them in one post. So here are a few of my favorites . . .

Have a great weekend!

Undine, John William Waterhouse

Katherine Langrish’s ~ Seven Miles of Steel Thistles blog ~ serves up a bountiful feast of faery lore and literature, as well as a wonderful post on water folklore.

Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth, John Singer Sargent, 1889

The Victorian actress Ellen Terry wore a dress made of iridescent beetle wings when she portrayed the Lady Macbeth at London’s Lyceum Theatre in 1888. The famous emerald and sea green beetle wing dress has now been restored and returned to its home, Smallhythe place in Kent. Smallhythe Place was the home of the Victorian actress from 1899 to 1928.

You can read about the famous beetle wing gown and the actress Ellen Terry ~ here ~  See more detail of the  magnificent dress ~ here

Be sure to check out Virginia Lee’s Painting, Three Hares Tor, on her lovely art blog. The triple hare motif has always been one of my favorites. Love it!

Over at the website of The Company of the Green Man Blog, you will find all kinds of information, images and folklore about the green man.

Sue Blackwell ~ an extremely talented artist with a unique vision. Step into the realm of fairy tales and folklore  and explore the magic she creates with her series of book-sculpture. Breathtakingly beautiful!

The Girl in the Wood, Su Blackwell

 

“If you take myth and folklore, and these things that speak in symbols, they can be interpreted in so many ways that although the actual image is clear enough, the interpretation is infinitely blurred, a sort of enormous rainbow of every possible color you could imagine.”  ~ Diana Wynne Jones

“Everyday Goddessing  is about sharing magical techniques and sacred wisdom with other beautiful Goddess women. I believe that within every woman there is a goddess, a wise woman, beautiful, creative, powerful, with a deep soul, and that everything we need and are looking for is already inside  each of us.” – Rose Arizmendi

Midsummer Solstice

Happy Summer Solstice!

Midsummer is a time to celebrate the power of light and also a time to show our gratitude for our Mother Earth. ~ We have a beautiful mother, so precious this small blue planet that we call home and we need to take better care of her.

Today the earth is in full bloom, alive with ripeness, abundance and the sweet promise of the harvest to come. We gather together with our friends and family to celebrate the warmth and fulness that the summer season has to offer us.

So many things to be thankful for ~ the laughter of children ~ breathing in the sweet scent of flowers ~ fresh vegetables from the garden ~ collecting lavender buds ~ warm sunshine kissing my face.

 

Folklore tells us that on this day the veil between the human world and the fairy world  becomes as thin and delicate as a spiders web, with the veil between the worlds becoming even thinner on the third day after Summer Solstice. Making it much easier for humans and other beings to journey back and forth between the realms.

It is also believed to be of great importance to leave offerings of milk and honey for the fairy folk to honor their presence in the world, so as to promote harmony between us. Some even claim that all magical work becomes more potent on this day.

Even today, many believe that fairies are simply nature spirits and therefore as ancient as wind and rain. In this view, they’re the manifestations of the living spirit in all organic matter.

The Penguin Dictionary of Symbols, mentions that fairies seem to have originally been emanations of the Earth Mother that subsequently became water and vegetation spirits, appearing frequently on mountains, in woods or forests, or near water~courses.

It matters not whether you believe or not, our fascination with fairies will most likely never fade away.  The folklore and myths surrounding fairies has been with us for centuries and will likely continue on as long as mankind walks the earth.

 

Fairy Procession by Charles Vess

“This is a work of fiction.  All the characters in it, human and otherwise, are imaginary, excepting only certain of the fairy folk, whom it might be unwise to offend by casting doubts on their existence.  Or lack thereof.”  ~Neil Gaiman

Everyday Goddessing is about sharing magical techniques and sacred wisdom with other beautiful Goddess women. I believe that within every woman there is a goddess, a wise woman, beautiful, creative, powerful, with a deep soul, and that everything we need and are looking for is already inside  each of us. – Rose Arizmendi

On a Midsummer Sunday Morning

Greetings & Blessings to all on this beautiful Sunday morning. With only two more days til Midsummer Eve, here is a song from Loreena McKennitt.

For more information about Loreena McKennitt and her music http://www.quinlanroad.com/

The Last Day Of May

As the last day of May gently heralds in the sweet promise of warm, summer days ahead, I’m listening to the rain falling on the birch leaves just outside my window and loving it!

The grey, wet day is pulling me inward, into deep reflection as I watch the flickering of the candle on the table. I love the soft glow and how it makes me feel deeply present in the moment.

Today would be the perfect day to visit the ocean and listen to waves break on the beach. To find treasures hidden in the sand and dance back and forth with the waves. To wander along the shore, especially on a windy, wet  afternoon.

 

Grateful for the simple pleasures  of sea and sky . . .

 

“Come into my lap and sit in the center of your soul. Drink the living waters of memory and give birth to yourself. What you unearth will stun you. You will paint the walls of this cave in thanksgiving.” ~ Meinrad Craighead, The litany of the Great River

 

“Everyday Goddessing  is about sharing magical techniques and sacred wisdom with other beautiful Goddess women. I believe that within every woman there is a goddess, a wise woman, beautiful, creative, powerful, with a deep soul, and that everything we need and are looking for is already inside  each of us.” – Rose Arizmendi