Month: January 2025
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The Bridge of Bear Mother: Ancient Slumber and Quickening
St. Brigid, Imbolc, and the 5 of Cups The bridge draws my eye first along its breadth, the bridge to which the figure in the image looks, the thing that connects one bank to another. What draws us together in this way? St. Brigid, her quickening breath that had slowed for winter slumber, warm and… Read more
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From Dormant Roots to Dragonfire: Writing the Self
One of the most important experiences I had in my MFA was writing a poem. Here’s what happened:My teacher told us to go outside sometime that week and read Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “Ode to the West Wind.” She said this poem was meant to be read aloud…. loudly.Yell it.Yell the poem as loud as you… Read more
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Resting but Ready
Hibernation is always on my mind, particularly in the season when it’s at least somewhat socially acceptable. This week I’m thinking about hibernation in terms of the Tarot card Strength, which has an image of a woman holding the mouth of a lion. Whether she’s shutting it or keeping it open, I’m not sure. Strength… Read more
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Wisdom from Riddles
Bard by Morgan Llewelyn has a great passage about a society too focused on the material world: The speaker describes two roads to take: “One would develop the forces locked within our minds; the other direction led to the constant refinement of tools and weapons, increasing reliance on matter rather than spirit. In choose the… Read more
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The Emptiness of Letting Go
I practice the tradition of doing something New Year’s day that sets the tone for the year: I always go hiking. This year I hiked at my local park, Lakeside, with my Rottweiler mix Losi, and followed Bobcat Way, then Shade Seeker, and completed the circle by finishing on the Outer Loop. Though the parking… Read more