The Snow Moon
winter… a land frozen in time
the Earth
restores, renews
no clock required.
She gracefully arcs across the night sky
Glitter above, shimmers below…
the sparkles….
a winter’s dance
the music so soft, one must pause to hear the notes
flakes flutter,
ice gathers,
old leaves rustle
tree shadows outline new paths on the snow-covered floor.
the snow moon
from the dark
into the light.
At the beginning of the new year, when I intentionally turned my attention towards the moon, I had no idea what might unfold as a result. I expected I’d be more in tune with the moon… I wanted to honor the phases of work and rest… to grow and retreat as does the moon each cycle.
What has come as a surprise is how quickly my focus shifted to the rhythms of the moon. The past 27 days of February as outlined on the calendar became less important. Instead I’ve been watching the moon wane from the 28th of January into the new moon and wax over the past 14 days. And yes, I still must live my days according to a work week within the context of the months and a semester, yet somehow, that structure was no longer my primary focal point.
The lunar cycle and her phases, a path to follow… a time for work and a time for rest.
Since the last full moon, we’ve had lots of snow, bitter cold, and now a turn to warmer temperatures. I moved to the prairie approximately 150 full moons ago and finally, a winter with lots of snow. Dare I say, it’s almost felt like home?
A chance to walk through the woods in solitude wrapped in wooly layers,
to watch the bald eagles soar,
to notice the Canada geese and Trumpeter swans huddled on the water’s edge,
and each evening at dusk, the neighborhood owl glides through the woods, moving from one perch to the next.
It’s been a magical winter and yet, there are welcome signs that the Earth is stirring.
The morning birdsong has returned,
the snow is receding,
and each day more geese leave than return to the lake.
The Snow Moon is named due to the amount of snow that falls in the month of February. This month has the highest amount of snow accumulation compared to any other month. There are other names for this moon including the Hunger Moon as the amount of food at this point during the winter was often in short supply.
Frozen corn field
When I wrote last, I mentioned I had travelled to spend some time with my dear friend, Sharyn from the YarnScout. It was a blessing to share those days. On February 2nd, Sharyn “crossed over the fiber frontier..” I know that many of you came to know Sharyn through Project Peace as she was always one of the biggest supporters of the idea. I will very much miss my friend…
Finding an appropriate transition now seems a bit futile for the rest of this post. So, I’ll make it brief. I finally finished reading The Wild Silence by Raynor Winn and I still highly recommend it. I’m not sure I’ll ever go hiking in Iceland after reading the book, however, what she learned about life from the hike was breathtaking… again, a reminder that life is short.
Based on my mum’s recommendation, I’m now reading “Once upon a river” by Diane Setterfield. And yes, based on the first 50 pages, I’m also giving this one a huge thumbs up!
I’ll be back… around the new moon as I have a super exciting project to share with all of you. It’s been in the works for almost a year. There’s a bit of a teaser in the photo below.
May you find peace in your days…
look to the night sky to follow the moon…
breathe in, exhale…
expand… contract just like the moon.
and just as the moon in this phase… let go of what is no longer needed.
peace,
Christina
February trees…