Der von Osten
meinem Garten anvertraut,
Gibt geheimen Sinn zu kosten,
Wie’s den Wissenden erbaut.
Ist es ein lebendig Wesen,
Das sich in sich selbst getrennt?
Sind es zwei die sich erlesen,
Daß man sie als eines kennt?
Solche Frage zu erwidern,
Fand ich wohl den rechten Sinn;
Fühlst du nicht an meinen Liedern,
Daß ich eins und doppelt bin?
J. W. Goethe
November impressions – macro and close-up, rain drops, long exposure, motion blur and bokeh effect
November is named so because it used to be the ninth month in the Roman calendar. It is also known as Windmond, Wintermonat and Nebelung. It is the darkest month, hostile and chaotic. It brings storms, disorder and weird dreams. The November full moon is also known as freezing moon or frost moon and beaver moon.
It is raining and snowing and the earth is being saturated with water. The cold grayness is lit up by bright saffron blossoms, colorful tree branches and berries. Wild cherry trees color their crowns red; what looks like a fiery shield or warning sign is actually an invisibility shield against herbivores. By dropping their leaves the trees now ultimately strike their solar sails. Simultaneously the fallen leaves re-assemble to form a protective and nurturing blanket on the ground, for myriads of organisms to spend the winter underneath. Here the magic happens that alchemists seek to master. All of nature’s actions are inherently logical and perfectly adjusted.
November’s weird dreams are messages of wyrd – the weaveress, who spins, weaves and cuts the thread that forms the fabric of a person’s fate or destiny. Noteworthy, is wyrd not only the base word for modern English weird. Today the word weird denounces something supernatural, uncanny or unexpected. But wyrd is also connected to the German werden = to become, Wort = word as well as Wurz = a herb. Originally these terms, to become and to grow (as a plant) and the concept of wyrd (fate) may have been closely linked. Indeed, the wort cunner uses herbs to change a person’s destiny. The shaman or healer uses herbs to drive out sickness and avert death, which increase in the absence of day light.
The weaveress is present in many different pantheons. Sometimes she is part of a triad of goddesses of fate such as the Norse Norns, the Greek Morai and Roman Parcea. Other times she is an ancient mother goddess presiding over the souls of the unborn and the work of women, especially spinning and weaving. Germanic tribes knew her as Holle/Holda, today also identified with Perchta. Slavic peoples knew her as Mokosh or Zorya.
Frau Holle is envisioned to guard a deep well or pool from which she releases the souls of children to be born and into which she receives again the souls of the stillborn. She guards the cycle of life and death, birth and rebirth. Likewise she judges the work of man, blesses those, who finish their tasks in time and punishes those who are late or lazy. In the short month of November we are reminded that the year is in its final quarter and that we too must come to a close with our projects and rituals, but also, that we must take care of ourselves.
Ein bisschen Mondfinsternis, von heute Abend. Das erste Bild ist vom Mond, der den Kernschatten der Erde tangiert, aufgenommen um 20.13 Uhr. Die übrigen Bilder zeigen den Mond im Halbschatten mit rötlichem Hof, aufgenommen kurz nach 19.00 Uhr.
A bit of lunar eclipse, from this evening. First photo shows the moon touching upon the earth’s umbra, at 20.13. The other photos show the full moon in the earth’s penumbra with a red halo, at around 7 pm.
Tonight I had a strange dream:
I found myself inside of an apartment, unknown to me, standing in the kitchen. The door towards the corridor was open, and at the other end I could see a room, which contained a large cage. Inside there was, for all I knew, a lion, and it was feeding time. Suddenly I thought that it was my job to feed it. But I did not find any provision for doing so and I began to worry that I needed to go inside… Then arose the next problem, because there was no food around. Simultaneously the lion was getting nervous inside and soon began manipulating the lock of the cage. Upon closer inspection the lock was just a simple bolt, which could easily be loosened, by shaking and hitting against the door and cage walls. Which was precisely what the lion was doing. I was certain, it was merely a matter of seconds until the door would break open and for the lion to jump out, hungry and angry, me being the first thing he’d see. Supper was ready and it was me… Suddenly I found myself outside, trying to explain the dangerous situation to my mom, who was however distracted and not listening. I began imagining the consequences if the lion escaped… and, for some reason, I was convinced the beast was extremely aggressive and bloodthirsty… I woke up before I could find out. The first thought upon awaking, I remembered it twas the full moon entering Leo…
*
Comment: It’s not the first time I dream of lions or big cats, and there is always a sensation of danger or fear involved, however, usually the fearful aspects dissolves throughout the dream, as I usually make friends with the creatures. This time I awoke, before I could do so. Therefore I could get a glimpse of the potential and power that comes with this placement of the full moon in the fiery star sign of Leo. The quintessence of it being perhaps, to 1. best let the beast loose and roam freely, since it’s going to clear the way for itself anyhow, and 2. to get out of the way, and to do so sooner than later!
Wiebke Rost 