Monthly Archives: May 2015

Coming home to beauty (#30DaysofMay)

Posted on May 10, 2015 by Molly

“…In the experience of beauty we awaken and surrender in the same act. We find that we slip into the Beautiful with the same ease as we slip into the seamless embrace of water; something ancient within us already trusts that this embrace will hold us.”

— John O’Donahue

Today I had a thoroughly beauty-full day in its own simple, every-day way–it was my approach and mindset that really made a difference. I spent time today working on my art journal and doing the meditations and projects for my Sacred Year class. I had things spread around my bed while I was nursing my baby to sleep for nap and I felt a moment of distress to be piling books and projects on my bed instead of being in “sacred space.” It wasn’t “perfect” enough or pretty enough or organized enough or altary enough. But, then I realized, very clearly that this cluttered bed IS my sacred space right now. Having books spread out around me that enrich my life, my purple bag of art supplies by me, sharpening colored pencils with one hand, sleeping baby on my arm. This is sacred space.

What peace it was to realize this.

Categories: #30Daysof May, family, parenting, sacred pause | Leave a comment

Dandelion Hymn (#30DaysofMay)

Posted on May 9, 2015 by Molly

Dandelion lesson
Summer’s herald
Smells like rain
And honey
And hope
Blood tonic
Liver support
Dance of determination
And refusal.
Listen.
She whispers of the hive, of humbleness, and healing.

Categories: #30Daysof May, nature, poems, theapoetics | 3 Comments

Birth flower…(#30DaysofMay

Posted on May 8, 2015 by Molly

Goddess is my name for

that which holds the whole

that which weaves the all

that which knows the story of the ages…

via Woodspriestess: Pelvic Cradle | WoodsPriestess.

I’ve taken a lot of pictures of flowers for 30 Days of May already, so today I took the prompt in a slightly different direction. The prompt was to find a yoni-like flower. I won this tapestry in a contest from Orgasmic Birth a couple of years ago and it hangs in my bedroom. Today, while thinking over what to photograph for the prompt, I looked up and saw the tapestry and knew I had my pic!

Categories: #30Daysof May, art, Goddess, thealogy | Leave a comment

A flower’s fragrance (30DaysofMay)

Posted on May 8, 2015 by Molly

The wild raspberries are covered with blooms already. The fragrance of these flowers is of…cobbler, tea, sisterhood, conversation, community, inspiration, and wild, natural magic.

Categories: #30Daysof May, nature | Leave a comment

Restoring Women to Ceremony: The Red Tent Resource Kit

Posted on May 7, 2015 by Molly

“… Every day, we witness the positive, transformative effects of, ‘restoring women to ceremony’…another reason it is vital that we continue our work…”

–D’vorah Grenn (Stepping into Ourselves, p. 56)

We’ve been hard at work over the last three months giving birth to a new project!

Introducing…The Red Tent Resource Kit…

I actually ended up sort of accidentally writing a whole new book to go with this kit. It was originally going to be a collection of handouts as a pdf. However, as I put the handouts together, I realized I was actually writing a short book or manual instead. I also reflected on how I am tired of only getting pdf manuals and ebooks when I sign up for different programs, rather than an actual, printed book. One of my mottoes this year is to follow the inspiration, so I went with it, and at the end of last month our new books arrived and they’re beautiful and I’m so excited about them!

Our unique, signature Red Tent Kit includes ALL of the following resources:

Womanrunes Book and Card set: ideal for personal guidance and self-development, or for the inspiration and renewal corner at your Red Tent Circle.
Red Tent Goddess Sculpture: symbolic of self-care and of both receiving and giving.
Carnelian Pendulum (kit exclusive!)
Brand new 58 page book: Restoring Women to Ceremony, The Red Tent Resource Kit, written exclusively for this kit. In this collection of essays and ritual resources, you will find a complete Red Tent “recipe,” circle leadership basics, moontime musings, and readings, quotes, and poems to help you facilitate a rich, inviting, welcoming, creative space for the women of your community.
Moontime pendant with silver-tone, solid crescent moon charm
Red altar cloth
Red organza bag to store your resources
Coupon for $100 off the companion Red Tent Initiation online training to be held in July-August
Extra surprise bonus goodies intuitively chosen for you!

The contents of this Kit are valued at $100 when sold separately!

When I was taking pictures for the Kit, I randomly drew three Womanrunes cards to include in the pictures. The ones I drew were absolutely perfect for sharing the message of what this collection has to offer to others and what we hope to create in restoring women to ceremony:

Categories: blessings, books, moontime, priestess, resources, retreat, ritual, womanspirit, women, women's circle, writing | Tags: red tent, ritual, womanrunes, women's circle | 2 Comments

Nine powers of nine flowers (#30DaysofMay)

Posted on May 6, 2015 by Molly

Nine powers of nine flowers

About me this day…

Sweetness of strawberry
Smile of sorrel
Tang of oxalis
Health of kale
Wildness of geranium
Surprise of star grass
Love of dianthus
Practicality of Brussels sprout
Sisterhood of raspberry.

Today while I was outside with my kids, I made it a personal challenge to find nine different flowers to photograph in that moment, rather than using pictures I’ve taken on other days. While briefly stalling out at five, I eventually ended up with 11 different flowers in the space of about thirty minutes. 🙂

Categories: #30Daysof May, nature | 1 Comment

Flowering tree* (#30DaysofMay)

Posted on May 5, 2015 by Molly

“Walk softly, walk lightly, the Earth is sleeping. Walk softly, walk lightly, She is pregnant with dreams.”

–Mary Mackey (The Year the Horses Came)

(*actually a gigantic snowball bush the size of a tree at my mom’s house)

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Beautiful birds (#30DaysofMay)

Posted on May 4, 2015 by Molly

…And did you feel it, in your heart, how it pertained to everything?
And have you too finally figured out what beauty is for?
And have you changed your life?

–Mary Oliver

When I took Ecology of the Sacred at OSC, I wrote about my chickens so often that I joked about writing a book called A Thealogy of Chickens. Seems fitting that they should finally make a 30 Days appearance.

Today was a long day with lots of work! I’m off to bed!

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Green Man (#30DaysofMay)

Posted on May 3, 2015 by Molly

Today is my birthday and the prompt was about sensory images of May. Based on this post, tonight at dusk we made a Green Man in the field by our greenhouse. It was quite lively and fun.

As we finished his beard, we looked up and the full moon was rising beautifully over the trees. It was one of those moments of natural magic that was really potent.

Whippoorwills were singing, dogs were barking, fireflies were twinkling, and frogs were calling and we drummed and danced together in the moonlight.

Now let the song begin! Let us sing together!

Of sun, stars, moon and mist, rain and cloudy weather,

Light on the budding leaf, dew on the feather,

Wind on the open hill, bells on the heather,

Reeds by the shady pool, lilies on the water.

—Tom Bombadil’s Song, Lord of the Rings (via Beltane Ritual)

Categories: #30Daysof May, family, holidays, nature, night, ritual, seasons, spirituality | 2 Comments

Friends (#30DaysofMay)

Posted on May 2, 2015 by Molly

I’m off the actual theme for today, but I’m delighted to be home again! Tomorrow is my birthday. When we visited friends on the way to our mini-vacation, my friend surprised me with this beautiful print of one of her paintings! In the painting are several sculptures I made. I love it so much and I was very touched to receive it. Then, on the way back home today, we stopped to visit a different friend who made us lunch and then had surprise birthday cupcakes for me. It was nice to be remembered. 🙂

Categories: #30Daysof May, art, friends | Leave a comment

May Morning (#30DaysofMay)

Posted on May 1, 2015 by Molly

Happy May Day! Apparently, I’m not going to give up on my post-a-day commitment even while on vacation! While I’m enjoying our trip, the city atmosphere is really difficult for me energetically. I don’t feel like myself here. I read today’s prompt and was thinking about how disconnected I feel from my spiritual grounding while surrounded by the city noise and environment. I really wanted to take a picture of a dewy flower and instead have a hotel room view of the interstate and industrial hotel heating/cooling equipment! So, I re-focused on what is actually here in front of me and that was my baby peeking out the sunny window and being delighted by the difference between closed and open curtains. He played and played, seeming surprised anew and blinking rapidly in the brightness each time he opened the curtain. Like peekaboo with the sun.

I drew a Womanrunes card then and wasn’t surprised when it was The Tree: