Michaelmas Shooting Stars

 

 

2012, the Year of the Dragon......It is the year in which we embrace the dragon, acknowledge, tame, accept, allow and understand all that they mean.

 

Michaelmas, a celebration of the archangel Michael and his ability to harness the courage he needed to slay (or tame) the dragon. Michaelmas is a time of much centering and inward reflection; a time to defeat the dragon within us, to look at deeply and shed light on the dusty places within our souls to allow our own star shine.

 

I could go on and on about what this time of reflection has meant to me. This Michaelmas season has brought about some wonderful shifts and exciting new possibilities. My heart has been opened wide and I've been able to listen and receive my calling, the whispers of my Angels who are guiding me along the way. My journey is not only continuing but most certainly beginning anew.

 

These thoughts are a bit much for the wee folk in my life. They absolutely can comprehend on a spiritual level the sacredness of this time; the purposeful work, the quiet storytelling and the magic of seeing the story of St. Michael come alive in our life. To help bring the story alive even more I chose to share with them this handwork project. Many years ago when my eldest first went to school we were blessed to be able to send him to our local Waldorf school. His teacher floated on air. She was as gentle as a lamb, as quiet as a mouse and her eyes twinkled like little stars. The children adored her, as did I. It was pure magic to watch her effortlessly move through a room of 20 or so children, sing a beautiful song and just like that the children would focus their attention her way. They quieted and they glistened in the pure magic of the moment. It was on a day just like this where I was able to assist the classroom in the making of these Shooting Stars.

 

The SITS Fall Back into Blogging Challenge has proven to be a bit difficult for me. I've been unable to keep up with the days and the blog challenges due to unexpected daily life occurances :) That being said.....I've mananged at least one post, albeit a day early, and so...... well, better late than never, right ;)

 

 

First, we went in search of Goldenrod to use for dying our felt.

 

 

We came home with two filled little baskets and began plucking the flower from the stems.

 

We put the flowers in a pot, covered them with water and boiled them for several hours.

 

 

While the flowers were boiling we went in search of the

 perfect stone to help add some weight to our stars.

 

 

One of the more fun parts......wet felting!!

 

Once the felt was formed into a ball, we dried them a bit then added them to our

strained goldenrod dye where they bathed for an hour or so. We let them

set/dry overnight. In the morning, we put them in a pillowcase and finished drying them in the dryer.

 

I added some needle felted star decorations and a ribbon tail and put them in

my littles hands; they ran for the door to send them into the sky.

 

 

"The Autumn winds wail through the wood,

Through rushes and through reed.

Who is the rider of radiant light

On the snowy white, shimmering stead?

Of garment of gold he rides along,

His face like the sun so bright.

O Michael, lend us your starry sword,

The darkness of Earth fill with light."

 





 







Fall Challenge

Well, life sure is full of exciting twists and turns! Things around us here are swirling with wonderful new opportunities.......it seems as though all of our struggles over the past several months have ripened our souls and intentions to be ready for what is now making itself known to us!

Of all the amazing little things, one big thing that has happened is that I have applied and been accepted to the Center for Natural Wellness School of Massage Therapy. I have always been interested in and wanted to learn more about bodywork as a healing art. I've long been associated with reiki, aromatherapy techniques, craniosacral, you name it! However, once we began our second team of littles it all became a bit muddled. My energy, my creative instincts were somewhat buried under dirty diapers and late night feedings, piles of laundry and hours of snuggles, and all the running about that goes with being a Mama! I wouldn't trade any of it........not a moment because it is where I was that got me to here and it's where I'm headed that will bring me to my next phase in this grand tour of life. I've had much life experience that, although I am nervous about being a student after a 16 year hiatus, I am not at all worried that I will be incapable of becoming a master at what I am seeking to learn.

Another wonderful bit of news is from our homeschooling......Charlotte and Kiki are having such a wonderful time! We've been without a rhythm for some time so it is a welcome change and wonderful way to begin a new season. Our seasonal table is updated and fresh, our lessons are fun and engaging, our play is open and free, and stories.......oh, we've been blessed with many wonderful stories to enjoy with each other and some wonderful finger puppet patterns that I am eager to share with you!

And lastly, not that I *need* another challenge but this seemed fun to participate in and will give me a boost in my blogging efforts. I just love our little blogging community. I've made some really wonderful connections and so enjoy reading everyone elses blogs and keeping connected. I've joined the Fall Blogging Challenge with the Sits Girls. Head on over and check it out......maybe you'd like to join too :)

So......as the leaves are changing and finding their way to the earth below, how are you challenging yourself this season? Are you answering your soul's deepest dreams? Are you branching out and challenging yourself to do something you might otherwise thing twice on? I would love to hear about them xoxo

To look within

Autumn is a wonderful time of year. I know I expressed my joy and contentment with this phase of the seasonal cycle in my last post......I just can't help myself. September marks a time of many new beginnings........first school days, Rosh Hashanah, Michaelmas, the changing of the seasons from Summer to Autumn and the Full Harvest Moon. This time feels much like a "look within" time. A time to seek out the light within the summers waning and shine it inwards. A time to seek out our "dragons" and tame them anew. A time to replenish all that was given outward and now replenish inward.

Michalemas is upon us, the Festival of Courage, and as I mentioned above this is a wonderful time to seek out our inner dragons; to be courageous in our endeavor to seek out our best selves; to be persistent in our abilities to be loving and inspiring parents and teachers; to realize that the best gift we can give each other and ourselves is to be true to our deepest dreams, to be steadfast in making them a reality, and to be brave enough to share them with the world. The dragons in our lives give us the obstacles we need in order to keep learning and to keep moving upward and onward. If we ignore these dragons they just keep getting stronger.......if we can tame them and acknowledge that they live within us we can learn from them and be peaceful in our ability to grow fully within ourselves.

"Perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us once beautiful and brave." ~ Rainer Maria Rilke

 

To help us begin our Micaelmas preparations Charlotte and I made our first ever dragon for our seasonal table. I am not an experienced sewer and having a three month old at home.......well, time seemed to elude us! Thankfully DH was home and he offered a much needed arm and respite to allow for us to complete our project. It did take us ALL DAY but I think if we were able to just sit uninterrupted it wouldn't have taken so long. But there again......

 

I found, quite by accident, this lovely link to a post over at Rhythm of the Home. It is written and contributed by Angela Mobley from The artist, the mom. It is beautiful and pretty clear in its instruction. If you're an avid sewer it should be no problem. If you aren't, like me, you'll find yourself muddling through, but it will prove fruitful in the end!!!

 

 

Here we traced our pattern on our lovely ruddy felt.

 

 

All of our dragon pieces:: feet, gussets, ears, spikes, body, wings

 

 

Charlotte's first turn at the sewing. It proved to be a bit difficult as the felt was rather thick

but she persevered and accomplished quite a bit.

 

 

Our nearly finished dragon about to receive her stuffing:: raw, plant dyed wool

 

 

Our beautiful and already quite beloved Dragon.

She is gentle and kind and loves to fly through our home.

 

 

We now have many dragon-tamers in our home.

 

 

How does your family celebrate Michaelmas? Do you have any practices that you could share in how you acknowledge the dragon within you? How do you tame your inner dragon?

 

 

Wishing you all a lovely season of  looking inward to find the light within you xoxo