the gift of magic

The wonderful wand my son made for me last year, wood gathered from our property, selected specifically for me, sanded and carved by hand, with the little crook at the end left intact so as to provide a good hold for my small hands.

I love the gold swirl going up the wand and ending in a solid gold tip.




This is the same son who at the age of 5 divined that I was anxious about the mail coming (I had queried my very first agent and was obsessively checking the mailbox every 15 minutes every day for weeks). He made himself scarce one morning, and then smiling, asked me to go check the mailbox. Inside there were easily a hundred envelopes, with "mom" written on the front, sealed and all containing tiny notes that said "I love you."

I'm not sure who was happier when I returned from the box holding all those letters.

Magic, indeed.

Apart from sleep where the creative act seems involuntary and instantaneous, it does appear that a creative process goes on all the time beneath the level of conscious thought.

--Neil Gunn, The Atom of Delight

crow moon

(photo courtesy of matthew)

lunar intrigue

"Set aside some time this weekend for sky watching. On Saturday night,
March 3rd, there's going to be a total eclipse of the Moon. This means the
Moon will glide through the heart of Earth's shadow and turn a beautiful
shade of sunset red. Totality can be seen from parts of all seven
continents including all of Europe and Africa and the eastern half of North
America.

Here in the United States, you have to be in the eastern half of the
country to witness totality. At the end of the day on Saturday, go outside
and face east. As the sun sets behind your back, a red Moon will rise
before your eyes--fantastic! Maximum eclipse is at 6:21 p.m. EST. Moonrise
is at 5:54 p.m., and sunset is at 5:59 p.m.

Visit www.spaceweather.com for observing tips, maps and links to live
webcasts.

Lunar Eclipse Gallery (photos from a similar eclipse in 2004):
http://spaceweather.com/eclipses/gallery_27oct04_page2.html

between places

Like the moments just before night falls, or dawn breaks, or the sweet anticipation just before something wonderful happens, the creative process has between places -- space and time where nothing seems to happen, and yet that nothing blooms quite suddenly to magic.



These moments pass by lightning-fast if one isn't paying attention, but once noted and watched for, they grow longer and more useful. Letting the moments be silent and undirected seems to make room for solutions and revelations and synchronicity.



Honor the quiet empty times and prepare for the good stuff to come.