"For oft when on my couch I lie, in vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye and then my heart with pleasure fills and dances with the daffodils."
~W. Wordsworth
Once upon a time in beautiful Virginia springtime, I picked daffodils from a bank above the Powell River with my friend.....large bouquets which we'd stuff into mason jars and vases and place throughout her tiny apartment. After I moved to Washington State, I was treated to the sight of acres and acres of daffodils planted in fields, a warm yellow blanket spread across the Skagit River valley. On the first day of spring, flower vendors from Seattle's famous Pike Place Market pass out daffodils to folks on the streets in celebration of National Flower Day. It was 1802 when Wordsworth happened upon the 10,000 dancing daffodils that inspired his poem when he saw them along the western shore of Ullswater Lake in England. I love how he describes them as flashing upon his inward eye. This is one of my serenity practices for the month of March - to allow the dancing daffodils to flash upon my inward eye and to fill my heart with pleasure.
As Pisces Season comes to an end, we turn our attention to Aries, the Spring Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere and the New Moon in Aries on March 21st which is the Astrological New Year's Day. Aries is the first sign on the zodiac wheel and marks the beginning of the Sun's journey through all 12 signs. I like to make a vision board on the Aries New Moon using pictures I cut from old magazines. For those who aren't familiar with a vision board, it is a collage of pictures symbolizing the things you wish to accomplish or obtain in the next 12 months until the next Aries New Moon. A vision board is similar to a list of New Year's Resolutions except you use pictures and words to create a collage instead of writing a list. It is fun and interesting to look at the vision board I made on the Aries New Moon in 2022 and see what things have manifested. One of the major things is my upcoming new book and the cover art for it. I drew a picture of my book on the vision board and added mountains because my vision for the cover of the book was a mountain scene. Then after my book was accepted for publication, I was scrolling through social media not intentionally looking for cover art for my book, just scrolling, when I saw a photo of a mountain scene which was taken by someone who lives in the area which is the setting of the book! I contacted her and she has offered to let me use the photo as the cover for my book, "In the Grip of Grace." This is just one example of something that materialized from the images on my vision board. I look forward to sharing the book's cover photo in next month's blog.
Each astrological sign rules a body part and one of my serenity practices is to focus on that body part while the Sun is in that particular sign. Since Pisces rules the feet, during Pisces season which runs approximately from February 21 to March 21, I soaked my feet and put foot masks on them. In a nod to Aries which rules the head, I have scheduled a haircut during the first week of Aries season.
In other writing and reading news, I was one of 9,000 people to attend the national Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) conference held at the convention center in Seattle March 8-11. This annual conference is held in different cities around the country, so I relished not having to stay in a hotel or travel very far (only 20 minutes!) to attend! The panels were very informative and I got to meet several authors in person whom I'd been following online. One of the highlights was attending a special offsite poetry reading at a local cafe featuring members of the Association of Italian American Writers. I also appreciated the exceptionally warm welcome I received at the Texas Review Press bookfair booth where the Southern Poetry Anthology - Virginia edition containing two of my poems was being sold. I bought several books and even won one in a drawing, so I'm excited to dive into these!
March is Women's History Month and I would like to give a shout out to all of the women in history who fought for gender equality, especially those who were responsible for securing the right to abortion care which is now being threatened in the aftermath of the overturn of Roe v Wade. I continue to advocate for abortion rights in honor and in memory of these women who came before us and the many women who have suffered when unable to obtain abortion care and those currently lacking legal access.
Wishing everyone a blessed springtime (and Fall Equinox to our friends in the Southern Hemisphere).
Happy Astrological New Year and Happy Birthday to all of the Aries Rams!
Stay wild, stay free, stay serene!
~Marianne (aka Wild Honey)