For my birthday this year i was given a gift of a lovely new compass set! Now you would be forgiven for thinking that this is not a very exciting gift,and is reminiscent of past school days!
Yes,i probably would have thought the same some time ago…..until….I became hooked on creating Mandalas! And creating Mandalas without a compass is,well,it’s achievable,but hard work!
The other reason this gift is so appreciated is because although i did already have a compass,it wasn’t shall we say the sharpest compass in the box 😉 No,really,it wasn’t! In fact it was actually easier to draw free hand than to use my less than sharp compass that had a wild and abandoned free will of its own!
So i have been rather excited to get my hands on this new beauty,and already had a few ideas whizzing around in my fluffy head in which the compass would be of much use.As the weeks have passed since my birthday at the beginning of February the nights have gradually become lighter.The days are generally becoming warmer and the sun,well dare i say it,it has been doing a wonderful job on and off of warming the earth and our hearts and faces 🙂
Yes,on the odd occasion as the days have passed into weeks,it has felt decidedly springlike!!! Wooohoooo!!! On recent walks we have spotted catkins and pussy willow in the hedgerows,along with snow drops and daffodils! Some of the larger trees appear to be sprouting teeny buds and all around everything is starting to look,greener,fresher,as though waking up after a long sleep! The trees seem to be standing taller,upright,saying look at me,i survived another winter of being blown around and it is so nice and welcoming to feel the sunshine on my face again!
Indeed the birds are that bit noisier and that much happier,chirping their wonderful melodies from the branches above,as they know that easier times are around the corner.That the sun shall warm the earth again,making their task of finding worms and food that little less difficult,but at the same time thank full to Mother Nature for providing a spread of delicious red berries from which to feast over the cold winter days…
All of which,along with my compass,inspired me for my latest piece of art work,i mean,how can you NOT be inspired by Nature and the turning of the Wheel and the Seasons! So all of that…led to this! The ideas flowed and Ostara,the Spring Equinox,and as always Nature,were the inspirations…
So,i gathered up my sketch book,pencils and compass,and scribbled down a few ideas i wanted to incorporate into my picture…..
To include:
~The Sun God;The spring equinox sees the return of the Sun God.After a long winters sleep he stretches and slowly awakens.With the heat radiating from him he begins to warm the earth,ready for the next season and the seeds that will be sewn and nurtured this coming year.
~Dream Catcher:To represent the Wheel and its turning,and i also wanted to include the web.As i wanted this to catch all the dreams that are cast and sewn with the seeds at this thought provoking and awakening time of the year.To me it is a time to think about what we really would like to invoke into our lives and to focus on these things,then nurture them and help them to grow throughout the year.
~The Hare and the Goddess;In many Celtic traditions the Hare is sacred to the Goddess.{There is a wonderful traditional Tale of the The Hare,the Egg and the Goddess,which I shall post at the end}.The Goddess most closely associated with the Hare is Eostre or Ostara.As the hare can conceive whilst pregnant,it is also a symbol of fertility and abundance.
~The Egg; The Egg symbolizes new life,the rebirth of nature and the fertility of the Earth and all creation.The ‘Cosmic’ Egg contains the perfect balance of male and female and light and dark.The yellow yolk of the egg representing the Sun God,enfolded by the White Goddess,so it is quite appropriate to Ostara and the Spring Equinox,when all is in perfect balance for a short time.
~Flowers;I wanted to include flowers because what could show us more that warmer,brighter days are ahead than the beauty of a flower,who has grown from the earth in the warmth and love of the Sun.
This is still a work in progress,but very near completion!I chose do this piece in black and white and i’m really loving it,i actually think it would make an amazing tattoo 🙂
Once finished it shall be sent to the printers and available as greeting cards and prints…
As promised in the Hare and The Goddess,here is the Traditional Tale i mentioned of The Hare,The Goddess and The Egg.
~ Once upon a time the Animal Kingdom gathered together for a meeting in a flurry of great excitement. There was to be a Very Special Party and a Very Special Guest was coming to visit them. The Very Special Guest was none other than the Goddess herself, and every creature wanted to give her a Very Special Gift.
Now some of the animals were very rich and some were very poor but off they went to prepare their gifts, for only the very very best would do for the Goddess. Hare was very very excited, he dearly loved the Goddess and although he was very poor he had a big generous heart – he was going to give her the very finest gift he could find!
Hare rushed home to see what he could find to give to the Goddess – he looked everywhere, in the cupboards and under the bed but there was nothing, even the larder was empty, he had absolutely nothing to give Her. Except for one thing. On the shelf in the larder was a single egg. And that was it. It was the only thing he had left. Hare gently took the egg out of the larder and lovingly decorated it and took it to the party.
Hare was very worried, all the other animals gave their gifts of gold and silver and precious jewels and all Hare had was the egg. Eventually all the gifts had been given and Hare was the very very last. Hare very shyly presented the Goddess with the egg. She took it and looked at him and saw the true spirit of Hare. And there and then the Goddess appointed Hare as her Very Special Animal – because Hare had given away everything he had. ~
Wishing you Bright Blessings,Fiona Gypsy 🙂
My art work can be purchased direct through my Etsy shops,you can find me at http://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/heartofnaturestudio and www.etsy.com/uk/shop/BohemianBlessed
~Fiona Gypsy Bunting~ 
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