Poppies will make them sleep...

 The bright red flower (and the white) has symbolized death, dreams, and oblivion for many thousands of years before Flanders Fields made it ubiquitous in modern culture.

 A field of poppies was said to stand before the entrance to the gates of the underworld realm of Morpheus, the Greek god of dreams and son of Hypnos. The poppy origin in Greek mythology is said to have come from Demeter/Ceres. Hypnos/Somnus, god of sleep, created it for her when she needed rest while searching for Persephone. The name corn poppy comes from this, as she was the goddess of grain. They have compounds that ancients used for a sleep and grief tonic and are still used in modern medicine.

Minoan "Poppy Goddess" c. 1300-1250 B.C.E.

 The poppy has also been associated with several other goddesses, among them Nyx, Aphorodite, and the Minoan poppy goddess.
 In Asian legend, (white) poppies sprang from the battle fields. This is noted in historical writings on the battle fields of Ghengis Khan, and also on fields after the Napoleonic wars. The fields John McCrae wrote of after WWI were covered in the red blooms. Was it a sign from Morpheus of the journey they were taking? A gift from Hypnos?

 Chances are, there wasn't a magical or divine presence making poppies grow after the war. The activity of battle likely churned up soil, stirring already deposited seeds and even adding nutrients like iron and sulfur that poppies require for germination and blooming. Imagine looking across a bleak battle field littered with casualties. The uniforms and equipment are almost always a neutral color, blending into surroundings by design. Now, take into account that solid, bright colors are easiest for human cones to detect, with red being the color most strongly detected. It is also the color humans will notice psychologically before any other, as it is the color of blood. It warns us of danger, and contrasts with most of its natural surroundings.

 It was a beautiful poem that gave solace to those in deep grief and to honor many taken by war.
As you see, poppies have a very long history of solace.

downloads for Patrons here

 Today the red poppy is almost universally known as the symbol for honoring fallen soldiers.
There are other colors you can use to recognize groups in memoriam.

Black- African and Caribbean descent soldiers
Purple- War Animals (often overlooked!)
White- honoring those fallen and a commitment to peace.


 The language of flowers varies throughout cultures, but the poppy has a fairly strong theme. Comfort, sleep, imagination, dreams, death, and lovers. Humans are pretty great at figuring out handy correlations, especially when it comes to our opiate receptors.

Why is the Pink Moon Pink?

Why the Pink Moon & Phase Calendar

  Rabbit, rabbit!

I'm sure at least some of you say this on the first (we will save the history for next month's Flower moon on Patreon- and in some traditions the Hare Moon) 

This month I'm working in the Hare early because of his ties with the Pink Moon and Easter's date, as well as the Trickster energy kicks off the entire month. (I hope you weren't fooled badly by anyone today, but if you were, Jistu was probably happy.)

 If you can, listen to *this recording of award-winning Cherokee storyteller Robert Lewis telling a traditional Cherokee Jistu story. Trust me, his voice and delivery is beyond compare, and he has quick a bit of trickster energy himself. Me writing about it would not do the rich oral tradition a lick of justice.

 ( *Start at 8:00-13:45 for the first story about how Creator challenged rabbit & he got his long ears, and 17:48 to hear about rabbit's trouble outside the council meeting and what his true talent is if you don't have 20 minutes to hear the entire Lewis segment.)

Jistu is rabbit/hare in Cherokee, and he is the traditional trickster in most Eastern tribe mythologies. Coyote is the trickster for Western tribes, like Navaho and Apache.

 April Moon / Pink Moon : This month's moon is called so because moss phlox is one of the first flowers to bloom and spread color in the spring. Another name is the Sprouting Grass Moon, and the Cherokee called it the Kawoni or Flower Moon although many others use that name for May's moon. There are a multitude of names for every moon within various cultures. Pink is fairly widespread, and I'm guessing it's because phlox is native to most of the Americas.

 Phlox is in the Polemoniaceae family and there are 60 odd varieties of phlox. Phlox coming from the Greek for flame, its color is bright and vibrant against the new spring grasses.  

Traditional medicinal uses for phlox included steeping the whole plant in a tonic for indigestion and using dried leaves as a detox tea, as well as topical application of a root tea for skin ailments, eye washes, and even venereal diseases. (Again- I am not recommending these applications, especially for the STIs. See a health care professional.)

 In the language of flowers, phlox means; Our souls are united. or We think alike. 

Using phlox in your garden to foster those harmonious warm and fuzzies seems a no-brainer, pink is always good for that 4th chakra whirl. The phlox flowers are susceptible to spider mites, eelworms, phlox bug, and powdery mildew (so probably whiteflies, too- bane of my existence) but so goes it with growing. Circle of life, get some green lacewings or ladybugs and watch them feast.

More things to come soon- just wanted to get the calendar link up for you to mark your moons if you wanted it. A full size downloadable print & PNG of the Pink Moon artwork will be coming to Tier 4+ soon, and a downloadable print of Hey, Jupiter is coming to Tier 3+ with the next line art upload when it's ready to scan.

Thanks for swinging by,

May the Pink Moon shine on new growth for you and yours,

May your heart sing like Jitsu's, even in the face of the Eagle,

May you teach others to dance to their heart's song.
~D. Renée

Agrimony meaning and folklore

Agrimonia eupatoria, or more commonly known as agrimony, church steeple, or cockleburs. 

In the language of flowers, sending them symbolizes gratitude. Their role in folk medicine for millennia might have something to do with this. (Disclaimer- not medical advice, though it's non-toxic, don't go eating to replace your meds, k?)

A powerful coagulant, it was given to heal wounds and stop internal bleeding, skin diseases, snake bites, sore throats, diarrhea, and the list goes on so I'll cut it short. There was a medieval remedy for internal hemorrhaging that involved agrimony, human blood (menstrual- whole n'other post on suppressed sacred feminine and what the holy grail probably was for realzzz), and pounded frogs, soooo-  level 4 Patrons might get a new frog print sans the smoosh. 

 I digress.

Having so many uses, it was also thought to be kind of magical, so giving it to someone that was thought to have fallen under a hex made total sense. It is said to ward off negativity, and lots of wildcrafters and homeopathy practitioners use it today. It's part of the infamous Bach flower remedy, and it's used as a yellow dye.

Oh, and another name for agrimony? Fairy's wand. Put it under someone's pillow and they won't wake until it is removed. If only, right? 

The flowers have a rich, spicy scent, and afterward their seed pods turn into those little spiky burrs that stick to errything, you know what I'm talking about? You know.

  Want to grow some? Native to Europe (eupatoria) but it grows pretty much everywhere. A perennial with sunny, yellow blooms, it can tolerate dry and alkaline soil.

Zones 6-9

Well drained, Full Sun, Tolerates part shade

If propagating by seed, germination can be tricky and take 1-3 weeks, transplant outside as soon as seedlings are visible. It can be invasive and take over, so keep an eye on it if you don't want too much of it. 

tip- I like to use the little biodegradable seedling starter/transplant pots. 

It keeps the roots in check for a while.

 Speaking of roots, there's so much more history and folklore on agrimony, but that's for you to google or hmu to chit chat in DMs. The next Patron only post  over on Patreon

has a zip file filled with agrimony watercolor design elements (png & jpg) and printable thank you card goodies. 

Whatever your ailment, gratitude is damn good medicine.

Thanks for stopping by,

D. Renée

The Blooming of a Bird of Paradise; In the Studio

Here's a quick peek into the process of a small w-i-p painting using sennelier and mission watercolor on Yupo paper.

 It is definitely a medium with a mind of its own. 

I'm a bird nerd, so you know the Bird of Paradise is one of my favorite tropical flowers. 

This flower symbolizes staying open to new possibility and seeking freedom wherever you can find it. It's also given in congratulations and in recognition of gracefully getting through a sticky situation.

 

Have you worked on Yupo?

It can be tricky, but I like things with a challenge and unique final outcome.

What do you like about it? Let me know in the comments.

Stay tuned for the finished piece. I'll be showing it during the Polk Museum of Art's Mayfaire by the Lake fine art festival in Lakeland next weekend with my other watercolor work.

 

Have a colorful day,