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

Singing Down the Moon

"Men say you can even sing down the moon from heaven,

And make the holy stars to falter and run backward, against the purpose And current of nature. Ha?"

These were the words spoken of Creon as written by Euripides in the play Medea. We can argue that in different dramas and tellings, Medea actually helped Jason (she did kill her brother for him) but only in Euripides' version did she intentionally kill her children.

While we work our way into the witchy season, a little snippet background into the Greek pantheon is probably appropriate for those of you that might have forgotten the witchy roots of the classical tradition, which are referenced in Macbeth. (If you haven't seen the Deciphering the Cauldron series on Patreon, head over to that post to check it out while it's still public.)

Medea = Niece of Circe Circe = First Sorceress Hecate = Goddess of Magic (Titan/older than Olympian Gods) also adopted as Crone aspect of Triple Goddess

Medea = Priestess of Hecate, Macbeth witches are considered priestess of Hecate, (but Hecate was a later addition to the play, most likely from Thomas Middleton's The Witch, 'nuff about that.) BUT, like we talked about before, the Macbeth witches are also more likely to be a personification of the Fates, or Wyrd Sisters. Wyrd being a the Anglo-Saxon word that corresponds with fate/personal destiny.

Back to Creon, King of Corinth, and his fear of the witchy, bitchy, Medea-

He's letting her know why he's banishing her. She could do harm to his daughter if she wanted to. People say she's maaaad powerful, and, well, she is. A princess of Colchis, her grandfather is Helios, the sun god. Her aunt is Circe. She was trained in pharmaka, the herbal healing and sometimes dark magical arts.

To rewind- Medea is losing it because Jason of Argonaut fame, whom she had given up everything for including murdering a sibling, ditched her and their kids for a new, younger, Greek wife. (As aforementioned, Medea was foreign. Greeks could be pretty mean about that once they were back home.) Medea is now being banished, which is pretty damn near a death sentence for her and her kids.

It's a very moving and interesting take on the role of women in relationships. Not just in romantic relationships, but also from the aspect of the chorus to Medea. For being written in 431 BCE, I'd say the people crediting it with being one of the first feminist works. I'll just paste this little Medea monologue to the women of Corinth right here-

"Women of Corinth, I am come to show  My face, lest ye despise me. For I know  Some heads stand high and fail not, even at night  Alone—far less like this, in all men's sight:  And we, who study not our wayfarings  But feel and cry—Oh we are drifting things,  And evil! For what truth is in men's eyes,  Which search no heart, but in a flash despise  A strange face, shuddering back from one that ne'er  Hath wronged them? . . . Sure, far-comers anywhere,  I know, must bow them and be gentle. Nay,  A Greek himself men praise not, who alway  Should seek his own will recking not. . . . But I—  This thing undreamed of, sudden from on high,  Hath sapped my soul: I dazzle where I stand,  The cup of all life shattered in my hand,  Longing to die—O friends! He, even he,  Whom to know well was all the world to me,  The man I loved, hath proved most evil.—Oh,  Of all things upon earth that bleed and grow,  A herb most bruised is woman. We must pay  Our store of gold, hoarded for that one day,  To buy us some man's love; and lo, they bring  A master of our flesh! There comes the sting  Of the whole shame. And then the jeopardy,  For good or ill, what shall that master be;  Reject she cannot: and if he but stays  His suit, 'tis shame on all that woman's days.  So thrown amid new laws, new places, why,  'Tis magic she must have, or prophecy—  Home never taught her that—how best to guide  Toward peace this thing that sleepeth at her side.  And she who, labouring long, shall find some way  Whereby her lord may bear with her, nor fray  His yoke too fiercely, blessed is the breath  That woman draws! Else, let her pray for death.  Her lord, if he be wearied of the face  Withindoors, gets him forth; some merrier place  Will ease his heart: but she waits on, her whole  Vision enchainèd on a single soul.  And then, forsooth, 'tis they that face the call  Of war, while we sit sheltered, hid from all  Peril!—False mocking! Sooner would I stand  Three times to face their battles, shield in hand,  Than bear one child.-- "

Euripides, Medea

Daaaaamn. I hear ya, Medea. You right, girl. Totally justified in getting revenge. (That's basically what the chorus says back.)

That's when Creon stomps over to let her know she's outta here. Part of her reply regarding his daughter, Jason's new bride-

"But I wish her well, my lord!

I wish her all the happiness.

I hope that Jason may be as kind to her-=

As-- to me."

At this, King Creon loses it. He knows Jason treated her like garbage, but she talks him down, appealing to his sensibilities. She gets a day.

In that day, she gives the princess a killer gift. I really can't give more away. You need to read this play or at least stream a great production. Even better, go support a local production when it comes around. It's worth it.

The artwork shown will be available to my level 3 & up Patrons as a download within the next day or so. Patrons, look for the post notification in your inbox.

The original artwork will be going to a Patron in a random drawing in November!

Each $5 on a level gets one entry.

Level 2 = 1 entry

Level 3 = 2 entries

Level 4 = 4 entries etc.

Everyone else can purchase unsigned, open edition prints or apparel through the shop section of my website,

Society6, and Redbubble.

Enjoy this full Harvest Moon tonight. Anyone going to try to sing it down? It is an Aries moon. It might sound kind of metal.

Let me know how it works out if you do.

Love you all!

May you be kind ;)

D. Renée