Ahh., the first day of spring and in my part of the world, it is a nice spring day as well. It is the time for rebirth and renewal, and I wanted to focus on something positive, rather than all the things going on in the media.
I just finished a great book. The cover is today's picture: "The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder", by Rebecca Wells. Rebecca Wells is well known for her Ya-Ya Sisterhood Novels. This book "called out to me" from the bargain bin at the bookstore. I always pay attention to books that come to me this way- they are often the best ones. This one continues to prove that theory to be true!
In my opinion, Rebecca Wells does a wonderful job of weaving some very profound thoughts into a fun and easy read. The book is set in Louisiana, in a fictitious town called La Luna. In this town, they celebrate the Moon Lady, which might be thought of as nature's feminine power, in wonderful ways. Cally Lily's family and neighbours are all very much in touch with nature, cycles, and the passing on of traditions and stories. The main characters also spend some time in New Orleans. Surrounded by Cajun culture and magic, mystic and intrigue, in the early 1970's,this is without doubt, a colorful experience and education. There is a lot of healing going on in this book. Some of it sounds very much like forms of reiki, without ever being called that, or acknowledged as such. Most of all, it is a story of sisterhood. It is a celebration of the power of women and their ability to support and nurture each other through some very difficult experiences.
I spent this weekend at a Healing Fair. (Stayed tuned because I've got lots of new ideas that I will post on the blog.) While I was at the fair, I was struck by this kind of feminine power. I had some powerful conversations, and later observations, about the concept of "wise women" and how there is so much to be learned from the women in our lives. Unfortunately, it often isn't something we realize until we age and sometimes,some of the wisest women in our lives are no longer with us- at least not physically. This is part of Cally Lily's story as she realizes she is part of something much bigger than her alone, and she has a role to playing in continuing on with traditions that are passed down to her.
Calla Lily's story is not about any fight against men. I think that's important to understand. It's more about recognizing the roots that you come from and acknowledging the feminine side of yourself. It's about realizing the power you have within you, and the feminine power around you. It's really not a male/female battle and maybe that's where we sometimes get sidetracked. It's about integrating all power sources, not choosing one over another. Calla Lily's story is about allowing that feminine power to become part of you. There is no opposing force here- except your own internal opposition. Maybe it's because we feel the strength of that feminine power that we often fight against our mothers, sisters, and female friends. Perhaps that source of power feels so strong that we turn away from it, thinking that it might be easier to be looked after by someone else- to give up that power (Cinderella raises her head again if you've been following my blogs!). I guess it's the struggle to really discover ourselves and to develop through all levels of our chakras as we experience all aspects of ourselves. It seems to me that, once we really develop, we come back to our roots and rediscover them, appreciate their strength, and acknowledge that the support to branch out comes from the depth of your roots.
One of the Wise Women in my life recently gave me a flower seed catalog.She really didn't explain why she was giving this to me. I'm not sure either of us really questioned it, it just sort of "happened". No doubt, this is a part of feminine tradition in my life that I have paid no attention to. I have nothing against flowers- quite enjoy them in fact, just know virtually nothing about them. I'm not sure what I was doing when the women in my childhood were planting, weeding and growing flower gardens. I know they were more than willing to pass on that education to me. I suspect I might have been fishing with "the boys". Never too late to learn I guess, so I opened the catalogue this morning. The first flowers on the page- Calla Lily!! Here's to feminine power and spring planting!
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