Folklore
-
Dreaming of Purple
The most refracted colour when light passes through a prism, purple is at the far end of the visible colour spectrum, and is the hardest colour for the eye to discriminate The word actually derives from the name of the Tyrian purple dye manufactured from mucus secreted by the spiny dye-murex snail. The dye came…
-
Dreaming the New Year.
Imbolc is an ancient Celtic festival celebrating the start of Spring on the eve of February 1st/2nd. It is long associated with Brigid, now the patroness saint of Ireland. Imbolc marks the lengthening of days and the beginning of growth and readying for the farming year ahead. This is the time of preparing for the…
-
This morning I heard a magpie…
This morning I heard a magpie shout… Raucous and loud, chattering in rhythms of eight… And thought of my Mother… Her eyes narrowed as she looked about… Searching it out… She peered around for the source of troubles untold… But those that are about to unfold On her unsuspecting family… The Common Magpie, or Pica…
-
The Vernal Equinox
(image from NASA) The Vernal Equinox, or Spring Equinox will happen this year on March 20th at 21.58 GMT. This is the point at which the sun moves around the equator and the Northern Hemisphere will start to tip towards the sun. The Algonquin name for the March full moon is The Worm Moon and…
Julie Newman, visual artist 