SWAN Day

It may not translate very well here but we had a marvelous afternoon yesterday taking part in the international festival: Supporting Women Artists Now (SWAN)...we held our event at Selden Gallery in downtown Norfolk, Virginia where my work is currently on exhibit. We gathered to welcome spring and to embrace the new beginning for our individual and collective creative voices as we all enter the East Gate of the wheel, signaled by the Spring Equinox and the start of the Aries cycle.

First we explored the gifts and the challenges that the earth calendar wheel offers then we laid the foundation for the building of the wheel... you can see bits of its intial stages here on the floor...later, after this pattern was set, we each ceremonially placed 'stones' for the 36 position around the wheel...and culminated with a 'Spiraling into the Center' dance (with song) that created the finale for our performance art afternoon.

Funny thing...I use stones for the wheel but this day the lugging would've destroyed the fun so I pondered. Stones...? Stones...? And what came is russett potatoes! So I ran out and purchased a good supply, augmented with a few yams, and we laid our wheel using potaotes...it was pretty much a blast....and a fine way to honor the earth and the Earth Mother for her bounty.

Perhaps at our next event which is April 13 'Moon Day at the Wren' we'll pop those potaotes into our fire and when baked we can 'consume the energy of the wheel'. yum.