Hibernation Inspiration #4

Come into the garden and explore!

I've been watching various things come into bud outside, in our garden and other people's across the way. There are plenty of daffodils and dandelions!

Now and then I venture into the back garden to feel the sunshine and see what is sprouting. I love the earthy smell of the soil and the sweetness of grass. These photographs are from my travels, alas my own garden is not so amazing, but I thought they were immensely cheery!

Perhaps it's time to write about the fairies and other mythical creatures who may be living beneath or inside the plants and flowers of our gardens or wild spaces? Let's take a trip to fantasyland this week, shall we?

'Soft green buds sprout on small trees and shrubs,

Bringing plants back to life.

Through the ground peep shoots, so slender,

Straining bravely against the wind.

You are embraced by the quiet solace of a warm, spring day.'

Hibernation Inspiration #3

Ideas on themes of 'nature' and 'springtime'.

Hello again! What have you been creating? Any good ideas to share? I'm having fun compiling some simple poems about nature and things I can see from the windows of our home.

I was thinking today of perhaps a story, compiled of a series of poems, that could all link together? If you give it a go, let me know how you get on.

'Sun peeps through leaves on the trees.

The church bell peels through the warm afternoon air.

Spring bulbs bob their dainty heads upon the gentle breeze.

A child's hair flies wild as they bounce over green grass,

Cries of joy and excited screams fill the park,

As bikes and skateboards go flying past.'

Hibernation Inspiration #2

More observations on the themes of 'hibernation' and 'emergence' - some Spring things to inspire ideas!

Another week and another morsel of inspiration from my personal photo collection and an observational poem. I'm sure many of you will be able to do better justice to poetry - so have a go!

Try some Haiku or flash fiction. Begin a new story and see where it leads you. Above all - have fun with words.

'What are the words,

Exchanged between birds?

What do they say to one another?

Do pigeons coo of love?

Do robins tweet of the sun above?

Do blackbirds chirp when tugging worms are a bother?

Who is the crow cawing to?

Where to the swallows fly from and to?

Do baby birds fight with their brothers?'

Hibernation Inspiration #1

For a few posts, I shall be sharing observations on themes of 'hibernation' and 'emergence' as we enter Spring.

In this time of mass hibernation, it can be difficult to distance ourselves from the negativity and find inspiration. For those of us who crave constant creativity, who want to write as well as read others' writings, ideas may be hard to come by.

Having just completed 14 days in self-isolation with my family, due to me being ill, I've encountered the ideas desert; the epitome of the empty wild west town with tumbleweed rolling across my mind.

And so to combat this, and provide some assistance to anyone else out there who would like a little dollop of inspiration, I will be posting some photos and snippets of my own observations that I've attempted to sculpt into poetry. (Please be kind, as I have not written poetry since I was an adolescent!)

'Like the field mouse, hedgehog or mole,

Who winter inside their cosy hole,

We emerge, like the sun on a day anew,

To see the mist settle on green grass, as dew.

Birds eat works and make new nests,

And go hunting for tasty morsels they love best.'

Try some poetry or flash fiction, or begin a short story imagining the daily routine of a field mouse or hedgehog; imagine a blackbird or magpie looking for food and nesting materials.

Find the simplest joy from a tiny morsel of food or basking in the midday sunshine, safe from predators.

New Beginnings...Hello 2018!

Imbolc Hare                 photo: visualhunt.com

Brighid gave the moon her fire,

Warmed the earth with a lunar pyre,

Freed from icy tombs underground,

Life fed roots and plants did abound.

E.Moxon 2018

The new year has crept in under a cloak of snow; for many a dangerously deep cloak. The Hag of winter has let us feel her icy talents only too well, wreaking chaos and causing us to remain indoors. She is cunning. This enforced hibernation is her plan, so we have sufficiently internalised our intentions for the year ahead - holed up like other mammals at this time of year, to pause and reflect on what it is we want from 2018.

As we emerge into the Celtic festival of Imbolc (ewe's milk), 'Breo sagit' the fiery arrow lights our way. In Pagan circles, the triple goddess is shedding her crone skin and becoming the white virgin maid once more, her birch staff and lantern guiding us from out of the dark wood of winter and into the path of spring. Her companion, the wolf, leads the hunt for nourishment as Brighid's lantern, illuminates the shadows.

Super Moon                                                        photo: visualhunt.com

The super blue blood moon crossing 31st January to 1st February, literally over Imbolc itself, would have been a potent omen in ancient times. They may not have named it as such, but it would have been a symbol of intense feminine lunar power. Rites and rituals were guided by the cycle of the moon and sun and rare spectacles bring with them a particular magic.

Imbolc is, like all Celtic festivals, tied to the cycles of the earth through the seasons. It is the time of first shoots, when we seen green buds forming on some plants and trees. Crows and magpies begin searching for nesting material so they can mate with their partners. It is the season for lambing, with many ewes lactating, hence the root of the festival's name. It can be a time to plant the first seeds now the frosts have ceased.

Spring Meadow                        photo: E. Moxon

In the modern world we can be so disconnected from nature, that we do not pause; we do not see the changing environment around us, except perhaps to moan about the weather on social media. If you take a moment and listen, look around you and observe, you will hear the earth. When she asks you to be still, rest. When she asks you to break into action, react. Move with her and she will reward you, as she does today for many farmers and gardeners.