The Furious Spinner

Watched the Moon rise above the gorge cliffs last night, then went to sleep. Don't remember my dreams. I slept. Ahhhhh!

This morning I prepared for our Lunar Beltane celebration. I made dal and rice. When my friend Jenine arrived, she asked me what my plans were for the day. I said I had none. "You wouldn't believe how easy I've become," I said. "Except about politics." We decorated the house, twining flowers around the porch pillars. We spread an oil cloth over the Big River table. We dressed in fairy wings and tried on different colorful outfits. Barbara and Ramona arrived. Barbara brought chicken soup (all organic) and blueberry pie. Ramona brought wild salmon and potato soup. Jenine brought little fairy cupcakes and deviled eggs. We had a lot of soup today! We decided we'd eat before making our May Day baskets. Mario came downstairs and ate with us. We said a blessing and then ate and made merry.

Afterward we brought into the kitchen bags of ribbon, baskets, flowers, beads, etc. Just before we started our creations, we held hands and gave thanks to all who joined our circle, visible and invisible. A white spider crawled out onto a bouquet of red rhodies as we said the blessing. We watched her beautiful body wander around the flower. We decided she was Spider Woman joining us for our celebration. We eventually put her outside, on another rhodie bush. Then we started making our May Day baskets. I made one for myself and one for Linda. We talked as we worked. We put on temporary mermaid tattoes. (The Old Mermaids are everywhere.) Danced.

When we finished our baskets, Ramona made a bouquet for the fairies/devas/spirits/trees. We donned fairy wings and went across the street to the Old Oak and Old Maple. We placed offerings of cupcakes and flowers at the feet of the Old Oak. We made our wishes known. Health. Prosperity. Peace. Rest. Gave thanks. Then we danced and blew bubbles. Cars went by below us. Ramona said, "We seem to be invisible." I said, "I always ask that I be invisible to those who would harm me. Maybe that's it." Ramona said, "I think fairies are invisible to most people."

A few cars did slow down and wave. What a beautiful sight we were—I could see us too! At home again, we each sat in the willow chair. Then the others gifted us. It felt marvelous to have each woman walk up to me—so beautiful and powerful—and offer her gift—her prayer—for me.

We blessed our May Day baskets in silence. Then dessert. Tea. We sat around the table and came up with Old Mermaid names for everyone. (I already have one: Kimmer. Mario is Mermar. Ramona: Mermona. You get the idea. The hardest one was Jenine's guy, Buddy. His name kept sounding like a beer: Budmer, Merbud. Barbara's husband was easy: Paulmer.)

Later I lay on the couch with Mario, delighted that I had spent the day with Divas. Devas. Fairies. Goddesses. Friends.

I thought of one of my friends who is an activist; she never comes to our parties, and sometimes I'm certain she disapproves of our frivolity. I have another friend who never does any activism, believing instead that we need to think good thoughts and things will work out. To my way of thinking and feeling and being, I say we need more frivolity, more dancing, more talking to the trees and the fairies. We need to connect with our world. We need to do the other work too, to the best of our abilities to respond.

Today I danced. Prayed. Blessed. Talked. Hugged. Loved.

Tomorrow I hope to do the same. And more.

Blessed be and blessed sea!

Except for the first two pics, all photography by Mario Milosevic (which explains the abundance of moi)

Thank you, Spider!


Jenine & Ramona making baskets


Dancing with the trees & each other (Ramona, Barbara, me, Jenine)


Wings & bubbles


Barbara


Beauty


Going back


At the crossroads


Gifted


You can see the mermaid tattoo peeking out of my dress near my right shoulder


May Day Magic & Mess
2 comments

2 Comments:

What a beautiful, inspired celebration. Thank you for sharing it.

By  Inanna, at 6:43 PM  

Thanks, Inanna. It was lots of fun. Don't think I'll do the tattoo again. My skin still has a rash there and it feels like sandpaper. Ah well, the Old Mermaids work in mysterious ways. :-)

By  Kim Antieau, at 7:18 AM  

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