MA Pose- 5
'mother of animals and plants'
Young Goddess from Ugarit in Canaan (modern Lebanon) holding three ears of corn and feeding two wild goats or ibexes (1250 BC). The ear of corn is a symbol of initiation. She symbolizes the tree of life; the fruits are giving insight in the inner reality of the soul.
Barbara - MA Pose Dec. 24, 2015 7 minutes
I walk the infinity path of our back yard "freedom" garden. Twigs and branches grab onto my jacket as I pass by alerting me to their abundant presence. I find a sunken location on the path in the thickest part of the garden and let myself sink into the floor of the leaves below my feet. Eyes closed, I smell the sage and lavender in my right hand. The bouquet that Megan gave to me last summer from her garden down the road. In my left hand I hold a twig from the giant oak tree close by. I tune into the music of the morning song birds and breathe deeply. Full inhalations of the smells of the morning.
A young buck enters the garden and observes me. I am standing in his resting hollow. I am grateful for this borrowed borough. I become aware of my vulva releasing energy into the earth and plants begin to sprout from my vulva. The vines move upward and entwine around my torso and arms. Transformed into a tree I am now a place of refuge for the buck to rest under.
I hear a single crow in the forest across the street. Caww Cawww. The song bird melodies and the crow cawing move back and forth. Then the crow flies to the forest in the neighbors yard and is joined by another crow. A conversation unfolds, shifting quickly into a cacophony of sound. A ruckus that overrides all other sounds.
Michael saw a purple flower in the ground cover this morning in the neighbors yard. Winter is unfolding with a gentleness. And I have found a resting place.
photo above by R. Michael Fisher
MA Pose Dec. 25, 2015 14+ minutes
A mild sunny morning with a slight breeze. I enter the infinity path with my oak twig and lavender and sage bouquet. I walk the complete figure eight path and then stop at a small area where the sun is shining through. I keep my eyes open with a soft focus on the plants. I immediately become a solid trunk tree in the midst of the garden with no swaying or movement in my legs. I know that I am standing here for others who do not have the space or ability to stand with consciousness within the natural world on this Christmas day. I turn my body to face the sunlight. In awe of the backlit green leaves in front of me. I see that a bush has woven itself into the back fence. My immediate thought is that the fence is stronger for this woven act. I stand here a long time. I hear my ipad timer in the distance telling me my 14 minutes are complete. I do not want to this time to come to an end.
I do not
MA Pose - Dec. 26, 2015 21 minutes
It is a warm and moist evening. The moon is hazy and low in the sky. I walk onto the garden path in the dark. Branches catch my jacket as I make my way by memory along the infinity path. When I turn near my neighbour's yard her sensor light turns on. The garden is illuminated. I step further on the path, stop and face the moon. Move into the MA pose, becoming tree. I wait for the light to forget I am a human and shut itself off. The smell of the sage in my hand is very strong. The moisture in the air releasing its scent. I stand still and silent. The darkness returns. My voice begins to hum. My body follows and begins to shake and quiver. It has been a while since I have given my body voice. I stand basking with happiness in the moonlight. An extension of the garden under the cover of night.
Medwyn - MA Pose 5 Mother of Animals and Plants December 25, 2015
elongated in long rays
of winter afternoon sun
frost patterned grasses
morning melted
freeze again into evening
frozen ground
blades of grass
captured by
frosted earth below
flutter and chirp
pine siskins at the feeder
honk and echo
swans overhead
the gurgling stream
sweeps beneath the bridge
rushing past
autumn fallen branches
bathe the bursting pink
Alder bud
illuminate the bright yellow
willow branch
MA Pose December 26 12 minutes
the moon
so full and bright
last night
is hiding
clouds
cover the sky
snow is falling
winter is upon us
as i take up this pose
moonsnail shell
in my left hand
braid of sweetgrass
in my right
the mother of
plants and animals
brings her voice
through me
into my mind's eye
flood images
landscapes
rich with living beings
i see and hear
creatures of air
creatures of land
creatures of water
and among them all
the rooted beings
of the land
and of the water
the surface of the earth
a tapestry
upon which
all living beings
make their homes
the mother
of plants and animals
holds within herself
all of these
images
sounds
sensations
MA Pose 5.mp3
Megan MA Pose, Dec. 26, 2015
Barbara and I had planned to meet up today for the mother of plants and animal ma/venus pose. I was in the middle of my red moon cycle and felt weak, so I decided to stay home. As I was getting close to bedtime, almost 11:00pm, I felt the urge to go outside. I peaked out my door and the rain had stopped, yet the clouds still covered the moon. I decided to grab two ears of dried strawberry popcorn from my seed storage bin. With one in each hand I headed to the wooden bench swing in the garden. I sat on the swing, feeling low in energy, holding the homegrown heirloom popcorn with my arms stretched out across the arm rests. My mind took me to the summer, when the squirrels were climbing the stalks and eating the sweet corn. We fed them sunflower seeds in the heaps, we shared the corn, and we shared the land with all the animals and insects in this part of the forest. At that moment I noticed both my cats were quietly watching me, one from across the garden and the other from the back porch. They stared so intently as through they were connecting with me on this memory. I began to swing gently and entered my meditative state again. The air was warm and moist. I noticed the leaves rustling louder through the trees. As I swung the warm wind picked up and began whispering through the trees, "winter is coming, you will feel it soon, the cold chill, the brisk dry air, the spirit of the snow is not far from here." The clouds moved faster and faster in the sky, the air became cool, and suddenly a bright light illuminated everything. I looked up to the sky and the moon had been unveiled. An aura of yellows and greens surrounded her, and the gray clouds turned into a gentle shade of pink. My spirit energy felt revitalized and grateful.
I photographed the moon from my porch swing view.
Nane MA Pose - Dec 31, 2015
I am standing at the shoreline at English Bay beach on New Year’s eve. It is dark—a blanket of black surrounds us at the water’s edge, where city lights fade into the night, the blackness of the water absorbs all. It’s a clear sky tonight, so stars are visible above us. Despite this being New Year's eve in the city, the beach is quiet and mostly empty of people. I pick up loose seaweed from the sand and hold strands of it in my mitten-ed hands. The seaweed is cold, cold to the touch, even through the wool of my mittens. I stand facing the water. Looking out onto the bay, cargo ships sit in sight, festooned with lights. The stillness of the water lulls me; the darkness is a cool blanket. I wait and watch, and listen within, holding seaweed plants out, greeting the sea herself. It’s very still. I breath, feeling quiet and still. The plants call out to their mother ocean, as do I. I’m happy to be here. A perfect night.
This website is copyright of Gestare Art Collective, 2018. All rights reserved.