I am a mixed spiritual breed, obviously: a Goddess-loving, neo-Pagan Unitarian Universalist who finds great meaning and inner growth through the esoteric Christianity and festival celebrations of Rudolf Steiner's anthroposophy. And so it is.
I posted the beginning quarter and explanation of my Twelve Holy Nights project here. In a nutshell, I set myself to meditate upon the months of the coming year and write simple directive captions for the 2013 Sulamith Wulfing calendar - one night for each month.
Here is the rest of the year:
Night Four
April
Intuition
Look deeply at what lies before you and what fills your being. Gaze steadily with all your eyes. Trust inner Vision. Know trees have your back.
Night Five
May
Shelter
Immense love flows through the Universe, spiritual realms permeate the physical.A steadfast Presence has been with you from birth. Accept the shelter of great wings, the unceasing rainbow Light of Spirit.
Night Six
June
Hope
Longings, summoned from Spirit depths, transform into possibilities. Awaken from Midsummer dreams. You have the tools to draw them into the world, to bring them to life.
Night Seven
July
Shadow
Find moments of solitude in candlelit Shadow. Contemplate that which you want to birth. Strange and lovely things gestate in Darkness and your midwife Muse will help you welcome them.
Night Eight
August
Heartfire
A circle of Light surrounds you. Your broken-open heart has a gift inside. Everything renews itself in that fire.
Day Nine
September
Surrender
On the edge of a precipice, it takes courage to turn your back on the abyss before you and surrender to where you are: the companionship and beautiful things of the present moment.
Night Ten
October
Guides
Many Guides journey with you. Open yourself to meeting them in all their forms. Listen, as they care for you and murmur wisdom in your ear.
Night Eleven
November
Discovery:Integration
-- e.e. cummings, maggie and milly and molly and may
Night Twelve
December
Incarnation
Settling into our physical bodies and earth-lives, we can lose sight of Spirit. Know that Spirit waits patiently until we long for reunion, and lovingly returns to our joyous welcome.
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I have come away from this simple project knowing that Wulfing's work carries layers of esoteric meaning. Many of her paintings are illustrations for fairy tales. I chose to look at each of these works without the filter of the original title or tale that might be illustrated.
I did not attempt to create a cohesive journey through these images and the Nights and the coming year. I just came to them each Night open to whatever they wished to say. I was often moved to tears by what they evoked for me.
There are details, small elements, in nearly every piece that are profoundly symbolic, that one needs to look closely to see, and not only with the physical eyes. I am so happy to have the reproductions in the Amber Lotus calendars I have, because often the Wulfing works available online have been cropped and some immensely meaningful bits are lost. I also come away from this project with deepened sense of wonder and profound reverence for Wulfing's work. Blessed be!
)O(
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