NATURE´S BEAUTY

  Today I enjoyed life by hiking in the nearby forest. All alone, just me, in peace. So therapeutic, luxurious even.

All quiet. It is like the calm before storm, stillness before summer´s rush.

I feel so small in a forest. But it feels safe, knowing I´m part of a bigger whole, our planet.

This is the sun we got today. Getting d-vitamin from this is a joke. =)

Remnants from last summer, blueberries still hanging from the shrubs.

This little fellow was the only animal I saw on my trip. On a cloudy day like this, even birds don´t care to chirp.

    It is important to stroll in nature to feel the connection between us. It helps to tune in with what´s really going on in the world. Man-made reality, with it´s worries of money and relationships, lies within the reality of our planet. It is essential to keep the planet alive, so we can stay alive.

WHITE WONDERLAND

  Imbolc´s other face, beside the sunny light blue one, is the white world. On a cloudy day, when nature is covered with fresh white snow, the world looks washed out of all color. It´s black and white. That´s a magical sight (note that the pictures are not manipulated).

It´s amazing how even spruces look black and white, although I know they are really green...

At the end of our home street there´s a humongous hill, perfect for sledding!

I can still (barely) squeeze into a kids´ sled for a bit of fun!

This humble young birch looks like a feather.

Our apple tree dressed in winter.

  Once again, all this beauty is right here on my daily path, with no need to go far and beyond to experience it. Embracing the little things in life is beneficial to both me and the planet!

HEART OF IMBOLC

  After discovering the wheel-of-the-yeart over fifteen years ago, I have built a whole new lifestyle for myself based on the eight sabbats. The eight in turn are based on the ancient way of telling time, marking solstices and equinoxes, and the points in between marking the turn of the season (spring, summer, fall, winter).
  Nowadays I incorporate each sabbat into my calendar by celebrating them approximately six weeks in a row. This year it took until now to tune into Imbolc full speed.

  Imbolc, February 1st, is for me the actual beginning of the new year. It is the point in time between winter solstice and spring equinox, thus marking the beginning of spring. A funny thing is that once, after learning about the whee-of-the-year, I was talking with my grandpa and found out that he perceived time this exact same manner by solstices and equinoxes! Needless to say, he´d never googled about paganism... =)
  By now the days have grown lighter, and it is inevitable to feel the change and look forward. Nature has turned white and powdery by snow, and the sky is glowing again with pastel colors on sunny days. As if the year is in it´s baby state.

  This is the heart, the foundation, of my Imbolc spirit. An abundant source of inspiration. And the best part is that it´s all free of charge, right here, surrounding me in my daily life! No need to go far to experience something miraculous. The fairy tale is happening right here and now, and I´m part of it!

SAUTÉED WEEDS

  I´m all nuts for wild edible greens now! It´s been a rainy spring, which apparently has made the "weeds" grow luscious and generous. I´ve been collecting them almost daily with my three-year-old daughter, trying to pass down the knowledge. =)

  Today I boiled the first new potatoes of the season and served them with sautéed wild greens and tofu for the whole family.

A pan full of the most nutritious and natural greens ever, straight off our yard (we never fertilize).

This time there´s goutweed and fireweed, seasoned with fresh chives and lovage from the garden.

The recipe (serves 2-4):

4 cups (1 liter) freshly picked mild-tasting wild edible greens
a bunch of chives
a few leaves & stems of lovage
2 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
soy sauce

+ Chop the greens and lightly sauté in a skillet in little olive oil with the garlic.
  Serve over potatoes (or rice or pasta) and drizzle soy sauce over it.

  Super healthy, nutritious and free of charge! Can it get any better?

BEAUTIFUL IMBOLC

    Snow has taken over, and I´m enjoying the beauty of white nature. I always say I don´t like winter, and I don´t, but it is the cold I dislike, not the scenery. Bright white nature, either with or without sunshine, is magical. I always try to repeat the season´s beauty inside our home too, so we keep tuned into the natural flow.

White tulips are a must (a confession: these are artifical ones I pull out of my stash each year. Pretty as they are, I´m not convinced that fresh, genuine flowers grown far away abroad, and which last only a few days, are an ecological choice...).

A non-floral arrangement on our kitchen table (I got the glass vase from my sister in 1999. True beauty endures, I try not to buy excess and stick with my classics). As the snowflakes rotate, they cast magical specs of light around the whole room.

Can you tell that snowflakes play a major role in my Imbolc decor...?  =)

Inside and outside are in tune.

The whole view from our kitchen window.

Our compost is still alive and kicking. We have had snow every day for about three weeks now, and I can´t even remember the last time it was sunny. It feels like a joke to read health experts say one should get at least 15 min. of sunshine a day! Sometimes it´s not a choice not to...

Instead we do at least an hour of fresh air a day. This pic is from a stroll we took the other day. I love how the birches look humble under the burden of heavy snow.

Our neighbor´s organic veggie field resting, waiting for spring.

After dark the magic continues, only different.

 

YULE FASHION: SAINT LUCY

  Inspired by winter´s beautiful snowy forests and St Lucy´s Day (celebrated Dec 13th, particularly in Sweden these days) I created this outfit for myself:

This is as wintery as it gets. Nature is in all different shades of grey now, like the base of my outfit, with snow piled on evergreens. No signs of Christmas, simply celebrating true winter. This outfit is great all through Yule (early December through mid January).

Nature´s art, my never ending source of inspiration.

My art. Green aromatherapy earrings complement the look. In this traditional makeup, with faint red lips and cheeks, I try to capture the essence of ancient beauty ideals. Mankind has always sought for and appreciated beauty, and often traditional is better than quick fashion trends.

The shirt is simple cotton jersey, and the pants are dark grey corduroy.

The appliques continue in the back. Back is often neglected and left plain for some reason. I like to add detail there too, when appropriate.

   In truth, I´m no saint, and don´t try to impersonate one, but my goal is to shine happiness and good mood around me, making my own little bubble a better place. Deep down that´s selfish, but I believe others benefit from it too by (hopefully) getting a smile on their face. There´s enough bad in this world, so every effort adding good to it is welcome!

HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR!

  I have thoroughly enjoyed this Yule. Ever since Christmas we have staid home a lot with friends and family, eaten well, played lots outside, and today it is New Year´s eve. That means more friends, goodies, even some sparkling wine, and fireworks!

There is some magic about winter solstice, because (it seems) every year after we´re pass it, the sun slowly starts to reappear again. The days are still very short of course, but the clouds recede from the sky little by little, giving room to the sun.

So bottoms up, it´s time to celebrate the new beginning year! May it bring peace, happiness, and love to us all!

  Happy, happy new year 2015!

NOVEMBER RAIN

  This is why I dislike November:

It has been like this for weeks now. I reckon the last time I saw the sun was two weeks ago, and even then it was just for about five minutes.

This is from the other weekend. The weather is trying to draw all positivity and optimism out of me, much like dementors in Harry Potter.  =)

  But I must stay strong, drink my green smoothies, and memorize last summer´s never ending sunlight.
  Luckily this darkness is temporary (although feels forever now).

FIRST SNOW

First snow fell today! I doubt it´ll last, but it gives a nice preview to the months to come.

WILDERNESS FOOD

  It´s all out there, just go grab it - for free. Forests are full of wild, natural, food at this time of year.

Mushrooms for lunch.

And lingonberries for dessert.

  More specific how-to on my column Nelland Living. Check it out and get out there!

MABON

  What´s Mabon?

  To me paganism is all about wisdom and freedom. It shows wisdom to think outside the box (I mean the religion to which we were born and raised with), and then freedom of choice. We can either choose an already existing religion to follow, or "free fall" creating our own perspective on existence.

  I free fall. I ran into wiccanism fifteen years ago, and immediately adopted the wheel-of-the-year as my guide through times to come.

  To me Mabon marks mid fall, the equinox. There is equally light and dark time in a day, and from then on more dark than light. We are entering the dark half of the year.
  This year the fall equinox is next Tuesday (always September 22nd or 23rd), and it points the highlight of this season. I divide each sabbat into approx. six week periods, starting about two weeks prior to the actual date. I tune in with each sabbat for those full six weeks, and then move on to the next. By doing so my life has turned into a virtually continuous celebration of the wonders of nature. Not bad!

  Mabon is both joyful and sad time. Joyful because the first half of Mabon we still get to enjoy occasional warm summer-like days, and sad because the other half always is cold and ever darker. Leaves fall from trees and all green dies. We see less and less of the sun, and I get tired and want to start hibernating. =) There´s only little energy left.

  That´s the nature of nature, ever changing, ever evolving. And that´s the way it needs to be. No matter how sad I feel letting go of the warmth and light of summer, it would not feel so sweet if there was no cold and dark season in between.

Now it is time to enjoy the last bits of summery days and sunshine. Take it all in before it´s gone for a good amount of months! And to remember that life is always worth celebrating!

DARKENING NIGHTS

  It is always an inevitable sign of fall approaching, when nights begin to darken. Summer nights are unbelievably light here in Finland, as the sun sets only for a couple of hours (or not at all further North) leaving the sky beautifully lit. But now darkness is creeping slowly back in.

In a way it feels calming, after a hectic and super energetic summer.

And it feels cozy to use light bulbs and candles again.

My zen.

As a bonus the solar lights I installed two months ago in our summer home´s brand new outhouse come in use, finally.

  I count these murk nights as the first sign of autumn.