More New Moon Light

Inspired by last month's felted wool lanterns, we worked together to create a lampshade by using a bigger balloon. It was so big, it took three of us to lay and suds the wool in place...

Meanwhile, in Falls Village, New Moon wood sprites set up a red tent along a woodland path to surprise unsuspecting hikers and left notes of appreciation for their "victims"

New Moon Balloon Lanterns

In honor of Dwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, we made lanterns of wool...

carding it so the fibers lay evenly... 

then felting it around balloons with bits of wool yarn.

 When they were nice and dry,

we popped the balloons, trimmed the openings,

and set a tea candle inside...

May your warm inner light shine throughout the dark of winter!
Click for the link we followed...

Brother Energy in the Red Tent!

We welcomed in the New Moon and the New Year by setting up our red tent in the woods at Isabella Freedman....

 

where we sang songs, shared stories...

rolled with our brothers like a pile of puppies...

patted out the mother rhythm on each others backs...

walked around Lake Miriam...

and joined the greater community for tashlich/casting our regrets and shortcomings into the water...

so that we can start the New Year refreshed, inspired, burden-free,

and enLIGHTened!

The Mother-Daughter Project

After reading the book "The Mother-Daughter Project", some friends and I were inspired to let the new moon gatherings continue to be about feeling good as mothers and daughters! 

Jaime returned to her moon cycle for the first time since her third child's birth, so Jaime and I and her daughters sat in the red tent and made rag-pads for her from her son's old diapers - an ending and beginning. 

We've been singing songs and setting up the tent so that the girls can "pop" through with excitement, as well as sit in the rosy hued light and snack.  

We went out in the cold night after one of our gatherings and saw the little sliver of moon.  Ibby said "where, but I don't see it, where is the rest of the it!!!!" and we all nodded in wonder.  "That's the new moon!"