.
Recently, Thanksgiving
was celebrated, and although it’s not a festival “where I come from”, I think
we can all benefit from pressing pause from time to time, in order to take
stock and reflect upon what we can point to on the “giving thanks” side of our
personal ledger.
Last year, the Skiffy
and Fanty blog did this in another way by designating January as their Month of
Joy. In it, they asked authors and others in the speculative fiction community
to aspects of life (the universe and everything that bring them joy.)
When reflecting on
Thanksgiving and looking ahead to this coming year’s Month of Joy (yes, Skiffy
& Fanty are doing it again, and again I hope to take part) I thought
Supernatural Undergrounders might be interested on what I had to say last year.
I haven’t posted it in
full, but there’s a link to the compleat post at the end. If you do check it
out, say “hi” to the Skiffy and Fanty crew why you’re over there — I’m “pretty
sure” they’d love to hear from you. ;-)
---
“Helen
Lowe’s Month Of Joy: From The Color Blue To “The End”
“These I have loved:
White plates and cups, clean-gleaming,
Ringed with blue lines; and feathery, faery
dust;
Wet roofs, beneath the lamp-light; the strong
crust
Of friendly bread; and many-tasting food;
Rainbows; and the blue bitter smoke of wood…”
~ from The Great Lover, Rupert Brooke,
1887-1915
This excerpt from
Rupert Brooke’s poem,The Great Lover, captures how seemingly small
things can encompass joy. I recognize many if not all of the items contained in
The Great Lover—from “the cool kindliness of sheets” to “blue-massing
clouds”—but of course I have a list of my own…
 |
| River, Ocean, Sky… |
The color blue informs
it, because I love the changeable blues of ocean, rivers, and sky, a love that
spills over into the blue dart of a dragonfly and the flash of a kingfisher by
a summer river. The blues of lapis lazuli, turquoise, and sapphire also
beguile, just as the contrast of blue-and-white—whether white caps on the
ocean, or a Hokusai print, or Cornish kitchenware—is an enduring delight.
 |
| Blue on blue; blue-and-white |
I’ve begun with blue
since it’s so ubiquitous because of sky and water, but quickly realized that I love
all color in its many manifestations—although the predominant colors of
the natural world, the blues and the greens, are probably my favorites.
Nonetheless I do find it difficult to pass by any vibrant display of
color, whether in nature or art, in a book on the subject, or a fabric
display—not unlike Garfield encountering a patch of sunshine, although generally
I remain awake. :D
 |
| A vibrant display of color |
From the colors of the
natural world to the natural world itself: it’s not just the blues and the
greens, but the sounds of water flowing and the crash of ocean waves, a dolphin
in the sea or bird cleaving the sky, the sound of bees in lavender and the
spiky flowers themselves, with their dusty scent of summer.
 |
| Bumblebee on hebe |
From a thunderstorm
rumbling across land or ocean, to the acrid scent of earth when the first
raindrops fall after a long dry spell, to dew glittering on a spider’s web, the
natural world is full of a beauty that provokes delight and brings joy. I know
I am not alone in feeling this, because Gerard Manley Hopkins is another poet
whose work speaks to these emotions:
“Glory be to God for dappled things –
For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow
For rose moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’wings”
~ Gerard Manley
Hopkins, 1844 – 1889 …”
To read the post in full click on: Helen Lowe's Month Of Joy
I’ll be doing another
Month of Joy post for 2019, so if you enjoyed this post, keep a lookout here on
Supernatural Underground, on Skiffy and Fanty, or on my own blog, for when that goes live.
Just by the way,
though, something else that’s on the positives side of the ledger will always
be “all of you” in the Supernatural Underground community: the authors, for
sure, but definitely the readers and blog followers. Y’all rock: but then
again, I’m sure you already know that. J
Helen Lowe is a teller
of tales and purveyor of story, chiefly by way of novels and poetry; she also
blogs and occasionally interviews fellow writers. Her first novel, Thornspell (Knopf), was
published to critical praise in 2008. The second,The Heir of Night (The Wall Of Night Series, Book One) won the Gemmell Morningstar Award 2012, and the
sequel, The Gathering Of The
Lost, was shortlisted for
the Gemmell Legend Award in 2013. Daughter Of Blood (Book Three), was published in 2016 and Helen is currently
writing the final novel in the series. She posts regularly on her “…on Anything, Really” blog, monthly on the Supernatural
Underground, and is also on
Twitter: @helenl0we.
Aries need to express through assertion and action. Stress accumulates when physical restrictions are imposed or there is a lack of independence, authority and self-direction. Effective stress relief includes defining goals, regular exercise, and focusing on the areas of life where you CAN be in charge.
Taurus need to express sensually. Stress can accumulate when there is physical isolation, deprivation of intimacy or lack of comfort and security in the environment. Stress relief may come from healthy physical contact, bodywork, regular meals, intimacy, and good financial planning.
Gemini need to express through communication and multitasking. Stress builds up when there is no one to talk to, too little to do, or no way to disseminate ideas. Stress relief comes with the right amount of activity levels, new projects, cultivating friends, study, and varied types of playful exercise.
Libra need to harmonize, share, beautify and relate socially. Stress can arise from imbalance, injustice, harsh environments, social isolation and lack of image control. A stressed Libra needs to talk things out, sharing feelings and experiences with a caring other. One of the people pleasers, they stress about having to say NO.
Pisces need to imagine, commune, restore and escape. Stress builds when they ignore physical needs, lack emotional bonds, feel pressure to perform or have no outlets to create and/or escape. Pisces thrives on an active and imaginative inner world where they can retreat to regain balance. Must have a sanctuary.
