The Adventures of Baby Moon

The Adventures of Baby Moon
Written and Illustrated by Nona Kayla

Join Claire de la Lune in the Adventures of Baby Moon. A charming illustrated children's book filled with pleasing watercolors, perfect for reading at storytime, bedtime, or any time. Claire discovers the seasons, connects with family and friends, and yes, even helps to save the day.

Loki

 

Coyote, Coyote, Coyote

we have a complex relationship. I have a coyote vertebrae I found out in the desert many years ago. Coyotes recently ate one of my cats, Mango. The trickster, jokester, slyster, heister. 

It has taken me a long time to get this far in this painting, and I see more to do. Meanwhile, I make book covers and remake the pressed wildflowers from the Appalachian trail that my fairy stepson brought me, as well as creating a fra,e for my recently deceased sister-in-law, Carol. Since her death, both of her sons/my nephews have passed, as well as my across-the-street neighbor, Anita - we had been on the same street for thirty years.

Saturn Return in Pisces. Bless astrology for giving me some context, because certainly, I feel my faith has been being tested.

Berkana

Paper Whites

Paper Bark

Quivers

When I was in first grade, living in McLean, Virginia,  I had the biggest crush on Birch, who sat two desks away from mine in the second row. For some reason he wore little wrist sweatbands, maybe to emulate Bjorn Borg, the Swedish tennis champ of the time. We were partnered for the Horah dance at the holiday pagent, but he got sick and I had to dance with Ross instead.

Now when I look at the birch tree in my front yard, I'm aware of the rising sap, the way the Elm is stealing the sun away from it, and the spread of roots from the nearby bottlebrush. Yet it thrives, pushing out new leaves, allowing the bark to peel when need be.

F is for Family

F is for Family
Baby Katharine’s Alphabet Adventures

A special ABC to celebrate alternative, extended, blended, and birth families! 

Welcome to the world, Katharine,

How wonderful you will be!

Because you are the blossom,

Of the most amazing family tree!

Inguz

 

Genes splice

To our delight

Replicating

Mutating

Changing

Evolution

Revolutions

Beginnings

"Once in a lifetime...

    Same as it ever was..."

                -Talking Heads

It's hard at the moment to not make a laundry list of the earth's woes. It's not so much a question of "what is happening"but "what am I doing about it?"

And that starts with loving yourself. Making peace with yourself. Change old patterns. Adopt a calm certainty. Notice all of the preparation it takes before emergence. Evolution - life is good, and it will get better. Allow yourself a sense of completion, and fulfillment, kisses on both cheeks, and job well done. A merging, a partnership, all that was unravelled will be knitted together again.

Mannaz

 

Mannaz asks us to look in the mirror, really look in the mirror, and make eye contact with yourself. Make "I contact" with your Self.

Look into your left eye, then your right. Notice the colors of your iris, the depth of your pupils, the real questions. 

Allow yourself to feel immersed in the wonder of a newborn - I am a being, I have a body, I have breath, I can reflect and self-reflect. 

Invite in clarity, modesty, and certainly some humor. Be present. Be happy with what you see in the mirror. If you're not happy, what do you need to do? Let go of any false beliefs, perchance?

Kisses on both cheeks

Each of the acne scars

The crooked tooth, chipped again

Laugh lines, wrinkles

The map of  your face

Contours

Perth

Certainly, during my darkest times, I seem to experience the most magic. Not just because I'm lighting a lot more candles, listening to goddess chants instead of doom scrolling, and reaching out to my teachers, guides, and good friends. I remember this in my first Saturn Return, the sparkling synchronicities, cosmic moments, coyotes giggle. 

Here is rebirth - the third cycle, could be my last. I move from room to room, expunging expired antibiotic ointments procured during my trip to Ireland in 2016; dozens of plastic hangers as I fold away my winter clothes; rearrange the plethora of items that have somehow accumulated in my car's glove compartment, which I lovingly refer to as "my car purse."

However, at this point how many crumpled masks do I need? But what if there's another shortage and I can reuse these? These are the questions that plague my mind and tax my spirit. 

So I look to Perth, the rune of initiation. The phoenix rises out of the ashes. My dad was cremated and his ashes were scattered at sea, but none of our family was there, per my mom's wishes. No memorial, no funeral. 

Instead, I took down some two thousand origami cranes that have been hanging in my backroom for decades. The first thousand were made by my friend Mina, who sent them in a box right before I moved into this house. It took me hours to bead and hang them, and I spent many more hours admiring their patterns let alone their shadows. The second thousand I folded when my Dad was first diagnosed with cancer, some eighteen years ago.

I burned them in my favorite cauldron, fairly amazed at the amount of heat generated. His birthday is soon, so I'll take them to the ocean and do my own ritual of remembrance, renewal, and rebirth.

Dagaz

Dagaz is the tipping point, the moment the sands of time begin to shift if not entwine, when breakdowns become break-rhroughs. It takes radical trust to work with an atheist's sense of divine timing. 

Now is the moment to doubt your doubts, and come to your own conclusions, "Do what moves you and rationalize in Retrospect" - (8x10 Glossy)

Trickle, tickle
Don't get too comfortable
In the Middle

Everything shifts
Even when it seems fine
Discover
Sacred time

Algiz

In the early morning mist, there is a snorfling sound from the forest. A majestic head appears, in full antlered regalia. Here is wisdom, patience, and perseverance coming for a visit.

Allow yourself a sense of coolness, time and space. You know what you need to thrive, and in this moment, time is on your side.

Branch out

Sense

Trust

Endure

 

Yew Tree

In the beginning, or at least in my imagination, Odin hung upside down from the Yew tree, and there reflected in the waters were all of the runes. Like the Hanged One in the tarot, he was not in a noose around his neck, but around his ankle. In many cultural experiences, from downward-facing dog to the Sundance Ceremony, there is a clearing of energy when blood rushes into our head.

Echo 

Location

Tune in

Tune Out

Turn a blind eye

Discover

A more nuanced

Vision

Go out 

On a limb

After Winter

Ripe fruit

The week my Dad was dying, I felt in limbo. Played endless games of Solitaire, Sudoku, and Acrostic puzzles. I felt like the times when my flight was delayed, not just by hours, but by days. Camped out at the terminal. Waiting for that final departure.

This feeling lasted months. Everyone deals with grief in their own way - my deal was endless rounds of gin rummy, maybe a soothing way to beat the odds, at least for a while

Yew trees had sharp prickly leaves, being coniferous, as well as bright red berries. It is one of the longest-lived native plants in Europe, according to the Woodland Trust. To quote from their website, 

"Ancient, morbid, toxic. The yew is one of the longest-lived native species in Europe. This has made it a symbol of death and doom, but it provides food and shelter for woodland animals."

Journaling invitation: What would the YOU Tree look like? Roots, stem/trunk, branches, flowers, foliage, seeds? Any flora or fauna? Other symbiotic relationships?

And just like feeling a bit in limbo ( How low can you go?) Become aware of where you could be a little more soft, flexible, not necessarily pliant or defiant, the softness between.

Odin

Last winter on retreat, I painted my set of Ralph Blum's ceramic rune stones, using a combination of colors and copper paint. On the back of each one, I wrote keywords, using a Sharpie. Next, I will varnish them, one way or another. And this led me to my next painting project. Much to my cats' chagrin.

The first rune I pulled from the grey velvet pouch was blank - Odin, the Unknowable. All endings are beginnings, and beginnings are ending, so the Oroborous seemed like an organic symbol. 

Swallow me up

Swallow me whole

Create my destiny

Nothing foretold

I'm entering my second Saturn return, and I thought the first one was a doozy. I bought out my business partner, got divorced from my wife, and my parents separated. My Dad would come up every week from Carmel, we planted roses, put in the irrigation system, had lunch at either The Farm or Avanti, and basically became good friends. We both have Saturn in Pisces (as does my daughter). Mine is also conjunct Chiron (the Wounded Healer) opposing both Pluto and Uranus in Virgo in the Second house. If you know any astrology, this is a potent combo.

So here I am, the first day of Spring, thinking about all of the deaths over the last eighteen months. I'm still in grief, but much of the trauma and depression has lifted. Acupuncture, peer counseling, Ignatia, and St. John's Wort have been helpful allies.

As has deep cleaning - going from room to room, not just chasing dust bunnies and culling excessive hangers (my hang-ups) but getting into a creative mode - hanging mini solar-powered fairy lights in the upstairs bathroom and the back room, making a family jewels chest by repurposing the computer box, the simple act of chicken soup. Beginnings and endings.

Odin, the Unknowable, the Great Mystery. One can only wonder about all the worlds of possibilities.

Blessed be.

Grandma's Got Tattoos

 

Grandma's Got Tattoos

Written and Illustrated by Nona Kayla

Ernesto has been bullied for having a large birthmark on his face. He goes to Grandma for some comfort and words of calm advice. Grandma tells him a story of her own adventures about being different. She sets off on an adventure one day, with her faithful companion, June E. Purr. They overcome storms, blockages, and unusual encounters. Along the way, she meets a helpful pant, a special animal, and a personal guide who all help to build feelings of confidence, resourcefulness, and self-esteem.

Wonderful absolutely wonderful. Historically time and patterns repeat like the ancient art of storytelling, sitting around the campfire or the evening fireplace with full bellies and listening to the storyteller ( the elders), it’s a love message of I believe in you and I unconditionally love you too... The receding pandemic has highlighted these truths of connection. This delightful book should be read to not only children, teens, and young adults but also middle-aged adults too who want to remember dear loved ones or want to find a heart grandmother or grandfather, remember to seek and you shall receive ... Mother Earth is plentiful.. thank you Kayla Nona - Janice Carr

This is a wonderful book for young and old alike. I thoroughly loved the message and the uplifting storyline. Great book. - Justice