Christmas Frost Mandala - (Seasonal Circles series) - © Sue O'Kieffe 2007source image: bedstraw
We had frost on Christmas Day here on the North Coast of California.
It was Earth's gift to me, since I had been wanting to photograph leaves with icing on them for a couple of weeks. I believe the source image is bedstraw, a plant which in the "olden days" actually was used for stuffing mattresses.When I look at the mandala, I see the image of the Green Man.
The image to the left is just one of many versions of the Green Man, who once was considered to be the virtual embodiment of the life force that ran rampant through every green and growing thing.(John Matthews, The Winter Solstice). He plays a predominant part in the Arthurian legends in the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. In the story, Sir Gawain beheads the Green Knight who is able to retrieve his head and return his own blows to King Arthur's nephew. The story serves to remind all about the power of restoration, the death of the old year and the birth of the new. (Matthews)When I create my mandalas, I never intend for these images to appear. They just sort of show up on their own. It is part of the magic of mandala making for me. (Don't you just love all those MMMMMMM's?)
