Archive for the ‘Nature’ Category
NASA photos of a snowed-in America Feb 2011
It’s Snow Across America!
If you haven’t yet viewed NASA’s satellite photos of a snowed-in America click to marvel!
Apparently here in Georgia we may be getting a few more snowflakes mixed with the rain we’re experiencing today but so far, no flake has fallen to my knowledge. But there is this…
Image: drawing, Snowy Path (here, in color) from my Secret Moon Art collection of Botanical, Children’s, Fairy, Cosmic, and Moon illustrations.
Many of my drawings may be found decorating merchandise in the Jude Cowell Art Shop for your 24/7 art browsing pleasure!
New ‘Dreamyfish Art’ portrait emerges!
Between Astrology, Politics, and the barndoor, it’s been a while since I completed and published a tropical fish portrait…until last evening.
“New Dreamyfish Art portrait emerges”…from the depths of my 12th house imagination, that is!
For those scientist types who prefer botanical drawings to most any other genre of Art, a warning must go out: my Dreamyfish Art fish portrait collection combines the realism of a rendering done as botanically correct as I can muster (with colored pencils on black paper, a Disney-esque effect, some say) with oceanic Neptune’s imaginative faculties, such as I may contain.
This is hopefully achieved by way of visionary, colorful surroundings for these deep-denizened creatures to wander about in…as if the viewer sees them surprised and ensnared within a dream…each fish’s own fondest dream.
Often these species are found at such depths, it’s a monchrome world for the brightly marked dearies, so I created Dreamyfish Art portaits to cater to their private dreams because after all: fish dream, too.
Astrologically this Saturn/Neptune mutuality has much significance within this artist’s psyche:
Saturnian form is supplied by my natal Saturn in Virgo (details; science) in 12th house of behind-the-scenes work (and often of research.) In my natal chart are four planets in Capricorn and thus they are ruled by Saturn. They are: Sun, Jupiter, Mercury, and Mars. The latter two are posited in the 5th house of Creativity, I am glad to say, with Sun and Jupiter conjunct in 4th; Sun/Jup trine Saturn in 12th.
Artistic and mystical Neptune is in mid-Libra (she said, dating herself) and sextiles a Sagittarian Venus, also in 4th house. I like to be and to work at home on projects, as you might imagine.
Also for art-lover Venus is a trine with Pluto in Leo. When Pluto came calling on natal Venus all through 2003, I noticed a deepening effect on my drawing and I tended to know how each piece would appear as they were begun. Dreams of scenes and themes became more accessible to my waking consciousness, a neat trick improved upon by Pluto’s transformative powers!
Plus, the sculpturist feel I had noticed when drawing on 2-dimensional black paper seemed to increase into a hyper-realism at times…something about bringing light out of darkness as opposed to loading up white or light paper with darker pigments.
Yet I do still use white paper for line illustrations, of course. Who doesn’t?
That’s the best I can do to describe how my drawing and experience of drawing changed internally during my Pluto-to-Venus transit. Sitting at my drafting table and staring at a blank sheet of paper, it sort of ‘washed over me’ the day of the first conjunction (of three.) And very obviously, too, for I had not been conscious of the date’s significance until it happened–but soon suspected what was ‘up’ with my natal chart’s transits…and the Pluto transit was the “biggie” for the year, exact on that day.
My Piscean Moon’s hope is that outer results artfully tell the tale in symbols rather than mere words can do as watery Neptune sloshes into Saturnian form, and I hope you’ll find the undersea realm half full at Dreamyfish Art:
http://dreamyfishart.blogspot.com/2008/06/knightfish-pencil-portrait.html
And come on, world…Let’s Save Our Oceans!
Snow Moon in Gemini comin’ Nov 24
Here’s a smally post on the Full Moon of Nov 24, Moon 1Gem55, Sun 1Sag55:
http://starsoverwashington.blogspot.com/2007/11/crystal-pomeroy-says-that-upcoming.html
The chart in relation to America has me feelin’ droopy so my post won’t have all the info you may want about the subject, but of course this Full Moon (being a lovely Snow Moon and all) will be oft’ revealed–your browser will have great difficulty missing it in various spots slathered over the ‘net for your perusal.
And you may wish to click above link to find Crystal Pomeroy’s ‘portal to the Snow Moon’ article, plus the chart for the Full Moon itself shining over the White House, 9:29:48 pm est, Icarus ascending.
Yet Moon stuff is cool even if you don’t do rituals and such.
And it’s quite poetic to read all the same, isn’t it? After all, the Moon was placed in our neighborhood to cast light in the evenings so that our paths may be lightened. Courteous!
image: drawing, Moon Shining Across the Lake, 2007 secret moon art
And in honor of the season–and hopefully you’ll have a few root veggies roasting in a pan some chilly night–here’s ’Limerick for Common Veggies’ which I published at http://judecowell.gather.com already…set the butter out:
The spicy little raddish
is not considered faddish
but take a bite
it’s always right
for lassie and for laddish.
The ordinary pea
exalted here by me
will do you good
it’s understood
by land or air or sea.
And then we have the leek
the vegetable you seek
snug in a stew
it’s tasty too
for lunch one day next week.
You know we love the beans
way down in New Orleans
with rice all brown
to toast the town
that knows what good food means.
Up North the spud is king
a broccoli-laden thing
with cheese or not
just serve it hot
and kudos soon will ring.
So steam your veggies hot
in saucepan or a pot
the joy they bring
is what I sing
and that says quite a lot.
-jcowell 11.21.07
exploding comet in Perseus
Orion Rising by jude cowell (c) 2007 secret moon art
Do you think (considering the usual As-Above-So-Below nature of our universe) that perhaps the recently exploding Comet Holmes symbolizes the fizz-out some have observed upon their closer reflection of the Barak Obama prez candidacy?
Check out http://www.spaceweather.com for comet details–for now his brilliant comet’s tail has split off and departed!
And it’s time for the Taurid Meteor Shower peaking Nov 12. Space Weather has that info. too.
And did you hear that NYC stagehands are going on strike Saturday which will darken the stagelights of Broadway? Should we ‘blame’ Comet Holmes’ flame out for this over-and-out, too?
Give your regards to Broadway: http://my.earthlink.net/article/top?guid=20071109/4733e950_3421_1334520071109-492203761
Seems that Dr. Seuss will be flailing about in the dark while The Grinch snuffs out any Christmas candles he can find…
Nov 9: Scorpio New Moon and the Lost Peonies
UPDATE Oct 28, 2008: the following post is from a Scorpio New Moon in Nov, 2007. You’ll find a few details on the Scorpio New Moon of Oct 28, 2008 at my other blog, Stars Over Washington:
http://starsoverwashington.blogspot.com/2008/10/fdr-great-depression-new-moon-in.html
~Original 2007 post begins here:
This Friday’s New Moon, the beginning of a new cycle, falls at 17Sco10 so I’d like use both the ’rounding up’ and the exact degree for Sabian Symbol details.
Paraphrasing from Lynda Hill’s “360 Degrees of Wisdom” (Lynda’s link is found in the Sidebar under ‘Astrology’) we find that…
“17Sco” = “A woman, filled with her own spirit, is the father of her own child.”
This symbol relates to a sense of capability and self-sufficiency and the feeling of being able to accomplish almost anything; coping with being on one’s own, and with looking after the details of life without anyone’s help.
There may be a sense of being “left with the baby”; single parenthood, or the loss of males in one’s life; creative projects being birthed (New Moon) more fully with an infinite and total connection to what one wants to produce; in vitro fertilization; the complications of adoption; facing the world feeling whole; having the right to determine one’s future; the story of Jesus’ conception.
Lynda always includes a Caution for each degree:
Uncompromising feminism or chauvinism; unrealistic dependence; feeling one must be responsible for everything; being abandoned; having no one to turn to for support; being an adult before one’s time.
“18Sco” = “A quiet path through the woods brilliant in autumn coloring.”
The path one must take in order to finish something or accomplish a mission; ‘autumn leaves’ are syymbols of change–the energy of recent growth is returned to the earth in preparation for the next growing season; transition; quiet walks reconnect us with nature.
Fruitful success is now behind; harvest time; all is changing; winter comes with its need for recuperation; let the past go and make new plans; the opportunity and need to take time to quietly appreciate this shift of energy; rewards; overcoming disappointments; gardens, sometimes off the beaten path; memories; reverence and respect; rich colors; overcoming through positive attitudes; warm responses; having a “been there done that” attitude.
Caution: being too late for the harvest; being oblivious to nature’s beauty; dwelling on the past; feeling that winter is upon you with no way out; issues of growing old; being alone in one’s ‘autumn years.’
“The clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness.” –John Muir
image: Abandoned Garden with Peonies, drawing by jude cowell (c)2007
Dreamyfish Art: Slender weed whiting
Floating in to say Hi! is the latest of my tropical fish portraits of a Slender weed whiting, Siphonognathus beddomei (Johnson), of Carnac Island, Western Australia.
As are all my Dreamyfish, Slender is lost in a dream and you’ve caught him in a very private moment…
you’ll find more portraits of his buddies at http://dreamyfishart.blogspot.com where you’ll see the first version of this drawing…this is the final effort here. Fini.
View yourself some modestly priced Downloadable Art Images at:
http://stores.lulu.com/judecowell/ at your whim. And please feel free to join the Art Mavens Group at Lulu and place your own creative efforts in our Storefront!
mosey South to Deerlick Astronomy Village
Too much light pollution in your neighborhood to view Saturn’s rings or storms of Jupiter?
Now hosting stargazers from as far off as Michigan, the new 96-acre star observatory site has become a smash hit in eastern Georgia.
Situated in rural Taliaferro County (that’s: Tol’ i ver), the total darkness and wide open spaces of Deerlick Astronomy Village are worth checking out for the telescope-prone star lovers among us:
http://my.earthlink.net/article/top guid=20071027/4722b7c0_3ca6_1552620071027120181641
Plus there’s: http://www.deerlickgroup.com
Taliaferro County is named for early Georgia settler, Benjamin Taliaferro, who came on down with a bunch of other families, mainly of the Virginia tobacco-growing clans, after tobacco crops wore out the soil ‘up yonder.’
Some families came to Oglethorpe County prior to the American Revolution, notably the Barnetts and Crawfords, a pioneering crowd who served their nation proudly as soldiers, scouts, and spies.
After the Revolution, Gen George Matthews, also one of the intermarried Virginia bunch, moved down and became governor of Georgia–and the rest, as they say, is history. Actually, it’s all history–the Barnetts and Crawfords arrived here in the 1760s (if I remember my notes correctly…thereabouts, if I don’t.)
The only known Caucasian here when they arrived was a trapper named Kennedy (first name lost in the mists of time), and of course, many native tribes lived around what came to be known as Goose Pond; later for voting purposes: Goose Pond District.
This was a 150–200 acre lake (not far from where I type) where all the migrating ducks and geese would light each year to hatch their fuzzy chicks. Then when it was time to be moving on, it was a wonder of nature as they all flew up from Goose Pond and continued on their way. With Georgia’s current epic drought, we could use some of that water now.
But years ago the lake or ‘pond’ filled in and the area became known as the Garden District of Oglethorpe County…the richest cotton-growing soil around with its duck and goose poo fertilizer extraordinaire. In fact, a boll was kept in New York by which other cotton bolls were judged for quality. This special cotton was actually grown by a Meriwether grower–the Meriwethers were another family of the Virginia settlers of Georgia.
And in the 1800s, a Crawford scion ran for US president but passed away suddenly before the election could take place. No definitive word on the cause of death, last I heard. Makes ya wonder.
Another point of historical interest about 5 miles down the road from here, where an old Baptist Church sits upon a hill, is the place where the path from Virginia and the trail to the Mississippi River converge–Cherokee Corners. Olden ways do linger!
As a native Georgian who is proud to note having Native American heritage as well, these Virginians are some of my ancestors and forebearers–yet I hope this fact won’t dissuade you from packing up your telescope and moseying down to Deerlick Astronomy Village some dark night where you may purchase a cabin or camp out gratis–and where the twinkly stars, as of yet, shine for free.
As we sometimes still say around here: Y’all Come! Just be sure to BYOW.
image: Moss Cave Observatory by jude cowell (c) 2007 from the Gallery of http://secretmoonart.blogspot.com
sassafras
Across the road from our dwelling place grows an old sassafras tree which is now turning red in spite of Georgia’s current record-setting drought. In a direct-to-scanner move, I have made it possible for you to virtually reach out and touch a sprig!
My Mom used to like to make sassafras tea and I tried to like it, really I did. But it kinda made me feel a smidge barfy, like gumbo-type flavorings still do. I’ve tried to like those sorts of flavors, too, but they’re apparently not my cuppa tea.
The drought continues in spite of recent rains…
Today Gov. Sonny Purdue announced that he’s applying to compassionate Bush for disaster relief status for north Georgia. Assuming there are funds left in US coffers which haven’t been defrauded right out from under taxpayers’ snoots, we’ll see how that turns out.
Does this mean that the US Cavalry is on its way to Georgia, bugles blowing?
Not martial law–I mean jugs of H2O. So is water flowing in Iraq yet? Just wonderin’. How about electricity for more than an hour?
Purdue made a threat to sue the Army Corps of Engineers the other day for draining Lake Lanier on behalf of Alabama, but I haven’t heard how the case is proceeding, if it is. Now my old Dad used to say that the Army Corps of Engineers had caused the country more harm than good for decades. And that was way before Hurricane Katrina.
Building in flood plains does seem counter-intuitive, doesn’t it?
Especially if ‘counter-intuitive’ is the politically correct way of saying too stupid for words.
