Peonies & Puppies
on a long life, editing the archive, and patience
Happy December Dear Reader!
Summer in the Southern Hemisphere.
First snow storm in Vermont.
Why not share peonies and snow covered birch trees?
Love to witness nature strutting her stuff, no matter the season.
Apparently, Peonies symbolize, among other things, good fortune, happiness and a long life.1 I’m all in.
And birch trees are apparently associated with new beginnings (they are a pioneer species after clear-cuts, fires or when glaciers recede) and fertility. In Celtic traditions it was sometimes used a living maypole during the spring May Day celebrations. So cool.2
These are the images that presented themselves this week.
If my photographs were Tarot cards, they’d suggest a reframing of this time in the Northern Hemisphere - - A time of darkness, yes, but what a gloriously fertile time it can be…if we let the light in.
And that is just what I am trying to do right now…let the energetic possibilities of this time of year flow. But it’s hard.
It turns out that the process of clearing out what no longer serves from the hundreds of thousands of images I’ve created in my first sixty years is way more intense than I imagined.
I’ve been working on my garden photographs this week and each image reminded me of a particular part of our old garden (it was almost two acres and had 12 garden ‘rooms’) and my relationship to its creation over time. It was an emotional rabbit hole and filled me with grief for our former home.
But then I started writing this post and reading about peonies and birch trees and learning that in Greece peonies carry strong symbolism of healing and protection. Who knew that the name ‘peony’ comes from ‘Paeon’, who was a student of Asclepius (the Greek god of medicine).
Rock on glorious pink blossoms.
You were front and center in my first “Solar Gardenscape” in 2013 and were the subject of my last photo project in the weeks before we moved last year, inspiring my first experimentations with in-camera double exposures (above) (which if you’ve been reading my recent posts you know I’ve become quite addicted to)…and the image below is unlike anything I’ve created before or since.
So, I think I’m going to pay attention to these peonies and that birch tree and this ongoing narrative of death and rebirth, fertility and long life. Perhaps they are telling me to take a break, to find my light, health and happiness by letting go for a while and letting whatever has been happening this year settle.
I witness this final image in the series from our old garden, so comfortable next to one of my most recent compost portraits, and know that the more things change, the more they stay the same.3
As a creative with ADHD and all kinds of adaptive life skills, I am easily overwhelmed, not just by what’s going on out there, but also by what’s going on inside of me…all the time.
I am an idea machine, but since I am human and not actually a machine, I need rest.
So if all these peonies do indeed mean I’ll have a long life, it’s a good thing I’m clearing out the archive to make space for whatever comes next…and it’s a good thing I hang out with compost, which constantly reminds me to be patient with the all of it…and to sometimes just sit and settle for a while.
And as hard as it is for this puppy (yes, at 5 she is still that) to sit and settle, sometimes she does…and so will I…maybe even until 2026.
No grand end of year summary, just a glorious moment of repose with peonies, puppies and a bit of patience thrown in.
Because, like Lilly, I am eager for action and like ‘to do.’ This moment, however, calls for some ‘being.’
With gratitude for you being you,
Lyn
And in the spirit of finding joy and leaning into the ‘being-ness’ of this time of year, please leave a reflection sharing how 13 Tons of Love has inspired you this past year.
If you’re interested, here’s what else AI said - - I didn’t do a lot of digging as I know there are numerous interpretations of every flower. Anyway, take it for what this is…something to ponder:
Peonies: a herbaceous or shrubby plant of north temperate regions, which has long been cultivated for its showy flowers…symbol of love, romance, prosperity, good fortune and honor, happiness, beauty and long life;
different hues representing different sentiments, and their significance can vary by culture, especially in Chinese and Japanese traditions where they hold meanings of royalty and wealth.
Tree web site from Scotland with info on Celtic Traditions: Trees for Life - Folklore & Mythology and then here’s what AI had to say:
New Beginnings: Birch is often seen as a symbol of fresh starts and renewal. It’s one of the first trees to grow in damaged or clear-cut areas, representing resilience and the ability to create new opportunities after destruction.
Purity and Innocence: The tree’s clean, white bark makes it a symbol of purity, innocence, and the start of a new year or life cycle.
Protection: Birch branches have been used in folklore for protection against evil spirits. They were hung over doorways or used to create brooms for cleansing a home.
Fertility and Femininity: Birch is associated with fertility and is personified as a feminine spirit in many mythologies. Its wood was used for Maypoles in the Beltane festival, which celebrated new life and a fruitful harvest.
Adaptability: Due to their hardiness and ability to thrive in harsh conditions, birch trees also represent adaptability and strength.
Illumination and Insight: In some traditions, the birch’s connection to light (especially its white bark) and fire symbolizes illumination, insight, and bringing light to dark places.
The phrase “the more things change, the more they stay the same” is an English translation of the French aphorism plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose, which was originally coined by the French critic and novelist Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr in 1849.
This is so lovely and brings back a fond memory of my late mother’s love of northern hemisphere birch trees - so much so that she grew one from a sapling in our family home’s front garden. Thanks, Lyn.
Also reminds me of my witchy-friend’s saying “the reward for patience is patience”. 🤗