ArmedWithCoffee (AWC)

This is a writersliftwednesday blog, sharing the works of fellow writers, poets and persons random. All re-blogs will be linked appropriately to their authors.

Writing is no easy calling and nothing easy was ever worth doing.

(1) Bonjour releases nonfiction articles regarding one topic: Brittany, France. I never fail to be blown away by your attention to detail and dedication to your local (assumed) history. I particularly liked your article, “Women Artists in Brittany.”

(2) D. Wallace Peach is an author and poet. To fully enjoy Rose Garden Haiku, please visit her blog as the haiku’s have corresponding images.

(3) A simple truth that needs constant reiteration. Thanks, Mae Clair.

Support each other. Blog and reblog.

Christina Schmidt
armedwithcoffee.com

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1. The Midsummer Fires of Brittany via Bonjour From Brittany

Once common throughout most of Europe, the arrival of midsummer was celebrated from time immemorial by the lighting of massive communal bonfires, covering the countryside with a multitude of glowing points of light; an ancient practice that continued in Brittany well into living memory.

It is believed that the calendar of the ancient Celts was built around the equinoxes and solstices and the relationship of them to the key points of the agrarian year such as the times for sowing and harvesting and seasonal transhumance. The summer solstice, when the sun reaches its highest point before slowly starting its retreat was an auspicious event for our ancestors and one that was widely marked across Europe; from Spain to Greece, Russia to Ireland, communities came together on Midsummer’s Eve to celebrate the occasion with mighty bonfires, imparting to the heavens, in all directions, the pale glow of a man-made sunset.

Fire, as an emblem of primeval power and benevolence aside, served as a beacon between disparate communities that were united, in that one moment, in common celebration. Fire also carried strong purificatory overtones that were more practical in nature rather than symbolic, such as in the preparation of land for cultivation or undertaking prescribed burns to promote growth and cleanse a field of weeds and pests. Some anthropologists have suggested that the ancient fire festivals of Europe, such as Midsummer’s Eve, were in fact rites aimed at cleansing the land of curses and the malevolence of witchcraft in an attempt to secure a fruitful harvest and ensure healthy livestock. There is even debate as to whether these bonfires were actually aimed at burning the witches, whether physically or symbolically, in the flames of the fire.

read the full article here

2. Rose Garden Haiku by D. Wallace Peach via the blog Myths of the Mirror

sensuous beauty

blushing beneath the sun’s tongue

pink folds unfurling

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white linens windblown

a dancer’s petals whirling

in joyous spirit

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spring rain surrenders

May’s roses lift fair faces

to sunlight’s warm breath

read all the haiku’s here

3. Writing: There is no one size fits all, by Mae Clair via the blog, Story Empire Blog

Hi, SEers! You’re with Mae today for the first Mae Day of June. Summer is the time when I’m the least productive as a writer. I think that’s true of many of us as we become distracted by nice weather and outside activities. The again, maybe you’re highly prolific during the summer. If so, good going, and keep at it. I do a lot of daydreaming, plotting, and jotting story development notes during warm weather, but actual writing time takes a serious hit.

read the full article here