What's in a name

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THE QUICKENING TREE

Rowan is the second vowel in the ancient Druidic Beth-Luis-Nion Tree Alphabet, which is L for Luis, meaning Flame, one of her old names, alluding to her fruit and her fiery spirit.

Rowan owns the second month of the Celtic Tree Calendar (Jan.21 - Feb. 17).
This time of year embodies the essence of Rowan: Inspite of the harshness of the season, the life-force is quickening. It may still be very cold, it may be pouring down with rain and sleet, but something is stirring.
The days are slowly beginning to lengthen. Nature is attuning itself for another burst of life. It is harmonising the chaotic energies, resulting of the decay, which winter brought. There is an untouched newness in the air, delicate but with great inward strength. The soft power is stirring, waking everything up. There are catkins on the trees and the first snowdrops are pushing their leaves through the old grass.

On the 12th day of the Rowan month (Feb.1st) begins the first of the four Celtic cross-quarter festivals, called Imbolc (The others are Beltane which is the May-feast; Lammas, which is the festival celebrating the maturity of the summer; and Halloween, the festival of the two worlds touching. Together with the winter and summer solstices, the spring and autumn equinoxes, these festivals form the eight spokes of the wheel of the Year).

Imbolc celebrates the life force waking up from its winter slumber. Other names for it are: The festival of the stirring of the seed, the feast of the waxing light, Candlemas (Christianised version), Groundhog day (USA), or simply Brigid, after the Celtic Goddess to whom this feast was dedicated.
Brigid (or Brigantia in England) is the Celtic Goddess of Spring in its widest sense, as the renewing energy of Nature, which explains the wide range of powers attributed to her. She was a fire goddess, as well as patroness of wells and springs. She was the Goddess of Healing, Crafts, Poetry and Divine inspiration.
To the Celts of the hills, the Rowan tree embodied her spirit and it is appropriate that her festival should fall in the Rowan month

Brigid was one of the most influential Goddesses of the Celtic world and much beloved by her people. Whenever a woman, gets married, she becomes ‘the Bride’, the personification of the Goddess, birthgiver of life. With the event of Christianity, the reverence for her survived, both as Bride, the mother of St. Patrick and as St.Brigit, whom Irish legend, believed to be Mary’ s midwife and Jesus’ wetnurse and as such she was worshipped as ‘Mary, Queen of Heaven’. A perpetual fire is kept for St. Brigit in Kildare.
Brigid’s festival in the Rowan month celebrates the magic of new fire and the germinating life force. It nurtures inspiration, creativity and healing. Traditionally fires or candles are lit at midnight and people attune to the stirrings deep inside themselves. It is a good time to see visions of yourself reborn.

Knowing Eyes

It is still hard to believe that we have a baby. Wow!!
It's so amazing to look at him and know that he was entirely created
by Cody and I, that he is a manifestation of our love. We were talking
Rowan developing over the past ten months- and how each little stage of
growth is accounted for- besides the soul. Where did that come from,
when did he get it, and has it been here before?

I guess these are always questions we ponder, but it seems like so much
more of a relevant question when glancing at one still so close to the spirit world.
Can't you almost see that wisdom in his eyes?

After his first bath

Akira is still our baby. She's handling the whole thing quite well actually. She cocks her head from side to side at his little sueaks and

gurgles, wondering what he is.

He had his first sponge bath, as his little cord stump finally fell off. I was sad to see it go, it had connected us so intimately for those 10 months in the womb- but now he's got the cutest little button that will forever symbolize that connection, so I suppose I can get rid of the dried up little cord stump :(













Look at these little things- I just can't get over how much
I love these feet. Little sox on tiny footsies are by far the best.
I never knew I had a tiny foot fetish...strange huh?

More Cuteness

Here he is being cute and sweet and quiet, which he was most of the time up until last night. Hopefully that passes. Maybe it was something I ate, who knows. Now, he is fast asleep making little noises as he breathes. He has already gained a bunch of weight. He began at 8lbs. 7 oz, and was down to 8.0 when we left the hospital, and as of Wed., just after a week of life and constant milk consumption and love and sleep, he now weighs 8.11.

I am still in this strange daze of newfound motherhood. My head is a swirling mass of emotions, exhaustion mixing with joy, proudness and overwhelming senses of responsibility...and all of these feeling are silhouetted with this undescribable love that I'm sure only a mother can feel when looking at her precious creation. Aaahhh...my little Rowan :)

Our new family

Here, Cody is holding him at the hospital, and underneath, we have just arrived at home and are all trying to get adjusted to our new ways of life.

We've all been through a lot in the past few days...many exhausting hours for everyone. But, each moment was worth it. All I need to do is look at his perfect little self and all of the tiredness and soreness kinda fades away.

First Days

Here he is!! These are a few pics of little Rowan's first days at home. He is all bundled in his Patriots blanky ( thanks Amy and Mark!) getting ready for the big game. There are also some pictures of his precious little parts..cuz they are just too adorably cute to not keep taking pictures of them:)

He definitely has his Daddy's nose and toes and he seems to smirk with the same satisfaction that his Daddy does when he passes gas. Isn't he just the most perfect little creation ever? There will be many more pics to come, because that is all we are doing these days...getting to know each other and resting..both great photo ops.