sunrise spring, a blue moon and Easter

THIS YEAR in the northern hemisphere the first day of Spring or Vernal Equinox fell on Tuesday March, 2oth. The equinox marks the day when day and night are the same lengths all over the world, with the word equinox literally meaning ‘equal night’ in Latin.

I WAS FORTUNATE to witness an open-access event this year at sunrise on the vernal equinox to celebrate and welcome the new spring. Everyone is allowed into the center of the monument (or Druid temple) to witness the sunrise. A pre-dawn ceremony is usually led by some of the most well-known of the modern Druids. It was a sublime and happy experience I'll never forget. It seems that world peace is what the Druids wish for the most. That, and the protection of Stonehenge as sacred place of honor to the ancient Druids that were buried there.

ONCE IN A BLUE MOON | It's not often you see a blue bunny. Metaphorically, that would describe the magical experience I had at Stonehenge and then realizing just last night was a full moon—a blue moon.

A FULL BLUE MOON rose into the evening sky last night (March 31). This will be the second and final blue moon of 2018. Despite the name, the "Blue Moon" it isn't actually blue. In fact, it looked the same as any other full moon. According to the current definition, the term refers to the second full moon in a given calendar month. The traditional definition of a blue moon was reserved for the third full moon in a season that has four full moons, which happens in years that have 13 full moons instead of the usual 12.

SPRINGTIME BUNNY | This facsimile of an old metal chocolate bunny mold fits in nicely among all the symbols of fertility and rebirth during the Easter holiday. The small foil-wrapped chocolate eggs are from a Sainsbury's grocery in London.

THIS COSMIC SERIES OF EVENTS culminates with Easter which took place this weekend from Good Friday on March 30 until Easter Monday on April 2, making Easter Sunday fall today on April 1, which is also April Fool's day (which some say dates back to 1564—when France officially changed its calendar to the modern Gregorian version—moving the celebration of the New Year from the last week of March to January 1). These are interesting times indeed.

THE DEATH OF JESUS occurred around the Jewish passover, which is traditionally held on first full moon following the vernal equinox. As the full moon can vary in each time zone, the church said that they would use the 14th day of the lunar month instead – the Paschal full moon—and celebrate Easter day on the following Sunday. Once the date of the full moon is known, Easter day and the Easter holidays are determined.

TREATS OF THE SEASON

Because of this multi-level resonance in the Old World, Easter in the UK and other European nations celebrate in a big way. All the stores—even convenience stores and supermarkets—have amazing Easter treats. I brought quite a few home to photograph and share here.

WILD ABOUT HARRODS | Fancy stuff here at Harrods in London, including these beautifully meticulously-decorated spicy biscuits (amazingly delicious also) from Careless Biscuit Company and tiny chocolate eggs in pastel hues.

EGGCENTRIC SELFRIDGES | Selfridges of London had the most unique collection of Easter treats such as the chocolate speckled eggs above.

WHAT'S THE TEA? | London's Fortnum & Mason, in addition to the finest selections of tea they are known for, had the most elegant Easter finery.

CHICKEN AND THE EGGS | From Windsor Castle came these creamy delicious pastel eggs. A delicious Northern-Italian restaurant named Carluccio's in London is where I bought this white chocolate chicken. 

LAST, BUT NOT LEAST | This fabulous whole chocolate egg, when broken for the holiday contains creamy chocolate-caramel robin eggs and bits of chocolate to make it interesting. From the supermarket called Waitrose in London.

©2018 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 

collecting, photography 

and styling by Darryl Moland

perfect miracles

ONE OF MY FUNNIEST friends, Kathy Reed, loves her chickens. She loves them so much that she carts them around and says one rooster is famous. It's in his contract that I have to mention his name, although Jack Sparrow missed the photo session for no good reason. I for one, believe her when Kathy says Jack had a cut on his foot and had to send an understudy. Although Kathy and I have seen each other several times in the past few years, we first talked about photographing her chickens for my Easter blog 3 years ago. This year it finally happened.

READY ROOSTER  | Crusty was definitely ready for his closeup since Jack Sparrow didn't show. #shotoniphone6

IT'S AS IF the planets (and eggs) finally aligned. There is definitely a cosmic connection between Kathy and I. We were instant friends when we first met. And although we may not see each other as often as we would like, we have a rapport that's probably a lot like the communal nature of chickens. We exchange witty bon mots with each other in a pecky no-holds-barred staccato, as if we understand how chickens speak. And we have rituals, like eating fresh strawberries and whipped cream at The Original Pancake House along with our breakfast — something chickens would probably eat if they were human.

BEDAZZLED EGGS | Plain dyed and painted eggs take on a whole new look at Easter with spatters of gold paint and gold leaf.

COME TO THINK of it, none of this is so far-fetched. Chickens lay these "perfect miracles" as Kathy likes to call them. Kathy can talk for days about watching the miracle of life happen when she sees a chick peck through an egg, popping out and prancing around like it's the most natural thing in the world. Well, it is probably the most natural thing in the world, and is synonymous with spring's heady symbolism. That's why we see so many eggs in so many forms at Easter. It's a celebration of life.

SERAMA SISTERS | This breed of chicken is the smallest in the world. Short Stack and Jackalin are quite uninterested in the camera. #shotoniphone6

BIRTH, REBIRTH AND LIFE are what springtime is about. And it's amazing how mother nature teaches us the lessons of Easter (Oester) every Vernal Equinox. When you revel in nature as much as Kathy does, and I would like to, it's a constant reminder that the cycle of life in any scenario is transformatively poetic.

EGGSPERT | Peter Cottontail wrote the book on embellishing eggs.

PETER COTTONTAIL may not be the egg's maker, but he delivers them at Easter quite proudly (if not dapperly), after embellishing them with dye and paint and gold-leaf, transforming into bright pastel jewels, perfect for embellishing this magical tree, composed of nests and branches.

EGG ON TOP | The proverbial Golden Egg sits atop the tree.

WE ALL KNOW the reason we celebrate spring. It's a spiritual experience for some, a sexy and heady transformation of nature for others, or simply a reason to show off your Sunday best for anyone. Whatever it is to you, these perfect miracles called eggs make us smile like a good friend who helped you through a particularly harsh season that always comes around again, warmly smiling, when you get yourself back together in spring. If you had only listened the first time.

SERAMA SIBLING | Blackalin is Jackalin's sister, although they (obviously) came from different eggs. #shotoniphone6

GLAMOUR EGGS | Embellished eggs are sitting pretty in a brass container.

SERAMA SECRETS | Short Stack and Jackalin are always establishing a new pecking order.

©2016 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 
collecting, photography and styling by Darryl Moland

chicken talent and laughs courtesy of Kathy Reed 

eggs in a basket

EGGS ARE perfect symbols for spring. Long before being associated with Easter and the resurrection of Christ, the Chinese, Egyptians, Gauls, Persians and Romans used eggs to bless the season in their rites-of-spring festivals.

EGG BASKETS | These diminuative wire baskets from Terrain hold an array of candy-coated chocolate truffle eggs from Saxon Chocolates. The golden wire ornament tree was found in this year's Easter collection from Pottery Barn.

A NEW EASTER Sunday suit is an enduring memory of my church-going childhood, along with the candy-filled and cellophane-wrapped Easter basket left by a mythical bunny.

BUNNIES WITH BASKETS | These matte ceramic bunnies have been in my collection of Easter decorations for several years have finally found a perfect home under this tree. The wooden eggs add warmth to the tableau.

OF COURSE there are also memories of the gleeful Easter egg hunt in the cool and fresh unmown grass. The confectioner's scent from jelly beans, marshmallow Peeps® and chocolate bunnies permeated the air inside and mixed with the fresh smells of tulip trees and other early blooming flowers outside. All were stirred together in a heady mix by the brisk winds of spring.

EGG HUNT | This bunny carrying an egg in an Easter basket on his back, is peering into the holiday's symbolic dogwood flowers to find more.

WITH EASTER, spring has fully sprung, and summer is carried in on the rays of the sun. Change and new life are in the air. And a cleansing of our souls takes place. And the light, it seems, is warmly beamed directly from heaven, coaxing things back to life again. 

FANCIFUL FUN | Since this tree is simply-decorated, wire-edged ribbon adds presence and movement to the tiny wire Easter baskets.

THAT'S WHAT every spring becomes . . . a rebirth, however you choose to believe, it's an undeniably intoxicating and life-giving affirmation. 

When we live in darkness, our human life is a constant want.
When we live in Light, our divine life is a constant achievement.
Light in the physical is beauty.
Light in the vital is capacity.
Light in the mind is glory.
Light in the heart is victory.

                      —Talk on the Inner Light by Sri Chinmoy

The text from this post was adapted and updated from past Easter blog posts and from my book, The Decorated Tree: Celebrating the Seasons available at Blurb.com by clicking on this link or pasting www.blurb.com/b/3433522-the-decorated-tree into your browser.

©2015 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

collecting, photography and styling by Darryl Moland

east meets Easter

ALTHOUGH THE EASTER holiday is celebrated mainly in the West as a Christian holiday, its message of love is universal. The overarching message of the religious version of the holiday might be summed up with two words: forgiveness and rebirth. 

THE RABBIT is the secular symbol of Easter as a symbol of fertility, as well as eggs. Both symbols date back to pre-13th century Pagan traditions.

CHRISTIAN HOLIDAYS aren't celebrated in the East (unless you're a Christian or simply like the secular aspects of the holiday), but this Japanese magnolia Bonsai tree hung with blue and white china eggs has a decidedly "East meets Easter" feel. Underneath lies a large golden egg for luck and prosperity.

CULTURES ARE FUSING all over the world with the connectedness of modern technology. Indicative of the recognition of the universal truths of love, no matter what their belief system may be, many religions and beliefs have developed a more global world-view. And as we enter into some really significant astrological times with Pluto, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus forming a Cardinal Grand Cross, the apex of which happens on April 23 of this year, there is sure to be a breaking (or turning) point in the way the collective consciousness of the world behaves.

FORGIVENESS is the step we all must take to make room for new love. Although sometimes extremely hard to do sometimes, we must forgive (and sometimes forget) the people who have squandered our love and find a place (or a person) with which it will thrive and prosper. I've been very lucky to have found just such a person and am excited about the quickly unfolding prospects ahead of us!

LOVE is the grandest of all our emotions. It is entirely based on our faith (in any aspect) and being in tune with ourselves and others around us. It can come in the most unexpected of places. And for it to be received fully and without trepidation, our intent has to be pure when asking the universe what to do with it. Being ready to receive this kind of love no less than a spiritual rebirth. And I, for one, am ready!

REBIRTH is a serious matter, even in spiritually metaphorical terms,  as it is a visceral recognition of renewed life. So put on a pair of fuzzy pink bunny ears to bring levity to such a weighty transition. This Easter and the spring days ahead are full  of the promise of an untold life of joy and purpose. The message is there, any way you look at it—religious or secular, north or south, east or west. It's up to you what to do with it. The message, pure and simple, is all about love.

©2014 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

collecting, photography and styling by Darryl Moland.

the bunny and the egg

A COUPLE OF EASTER Sundays in my childhood, my parents surprised me with an actual real-life Peter Cottontail instead of a chocolate bunny. We kept the bunny in a specially-constructed pen in our back yard. Even though I quickly figured out my bunny was never going to lay an egg, I always hoped it would happen. Magical things are happening all around in spring, so why not a bit of magical thinking? Much to my disappointment, the only thing that ever popped out of the bunnies were those little brown pellets that looked like cat kibble—not quite a wish come true. 

EVEN IF my fluffy bunny was never going to lay eggs, Easter was always a highly anticipated welcome to springtime. I love watching the grass get green again with the daffodils appearing in the un-mown freshness. With everything coming to life after a winter slumber, the pollen from the flowers and trees tint the air like a childhood Technicolor® dream.

BUNNIES AND EGGS | (Both photos above) These roundly-formed glazed porcelain bunny ornaments from Pier 1 Imports were re-tied with a pale-striped yellow ribbon to match the yellow and white of the dogwood flower. Brown eggs were simply wrapped with Flake Cotton yarn (made in Brazil) from Ironstone and placed in an egg-shaped deviled egg platter.

THE DOGWOOD flower became another symbol for spring, as explained in Sunday school at the local Baptist church where we attended—as a manifestation of the crucifixion of Jesus. I studied those flowers with their stigmata petals scared at each end and forming a cross radiating from a golden “crown of thorns” in the middle and it seemed like a plausible explanation that the cross Jesus was crucified on was made of a Dogwood tree and this is how they appeared thereafter. But there was never an explanation for why my bunny wasn't laying eggs! The reasons for both might be from man-made sources that are less than reliable than an explanation taken directly from Mother Nature's lessons. In myth and religion, things have been cross-pollinated so much that the result is a hybrid of ideas that have something for everyone to latch onto. The short answer is bunnies and eggs are closely associated because they are both symbols of fertility, new life and rebirth/renewal.

EGGS AND FLOWERS | Nestled amongst sunny daffodil flowers and leaves, these lettered eggs from Pottery Barn spell out a Happy Easter greeting.

NATURAL LIFE CYCLES in the spring are the focus of any spring celebration. What has become today's Easter Bunny is actually a surviving remnant of Pagan traditions celebrated in pre-Christian days, and still practiced today by surviving Pagans and Christians alike, but with different source meanings. In the Pagan view, Bunnies, rabbits and hares are fertility symbols, sacred to the Goddess of the Dawn, once known as Ostarra or Eostara, which is the origin of the word Easter. Due to the the well-known procreational ability of rabbits, they are a perfect symbol for fertility. Another more direct symbol for fertility is the egg for obvious reasons. Spring Equinox celebrations—both past and present—focus on Spring growth. All the newly reborn flora and fauna, including the ever-producing rabbit, are a sure sign the Spring season has begun and nature continues its yearly cycle.

WHEN CHRISTIANITY first began to spread, there was an artful overlapping of Christian values and ideas with much loved Pagan customs, which attracted people to the church and pulled them away from their ways of honoring and living within nature. The Easter Bunny and egg hunts of the Old World were carried over to modern day celebrations. In the beginning, they had nothing to do with the Christian faith or belief in Jesus' resurrection. Because the Christian church celebrates the Resurrection of Christ in the spring, it made perfect sense to "borrow" from Pagan Spring rites in order to make the attraction to the newer religion plausible.

EGGS AND A CHICK | This tough chick with a cracked shell around its feet is laying claim to her future eggs. German paper mache candy containers borrow the perfect shape of an egg as an elegant container in which to give Easter treats. These modern versions are made by the German company Nestler.

THE POPULARIZED candy form of the Easter Bunny probably emerged around the 1800’s when manufacturers in Germany created bunnies from bread and candy. German children were taught about Osterhase, an Easter bunny that hid eggs and chocolates carried in a woven basket backpack for children to find on Easter Sunday. Easter eggs became a commonplace way to exchange gifts in Springtime. Easter treats were concealed in paper mache candy containers. Those made in an original mold, by some of the same German family workshops that began their businesses more than 100 years ago have become highly collectible. Modern versions such as the ones in the photo above are an elegant way to present Easter gifts and treats.

NO NONSENSE EGGS | Unadorned, but decorative natural wooden eggs are nestled within a blooming Japanese magnolia branch and a ceramic egg crate.

THE TRADITION of the egg tree (see The Decorated Tree version here) was also popularized in Germany. The eggs used in cooking Easter meals in Germany (and elsewhere) are not broken, but are emptied by blowing the contents out into a container, through pinholes at either end of the egg. The hollowed eggshells are then decorated and dyed and hung from trees during spring.

NO MATTER how or why you celebrate springtime, there is no doubt that this is a season of rebirth. Flowering trees and flowers rise from dormancy and show their prettiest spring colors, much like church-goers do in their Easter Sunday best. Nature and faith are in a constant cycle of renewal and both are reaffirmed simultaneously in a sweet melding of ideas and beliefs. It's definitely a time to take a deep breath of life.

©2012 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

collecting, photography and styling by Darryl Moland

good eggs

WE  ALL  KNOW the answer when asked which came first, the chicken or the egg? The question and the answer are rhetorical. Eggs are the perfect symbols for spring. Before eggs were associated with Easter and the resurrection of Jesus; Chinese, Egyptians, Gauls, Persians, and Romans used eggs in their rite-of-spring festivals. They represented the Earth's rebirth after a long winter. Eggs are containers for new life. Humans even start out as an egg, but that, of course takes us back to the obvious.

GROWING  UP,  I have fond memories of the new suit for church-going on Easter Sunday every year, along with the candy-filled basket left by a mythical bunny. And of course I remember the gleeful Easter egg hunt in the fresh unmown grass. The confectioner's smell from jelly beans, marshmallow Peeps and chocolate bunnies permeated the air inside along with the fresh smells of tulip trees and other early blooming flowers outside. All are brought together in a heady gust stirred up by the brisk winds of spring. Change and new life are in the air. And a cleansing of our souls takes place.

AND  THE  LIGHT, it seems, is warmly beamed directly from heaven, coaxing things back to life again. That's what every spring becomes . . . a rebirth, however you choose to believe, it's undeniably intoxicating, life-giving and affirming. I'll leave you with these images, because as it is said, a picture is worth a thousand words. In the spirit of my favorite season, I created three times that here. These are some of my best, so I'll let them speak with their light.

When we live in darkness, our human life is a constant want.
When we live in Light, our divine life is a constant achievement.
Light in the physical is beauty.
Light in the vital is capacity.
Light in the mind is glory.
Light in the heart is victory.

—Talk on the Inner Light by Sri Chinmoy

SIGNS OF LIFE | (Top, left) The heart shaped leaves of the American Redbud tree have yet to form here. They first burst forth with spring flowers, like tiny sweet peas, that appear magically along the gnarled bark of the tree branches. It's easy to associate this tree with the miracle of rebirth, rather than its usual dark connection with Judas. A branch hung with speckled multi-hued eggs (from Marshalls) emphasizes the point. The ceramic bunny is from West Elm and the antique glazed cache pot is from my collection. An alpine bird ornament from Merck Family's Old World Christmas is a joyful symbol of spring and overlooks its egg-filled nest. Glassblowers in Germany often kept wild birds during the winter months since the sound of the gas flame in the workshop prompted the birds to sing. When spring arrived, the birds returned to freedom.

EPHEMERAL BEAUTY | (Middle) An even grander indication of spring, a branch from a yellow-blooming tulip tree (Japanese magnolia) provides short-lived beauty. The flowers, when cut from this tree with prehistoric magnolia roots quickly turn brown and start dropping their petals in a matter of hours—a lesson in the tenuous, but glorious bond life has with its source. These delicately floral-patterned egg ornaments are from Michaels. Their original frilly bow hangers were removed and replaced with simple ribbons—beautiful just as they are as an artistic reverence to nature.

BUNNY, BASKET and EGGS | (Bottom, right) This large chocolate bunny from Golda and I Chocolatier holds a spring bouquet of sugar flowers while presiding over a grapevine and paper flower basket bought at Ross. I filled the basket with fresh green wheat grass from Sevananda, and tied the handle with a bow of faux bois (wood grain) ribbon from Martha Stewart Crafts. The beautiful patterns covering the ceramic egg ornaments bought at Marshalls render them as works of art. 

©2010 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

 photography and styling by Darryl Moland