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

hope dies last

THE VERY ESSENCE of a Christmas tree is a physical meditation of hope for the renewal that spring brings. Our world seems to be having a long, hard winter right now, but hope springs eternal, as it always does. We have to hold onto that with our loved ones and the friends in our lives that see the world as we want it to be, even when its not Christmas. This ritual of hope is embodied in The Decorated Tree.

THIS TREE, with woodland creatures, birds, stars, hearts and moons hidden in its branches embodies the magic of the season. Although it doesn't take anything this elaborate to find the spirit of Christmas, it can be as simple as a single candle, for us to reflect on what's important. The people in our lives, our special relationships with our pets, and remembrance of loved ones that are no longer with us, are all what makes the season meaningful.

I THINK I've achieved some of that with this tree. It may be one of my favorites because it is imbued with the hope and light of the season in a playful way— having a lot of delightful surprises scattered throughout. But the theme is consistent — a magical mix of things that could make even the hardest of hearts happy.

IT WAS A VICTORY of spirit for the world way back in late 1944 in the WWII Battle of the Bulge, and my brave father was part of it. During the wake of the Allied forces' successful D-Day invasion of Normandy, France, it seemed as if the Second World War was all but over. On Dec. 16, with the onset of winter, the German army launched a counteroffensive that was intended to cut through the Allied forces in a manner that would turn the tide of the war in Hitler's favor.

THE BATTLE that ensued known historically as the Battle of the Bulge was on, and the courage and fortitude of American soldiers like my father was sorely tested. Nevertheless, the the ultimate response meant the victory of freedom over tyranny (at least for many decades in this country).

I REMEMBER my father every year at this time. He told me how cold it was in the trenches in the snow-covered Ardennes forest in Belgium and how Patton was his hero because he saved his troop from the cold. That's why I continue with The Resistance in the battle we're now facing with the current presidential fiasco at hand.

AND SO, WITH HOPE, and my fight right here in our own country, my father's service won't have been in vain. The current political climate turns a blind eye to the fight of greed over goodness. Hope truly dies last, and I won't let history repeat itself if I can help, in my own small way, to put an end to it. America was great then, but it has become only a hollow slogan now, if we don't back it up with the best of our better angels. I intend to do all I can to make that happen. It's my way of keeping my father's spirit alive.

MY PARENTS instilled in me this hope at Christmas every year of my childhood and it made the strongest of impressions. So I'd like to part with this quote from Joan Winmill Brown: "When Christmas Day comes, there is still the same warm feeling we had as children, the same warmth that enfolds our hearts and our homes."

©2017 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED collecting, photography and styling by Darryl Moland

a golden easter

SPRING CAME EARLY this year. We all needed this, whether it was by design or if Mother Nature was sounding her alarms. The ephemeral quality of the warmth brought to us this time of year gives us the hope for a rebirth of our spirits and the dedication to embracing the miraculous transformation we have the privilege to watch unfold before us. The delicate flowers of spring bring hope to the forefront.
 

ANIMAL SPIRIT: If spring has an animal spirit, it's definitely the Easter bunny! This one may or may not have hung the tree above with eggs.

WHEN WE WERE KIDS, the anticipation of the Easter bunny leaving us a basket filled with saccharine-sweet confections was only outshone by Santa at Christmastime. In a lot of ways, the fresh nature of spring was always brighter, if not bolder, than the winter holiday. Easter baskets are now linked with the Easter holiday, while ancient religions determine our date with the new season of growth. Easter Sunday is always determined to be the first Sunday after the first full moon following the spring equinox. 

BUNNY TALES: These beautiful bunny chocolates made locally (in Atlanta) by Pastry Chef Jocelyn Gragg of Jardí Chocolates are some of the most delicately beautiful and delicious I've seen (or eaten). When you buy an "Easter Adoption Box" of them, the profits go to local House Rabbit Societies all across the country. Crossing the pond, you can find these bunny tails from Great Britain's Charbonnel et Walker, which are actually Pink Marc de Champagne Truffles (by appointment to Her Majesty, The Queen, no less). 

AS ADULTS, we develop a taste for a more sophisticated way of celebrating the season if there are no kids around. I've gathered a trio of delectable chocolate confections for this Easter spread. The most exciting find was the beautiful handmade chocolate bunnies. But the Pink Marc de Champagne Truffles, I'm calling bunny tails, just for fun, because the kid in me is still there. No Easter is complete without chocolate eggs. These are infused with a heady 60% dark chocolate combined with a blood orange/olive oil mix.
 

EGG COMPLEXITY: These molded small batch eggs are from local Atlanta XOCOLATL Chocolate and are made of dark chocolate, blood orange, olive oil and packaged in a jar with crystallized ginger.

WHILE EASTER BASKETS of the ancient religions were based on the cycle of growth in spring. Farmers gathered seedlings of their new crops in baskets for blessings for a successful year. Modern Christian baskets symbolized the end of Lenten fasting, when we feast on a large Easter meal. That feast had its beginnings with that meal being brought to the church in large baskets for blessings by the priests.

SYMBOLS OF ABUNDANCE: These marbelized eggs were combined with papier mâché eggs gilded with gold foil for my Easter tree.

GOLDEN EGGS: Gold-leafing is a surprisingly simple process, but it takes a bit of time and patience as any craft does. The reward is worth it. I used papier
mâché eggs as a base.

GOLDEN DAFFODILS: My father loved spring more than any season. These delicate yellow daffodils are a happy reminder of him.

My Easter tree is usually only adorned with eggs. Some are marbelized and some are gilded with gold foil to celebrate the rebirth and renewal of the season. Eggs are the ultimate symbol of that. And bunnies are a symbol of fertility and hope for the continued tradition of celebrating Mother Earth's miraculous yearly rebirth.

©2017 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.

elegant easter

A REFRESHED state of mind after the dreary months of winter is what spring brings to all of us. "How appropriate—Easter’s focus on rebirth, celebration, growth, and forgiveness. That’s just about where you’ll be when it gets here," my coworker Yvonne Green offered up after wishing me a great weekend of renewal while stating how nice the weather was finally going to be. She prefaced these words with "It’s a beautiful Friday and it’s going to be a fabulously, gorgeous weekend. Do at least one thing each day to love yourself."

LOVING YOURSELF is the hardest lesson to learn, especially when your focus is on loving others. It could be argued that the selflessness of loving others is also loving yourself, but it's not really the same thing when you think about it. Loving yourself is a more conscious effort because you have to look inward. And everyone knows that if you love yourself, then it's easier for others to love you. That's my mission this spring. It will be a time of rebirth, celebration, growth and forgiveness, both for myself as well as the people that I love. And the only way it will happen is if I start the process within.

WHETHER YOU ARE religious or not, spring's promise as heralded by the Easter holiday is definitely a universal theme that spans across many belief systems. The truth lies at the core of the thought process in combining the words that I am pointed to and forming thoughts around them. As always, creating a new tree and thinking about what to write for my post is my meditative process, of sorts.

EASTER BLING | These fancy crackled mercury glass eggs with rhinestone-studded metal caps make Easter an elegant affair. The eggs were bought at TJ Maxx. The other foil-covered eggs are by Martha Stewart for Grandinroad from a previous season. A better-quality egg-shaped goose-feather tree similar to the one above can be found at Hometraditions.com.

REBIRTH. This is a biggie. This means shedding all the stuff that once seemed so life-giving or that only temporarily filled a void and forcing yourself to take that first deep worldly breath again. It's easy to become reliant on the people you have grown to love and it is easy to take them for granted. Nurture these relationships and find fresh new ways to enrich them.

CELEBRATION. If this tree doesn't say that, I don't know what does. The egg theme is not happenstance around Easter. It is the most resonant symbol for new life there could be. An egg-shaped goose feather tree emphasizes the theme. And everyone knows that the shiny metallic eggs are always the the ones containing the prize!

PETER COTTONTAIL  | In a market filled with cartoonish Easter bunnies, this Peter Cottontail is a well-dressed relief—I found him at Homegoods. The Easter Surprise glass-glittered egg container was a beautiful gift from a friend a few years back and is an original design by Wendy Addison for Tinsel Trading in NYC, New York. And sweet yellow daffodils are placed in the shot in memory of my father.

GROWTH. With any birth or rebirth, the growth process begins for the first time or once again. The miraculousness that Mother Nature brings in spring gives us proof all around, from the bulbs that spring out of the ground, to the budding trees and flowers that abound. Spring is all about new growth.

FORGIVENESS. This is as hard a lesson in life—maybe harder—than learning to love yourself. Forgiveness is something that releases the very core of energy within all of us to find a new purpose. It literally clears the clutter in our minds and hopefully in our physical lives and makes room for more love. After all, love is the life force within all of us. It is the feeling that is produced when we are closest to the divine. That is why it is so highly sought after and sits on the fence between pain and joy. It's up to us most of the time to decide which side of the fence we want it to fall into.

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PRIZE EGG | This goose egg-sized mercury glass egg embellished with fancy rhinestone accents is a prize in itself—found at TJ Maxx a few years ago.

THANKFULNESS. I continue to thank all the people that find resonance in the words and photos that I put together for this blog. I'm sensing a new direction and maybe less attention will be paid to it as I clear the way for a future unencumbered by my past—literally and figuratively. This blog has always been a catharsis for me to move through some very tough times in my life and make something beautiful out of it—to find the joy by putting it out for the world to see. And they do. Just today, I've had visitors to my blog from all around the world (Stateside from Kansas, Oregon, Louisiana, Utah, Georgia, Ohio, Massachusetts, Alabama, New Jersey, California, New York; and worldwide from Canada, Germany, Tunisia, The Netherlands, The Russian Federation, and even way down under in Australia). What my blog might morph into now remains to be seen. There may not be as many posts or they might just change focus (showcasing collections comes to mind) as I attend to things in life that have been pushed to the forefront and to clearing the clutter from underneath it. Know that I will find a way to keep it all interesting. This is my creative outlet after all.

TREE BASE | This heavy ironstone container is traced with vines and leaves and makes the perfect spring container for this elegant tree. The small handmade ceramic vessel, holding pale speckled malted milk eggs was made and given to me by my good friend Jamie Callen Sells.

SPRING FORWARD. This Daylight Savings Time business throws everyone off kilter because we start our days earlier in the spring. I would prefer at its outset to keep Standard Time in accordance with the natural rules of our planet. Even so, life is still a forward-moving process. We can look back, but we can't dwell on the time that we have lost. We can still carry that forward with us as our judgement found in discerning the new things that come our way and making the best of them in the longer and warmer days ahead.

©2013 DARRYL MOLAND | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

collecting, photography and styling by Darryl Moland