We've had some stellar weather for the past two days, now about to come to an end as the humidity moves back in tonight and for the rest of the week.   Summer is about to put in another appearance...and yet, I can also strongly feel that the wheel of the year is turning.  Some type of shift is underway, and it's dramatically affected me.

I'm thinking about Lammas, the old holiday celebrated around this time of year (in the Northern Hemisphere)  to salute the grain harvest.  Even though summer is still here, the beginning of the harvest means that a change has occurred and we are now moving towards autumn.  I could feel that shift this morning as an internal presence, and all day I've been restless. 

The countryside here is full of outrageously tall corn; the crop is up so high that, driving by, I'm already thinking about the increasingly common "corn mazes" that allow Hallow's Eve revelers to scare the daylights out of themselves in late September and October, once the harvest has passed.  Our roadside farm stands are bulging with corn, squash, and other bounty.  Days are growing irrevocably shorter.

Lammas is all about change.  For many of us--the lucky ones who have "enough" in our lives--it is a time of gratitude for the harvest.  Yet it brings an unsettling sensation as well. 

Change is the one constant in life.  Some of us handle it better than others.

 
My friend Susie from Thailand and I were discussing images of Buddha and agreeing that one doesn't have to be religious or have any belief in Buddhism  to enjoy the wonderful art inspired by his history.  The art on its own is peaceful.  She commented on this after seeing the white-clay Buddha in my previous post (July 20th). 

I drew the picture above several years ago, probably around the time I bought that small white ceramic tile.   It represents the "old" in the title of this post.

It's true--just looking at images of Buddha always makes me feel calmer, and I remember feeling that way when I drew this.  As a long-time meditation practitioner, I'm interested in Buddhism for its psychological value--it is a truly wonderful way to challenge our own thoughts, and to learn kindness.  I'm happy the West has finally discovered the wisdom of Buddhist thought, and at the same time, I never think of Buddhism as a religion and do not believe that the Buddha ever intended it would become a "religion" with all the attendant dogma. 

Far from it.

After digging out that drawing today, I thought I'd spend some time tangling, trying out a tangle called Zonked, by Barbara Finwall.  Susie had just done her version of Zonked (see the 3rd tile down in her post) which I loved, and she inspired me.  While testing it out, I added Hanny Waldburger's tangle Namaste, in honor of  of Buddha.  This represents the "new" in today's post title.  Here is the result.

If you are also a fan of Buddha-heads, you may want to check out Virginia Peck's lovely art here.

And now, it's time for me to go meditate.

...during which, I promptly fell completely asleep.  Which suggested to me I needed to wake up and keep tangling.  First I finished the meditation, then I did this.  While not my greatest result, I like it on several levels.

Tangling away during thunder and lightning storms today, and feeling lucky to be safe indoors.  Our hideously muggy weather is being altered, one storm at a time.  I'll be delighted to see it replaced by drier air.

This one really surprised me.  I think I threw in everything but the kitchen sink, but it seemed to work. 

#summertangles2018

I'm not blue, I just worked a bit with blue today.  Two tangles totally new to me.

Indeed, I took another whack at the same tile I did yesterday in order to practice.

I like both yesterday's and today's versions.  This is the same tangle, Wisket, with yet another small variation, and more dewdrops.

Full confession:  I did this partially to recover from an entire day full of wrangling with a new computer.  Nothing would go right--and Mercury isn't even retrograde yet.  Let's just say it was a nightmare and things still aren't working as they should, but eventually I'll get it straightened out. 

I hope.

I did one more tile today to continue the #summertangles2018 challenge.  Believe me, I needed the relaxation desperately.

This tangle is Abundies, with a few water drops and some Indy-rella thrown in.  Just a black 01 Micron and graphite.  The odd coloring is due to the poor light in which I took the photo.

And now I"m up way too late, due to all the computer issues.  Time to retire for the night and try again tomorrow...