foxonthego

Under the cancer moon

Well, here we are, post winter solstice at the tail end of the full Cold Moon (also called the Long Night Moon). Apparently, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the Cold Moon heralds a time of rest and release, and fitting that it should fall between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Oh yes, I read the Old Farmer’s Almanac. I am, after all, the wife of the young poet-farmer (not to be confused with our 85 year old neighbour Zio Mario who is THE poet-farmer). We are trying to embrace seasonal living here so the almanac is useful – we use the Italian version Barbanera (Blackbeard!). Our kitchen is full of citrus fruits and greens at the moment… ok ok and a few Pandoro (a traditional Italian Christmas sweet bread). Seems healthy enough! I’m even working, albeit at a snail’s pace, on a seasonal living recipe and guide book.

If you dabble in astrology as I occasionally do, you might be interested to know that

The full Moon on December 26 is one of the most emotionally charged Moons of the year. The last full Moon of 2023, it is ruled by the energy of Cancer, which directs our attention inward toward our emotions and our intuition. Cancer, ruled by the Moon herself, Cancer reminds us to slow down and nurture ourselves. This full Moon in Cancer allows us to pause, reflect, and release as we prepare for a new year.1

And, couldn’t we all do with a bit of that! Slowing down and nurturing ourselves! A bit of inward reflection and letting go? For me, this started on 24th, just before the moon reached fullness. We joined friends and neighbours at a neighbouring farm for a little potluck Christmas Eve celebration. Our host, one of the other Alessandros on the road, is a lovely chap. He’s a beekeeper and built his little off grid cobb house some years back on a little piece of land deep in the Sardinian countryside. He’s probably the most chill person I’ve ever met and his house has a very positive vibe, always full of people coming and going, music playing, animals and children running about happy and free. It was a small gathering of local farmers-artists-artisans and a few circus folk and we spent most of the evening outside, on improvised log benches, around a glorious bonfire. Fire has its own charisma, doesn’t it?! We sat entranced with a clear sky overhead lit up by the almost full moon and thousands of twinkling stars. Illuminated. Magic. A moment of serenity. An evening of laughter and song, and full bellies. And, also, quiet conversations and contemplations. Shared heartbreak over Palestine. Missing loved ones. Hope for the future in the new age of Aquarius. A reminder that we are all small insignificant dots in the vast universe and yet part of the whole. Gratitude and love was in the air.

Funny about the moon and emotions. So connected to the senses. Smells and tastes, particularly, are gateways to deep memories and feelings. The smell of wood burning takes me back to childhood Christmas’, for example, when my father would dress the tree on Christmas eve with Mexican straw doodads, baubles, tinsel, and candles (real ones!) and light the fire in our fireplace and then invite my sister and I in after our bath so we could sing Christmas hymns together and open just one parcel – usually the big one from Omi with all the gingerbread, and something red for me and blue for my sister. I also can’t smell bleach without remembering my Omi boiling her white linens on laundry day or camellias without thinking of the little rounds of soap my mother kept in her underwear drawer.

I was delighted to find a copy of an old favourite amongst my husband’s books yesterday – one of the most powerful literary introductions to the senses and emotions for me as a young woman. Italo Calvino’s ‘Under the Jaguar Sun’. A collection of short stories. I read it back in the 80s and fell in love with Calvino. Such a gifted storyteller. Before that there had been Margaret Atwood’s ‘The Edible Woman’ which I devoured (sorry!) and led me to her other wonderful works. I’ve always been fascinated by literature and films around this theme. You know, films like ‘Babette’s Feast’, ‘Like Water for Chocolate’, ‘Chocolat’, ‘Delicatessen’… and I’m really looking forward to seeing the new French film with Juliette Binoche, ‘The Taste of Things’. If you know of any others, let me know in the comments below! In any case, I’ve got ‘Under the Jaguar Sun’ on my nightstand now and am curious to see if it’s as powerful a read now as all those years ago.

I adore the Scandinavian tradition of giving books and chocolates at Christmas. In fact, it was my gift this year to my husband. From him I got art-related stuff which I loved but I gifted myself a book too! It’s a little book called ‘The Night I Danced with Rommel’. Yes, a story from WW2. The thing is the author is telling the story of her mother as a young woman during the war in a small German town and that town is the same town my Omi is from, where my father grew up, where I spent a lot of my childhood. Incredible. I was so curious! I’ve started writing a novel myself recently about my Omi and her sisters and thought, wow, could be some interesting background from that period for my novel. I want to tell a story of the lives of 4 sisters from a small German town. They remained very close throughout their lives even though they took different paths. A family saga of sorts. A story of little women, of sisterhood, of women’s resilience in the face of hardships, extraordinary ordinary women. Anyway, ‘The Night I Danced with Rommel’ is now also on my nightstand waiting for me. I’m excited to start.

Today, after many years, I also popped into my Goodreads account. Maybe a New Year’s resolution to help me read more in 2024! You can find me here if you’re interested. Love to connect with other folk who like to read!

Well, that’s me. Your turn! What are you reading? What’s on your nightstand? Drop me a note in the comments below.

ciao per ora bellissime sorelle

with warm wishes and hugs as we slide into 2024 – may it be a year of serenity, full of an abundance of love,

F ox

PS Thanks for reading! This piece was written on 28/12/23 for my Substack ‘The Blue Stockings Society: 21st C Edition‘! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

You can also come join me in the Facebook community group of the same name where there is more space for people to initiate discussion and might be fun to start a little book club together! Search Facebook for @bluestockings or go directly using this link The Blue Stockings Society – women who think, write, create

PPS If you’re going through a transitional phase now and feel a coach could help, I offer life coaching and would be happy to set up a discovery call with you to see if we’d be a good fit. Email me at ciao@foxonthego.com and/or visit my site www.foxonthego.com/coaching/

I also have a free Self-care Guide available which draws on Blue Zone principles and chakras. You can download it here.