The Minoans were great artists, including beautiful plants and animals in their work. I've written before about their depictions of lilies - perhaps the most well-known botanical figure in Minoan art - and papyrus.
Today, I'd like to talk about an unnatural flower, one that doesn't exist in the real world but that appears in Minoan art: the waz lily. You can see two of them on the teacup above (the looped handle is facing away from the camera, so it's not visible). The waz lily is a stylized lily with a pronounced double curl, combined with a stylized papyrus bloom head.
As noted by Cole Prots of W Magazine, this past New Moon on the 7th/8th, was one of the “luckiest New Moons of the year.” I would highly concur with that statement. I must give a huge shout-out to my fellow creative team, superstar cast, and incredibly talented musicians, who helped make the musical I co-wrote the book for, “Shining in Misery: A King-Size Parody,” an amazing success at the special concert performance at 54 Below in NYC. We were graced with the presence of renowned writers and Tony-Award Winners David Malloy and Lin-Manuel Miranda, applauded by a thoroughly entertained audience, and written up extremely favorably, particularly by Nathan Johnson at Broadway World. Here’s a small glimpse of our incredible night:
When you mention the phrase "Minoan flower," most people immediately think of lilies. Yes, the saffron crocus was very important to the Minoans - in their religion, their art, and their economy - but somehow lilies have taken the spotlight. And with good reason.
They're beautiful, for one thing. Just look at that image above! It's a portion of the Spring fresco from Akrotiri, showing a typical springtime scene of red lilies blooming and swallows returning from their winter migration to Africa. These are probably wild Turk's cap lilies (Lilium martagon) which are native to the Mediterranean.
There is always something good somewhere, even in hard times, even in hard lives. "Stop to smell the flowers" has become a cliche, but we said it so much because it's useful.
In Taoist and Buddhist traditions they have the concept of the yin and yang, which are depicted always having a tiny spot of their opposite inside. Like the good in Darth Vader (lol, sorry, I'm such a geek I couldn't resist.) Heathen philosophy doesn't put this concept so starkly in a visual symbol, but in our mythology the entire universe was generated out of the dynamic combination of two opposites, the runes fehu (primal fire) and isa (primal ice.) So everything we see around us is both matter and energy, both power and pattern, both potential and the universal laws of physics that make potential reach its physically manifested form.
Key moments in the lives of plants do not always tie in to the standard eight festivals. Yes, the snowdrops flower at Imbolc and hawthorn blooms around Beltain and the grain is generally ripe for Lugnasadh, but these are just a few plants. Many other plants come into their own at other times in the year. A real relationship with the plant life of the UK calls for more attention than just festival plants. If you are not in the UK, your seasonal plants will be different and I think it’s really important to engage with what’s around you, not what comes from the history of the festival.
One of my favourite April wildflowers is the Kingcup – they tend to bloom once it starts feeling warm and springish. Large, exuberant yellow flowers, often occurring in great profusion. Kingcups favour damp places, canal edges, riverbanks, ponds and streams.
The power of symbolism--specifically, flower symbolism--really hit home for me on Monday.
My uncle, one of thirteen children, died last week. His funeral was Monday, and it just so happened my husband had July 2-4 off for the holiday, so we were able to attend.
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