Zhaawano's ArtBlog

WELCOME TO MY ARTBLOG! I dedicate this blog to the infinite WISDOM, CREATIVITY, and SACRED DREAMING POWERS of my ANISHINAABE ANCESTORS. They knew that everything in Creation has MANIDOO, or SPIRIT. The PLANTS, the TREES, the WATER, the WIND, the ROCKS, the MOUNTAINS have MANIDOO. The SKY SPIRITS have MANIDOO. I try to put some of that MANIDOO in my storytelling jewelry and in the TEACHING STORIES that I share along with my art and that of kindred artists. MII I'IW, CHI-MIIGWECH.

Thursday, September 14, 2023

Star Stories, part 35: When Oshkaabewis Follows the Wolf in the Night Sky

"When Oshkaabewis Follows the Wolf in the Night Sky"

Waagaabagaa-giizis/Waatebagaa-giizis (Leaves Turning Moon), September 14

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When Oshkaabewis Follows The Wolf Path in the Night Sky, painting by Zhaawano Giizhik

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Boozhoo, aaniin!

Welcome to part 35 of a blog series titled "Star Stories," in which I connect my and kindred artists' storytelling art – in the form of jewelry and graphic art – with anang akiiwan (the star world) as perceived by our Peoples who since time immemorial inhabit the northern regions of Turtle Island – nowadays called Canada and the United States.

Today's story is about the new moon, the last of the month of September and the last of this year's Summer. We will also discuss the end of Planet Mercury's retrograde - which means it will no longer follow the backward trail of the Wolf across the night sky.
So, what's up with the new moon that will rise tonight? New moons occur when the moon is between the Sun and Earth, which happens about every 29.5 days. A new moon occurs tonight (Sept. 14) at 9:40 p.m. EDT (0140 UTC on Sept 15), and is clearing our path for a rich blessing as it aligns with the planets of Ogimaa (Chief), or Zhaawan-anang (Southern Star) - which are both names used by our People for planet Jupiter - and Waakwi, the Land of the Deceased (as we call Uranus). It is the last new moon of Niibin, as we call Summer season. Meanwhile, according to Western astrology, Planet Mercury is retrograding through the Zodiac sign of Virgo until tomorrow (September 15).

After a few weeks of chaotic energy, "Mercury retrograde" is coming to an end. Called Mercurius or Solis planet 1 in Western astronomy, Oshkaabewis, as our People call this aadawaa'am ogimaa (planet), is the smallest planet in the Solar System and the closest to Giizis, the Sun. In our culture, Oshkaabewis has several meanings, such as waiter, ceremonial helper or messenger, and pipe bearer. The term "Oshkaabewis" for Mercury is a post-contact name, which means that it stems from the era after the arrival of the Mooniyag (Europeans). In fact, it is a neologism, as it was borrowed from the ancient notion that this planet, since it is so close to the Sun, must be his helper. The Babylonians called the planet Nabu after the messenger to the gods in their mythology. The Maya may have represented Mercury as an owl (or possibly four owls; two for the morning aspect and two for the evening) that served as a messenger to the underworld.

Since it overlapped with retrograde season, and especially the retrograde of Giizhig Anang, the third retrograde of Oshkaabewis in 2023 was intense. From September 21 to September 28 (on September 24 in particular), Oshkaabewis will form a positive trine (one third of a circle) with Ogimaa in Taurus. Taurus is called Misaabe ("The Giant") by our People. Misaabe is a star constellation of the zodiac, which means the sun, moon and planets travel through it regularly.

On this day, Mercury will revisit its "cazimi point" that took place on September 6. Cazimi (or "conjunct the Sun)" - Cazimi comes from the Arabic term for “in the heart of the Sun” - takes place when the Sun and Oshkaabewis meet at the same point in the sky.

When Is Mercury in Retrograde in 2023?

In 2023, Mercury is in apparent retrograde motion during the following ranges of dates:

December 28, 2022, to January 18, 2023
April 21 to May 14
August 23 to September 14
December 13 to January 1, 2024

Please note that dates reflect Eastern Time U.S., not Universal Time.

Oshkaabewis retrograde is, in fact, a planetary slowdown. Unlike what it sounds like, a planet in retrograde isn’t actually moving backward; it’s just slowing down. Oshkaabewis normally moves faster than Earth around the sun. But when Oshkaabewis is retrograde, it is moving slower than Earth around the Sun. (Oshkaabewis usually moves 88 days around the sun versus the 365 days that Earth does.) This creates an optical illusion in which it seems as if Oshkaabewis were moving backward.

But there is more to this phenomenon besides the Western scientific theory.

To our Anishinaabe ancestors, seasonal changes on earth corresponded with the movement of stellar constellations, which, in turn, were reflected in their storytelling and ceremonies. They observed a circular movement of the sky throughout the year; this phenomenon they called Gizhibaa Giizhig ("the Revolving Sky"). Gizhibaa ("circle") referred to a circular, east-to-west movement of the sun, moon, stars and seasons in Waawiyekamig, the "round lodge" – the Universe/cosmos. It was also observed that a few times a year certain planets – such as Oshkaabewis (Mercury), Waakwi (Uranus), and Giizhig Anang (Venus) – traveled retrograde (westward in relation to the stars). This phenomenon was called Ma'iingan Giizhig Miikana, the Wolf Sky Trail.

Why the Wolf Trail? As keen observers of nature, the ancestors noticed that, although ma'iinganag (wolves) usually travel in packs, sometimes a lone wolf rebelliously sets off in a different direction for a while to hunt for moozoog (moose) before eventually rejoining the pack. This is why they saw Ma’iingan’s presence on earth mirrored in the night sky as Azhe'ose: a moose-hunting Contrary walking the backward path as it is disobeying the rules of the other Sky Beings. This phenomenon, of aadawaa'amoog ogimaag azhe'osewag (planets seemingly traveling the opposite path), is also known as Ode' Miikana: "Pathway of the Heart."

For more reading about the topic of the planets going retrograde, see: Star stories, part 10 : The Moose on Earth and in the Sky.

Illustration: "When Oshkaabewis Follows the Wolf Path in the Night Sky" © 2023 Zhaawano Giizhik. The painting depicts an Anishinaabe Bear Healer dancing in recognition of the new moon and the Oshkaabewis (Mercury) retrograde as it follows the backward trail of the Moose-hunting Wolf through the Misaabe (Taurus Zodiac sign). Also visible are the new moon and the Sun, as well as the planets of Ogimaa (Jupiter) and Giizhig Anang (Venus). The constellation of Ajiijaak (Cygnus) is visible in the upper right corner of the painting.

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About the author/artist and his inspiration

Zhaawano Giizhik , an American currently living in the Netherlands, was born in 1959 in North Carolina, USA. Zhaawano has Anishinaabe blood running through his veins; the doodem of his ancestors from Baawitigong (Sault Ste. Marie, Upper Michigan) is Waabizheshi, Marten. As a writer and a (non-commercial) artist and jewelry designer, Zhaawano draws on the oral and pictorial traditions of his ancestors. For this he calls on his manidoo-minjimandamowin, or 'Spirit Memory'; which means he tries to remember the knowledge and the lessons of his ancestors. In doing so he sometimes works together with kindred artists.

To Zhaawano's ancestors the MAZINAAJIMOWIN or ‘pictorial spirit writings’ - which are rich with symbolism and have been painted throughout history on rocks and etched on other sacred items such as copper and slate, birch bark and animal hide - were a form of spiritual as well as educational communication that gave structure and meaning to the cosmos that they felt they were an integral part of.

Many of these sacred pictographs or petroforms – some of which are many, many generations old - hide in sacred locations where the manidoog (spirits) reside, particularly in those mystic places near the lake's coastlines where the sky, the earth, the water, the underground and the underwater meet.

The way Zhaawano understands it, it is in these sacred places invisible to the ordinary, waking eye that his design and storyteller's inspiration originate from.

Wednesday, August 30, 2023

Star Stories, part 34: Dance of the Orange Blue Supermoon

"Dance of the Orange Blue Supermoon"

Manoominike-giizis (Ricing Moon) (August 30, 2023)

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Watching the Celestial Beings Dance, painting by Zhaawano Giizhik

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"Like the Moon, the nurturing heart of the Universe is always present, though it is often hidden from us."

- R.M. Rilke

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Boozhoo, aaniin!

Welcome to part 34 of a blog series titled "Star Stories," in which I connect my and kindred artists' storytelling art – in the form of rings, jewelry, and graphic art – with anang akiiwan (the star world) as perceived by our Peoples who since time immemorial inhabit the northern regions of Turtle Island – nowadays called Canada and the United States.

Today's story is about a rare convergence of two celestial beings that will occur tonight, between Gookomisinaan Dibikigiizis, Our Grandmother the Moon, and Gitigaane Aki, the ringed gas giant that is one of the largest planets in our Solar system.
The Ojibwe Anishinaabeg calendar - which is a lunar calendar - has a full moon, which in our language, would be called Ozhaawashko-dibikigiizis ("Blue Moon"). A "common" full moon occurs when the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun, a position it reaches about every 29.5 days. A "Blue Moon" however, refers to one of two things: A second Full Moon in a month (which makes it a solar-calendrical Blue Moon) or a third Full Moon in a season that has four Full Moons (which means it is a seasonal Blue Moon). A season is the period between solstices and equinoxes. Ordinarily one would expect three Full Moons in a season, but occasionally we see four. This year there are still three Full Moons between June 21 and Sept. 23, but we get two Full Moons in August because the month has 31 days. Which means that this August, Blue Moon is a solar-calendrical one, not a seasonal one.

BLUE OR ORANGE MOON?

Why is an Ozhaawashko-dibikigiizis called so, by the way? Why blue? Has it always been our way to call it so? No it hasn't. "Ozhaawashko-dibikigiizis" is one of many words in our language that is, what you could call, an oshki-ikidowin, or "neologism": In this case, a new word, which is a literal translation of a word taken from a foreign language. There is, however, nothing "ozhaawashk" about an Ozhaawashko-dibikigiizis; she will actually appear "ozaawi" (orange) in color (see the image). The term blue moon originated from the 16th-century expression “the Moon is blue,” meaning something that was impossible. For two years following the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano in Indonesia in 1883, people around the world reported seeing magically colored sunsets and a Moon that appeared blue. With this possible, but uncommon, occurrence, “once in a blue moon” came to mean "impossible or at least very rarely."
Ozaawi-dibikigiizisoog - let's call the phenomenon of a blue moon this from now on: Ozaawi-dibikiiigiizis, "Orange Moon" - occur relatively frequently, and happen, astronomically speaking, once every two to three years. The last Ozaawi-dibikiiigiizis rose in August 2021, and the next is expected to rise in August 2024.

This month's Full Moon (the third and final Full Moon of summer in the northern hemisphere) will rise on the night on the 30th day of the month of August - which is called Manoominike-giizis (Ricing Moon) by some of our People, and Miini-giizis (Berry Moon) by others - depending on the region where they live. Tonight, look to the east just after sunset to find it. It will look its best at moonrise on two successive evenings, Wednesday, August 30 and Thursday, August 31. It is the second Full Moon this month after the Full Moon that we call Odatagaagomini-giizis (Blackberry Moon), which rose on Aug. 1.

SUPERMOON

This month's second full moon is notable for a few reasons: For one, not only is it a full moon, but it's also an Ozaawi-dibikiiigiizis, which, in this case, means it's the third Full Moon in a season that has four Full Moons. Secondly, this Ozaawi-dibikiiigiizis is also a GICHI-DIBIKIGIIZIS or SUPERMOON, meaning it coincides with perigee, the point in Grandmother Moon's orbit when she is closest to Earth. Why, then, is this moon termed "gichi", or “super”? This refers to the moon’s closeness to Earth during its full phase, making it appear more substantial and brighter. However, with the unaided eye, this size difference probably won't be noticeable.

THE ORANGE SUPERMOON MEETS THE GARDEN PLANET

Tonight, on August 30th, we will experience a rare convergence of Grandmother Moon and one of the largest akiwag (planets) in our Solar system. As the Earth-based longitude shows the moon in perfect opposition to the Sun, Grandmother will light up the night with an orange glow at 9:36 PM EDT and dance in conjunction with Gitigaane or "Garden," the planet known as Saturn in Western Astronomy. This gas giant will be just a few days past opposition, the point at which it lies directly opposite Grandfather Sun as seen from Earth, making it especially bright in the night sky.
As viewed from Turtle Island, Gitigaane (which, by the way, is another example of an oshki-ikidowin, as it is a direct reference to the Roman god Saturnus, the god of agriculture and the harvest) will be in the constellation known as Aquarius in Western astrology - a star constellation along the zodiac,* above and to the right of the moon. Gitigaane orbits in a position opposite Grandfather Sun, resulting in the Sun, Earth, and Gitigaane aligned in the same line with the Earth in the middle. Throughout the night until dawn, if the sky is clear, Gitigaane can be clearly seen with the naked eye.

Gitigaane will appear above and to the right of the moon as it rises. The closest approach between the moon and Gitigaane will occur at 2:07 p.m. Eastern, so it won't be visible from Turtle Island and the rest of the Western Hemisphere. Observers in central Europe, however, are well placed to catch the moment when Grandmother Moon and Gitigaane dance together – sharing the same celestial longitude – and when they make their close approach. In the Southern Hemisphere, the position of the two sky dancers will be seen differently – Saturn will appear below the moon, since the sky looks "upside down" from there.

When Gookomisinaan Dibik-giizis, our Grandmother Moon, and Grandfather Gitigaane dance together a special energy radiates through space that will be felt by all those who are open to it. This celestial dance, which will last for two days, will thin the veil between our world and the Spirit World...may their presence be felt by every living being that lives on and beneath the earth and her waters...________________________________________________________ Note:

*Zodiac is a term used in Western astrology.: The zodiac, the 12 signs listed in a horoscope, is closely tied to how the Earth moves through the sky. According to Western Astrology, a belt on either side of the Sun's path over the course of a year, including all apparent positions of the sun, moon, and most familiar planets. It is divided into twelve equal divisions or signs (Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces.

The English word zodiac derives from the Latinized form of the ancient Greek zōdiakòs kýklos, meaning "cycle or circle of little animals." Zōdion (ζῴδιον) is the diminutive of zōon (ζῷον,"animal"). The name reflects the prominence of animals and mythological hybrids among the twelve signs through which, as was believed, the Sun travels his path.

> Read the episodes of the "Star Stories" series published so far:

Star Stories: Fisher Star in the Sun

Star Stories: The Power of Dreaming

Star Stories: A Revolving Sky Above Nibaad Misaabe

Star Stories: The Amazing Legend of Yellow Star and the Sleeping Giant

Star Stories: A Vision of Love

Star Stories: Parallel Paths

Star Stories: A Gentle Rumble Across the Universe

Star Stories: Our Clans Among the Stars, chapter 1

Star Stories: Our Clans Among the Stars, chapter 2

Star stories: Ojibwe Star Map: An Artistic Rendering

Star Stories: The Moose on Earth and in the Sky