Reflections on April and a beautiful Mandala

As the snows begin to melt and the rivers swell, the newly-watered landscape seems to come to life. April is when my attention is drawn to the sea, with some of the lowest tides of the year that expose the most mysterious of tide pools. It has me thinking about mermaids and naiads, selkies and seafoam. There is so much magic to be felt in the watery goodness of this spring month!

Let’s begin our journey at the ocean, where you can catch a jar of seawater to make an amazingly delicious spring pizza. Don't forget to dance in the seafoam, a threshold to an underwater world! In that world you might find sea urchins, which inspired the most delicious little dulse-infused chocolate cakes I’ve ever tasted (paired with a smoky “cosmic milk tea”, of course.) Don’t forget to explore the beach for sand dollar skeletons, which also inspired these umami-rich savory biscuits. I featured both of these treats at my recent event “Urchin Tea,” which was a celebration of liminality and the spaces between that we all swim through as we navigate life.

Speaking of swimming, let’s follow the salmon up the wooded rivers of the Pacific Northwest, through the river valleys with hillsides of lomatium and conifers. This salt-baked salmon recipe is an ode to their incredible journey. While we’re in those dampened forests, perhaps we’ll talk with a naiad, who will share her secret to dewy moist skin in a handmade lotion. If we are invited to a feast with her friends, we’ll surely dine on edible labradorite, flavored with the delightful essence of wild ginger. And as we return to the world outside those damp forests, let’s dance on the tide of spring’s first blossoms, captured in a breezy syrup.

All of the gorgeous blue tones of water have also been inspiring me this April - you can read all about the magic of the color blue, from color-changing indigo to ghost-like cyanotype dyeing here. And if that’s not enough blue magic for you, try baking these delicious juniper-chocolate cookies topped with a cyanotype design - all completely natural.

From the waters of the ocean to the trickles of snowmelt, the color blue to capturing flowers, April is a time of water magic and growth. Soon the proliferation of spring blossoms will take over, as May’s abundance fills the foothills, meadows, forests, and grasslands.

I have so loved sharing all of these springtime wonders with all of you this month! And whether or not you’re one of my patrons, I deeply appreciate your support. Every like, follow, comment, or contribution truly does mean so much to me, and reminds me why I spend all of my best days creating more wonder to share with all of you. 

If you’d like to download a high-res version of this photo to use for a variety of projects while also supporting my mission to share wonder, you can support me on Patreon for rewards like this one!

And if you’d like to get this design printed on everything from greeting cards to throw pillows, take a look at my Society6 Shop! My favorite design so far, this mandala looks awesome on a bag perfect for foraging: (Which, by the way is on sale for 30% off today!)

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