In the Arena

See also the previous posts:
• In the Arena | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX | X | XI | XII
• Wrestling: "The Heterosexually Acceptable Form of Homosexual Foreplay"
• The Domain of Eros
• "Deal with It": Joe Kort's Message to Straight Men Who Shower with Gay Men
• Olympic Male Beauty
• Olympic Male Beauty II
• Ball[s] Sports
• Colin
• LeBron
• In the Arena, a Call for Justice

Images: Photographers unknown.

A Mystery No More

Dr Pirrello et al. state: “Lagophthalmos derives from the Greek terms λαγος (hare) and οφταλμος (eye). It is a condition in which the eyelids are unable to close the palpebral aperture completely and cover the whole eye. Hares in fact sleep with their eyes open.” This statement requires some etymologic remarks.

The belief that hares sleep with their eyes open can be found in the literature ever since the ancient Greek and Roman societies. For a long time the hare’s habits were hardly known. The hare was a mysterious creature and became the subject to much folklore. Nowadays, however, many of the mysteries about the hare are disproved as we are now better able to observe hares with our modern filming techniques. We now know that hares are able to close their eyes and that they do not sleep with their eyes open.

– Source

See also the previous posts:
• Golden-Coloured Eyes
• Amber Eyes

Images: Photographers unknown.

Bel Homme

Image: Subject and photographer unknown.

Sub-Zero

The head of my ornamental moon-gazing hare, protruding out of the snow and into the sub-zero temperatures currently being experienced in Minnesota.


See also the previous posts:
Minneapolis Weather: Brrring on the Coldest Night of Winter – Sven Sundgaard (Bring Me the News, February 3, 2023).
Bitter Cold Friday Morning Gives Way to a Big Weekend Warmup – Minnesota Public Radio News (February 3, 2023).

See also the previous posts:
• In the Winter Garden
• Winter Hare
• In Winter Field
• Winter Light
• Hares in Winter
• The Promise of Imbolc

Image: The Leveret.

Morning Light

Image: Subject and photographer unknown.

See also the previous posts:
• The Body: A Holy Place of Romp and Renewal
• The Body’s “Holy Hole”
• A Source of Great Pleasure
• “Downtown Heaven”
• Morning Light – November 26, 2016
• Morning Light – August 30, 2013

The Promise of Imbolc

Writes Carl Neal in Imbolc: Rituals, Recipes, and Lore for Brigid’s Day:

When the dark days of winter seem to have gone on forever, the first sign of spring refreshes our souls. It is a promise that winter will not last forever and that warm and fertile days will come again soon. Even through snow, the daffodils will push their heads up with a startling flash of green and yellow against the otherwise unbroken glare of winter’s white. While you can still see your breath like steam in the chilled air, the first taste of fresh milk means that new life will soon be born. Weary from winter’s dark, it also means that the soul will soon be reborn in the growing warmth of the sun. There yet may be snow on the ground but there are new plants sprouting just beneath that protective layer. As bears awaken from their winter slumber, so too does the earth, and life everything reawakens.

Also known as “Imblolg,” “Oimelc,” and the “Feast of St. Brigid,” Imbolc is the sabbat midway between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox. Imbolc is celebrated on February 1 and precedes the more recent Christian reinterpretation of Imbolc called “Candlemas” which is celebrated on February 2. Although you might often see the terms Imbolc and Candlemas used interchangeably, they are actually different holidays. Imbolc is the time when life begins to awaken from its winter sleep and prepare for the warmth and longer days that are soon to start. During the depths of winter, it can feel as though the warm sun and soft breezes of spring will never return and the cold might go on forever. Imbolc marks the turning point when life eagerly begins to look forward to the increasingly warmer days.

Imbolc is a time when new plans are made and new ideas are “planted.” It is also traditionally a time to examine the people, objects, and philosophies in our lives. It is an opportunity to discard the things we don’t need or that are holding us back. It is when we make new plans and improve old ones. In a sense, the Imbolc part of the Wheel of the Year is a winter cocoon. Upon emerging, we may be greatly changed indeed from the beings who celebrated Yule only weeks before.


Image: “Imbolc Hare” by Wendy Andrew.

See also the previous posts:
• Sacred
• Let the Spiral Turn and Turn
• Sol Invictus

And at The Leveret's brother site The Wild Reed, see:
• Imbolc: Celebrating the Freshness of New Beginnings
• Imbolc: Festival of Light
• Taking the High Road . . . in Imbolc’s Time of Growing Light and Emerging New Life

Headwear

Hats | Caps | Helmets | Headdresses

See also the previous posts:
• Headwear – April 30, 2022
• Headwear – February 21, 2021
• Headwear – September 8, 2020
• Mon Bel Ami – January 22, 2015
• Bel Homme – May 20, 2012

Images: Subjects and photographers unknown.

Happy Daisy Day!

Just because daisies are a common flower, doesn’t mean they aren’t a special one. Daisies are native to Northern Europe but can be found in North America, Australia, Africa, South America and even Iceland and Greenland. The word daisy comes from the Old English language, “day’s eye” because its petals blossom at dawn and shut at dusk. What is considered a nuisance member of the weed family can also be used to supplement gardens and yards. Celebrate the tenaciously beautiful daisy every year on January 28.

– Source

Related Off-site Link:
National Daisy Day – DaysOfTheYear.com (January 28, 2023).

See also the previous posts:
• Amidst Daisies
• Brown Hare and Daisies
• Burgeoning Life Force
• Men Amidst Flora
• Spring Blossoming

Image: “Covent Garden, 1930” by deoidesign.

Three Hare Jugs

Image: Penny Boylan Ceramics.

See also the previous posts:
• Hare Décor – March 12, 2020
• Hare Décor – January 25, 2017
• Hare Décor – September 20, 2014
• Hare Tumbler

Morning Light

Image: Subject and photographer unknown.

See also the previous posts:
• Morning Light – July 22, 2022
• Morning Light – February 28, 2013
• Morning Light – February 8, 2011
• Morning Light – December 20, 2008

2023 – Year of the Hare

This year the Chinese New Year is celebrated between Sunday, January 22 and February 5. Many will start the celebration on Saturday night.

If you look at the full moon, the dark areas outline a hare’s ears, body, and paws. In Chinese folklore, this hare lives in the moon so that all on earth can see her at work. The Chinese word Tu-tz (兔子) can mean either hare or rabbit.

Two thousand years ago, Chinese art portrayed a rabbit in the moon holding a pestle with which to grind cassia-tree twigs, cinnamon or immortal herbs to give to Chang-e, the beautiful moon goddess or to other gods and goddesses. Sometimes, the scene depicts a hare, which is bigger and has longer ears, hind legs, and whiskers than an ordinary rabbit (but the Chinese translation is the same). Often, the hare faces Change-e, the moon goddess. Usually, the rabbit is said to be the color white, but In medieval Chinese literature the rabbit is also called the Jade Rabbit and sometimes the Gold Rabbit.

The zodiac year is like three wheels going around to coincide animals, elements, and colors. This year, the Hare coincides with Water in the cycle of elements, which is also associated with Black; so, fortune-tellers will forecast the future according to the qualities of the Water or Black Hare.

The hare is often seen as a symbol for longevity, upward mobility, and a peaceful life.

– Source

Related Off-site Link:
Welcome to 2023 (Finally)! – Astro Gallus (January 22, 2023).

See also the previous posts:
• The Chinese Year of the Hare (2011)
• Sign for the East
• Qualities of People Born in the Year of the Hare

Image: Artist unknown.

Bel Homme

Image: Subject and photographer unknown.