These clay pieces are based on four dreams, the first of which appeared in July of 2014.
Dream 1: “Sorcerer’s Apprentice”
On my way to the sacred Black Hills, I meet a man who lives inside of a neolithic mound. “Hey, happy birthday,” he says. He has long white hair and is dressed in Merlin’s star-sprinkled blue cap and gown, but he tells me his name is Harry. He has a twin who also warmly greets me. Harry is extremely loving and provides me with deeply poetic information about the ecology of the earth. After the wizard departs from my dream, I go shopping, searching for clothes on a circular wooden display filled with scarves and a single brown leather purse. I discover that Merlin/Harry has placed a magician’s hat on my head.
Dream 2: “Black Wolf”
This dream occurred when I was in Glastonbury, England, for my 60th birthday during Beltane in 2017. I learned about Jill Purce from her husband Rupert Sheldrake’s 2015 email newsletter. I decided to participate in her Tantric mandala and overtone chanting ceremony at Earth Spirit Centre, an eco-retreat on a medieval farm 5 miles from Glastonbury. I stayed in an old stone cider barn next to pastures full of beautiful sheep. The Tor (an ancient sacred hill) is visible from Earth Spirit. Jill and Rupert have two sons, one named Merlin. The Arthur legend is very prominent in Glastonbury, as are two ley lines named The Michael and Mary Lines (Archangel Michael and Mary Magdalene). At the closing of the mandala we all wore white silk scarves provided by Buddhist monks.
The second night of the retreat, I dream I am on my ancestral lands, my grandmother’s farm on the prairie near Wabasha, Minnesota, home to my Irish and Dakota ancestors. I am searching for plants alongside the sandy drive. I spy a black wolf loping over the grassland and I move away as secretly as I can. I cross the gravel county road into a shallow ditch. There is a galvanized steel culvert at my back. The wolf sees me and runs at me, attacking with open jaws. I stand firm, grabbing him by the teeth.
Dream 3: “Black Wolf Romeo”
I shared the Glastonbury black wolf dream in Victoria Rabinowe’s 2017 morning session at the Anaheim IASD conference. Two days later, I dream that the black wolf and I lie together, blissfully. I gently stroke his fangs. We are in love.
Dream 4: “Black Wolf Romeo Joins Me In My Manor House”
In this recent dream, Romeo is a glistening spiritual presence in my new family home.
After the third dream, videos began showing up on my YouTube app about a black wolf named Romeo from Juneau, Alaska. He loved to play in the local dog park with his domestic cousins. There are many videos of this charming beast.
Dear Denise, I love your writing and your pieces. Good luck with being accepted, though, I think your pieces will be welcomed with open arms.