Michaelmas Daisies
acrylic, 6x8

Today is Michaelmas, the Feast of St. Michael the Archangel. In Hebrew his name means "Who is Like God" and he is our warrior against evil and darkness. In pre-Christian northern Europe the time of the autumnal equinox was viewed as a time when, as the nights got longer and the days shorter, darkness was overtaking light. And also as a time when the veil between this world and the spiritual world was very fragile and evil spirits might cross into our world. This was a fearful time for people. When Christianity spread across northern Europe the church positioned this feast at this particular time in the year to remind people that they had a strong spiritual protector, who would defend them against the forces of darkness, in the Archangel Michael and the hosts of angels he commanded. At this time of the year, the Aster (Aster nova-belgii) blooms, and it has become known as the Michaelmas Daisy. The Michaelmas Daisy comes in many colors, from white to pink to purple. It is this Michaelmas Daisy that is the flower in the old scenerio of "She loves me, She loves me not". Today was a very windy day with a rainstorm coming in. As I was out in the garden painting this I was pelted by acorns and hickory nuts falling from the trees! The rain has come now and the chilly air reminds me that summer has truly passed.