Around Halloween, I bought a small Gourd from a market. She was orange and bright and alive, like the Pumpkins around her.
Unlike the hard-shell Calabash Gourds used for containers, tools, and art objects for æons, she is an edible vine Gourd*, with the lifespan of a season or less. And so I sat her on my Altar, next to my Gaia goddess Gourd, and documented her slow journey of decay.
Late in November, black spots begin to climb her bright orange shell. Her time from the vine a fading memory, she comforts me in response to a local tragedy. The forest faeries explore just a little more, while the weather is mild and we can commune in the wild.
Early December.. effects of age show up in the mirror. Black spots spread, she drops her head and it’s hard to stand up on her own. Gaia offers support: “..and to me you will return..”
Outside she goes, exiled from the altar and set up at her new home on the front porch. If I had a rocking chair she’d be sitting in it.
From her open-air seat, she stays, in a state of almost decay, surrounded by shades of brown and gray. Winter is here, my Rotting Goddess but I can’t bear to throw you away.
GOURD LIFE
*The edible vine gourds, along with the different types of squash, cushaw and pumpkins, are part of the genus Cucurbita and are indigenous to the Americas, while the hard-shell (not edible) gourds are from genus Lagenaria, indigenous to tropical Africa. Both are included in the Cucurbitaceae family.
The hard-shell Gourds seen here come from the NC Triangle Gourd Patch (thank you, Mom!) or from Masks y Mas in Albuquerque, NM (Kenny Chavez, whose art is featured in this blog).
See also: my story from the Gourd Festival in Casa Grande, Arizona in 2016
North Carolina Gourd Society website
May the cycle of life and death enrich us for new growth in the seasons ahead.
Update 1/1/23: the Rotting Goddess has a new home. I take her to my girlfriend’s house and she gives her a spot on an a/c unit, nestled next to a large shell. She will continue to be an art object and inspiration so there may be more updates to come.
arianna's creative travels 