Snow Moon, January/February 2026
Snow White turned over a brand new leaf/ Her Icy stares opened Caverns beneath/Blue Rose from its slumber and played with our hair/and held us up high in the cold winter air
–“Snow White and Blue” by Arianna
By the time I’m writing this, we are one month into 2026 and two winter storms have covered the eastern woodlands. Effects here for both storms were not as severe compared to areas east and west (my brother lives in Nashville and the ice storm knocked down trees and they lost power for a week), but it’s still better to stay “home” if travel is not necessary.
The Snow Moon rises in time with Imbolc, the Pagan holy day around the midpoint between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. Before these two storms, a collage of emotional landscapes showed the way:
Fancy Gap in January… the Winter Ice storm approaches. The sky looks gray, blue and pink as I walk the labyrinth in the clearing. It’s calm, beautiful, and cold yet warmer than each day that follows. I am able to see the Walk for Peace at the NC Capitol before the first frozen drops begin to fall.
Two weeks prior, I walk through Dix Park on a warm late afternoon following an insightful Runes reading at the Chapel of Bones, where I find two of the Troll sculptures by Thomas Dambo. These trolls are in a pine grove with fairly flat, intersecting trails, and they allure folks of all ages.
My ancestor Francis Parks, “Frank E. Parker,” a resident at Dorothea Dix hospital, is buried in the cemetery on the park grounds, and I visit his grave, too.
Beyond the trolls, I follow a path that comes out of the woods near the Nazareth Orphanage site. Though it’s legendary for being abandoned and (allegedly) haunted following a fire, there are no historical markers here, just the overgrown sidewalks, old oak trees, and the new Cathedral standing tall in the next lot. At sunset, bells from the cathedral chime a melody for several minutes, and I sing my own song on the sidewalk before returning to the trolls’ pine grove.
As a student at NC State, I would come to the Dorothea Dix hospital grounds and explore and write. Then I learned about “crybaby lane” (the orphanage) and visited the site once, in the 2010s, when the new cathedral was being built and Bilyeu Dr. abruptly ended. Now, as a city park that’s also part of the University, these grounds continue to inspire.
That rune reading is still meaningful to me, though maybe not for its accuracy. Around the same time in January, I communicate with Shevaa Deva, who painted this “spirit portrait” of me from a photo taken on in Northern Arizona in February 2013. This painting feels now more relevant to me than when she painted it! The two runes on the top left of the shield were on pieces cast for the reading, and the elk is represented as well. She intends to send this painting to me soon.
Meanwhile, my hands get a little blue from coloring fabric with indigo at the TVE monthly meet. This fun activity coincides with my invitation to join the cast of The Viking Experience through the upcoming festival in March. I’m excited about this! Follow my blog for updates and details about the festival, or you can find a link in my “upcoming events.”
Now I’m about to go to Arizona, to the gem and mineral shows there. The sunny and warm weather will be a drastic change from this past month here in the eastern woodlands. Thank you for reading my stories! Look for another around the next full moon. Peace, light and pathways, Arianna
Music: “Winter Moon” by Erutan
arianna's creative travels 