DRAGONFLY LORE
Dragonflies, or damselflies, were connected to Freya the Norse goddess of love, fertility and warfare. Freya was famous for her beauty and her knowledge as a magician. It was she who taught Odin the shamanic practices known as seidr which were still practiced during Christian times. The paired bodies of mating dragonflies form the shape of a heart, perhaps being the source for that modern symbol of love. In ancient lore, the dragonfly represents transformation, adaptation and insight.
Being that my husband, Mark, and I both own our own business- there sometimes is crossover into each other's world...as you know mine is all about visual, open concepts... and his (environmental science) is mostly about analytical thinking, scientific testing- very linear...but you know what they say about opposites!
This past Sunday, I joined him as his "scribe" to monitor some meters that sit over an old landfill. This landfill is a good example of when something is done right and re-vegetated; it can return to a natural state. As we walked in on this very hot day, I noticed all the grasses and various insects flying around...with particular interest in the white butterflies that reminded me so much of the butterfly fish under the sea, as they dart rapidly in pairs from flower to flower or as in the ocean for coral to coral.
There were many types of grasses and wild flowers.
As I started to narrow my scope (while still scribing- you know us artists can multitask!) I started to notice all the dragonflies...so many different colors. They are such interesting little creatures. Zooming here and there. I don't know much about dragonflies but noticed that each one seemed to have it's own territory and each would repeatly land on the same one or two little branches.