May Full Moon Altar: Ishtar

This full moon altar honours Ishtar, the Great Goddess of Babylon in ancient Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq). Ishtar subsumes in herself all the attributes and powers of every other goddess in the region, including the mighty Inanna, and is therefore essentially the Goddess of Everything, including Abundance, Fertility, Love, War, Rebirth, and Transformation.

Her sacred animal is the Lion which, as Goddess of War, she rides into battle, as depicted on this plaque of unknown provenance. The well-armed Ishtar is surrounded by symbols of power and strength, and clearly will not be defeated. I bought this reproduction about 20 years ago from Sacred Source, which unfortunately no longer appears to carry it in their inventory.

Echoing Ishtar's Female-With-Lion symbolism are several "Strength cards" from the Major Arcana of various Tarot decks. Classic Strength card imagery depicts a savage lion allowing a gentle maiden to open (control) its implacable jaws of death and destruction. The Strength card's message is that only love and kindness are strong enough to "tame the beast within" of wild emotions and destructive passions.

[Left to right: Morgan-Greer Tarot, The Pulp Tarot, Tarot of the Magical Forest]

[Left to right: Legacy of the Divine Tarot, Daughters of the Moon Tarot]

This month has a couple of significant lunar correspondences. Tonight's full moon coincides with the pagan fertility festival known as Beltane or May Day. And at the end of the month, there will be a second full moon, usually referred to as a Blue Moon.

[Photos #1-4 © Debra She Who Seeks, 2026; Image #5 courtesy of the Internet]

A Haibun For National Poetry Month

In 2008, our Michelangelo Road Tour took us to Carrara, Italy, where Michelangelo obtained the purest white marble for his sculpted Renaissance masterpieces. We were astonished to see that all the street curbs in that Tuscan mountain town were made of marble. And every doorstep was made of marble too, no matter how humble or impoverished the abode. But then again, why shouldn't the world's finest marble be used for such prosaic purposes? In Carrara, marble is as common as dirt.

Doorstep or David,

it's all the same

to marble mountains

[Haibun © Debra She Who Seeks, 2026;

Photo © Debra She Who Seeks, 2008;

Animated AI GIF courtesy of the internet]

Vertex Quartet, Excentrica Women's Chamber Chorus, Doug Berner Trio

Last weekend was all about music! I attended three concerts by Edmonton musicians.

Vertex Quartet

On Friday night, this local women's string quartet played a wonderful program of works by Beethoven, Clara Schumann and Robert Schumann. Special guests Bethel Balge from Minnesota accompanied the Quartet on grand piano and Ian Liu played a Bach cello suite.

Excentrica Women's Chamber Chorus

On Saturday, I attended Excentrica's Spring Concert specifically to hear them perform Pergolesi's baroque masterwork Stabat Mater, a particular favourite of mine. They also performed several delightful madrigals and a fun jazz version of the Bach Cantata Wachet Auf (Sleepers, Awake).

Doug Berner Trio

And finally, Sunday afternoon was spent relaxing at the Jazz and Reflections concert series listening to the Doug Berner Trio's smooth jazz stylings. The perfect way to cap off my musical weekend!

Is Wolverine A Superhero?

Okay, Wolverine is not a goody-two-shoes

in ANYONE'S book. He's a 

foul-mouthed, vicious animal and

a frequent, remorseless killer.

But sometimes he sort of means well

and hey, he can be kind of noble

occasionally, with great reluctance.

Yes, I'm rationalizing.

The truth of the matter is that

I give Wolverine a free pass

simply because he is Canadian.

HE'S WHAT??????

James "Logan" Howlett was born

a couple of centuries ago in the

North-West Territories of Canada,

in what is now northern Alberta.

His declassified documents, records and journals are

maintained by Libraries and Archives Canada.

So what if they were publicly released on April 1st?

That date is of no significance.

What more proof do you need?

And if Wolverine is Canadian,

doesn't it mean that, by default,

he is . . . .

Oh, still not convinced that Wolverine

qualifies as a superhero for National Superhero Day?

Wanna make something of it, Bub?

Monday Murals -- Adventure Awaits!

I'm taking part today in 

Monday Murals hosted by Sami.

This mural by an unidentified artist is located

inside Edmonton's Kingsway Mall.

An androgynous young adventurer is opening a portal

in the time-space continuum and is about to go

on a grand adventure -- who knows where?

And of course, every adventurer needs

a companion on the journey!

[Photographs © Debra She Who Seeks, 2026]

But First, Coffee

We're Calling In The Big Guns Now

It's been 32 long years since a Canadian hockey team last won the Stanley Cup. But Canada has a new strategy this year, namely --

Divine Intervention by the Hockey Gods themselves!

Canadian-owned multinational restaurant chain Boston Pizza has launched an hilarious ad campaign with restaurant tie-ins and promotions, including: 

• Hockey God bobbleheads, available at local Boston Pizza restaurants.
• media kits, with Hockey God prayer candles, holy rink water, holy pucks, and prayer cards designed to bring playoff luck home.
• social media content featuring prominent hockey fans tapping into the power of the Hockey Gods to rally a win on home ice.

Here in Edmonton, there is also:

• a Sistine Chapel-inspired mural (see below -- worthy of Michelangelo himself, LOL) and
• game-day mullet makeovers for fans at the Fan Park (mullets are also known as "Hockey Hair" because their "short top and sides" fit under a hockey helmet without sacrificing "the party in the back" of long hair.)

According to Boston Pizza, the campaign will run "as long as the Hockey Gods are with us."