birthday – Wenona Gardner 2024

My Love Book

Sun July 11th or as I would like to say Lucky 7-11 is my birthday. It’s also the new moon and a solar eclipse on that very same day. One spiritual mother told me that I needed to focus on love on my birthday to set my intentions. Another said to sit with what brings you joy on the inside, and express this joy in your outer world.. sharing it with others.

My birthday wish is to celebrate love for the entire month of July. Everywhere I go people are wishing me Happy Valentine’s month or ♥Happy Love Month ♥ I wanted something I could engage people with cause I value relationships. So I decided to play DJ Buffy and I began requesting song requests from people. I would try to go out and find a video of their song and I would write a dedication to them. I love the interaction that I have been receiving from people as I contemplate and explore love in all of it’s beautiful dimensions. Self love, romantic love, true love, love of the Creator, etc.

I am a part of a sacred circle of women. In this source of women’s spirituality I find the security that I have always craved. Within this sacred space I find the acceptance I have always yearned for. The divine feminine is honored and cherished. The energy that is at the heart of this special circle is most profound, radiates, and surrounds all those that are there. I had this desire for women’s spirituality for the longest time. I was on a quest to find where my female spirit could heal and play. I searched various places within my community where I would feel welcomed as a woman. I talked to random women on the street, on the bus, or anywhere I would encounter them. I sought out spiritual centers and churches seeking for the right group of women to immerse myself in. A place where my creativity could flourish. A place where I could laugh. Where I could pray. Where my spirit could dance. After tonight, I think I found confirmation that I found that place… my Moon Circle.

Tonight, I explored my creative side by creating an artbook titled “My Love Book” during the Moon Circle tonight. When I received my name Wabun anung which means Morning Star in a native naming ceremony at 17 years old I instantly envisioned that my path was love. The gifts of life, hope, and light are all given in the act of love as part of the glory of the dawn. My essence is love…my path is to love. I need to claim my birthright. And being part of this awesome connection with the female heart I am encouraged to focus on that power within me of love and around me.

So, I chose to center my focus on my book with love. This is the first time I ever created a multimedia book. I loved the choices of printed, glitter, marbled, and colored paper. There were a ton of stamps to choose from. Magazines to explore for images. A bowl full of vintage pictures. Lots of various kinds of ribbons. My inner child jumped for joy. I love having the opportunity of creating. I played with my book as I assembled the images that I wanted to put together. It was absolutely exhilarating having that time to explore with other women.

The following are pages from”My Love Book.” Enjoy.