North Wales Map
The Return Journey
I’ve landed back in the UK after a long journey home, and I’m relieved to say I’m happy to be back—to see my family, friends, and of course my cat, Rose. One of the first things I wanted to do was find a local fern. So off I went to Pystyll Rhaeadr (one of the wonders of Wales), and as expected, there was an abundance of them. Interestingly, every fern I came across was the same species: Dryopteris affinis, meaning Scaly Male.
I kept walking in different areas over the next few days, and again and again, the same fern appeared. So this was clearly the fern for this chapter—a male, a scaly male. Quite the contrast to the feminine plants, energy, and community that have surrounded me for the past three months.
On my last day in Mexico, I found myself thinking about the value of shade—how important it had become to me—and the relationship between shade and shadow. One can be a refuge, the other simply a description. They are the same phenomenon seen through different lenses, like the yin and yang of the botanical world. Both originate from the same source but are experienced differently depending on perspective.
That made me curious about solar eclipses. If the sun is the source of shade and shadow, then what does it mean when the moon blocks this light—especially through the mythic lens of the moon as feminine energy and the sun as masculine? I learned that during a solar eclipse, the shadows cast on the ground through tree leaves turn into tiny crescents—known as the Dance of Shadows.
I also discovered the concept of the Path of Totality: a line that crosses the Earth during an eclipse where the event is most intense, with the centre point being total, momentary darkness.
The Path of Totality and the Dance of Shadows
This became the visual and conceptual basis for my new map. Using the male fern print as the compass, I represented the synergy between sun, moon, and Earth. I used gold (sun), copper (moon), and silver (Earth) to map their interactions—along with the eclipse path and its centre point. My previous Mexico map was an earthy portal into the heart, spine and root chakra, and this one sits in dialogue with it, grounding the relationship between the celestial and the bodily.
I was really happy with final illustration, the leaf detail and watercolour marks in particular. The geometry and angles reminded me of an atlas—fittingly, as the Titan Atlas carried the heavens on his shoulders, and the atlas bone is the first vertebra connecting the spine to the skull. A myth about bearing the world, meeting a map about celestial alignment.
The compass-like precision feels distinctly masculine, while the soft, fluid, watery marks echo the feminine. I’m still processing what this integration means for me personally, but I sense I’m preparing to make some very practical decisions very soon—so the reintroduction of masculine energy feels timely and welcome.
As for whether I’ll stay in this area for long—I’m not sure. Right now, I’m focusing on making marks and making decisions. You may not hear from me over Christmas (in terms of the map, at least), but I’ll return with a new fern once I’m settled in my next location.
Happy Holidays,
Allie x
