About a month ago, during her summer vacation, eleven-year-old Esma Gljiva from Sarajevo, Bosnia, started creating folklore-style Barbies with Balkan costumes like headdresses and decorative aprons.
The timing was interesting, given the enormous success of the new Barbie movie, released in mid-July. But Esma hadn’t seen the film. Her project was inspired, she says, by her disgust at the poor quality of some doll figures in a local souvenir shop.
“These were some plastic dolls dressed in folklore costumes, they were not even real dolls…they were not properly dressed at all,” Esma recently told Reuters. “I tried to do it in a better way, and I think that I succeeded.”
No matter how you feel about the blockbuster movie, this young entrepreneur does embody the spirit of female independence displayed within it. Raised in a family of devoted folklore dancers, Esma also understands Bosnia’s multi-religious traditions. She is very precise in making what she calls her “Bosnian Barbie Dolls” dressed in traditional Muslim, Christian Orthodox and Catholic costumes, and takes great care with the hairstyles and jewelry. She receives orders daily, sending dolls around the world.
The upcoming Pisces Full Moon (Aug. 30, 6:35 p.m. PDT) provides us with inspiration, encouraging us to capture our dreams. It enhances Piscean themes like spirituality, art and dancing, though with the final sign of the zodiac there is always the possibility of delusion or despair. A dreamy Moon at 7 degrees Pisces conjunct taskmaster Saturn opposite a dedicated Virgo Sun advises us to keep our eyes on the goal and our feet on the ground. Saturn can be a sobering influence, but he doesn’t have to be a party-pooper. His retrograde status does warn us against repeating past mistakes, though, such as giving in to what we know is bad for us or trusting someone we know we shouldn’t.
At this slippery yet beautiful Full Moon, with six planets retrograde (including Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto), examining the outcome of past efforts can reveal what needs to be fixed or changed now. Perhaps an answer to a knotty problem will be revealed in a dream. Jupiter, the Moon’s dispositor, is one of the few planets in direct motion – encouraging us to have faith in our creative efforts and intuitive hunches – even if they need more refinement before they’re seaworthy.
Now that there’s a big surge of interest in her work, our budding entrepreneur Esma gets to figure out how to manage her business, as well as map out her next project: A Balkan Ken to become Barbie’s dance partner. The current Mercury retrograde in detail-oriented Virgo (Aug. 23 – Sept. 15), provides an opportunity for her to refine and package her dream.
Despite all the retrogrades, this is an auspicious lunation. August’s Full Moon was traditionally called the Sturgeon Moon, as the giant sturgeon of the Great Lakes were easily caught during this part of summer. The image of a fish fits well with this lunation in watery Pisces. But it’s actually the second full moon of the month (on Aug. 1, we had a full moon in airy Aquarius.) So, this is a rare Blue Moon.
A Blue Moon is poetic, even though it’s calendrical, not astrological. Still, the Aug. 30 lunation is special: It’s the closest, biggest, brightest supermoon of the year. Perhaps it’s time to do a water-purification ritual, whether in the bathtub or near a body of water. Think about what you’d like to release, refine or bless. Go outside and invoke the Moon, and with great intent, wash yourself clean of doubts, fears and detritus from the past. Make a commitment to doing whatever must be done to capture your dream.
Happy Blue Moon!