June is certainly the month of budding, blooming, and seeing life return. Summer solstice is almost upon us. The celebration of light is coming. Read more for the blog for June.
Read MoreOur oracle card for October is the Hazel from a set of cards titled Portal to the Sacred Trees-A Celtic Oracle by Jane Burns. The illustrations are by Judith Bird. I have studied Celtic shamanism through Jane Burns’ programs on The Shift Network and have always loved her work.
Read MoreThis holiday season was still a strange one, not as difficult as 2020 perhaps, but challenging and bittersweet in many ways. One thing I really enjoyed however was the spirit of the Facebook posts I read from friends and family.
Read MoreTwelfth Night brings to a close the Christmas season and has become an important night of ritual for me. I didn’t grow up with a Twelfth Night tradition but, as a child, it was the Star in the East, the Magi, and their gifts of frankincense and myrrh that most fascinated me. Could we ever see that star in our sky? Who were these wise men? And what were these strange gifts? I am amused to think now about how I haven’t stopped seeking answers to my questions about the stars, the East, healing essences and all the mystical questions I had as a little girl.
Read MoreI am usually in Ireland the month of May. So you can bet that when I saw a t-shirt on Facebook with the banner NOTRIPPHOBIA (the fear of not having any trips booked), I took a long look. Then I thought about the power of words and how negative statements can attract or reinforce negative outcomes while positive statements lead to positive results.
Read MoreOur card for the month of April is The Well of Segais from The Celtic Oracle Deck by John Matthews. It represents the element of water and reminds us of the power and critical importance of water. As April showers prevail this month and will grow May flowers, perhaps the card is asking us to take time to be grateful for water, to find ways to protect its purity and stop its waste. There are a number of Irish legends about the Well of Segais. All are meant to remind us that wisdom comes from understanding the interconnectedness of life and honoring the nurturing elements Nature has given us.
Read MoreWhat a perfect message for these times of sea changes: Flow, be in rhythm with the Universe, ride the waves of change, be both the wave and the ocean. Note the free-flowing forms flowing in the circular ripples. Imagine yourself as one of those forms and see where the sea takes you.
Read MoreWhen I was in high school, yearbooks had captions under each senior’s name. One that was often used was “Music soothes the most savage beast, but I play the drum.” It is actually a misquote. The original was “Music has charms to soothe the savage beast. To soften rocks or bend a knotted Oak.” (Congreve).
Either way, the point was: there is a power to music, especially the drum, that goes back to ancient times. That power may express or incite anger, soothe, or even heal. The simple beat of a drum can do any or all of those. We might first think of the beat of a bass drum or the rat-a-tat of a snare drum in a parade or military marching band. The Scottish tattoo is classic as are other pipe and drum songs, like “When Johnny Comes Marching Home.” Or we might think of the electrified drum beat of hard rock.
Read MoreOften, I write about the ancient sites that were built to align with the sun, or moon or stars. While modern scholars acknowledge these phenomena, many suggest they were “simply” sundials or places to celebrate the changing of the seasons and know when to plant crops. Walking these places in mindfulness, it is easy to feel that much more was going on in these ancient places or ritual. These places “worked with the light”. These places “anchored the light”. Their alignment focuses the light and drew the observer to a place where the light and energy of the sun connected to the Earth.
Read MoreOne of the things that makes Ireland and the British Isles so magnificent is the Light. These islands may have a reputation for constant rain. However, as you might hear in the country: “When ye have the weather, sure there is nothing better”. The light creates the myriad shades of green of the landscape, the moody purples and blues of the mountains and the glistening surface to the waters of sea and lake.
Read MoreFind a stillness. Find a way to calm the monkey, squirrel or whatever animal you have in your head. Use guided meditations or music to find your stillness.
Read more about strategies to find stillness in this blog.
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