The Celtic Spirit Journey

One of the most exciting things about the revised Celtic Spirit is the graphics, especially the map on the back cover.

book recommendations, Celtic SpiritJeanne CraneJuly 11, 2022celtic spirit, Ireland, transformation, new possiblitiesComment

Sea Lochs of Scotland

Loch Seaforth, Scotland creates the border between The Isles of Lewis and Harris in the Western Hebrides, Scotland. Its extensive meanderings create much of the beauty and magic of the sacred landscape that centers around the Callanish Stone Circles. I have vowed to return. I also realize there is so much more for me to research and learn.

Irish Holy Island Inis Cealtra

here are two well-known holy Islands in Ireland, one on Lough Derg, County Donegal; the other on a different Lough Derg in the Shannon River basin that creates borders for Counties Clare, Galway, and Tipperary. They both are sacred sites with long Christian histories and ancient ruins, but they are drastically different in spiritual perspective and present day

Fascinating Tidal Islands

Being on the water brings up memories of some Celtic places that I thought I would highlight in this month’s blogs. I grew up around lakes but never around the ocean, so you'll find that in my books and in my travels I gravitate to coastal settings.

Celtic Spirit, travelJeanne CraneJune 6, 2022summer, boat, Covid 19, nature, travel, tidal islands, Celtic spirituality, ruinsComment

Communication

I never tire of the stories of Avalon. The deck I choose to pull the oracle card from this month as a whole is a very rich source of information and inspiration. The particular card I drew for us is not at all specific to the Avalon story. It is, however, universal and always applicable to our lives. I used to teach interpersonal communications and human relations and so the subject has become part of me.

Rhododendron

It is rhododendron season, both here in the Finger Lakes of New York and in Ireland. Sadly, I can’t be in Ireland this spring, but I am fortunate to see a few of these beautiful bushes around my hometown.

Celtic Wisdom, Celtic Spirit, travelJeanne CraneMay 23, 2022Ireland, Finger Lakes, kerry, seasons, gaeltacht, Beara PeninsulaComment

So Where Are the Sheep?

I am in the middle of updating and revising my 2012 book, Celtic Spirit and I have a rather fun dilemma regarding sheep. Yes, sheep. I have pictures of sheep in the middle of the road in Scotland and Ireland that dates back to my first trip as a teenager in 1963.

travel, Celtic SpiritJeanne CraneMay 16, 2022celtic spirit, sheep, travel, IrelandComment

Labyrinths

This week it was warm enough and dry enough for me to walk my favorite local labyrinth. It sits high on a hill overlooking Canandaigua Lake which brings joy as well as serenity to my visit. This labyrinth is made of well-groomed grass. I get the added pleasure of seeing clover blossoms with the occasional bee buzzing around as I walk it (in shoes and socks). The only place I like better is a labyrinth along a white sandy beach where I can walk barefoot.

Beltane

I have lovely memories of my dad and I walking through nearby woods to gather the first flowers of spring. Then my mom and I would make construction paper baskets so I could deliver May Day bouquets to neighbors and loved ones.
But we had nothing like a Beltane festival. Writing about Beltane is a bit like writing about Christmas; the holiday has so many different traditions and its celebrations have many layers of meaning. And, like Americans celebrating Memorial day, for some it has great meaning, for others, it is just a picnic in the park.

Celtic Spirit, holidayJeanne CraneMay 2, 2022two, seasons, may day, Beltane, fire

Red Easter Eggs

Celtic tradition connects the bunny and eggs to both spring and Easter, Both the hare and eggs are signs of fertility, birth and the season of spring not only in Celtic tradition but others as well.

Daffodils

Daffodils are associated with Saint David's Day in Wales and are my favorite spring flower. I always think of Wordsworth's poem when I see them.

Celtic SpiritJeanne CraneApril 11, 2022poem, daffodilsComment

A Modern Welsh Storyteller

A friend reminded me of Saint David's Day on March 1st. St. David is the patron saint of Wales. It made me realize how often I shortchange Wales in this blog “of all things Celtic”. I am just not as familiar with this important part of Celtic lands even though I honor it as a stronghold of Celtic legend and tradition. Next year on March 1, I will buy daffodils, make potato leek soup and perhaps bake bara brith, the bread I have come to know through the Great British Bake-Off.