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Rain Woman

31/3/2013

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The two short items here were a bit of synchronicity from my life yesterday. In the evening, I wrote the poem below. Then a little later, I happened upon this very interesting article about Dodola and Peperuda, a Slavic rain dancing tradition I'd never heard of. If you are fascinated by folk traditions, as I am, you might enjoy it. Here's a quote:
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During a period of spring or summer drought, it was the custom in many Balkan villages for a group of local girls to undress and then put on various combinations of leaves, sprigs, blossoms, flowers and herbs to perform the rainmaking ceremony. Early reports, made mostly if not entirely by male observers, describe these girls as ‘naked’ under their clothing of greenery: although what precise degree of undress this ‘nakedness’ really constituted is a moot point, since none of the commentators is likely to have witnessed the actual disrobing, let alone the training, preparation or rehearsal of the girls for the ceremony – roles which seem to have been reserved exclusively for mature and sometimes elderly women. At any rate, led by an older girl or young woman who had also been dressed or decorated in this way, the girls then went in procession through their village, and stopped in front of houses to perform dances and sing songs, which included formulaic refrains, all the while calling upon the heavens to send down rain. The housewives poured water over the leader of the troupe, and sometimes the girls themselves sprinkled water over the courtyards, using bundles of sprigs and leaves. They were then rewarded by the householders with flour or food and sometimes money.
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A tonic for Spring

27/3/2013

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It used to be a common folk belief that in winter, as things slowed down, our blood got thicker. Then in the spring, it was a good idea to take a spring tonic to get the blood flowing freely again. While the belief about the blood is quite a comfortable one, it doesn't seem to have any basis in reality. However, the taking of a spring tonic is still not a bad idea. Early bitter herbs are a good choice, nettles and dandelions taste great, and of course, there's hawthorn. After all, in common with our ancestors, we tend to move less and eat more comfort foods in the winter, so when these things become available it's a good idea to get our digestion going properly, pep up our liver and improve our circulation.
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Hawthorn as defined in my oracle

When hawthorn leaves are green and tender in the spring, people will sometimes munch on a few, or gather some to add to a salad. Animals are also attracted to them at this time. Equine herbalist Hilary Page Self recommends hawthorn for horses with both laminitis and navicular syndrome, because of its good effect on the circulation of blood to the feet. When I lived in Scotland it was common to see native ponies stuffing themselves on hawthorn leaves in spring. That was a good choice to follow, as it is in the spring that the lush grass is most likely to cause the metabolic upset that leads to laminitis - which is an extremely painful and potentially lethal condition.

As spring moves into May the hawthorn (also called May, or May tree) blooms. These blossoms were a traditional part of May Day celebrations, being used to deck the May queen and May king, Maypoles, and the entrances to houses. However, there is a well-known taboo against bringing hawthorn into the house, as it is believed that it brings death. In fact in some areas it is known by the name "dead man's froth". I always found this strange. Why would a flower associated with spring, fertility and health also be associated with death? Then I came across an essay by Paul Kendall on the wonderful Trees for Life website. The following passage offers a good explanation:

Mediaeval country folk also asserted that the smell of hawthorn blossom was just like the smell of the Great Plague in London. Botanists later discovered that the chemical trimethylamine present in hawthorn blossom is also one of the first chemicals formed in decaying animal tissue. In the past, when corpses would have been kept in the house for several days prior to burial, people would have been very familiar with the smell of death, so it is hardly surprising that hawthorn blossom was so unwelcome in the house. It has also been suggested that some of the hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) folklore may have originated for the related woodland hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata) which may well have been commoner during the early Middle Ages, when a lot of plant folklore was evolving. Woodland hawthorn blossom gives off much more of an unpleasant scent of death soon after it is cut, and it also blooms slightly earlier than hawthorn, so that its blossoms would have been more reliably available for May Day celebrations.

Hawthorn has a strong association with fairies, particularly in the sense that the areas around some hawthorns were places prone to offer openings into the fairy otherworld. They are also the most common species among clootie trees, which although they are now mostly Christianised sometimes have fairy lore connected to them.

The Roman goddess Cardea had hawthorn as her sacred plant. How interesting that she was a goddess of doorways! I tend to think of the gods and goddesses of Rome in relation to the elite citizens of urban Rome, but Cardea must have been popular with the country folk, as remnants of belief in her seem to have survived at least into the 19th century in some parts of Italy and perhaps beyond. Usually this was in tales of ill or bewitched children being cured with charms of hawthorn hung outside their windows. It makes me wonder whether Europeans further west and in Britain also once had a goddess of hawthorn and/or thresholds. It was said that Cardea was able to "open that which was closed, and close that which was open."

door into summer, tina marie ferguson
The Door Into Summer
artist: Tina Marie Ferguson


Hawthorn in the form of agricultural hedges is, of course, used to enclose pastures and fields. A well laid and maintained hawthorn hedge is as stockproof as any barbed wire fence, but has many advantages beyond looking prettier. It provides a windbreak for the animals it contains, a source of medicine, and the haws (berries) are somewhat useful as a food, if not very tasty. The real benefit is to nature, though, in the form of food and shelter for many small animals, plants, birds and insects. It's no wonder that hawthorn is such a strong symbol of spring, fertility and the summer to come.

If you enjoyed this post, you might also like Thoughts on Hawthorn for May Day.

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Land Songs

A collection of eleven poems each touching on the spirit of the land. Enjoyable and challenging by turns. Love letters, eulogies, rants . . .

8.5" x 5.5"

17 pages

See product page for more information.

$
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The music of what moves you

24/3/2013

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Meditating on the spirits of nature

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I sometimes shuffle my meditation and prayer cards in with my oracle deck for my daily draw. Today, I drew this card, once again encouraging me to reach out to nature. If you follow my writing and other work you might think I need no encouragement -- but that depends on which nature we're talking about. The lush, green world of Britain really speaks to me, even from a distance, but the stark, sandy, drought-ridden of Colorado -- not so much. I am trying. Trying to open myself up to whatever this land wants to tell me.
misty lake, Inisfail, Ella Young, guided meditation card
The quote on this card is from Inisfail, by Ella Young. The quote below, is from the guided mediation on the reverse of the card.
This and other guided meditation cards are available from my web shop.

So when I sat down to meditate today, with this card in my hand, and read the phrase "Bring your thoughts to an image in nature which moves you." I decided it was an opportunity to listen. So rather than think of images from Scotland, I remembered a really great sunset I saw about a week ago as I was driving home from a nearby town. It was one of those sunsets which is outlined and defined by the silhouettes of many bare winter trees. It covered the whole palette, from reds and oranges, through to pinks and finally streaks of yellow and blue. A sunset is an interesting entity. Could it be said to have its own spirit? I doesn't feel so to me. It is created from the contributions of many different aspects of nature (the sun, clouds, moisture, dust, the season), but on reflection, so is a songbird, or a bluebell wood.
nature, guided meditation
While the connection between all things must be acknowledged and respected in the individual, whether songbird or sunset, I also want to remember that bigger things like where I live vs where you live are connected, too. Sometimes, in a warm, fuzzy way, it's easy to see the connections between the small, loveable things, or human things. or the obvious ecological connections that concern us so much lately. It's not always so easy to stop drawing lines between cultures, between what we like and what we think we don't like, between my dog and your dog.
If I truly believe that there is Spirit and Deity in the joy-shout of the rivers, then knowing that all things are connected, perhaps I can trust that even the tumbleweeds and dying cottonwood trees contain the same spark. It all contains what Fionn mac Cumhaill called the music of what happens. The music, one might say, of acceptance. No attachments, no aversions, no resistance. Just vibrating with the molecules of the universe, and yet . . .
And yet, what brought the Tuatha De Danann to Ireland? What brought the Milesians? If it wasn't a love for one place over another, then what? I can only conclude that part of coming to earth, part of living an earthly life, is to experience a heart-rending love for certain things, for particular views, for particular weather. This is part of what defines the earthly experience, and part of what defines the spiritual experience. As usual, balance is everything.
sunset with winter trees
Song

A rowan like a lipsticked girl.
Between the by-road and the main road
Alder trees at a wet and dripping distance
Stand off among the rushes.


There are the mud-flowers of dialect
And the immortelles of perfect pitch
And that moment when the bird sings very close
To the music of what happens.


–Seamus Heaney


Set of four cards - Set 1
Buy all four cards in Set 1 and save $2 off the individual price.
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What is a Glen

22/3/2013

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Solitude and loneliness

O do you see yon high hills
Covered o'er wi snaw
They hae pairted mony's the true love
And they'll soon pairt us twa
Busk, busk, bonnie lassie
Aye, and come awa wi me
And Ah'll tak ye tae Glenisla
Near bonnie Glen Shee

~ lyrics of a traditional Scots song

glen
"Glen - Sanctuary. A home for the heart. Longing and isolation." That's the definition of the card known as Glen in my Go Deeper oracle deck. How can all these things be the meaning of one card? I expect some of my readers will intuitively understand this, but for others, it's a puzzle. I'm sure that there is a whole generation of people out there who have not heard of Hannah Hauxwell, and I'm not sure whether her fame really reached North America, either. (I've been away in fairyland for 25 years, remember!) So allow me to introduce this lady to you.

Hannah was born on a farm in 1926, in a part of the Teesdale area called Baldersdale, in Yorkshire. Although remote, during her youth Baldersdale was a thriving farming community, but like similar places everywhere, during and after WWII the population dwindled rapidly. The Hauxwells hung on, but the isolated lifestyle left Hannah a spinster, and after the death of her mother when Hannah was thirty-five, she ran her farm single-handed. She had few neighbours, no running water, well or electricity in the early 1970s when she was "discovered" by the late Barry Cockcroft of Yorkshire Television. He featured Hannah in a documentary about the hardships of Dales farmers called "Too Long a Winter". This film highlighted the challenges of hill farming in winter - a theme which runs through Hannah's story. But as well as the challenges of frozen water supplies and sheep buried in snow drifts, life in isolated glens in winter has a further difficulty. The increased isolation from friends and other communities alluded to in the song lyric above.

In the late 1980s, Hannah finally made the decision to sell her farm and move into a nearby village. The grace with which she made the change was a testament to her good sense and fortitude, although there was never any doubt that she would have preferred to stay on at her farm. Being a celebrity perhaps made this easier in some ways, but Hannah never seemed all that interested in that side of her life, and it was the sale of her farm and its furnishings that set her up in her new place. I recall hearing a radio interview with her a few years back, and she said that once the loose ends were tied up, she never went back to Baldersdale. There is sadness in that statement, and longing, and perhaps very great wisdom, too.

Hannah Hauxwell, Caroline McClung, Baldersdale
An excellent likeness of Hannah in her forties, painted by Caroline McClung.

I'm attached to the place because my family have lived here since my great-grandfather's time - no-one else has lived in this house since it was built, but our family. And the lovely countryside through the iron gate down the new road. I've often thought... It's my favourite walk, and I've stopped and looked, and I've thought that it's one thing - if I haven't money in my pocket, it's one thing nobody can rob me of. It's mine. It's mine for the taking.
The beauty - to me there's nowhere like it, never will be. And whatever I am, wherever I am, this is me. This is my life. And if there's a funny old person in years to come - a ghost walking up and down here - it'll be me. A big part of me, wherever I am, will be left here. That's me. There's nowhere else. There's nowhere like it.
- Hannah Hauxwell
Whether such a place contains a lively community or only one or two families, these remote valleys have a special character, and so do their people. There is no doubt that the lifestyle has much to offer. A daily engagement with nature, beautiful scenery and great quiet. Very often the homes are roomy and comfortable (if hard to heat!) and have long histories. Most neighbours are good neighbours but keep themselves to themselves, being busy with their own work.
It's been a long time, however, if it was ever the case at all, since people living in such places weren't self consciously aware that there was a wide and interesting world outside. This becomes particularly acute for teenagers and young adults. Whether they long to find a mate, or look for adventure, a career, or perhaps people with similar interests, the longing to leave arises. Many who do leave find this longing replaced, in a few years, with the longing to return. The snug home, the freedom and beauty seems not such a bad trade-off for the hardship and loneliness, after all.
baldersdale
View of Baldersdale
hannah's meadow, baldersdale, low birk hatt
Hannah's Meadow
Hannah Hauxwell died in January 2018, aged 91. Part of the land she farmed has been designated a nature reserve, called Hannah's Meadow, due to the species rich grassland created by generations of natural, chemical-free farming practices. You can also read her autiobiography called Seasons of my Life.


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First there is a mountain . . .

21/3/2013

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Thoughts about mountains and the Cailleach

This card came up as my personal daily draw recently, and I thought I would give this essay an airing on the blog - although I wrote it some time ago. It seems appropriate to the season, as many  celebrate Latha na Caillich (Day of the Cailleach) on March 25th.
Imagine standing, looking at a mountain, knowing you are going to have to climb it. Okay, for some people, mountain climbing is an enjoyable sport, but if you fall into that category, chances are you have still felt daunted by the prospect at times. Perhaps you thought "I'm afraid the weather is against me today," or "It looks scarier than it did in the guidebook," or "I wish I'd brought more rope." However, the seasoned mountain climber knows that you can only climb one step at a time, so all you can do is begin, and see whether you can do it. Very often, it's those of us who stand at the bottom making up stories to frighten ourselves, or who simply feel like we can't be bothered, who suffer the most. We are afraid of failing, afraid of falling, prefer not to leave our comfort zone, and yet, somehow we know that until we make the attempt, we are going to be a little bit miserable, knowing that it's still ahead of us.
paps of jura, mountain
The Paps of Jura- J Samara
Mountain - Resistance and perceived difficulty. The results of bad temper or anger.

In the 1960s, Donovan wrote the song There Is a Mountain, about illusion and perceived reality. The refrain went
First there is a mountain
Then there is no mountain
Then there is.
First there is a mountain
Then there is no mountain
Then there is.
The thing is - this card is about perceived difficulty. It's about our fears and our excuses, and our million and one avoidance techniques. After all - what is "difficulty" but a transient experience, a brief challenge or unpleasant period. While we can spend months, years, even an entire lifetime, sitting at the bottom of the mountain eaten up by our emotions, losing respect for ourselves, dreading it. It's enough to make us very angry.

Anger, of course, is the other aspect of this card. In Scotland in particular, and also in Ireland, many mountains have associations with a character known as the Cailleach. There is no simple tale that I can tell you, to explain the Cailleach. The stories are quite varied and often very local, and in areas where Gaelic was not the common language she is sometimes known as the "Carlin" (old woman or witch). She is also usually a giant.

As well as her associations with many high mountains, such as Ben Nevis and the Paps of Jura, the Cailleach is associated with deer, with winter and bad weather, with holding prisoners (including the goddess Bride) and other general mayhem. The very dangerous, and very real, Corryvreckan whirlpool is also hers. She may have existed in some form before the coming of the Celtic tribes, as a weather goddess, perhaps, whose story was later interwoven with the Celtic pantheon at a local level. A common theme in her stories is her anger at being old and ugly, and her desire to make others suffer, too - by keeping them in the grip of winter, by holding them prisoner, by raising storms and so on. At the same time - there are many stories telling how she created aspects of local landscapes. I guess she was able to put that anger to good use!

I believe the Cailleach, with her anger and frustration exists in all of us. The prisoners we hold are often ourselves. The anger is really aimed inward, although we may make life unpleasant for others by expressing it. The more negative aspects of the Cailleach are a great example to us of how not to live our lives - in anger and, bitterness, trying to control others and cause them trouble. We do not make things easier for ourselves with this behaviour, we just trap ourselves in a discouraging and repetitive cycle. Every time we do this, we make the mountain a little higher - or at least we think we do. 

Even if we have what looks like a mountain to climb, even if we feel we didn't  create it, even if it was created by someone else's anger or controlling behaviour, or forces of nature, none of that really matters. The Mountain is no big deal. Things probably look better, even from 100 metres up. The big deal is our perception.

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If you enjoyed this, you might also like We Need to Talk About the Cailleach.

Land Songs

A collection of eleven poems each touching on the spirit of the land. Enjoyable and challenging by turns. Love letters, eulogies, rants . . .

8.5" x 5.5"

17 pages

See product page for more information.

$
8.00    

Subscribe to my monthly newsletter and never miss a blog post. In return, I promise to keep newsletters short and limit them to one per month, and of course, never to share your details!
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Welcome Eostre!

20/3/2013

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My thinking about the goddess Eostre and the Vernal Equinox has changed.

This little essay concerning the existence of the goddess Eostre, or Ostara, appeared in my Facebook feed this week. (I hope the link works - you probably need to be signed in to Facebook.) It mostly references the Wikipedia entry on Eostre, and I feel the case is believable. I have not paid much attention to this question until now -- I'm afraid I probably saw one or two "there's no evidence" type comments in the past and dismissed Eostre as fantasy, and was happy enough just celebrating the Vernal Equinox for what it is from the basis of nature and astronomy.

I have noticed in myself, and some Pagan friends, a need to fill our calendars with deities, especially at the eight major points in the wheel of the year. Like debutantes of yesteryear, filling their dance cards, we want to make sure that there is no ambiguity as to Who will partner us at these important festivals. So, I noticed that it was with some relief that I penciled Eostre in for March 20th - even though we haven't been properly introduced. I will be open to her energy, and curious to know her. I had a nice little daydream of Bride taking her by the hand and leading her into my ritual space, as if to say "There is room for you here." At the time I wasn't thinking about this in terms of Bride having reigned over Imbolc, and handing things over to Eostre now, and I'm not saying that this is what is happening, although it's an interesting angle to consider. I was simply seeing Bride as one of my "household Gods", welcoming a Being rather similar to Herself into our space.

If I had to describe my "pantheon" or "hearth culture" I suppose I would define it as "British Isles" rather than "Celtic" anyway, so I have no problem with a goddess who was widely worshiped in Northumbria and other parts of England. I'm simply glad to meet her, and interested to see where things go between us in the future.
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The Pre-contact Post-contact Skirmish by Julie Buffalohead, 2012

I am often frustrated by the difference in climate and biology between my current home in SE Colorado, and my long-time home in Scotland. There are no wild flowers to pick here in March -- particularly this year with the continuing terrible drought. No hedgerows full of health-giving herbs, no spring rain to speak of -- even wildlife seems to have retreated to the strip along the river a few miles away. Jackrabbits, though, are still in evidence. They were one of the first animals to greet me when I moved onto this farm a few years back, and I often see them -- thanks mostly to my companion, Molly the Collie, who flushes them out and chases them, but has never come close to catching one.
hare, jackrabbit, Lepus

In case you didn't realise, a jackrabbit is member of the hare family. In fact, they don't look much different than European brown hares. I have to remind myself to call them jackrabbits -- a name that I'm told was popularised by Mark Twain. The story goes that folk were beginning to call them "jackass rabbits" due to their spectacularly long mule-like ears, and Twain picked this up and spread it around. I've long been aware of the hare's association with spring and fertility, with their madcap romps, and that somehow they were associated with eggs. Not surprisingly, they are also closely associated with Eostre.

I'm very glad to have hares here, and to make the connection through this goddess to the land around me, and especially for that to be a connection which vibrates to my old sense of the land in Scotland, too. I have been asking the spirits of nature here to speak to me, as I feel quite disconnected from it. Perhaps this is a step in that direction.

I'll leave you with this video. It's a thirty minute BBC wildlife documentary from the 1990s, all about both the natural history of hares and their mythological and spiritual associations. Hare coursing (chasing hares with greyhounds or lurchers) was long a popular country pursuit in Britain, and it is discussed in this programme, however, there are no bloody scenes or anything, so don't worry. Hare coursing has been illegal in Britain since 2005, quite some time after this film was made. I'm sure you will enjoy this video - it even has great music!

Further reading:
The Symbolism of Rabbits and Hares by Terri Windling  I really enjoyed this well written piece, which includes many beautiful images!
Eostre's Egg by Maria Ede-Weaving. A look at the symbolism of this holiday from a more personal and psychological perspective.
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That Balance Thing

19/3/2013

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Today is the Vernal Equinox, or Ostara, for most of my readers, and the Autumnal Equinox for those of you in the south. Many of us will mark this day in some way with ritual, meditation, feasting or a little bit of fun with eggs! As well as marking the "official" beginning of spring, the equinox is seen as a time of balance, and this year the moon is at an almost perfect time of balance between new and full, as well. So we should all be feeling great! If you're like me, I'm sure you have up days and down days, lots of busy days, and maybe some lonely or boring ones, too. For me, maintaining balance isn't always simple. I can easily get depressed, discouraged, lethargic or anxious about the future, but I am getting better at maintaining my balance for longer and regaining it more quickly.
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A mandala of undyed chicken eggs from our flock.

I am learning what works for me, and it isn't just one "miracle thing". I am highly suspicious of anyone who says that their "miracle thing" will fix me once and for all. What the years have taught me is an assortment of things that work for me. Depending on how things are going, my  personal list of helpers includes Bach Remedies, aromatherapy, EFT, and the occasional dash of Release Technique/Sedona Method. None of these things are really core practices for me, although they might be for some people. My core practices are meditation, prayer, and also things like good nutrition, exercise and contact with nature. Sometimes it's easy to keep some of these up, and sometimes it's easy to keep them all up -- and occasionally it's hard to even get out of bed in the morning.

I've written a couple of times, recently, about my involvement with the new Solitary Druid Fellowship project. (See Life on and Island and Sacred Stewardship) and how finding more rhythm to my practice is proving helpful to me. Earlier, in Accepting the Salmon's Gift, I also described the process of creating ways to encourage myself to do things like say a prayer or meditate more regularly. Sometimes, I need inspiration to do these things, and so creating a beautiful image or poetic words helps draw me toward the thing I need. At other times, the issue is simply that I need a reminder, or I forget all about my good intentions. I need something on the wall, on my desk, my fridge door, by my bed, etc. to remind me. If it is also beautiful, then my inspiration is there, too. Over time, habits develop, and these short moments that punctuate my day are becoming second nature, and giving me more rhythm and balance.

There are now six guided meditation cards, and four prayer cards in the webshop, which I have created to help others in their search for daily rhythm and inner balance. I have grouped them in various ways that I hope will be appealing, or you can buy them singly in any combination you wish. I know that some people only want the meditation cards, so you can buy them in separate set, and now I also offer the four prayer cards as a set, for those of you who would like to explore their use.

celtic prayer cards
There are two "Shamanic" prayers which someone gave to me. I have adapted them, and have found them so helpful that I use them daily. (I wrote more about them here.) The other two prayers are taken from the Scots Gaelic collection known as the Carmina Gadelica. One is an eventing prayer for protection of the household, the other a charm for the protection of horses, which I adapted slightly from a cattle blessing. You could alter it to suit your own animals if you wish.

Well, that's enough from me for today. Have a great equinox, everybody! <3 Kris
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Frost

16/3/2013

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You've probably experienced the startling beauty of a really hard frost. The world is transformed into a frozen fairyland of sparkling toys, and sometimes treacherous roads and footpaths. One of my most abiding memories of frost is of a moonlit drive I took across central Scotland one Hogmanay after playing a gig in Stirlingshire. I had just started my own band, and had borrowed a PA from a colleague in Fife. The only thing was, he needed it for a gig the next day. The shortest route from door to door was down an assortment of winding B roads over rolling farmland and through villages. It just happened to be a full moon, and a very hard frost had been lingering for a couple of days.

The roads were slick and my car was laden with heavy gear, so I tootled along at a measured pace, passing the occasional little group of Hogmanay foot soldiers. (Scotland's drink driving laws are not to be trifled with.) It was an experience I can only describe as enchanting, as the moonlight turned every tree, bridge, rooftop and stubble field into an otherworldly vision. Tired as I was, I wished the drive would never end.

full moon and frost
Dramatic changes are often less appealing than my moonlit drive. However, Frost is quite an ephemeral thing. If it lasts for a day or two, that's pretty unusual, and while it's real enough, very little has actually changed under the white coating. Likewise, this card tends to refer to changes that, while they seem dramatic and sweeping, turn out to be no big deal. Tomorrow may be sunny or it may rain, but the Frost will quickly be forgotten.

Frost oracle card, celtic oracle
Sometimes, these changes are really only happening in our heads, though. That feeling of waking up and suddenly feeling old, or dissatisfied. Nothing is really different than yesterday, but something made you notice, and it's easy to get stuck in these feelings that everything has changed. If this card comes up in a reading, it might be there to remind you that the dramatic change you perceived doesn't run very deep. Don't stay stuck in this perception. This card might also be helping you to understand that a loved one is going through something like this, and help to explain their recent coldness.

Frost - Something changes dramatically overnight. A cold beauty may conceal a warm heart.

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Life on an Island

15/3/2013

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On solitude, regular spiritual practice, and making do.

May I an island be at sea
May I a rock be on land
   
- The Carmina Gadelica
black house, taigh dubh, north uist, island
photo: Alisdair MacDonald

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Solitude, in and of itself, means nothing today. If I sit in solitude switching between Netfilx, the radio and my smartphone, the result will probably be loneliness rather than solitude - even if I don't recognise it as such. It will also be mentally noisy, and even when I switch off all devices, that noise is likely to continue. One result I notice from spending too much time media surfing is a shortened attention span and a lack of ability to focus. I need antidotes to this, and I need discipline to partake of the antidotes some days! Regular practice really helps. What I need is "soul-itude". Time spent honouring the needs of my soul. Turning off both the media chatter and the self chatter. Quiet in the environment provides a route to quiet within. Only when I am quiet am I able to listen, not just for a voice, but to listen with my very pores for a sense of the divine. Whether I am sitting in conventional meditation or riding a horse, my inward quiet and awareness provides my chance to hear.  

I'm the kind of person who longs for a regular schedule, but as soon as I come close to achieving one, rebels against it. Living in the country with animals, and at the mercy of weather and changing seasonal chores, I'm probably in little danger of ever achieving that regularity - particularly since I have so many competing interests. Can you sense the rush of thoughts there? What will I do first? What chores have I forgotten? Why don't I have more time to have fun?
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It's very tempting to say "Well, everything I do is part of my spiritual practice, so it'll all be fine". It's a great theory, but I generally notice things going a bit sour within about 36 hours of me abandoning the practices that hold me in "soul-itude". Daily mediation, prayer, looking after my physical self, ritual, conscious kindness to others -- that stuff really holds me together, if I allow it.

I've been participating in the new Solitary Druid Fellowship, or SDF*, for a few months, and I've been trying to come to a more positive attitude toward solitude. I confess I've struggled a bit. I'm a little tired of solitude these days, if I'm honest. However, today's daily card draw from my oracle deck finally brought me some clarity. The card I pulled for meditation this morning was the Island - which I define as "The need for simplicity. Valuing what you have at hand. The frustration of shortage." 

The frustration of shortage.
There is an acknowledgement here of the frustration I'm sure others feel, too. I feel the shortage of fellowship keenly at times, whether in ritual or during the flatness of a Sabbat day spent without companions. One of the lessons that has to be accepted from Island life is that shortages are real, and if the Island's only shop is out of butter, no amount of money or complaints can change it, and all must equally go without until the next boat brings more. Some of us may be on this island by choice, others only by circumstance, and others are just visitors to the solitary path.

The need for simplicity.
I have found that ritual, far from adding another "chore" to my list, seems to simplify things. I know what is required, and I can get on with it. Rituals, like recipes, are best carefully chosen, tested and adjusted - but then they become second nature. It's how I learned to bake bread. What initially seemed like a lot of trouble to go through to eat healthier bread is now a straightforward and enjoyable process. This was something of a revelation to me. It happened when I decided to learn a couple of prayers. They were fairly short prayers, and the hard part wasn't learning them, it was remembering to say them. I ended up printing them out, sticking them onto pictures I liked, and putting them on my bedroom walls. It worked, and now these are a comforting and uplifting moment in my day.  As I've shared before, this was the origin of my meditation and prayer cards.

Valuing what you have at hand.
I can see myself doing something similar with the SDF daily devotions. I will value them, and no doubt personalise them, and enjoy knowing that perhaps others are doing something similar. I hope that I may gain a little extra strength to value and use the other gifts I have at hand as a result, and learn to spend a little more time in true "soul-itude."

*edit 2021: The SDF no longer exists.

Four Celtic Prayers

Contains:

Blessing the Hearth

Charm for the Protection of Horses

Cutting Cords

Dreams of Peace


You can see more about the individual cards here.

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Mist and mystics

13/3/2013

2 Comments

 

A quick look at mist, spirituality and the meaning of the Mist card in the Go Deeper oracle.

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A few years back I discovered Frank MacEowen's book "The Mist-Filled Path". I found a lot of good in this book at the time, and still enjoy returning to it occasionally. His use of Mist as a metaphor for the soul, for spirituality and liminality falls mostly in line with my own. So often in literature Mist and fog are used to create fear or mystery, but like Frank MacEowen I have always found it very touching and a thing of great beauty.
mist, celtic oracle card
In my oracle system (which isn't really at all systematic!) the Mist card represents deep spirituality and mystical experience. From what I can gather of their etymology, the word mist does not share a common root with mystery, mystic, etc. I find that a little disappointing, because like most people, I find Mist a bit mysterious! The way it comes and goes, and obscures our vision, so that although it may be that there is no common shared origin for these words, they are merging somewhat in the way we think of them now.

Mystical
, on the other hand, is a word which I hear misused a lot these days, and it's a shame, because it leaves those who use it more correctly in the position of being misunderstood -- and I don't see it being practical to go back and change all the old books to a newer, easier word for the benefit of the ignorant!

Webster offer us this:
MYSTICAL 1 a : having a spiritual meaning or reality that is neither apparent to the senses nor obvious to the intelligence <the mystical food of the sacrament> b : involving or having the nature of an individual's direct subjective communion with God or ultimate reality <the mystical experience of the Inner Light>
and so, by extension, a mystic is someone who has such experiences. I would very much include this in the general feel of this card. My definition of the card says:
Mist - The touch of another world. In losing ourselves we find something greater.
The touch of another world, or another reality, implies that such experiences are indeed somewhat "apparent to the senses" and "obvious to the intelligence". I didn't say "a rumour of another world" or "a hint of another world" but touch, and that is an important distinction.  When something touches me, it has a solidity. The Mist may obscure the face of that which has reached out to me, but just as we say "Pinch me in case this is a dream," touch implies that spiritual experiences are more than just dreams or fantasies.

The Mist of the mystical experience tends to come when we're ready, not when we think we're ready. If this card occurs in a reading I see it as a positive thing. Someone is having, or will have, wonderful experiences of a spiritual nature. However, in order for such experience to happen, and be meaningful, we need to let go of ego and allow perceived reality to dissolve, in order to make room for that "something greater."
misty glen, Frank MacEowen

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