Irish Weather - Elemental Forces At Work

Let’s talk about this weather! 

Here we are in the 5th or 6th week of some wild winter weather like we’ve never seen before in living memory….or perhaps it’s that fabled winter of discontent, or the long night of the soul?

So, this is where we find ourselves, at the mercy of the weather, that great ‘starter of conversations’ the world over and something we have learned to moan about, at least in these northern regions where rain, hail, sleet and wind bring down our moods as the wet stuff hits the ground.

But, when we really stop and ponder these deeper aspects of what this might achieve for those of us living here, well, that is something else entirely. Perhaps it’s even akin to a little bit of wonderful.

I know, you are already thinking, there has been nothing wonderful about weeks of darkness, damaging winds, flooding and damp….unless you are safely on higher ground, have your house tethered to the earth like a ship with an anchor and have ancestral leanings towards the mallard family.

However, when I go to sleep at night with the rain pelting, thrumming and roaring on the roof, the wind buffeting the windows, well okay, the windows bowing in and flexing and then wake up the next morning not to a refreshed earth with the sun streaming down after the storm….

No! This winter we’ve been waking up to the exact same clamour, clatter and deafening noise of the elements let loose on the earth as when we went to bed, if anything, it might have only ramped up during the hours of darkness.

So, this begs the question; what’s this all about anyway? What is the purpose of rain, wind, and an excess of churning changing massive force of nature bearing down on us for all it’s worth?

What if something was trying to get through to us? And we are too busy, fearful, asleep, worried and just plain too thick to listen….what might all of these Universal forces being pulled down around us be trying to convey?

What if they needed us to know something along the lines of the importance of our future here on this planet. What if life itself was carried in those winds, star dust and energies from far and wide arriving, implanting and once again taking up permanent residence where once before, long ago they thrived.

I mean, imagine how important this time in history must be – the earth herself is waking up and the only way she can do that is with a nudge and a shake to stir her from her slumber….

Well then, it’s a good time to be alive, isn’t it? 

Access to Sacred Space

The sky is dark in front of me, but light shines through on either side of the cloud bank - sort of that kind of day, isn't it? Actually I appreciate this type of weather - squalls of rain, hail and sleet rolling through, then a burst of sunshine before another downpour.

At last clearing to allow the bright full moon it's escape from the under the blanket of clouds...

The moon recharges us, it brings the necessary light and energy we need to fuel our night time hours and more importantly our journeys after dark. Yet so many pay no attention whatsoever to this luminous planet shining in the sky.

Today, if you can see the moon go outside and walk, spend a few moments in thought and quiet conversation with all you see and feel. It will do you good to get reacquainted with this inner sanctum within yourself.

And if this is something you do regularly, shake up your routine and do it a little differently this time. Take a ritual bath, plan a ceremony and a special meal - we have lost touch with earth celebrations, tradition and rites - in the same way that we have distanced ourselves from our sacred spaces.

This coming year will bring much change - I am looking forward to re-gaining these precious places, we have long been pushed out of our rightful sanctuary and it is time to take them back. Part of having that access will be to use them fully once again.

Perhaps this is a good time to reflect back on the year that was - how our time was spent and to find new ways to carve out moments in these sacred spaces. You will find greater meaning, lighter energy and higher consciousness that you did not even know existed....

April

Moon at Lughnasa 1 August 2012 

Getting Ready to Party with the Fairies!

Today is day 14 and I am nearly there - just a couple more days to go and I will have reached my goal for this month. Right now I have a sore throat, my voice is nearly gone and I am feeling quite achy -- it might be the cold that the kids had (I'm still in denial however).....

So, today is a new day and I do love Mondays - it's nice to feel like you have a fresh start each and every week. This week is the one we have been waiting for all year - our Solstice celebration is the biggest event at our house - and we are preparing for it moment by moment.

It's not difficult to become a little child like during this time of the year - everything is so exciting. Even the energy in the air is charged with greater good, love and kindness - from the Universe or the Earth herself? 

Or perhaps from some distant star further afield where they might also celebrate something special at the same time of year. I often wonder if all the other dimensions and earth elementals also celebrate in the same or similar ways as us.

The sun's Solstice will occur in exactly the same way for them, and of course it is marked in some special way. Today this was our topic of discussion - as we make our decorations and festive art - Do the fairies, gnomes and earth energies have a tree and decorate?

We like to think so...perhaps their party will be far more elaborate then ours with preparations, carried out in sacred space. We have lost the reverence of this season and disconnected from it's real meaning of the return of the light so vital to all of nature (and us).

What we have forgotten is perhaps our roles in the bigger picture, become lost in the shuffle to and from the shops buying things we don't want or need. Instead it might be far more important for our spirits to spend some time with our loved ones walking and connecting to nature or bringing it inside....

After all, we have a party to attend! 

April

Hawthorne berries bringing in the sacred energy of the earth