Rowan Rambles

Some of you may have seen my little video last week, well it carried on as a bit of a theme, as these things tend to do so this blog is brought to you, drumroll please, courtesy of... Sorbus Aucuparia - the humble Rowan. 

Did you know that we use Latin names as standard for all plants, because in the 18th century, a systemised method was developed by Swedish Naturalist Carl Linnaeus? One reason being that as a so called 'dead' language, the meaning of the Latin words wouldn't alter and it was long been seen as universally acknowledged scientific language along with Greek? Well we all know now! 

So, what's in a name? If you use google translate, Sorbus Aucuparia roughly translates 'a sip of bird watching', which at first google may seem a bit odd. Sorbus can also means 'service tree' and  aucuparia pertains to birds - derived from 'avis' and 'capere' - catching. This has been accredited to the fact that traditionally, the berries may have been used to trap or catch wild fowl in hunting. Hmm, we'll see about that. 

The Rowan is a tree of many, many names; it is also known as the Mountain Ash and more poetically The Lady of The Mountains due to it's ability to thrive in wilder more liminal locations, and it has been referred to as the quickbeam, wicken and witchwood, as well as being called fid na ndruad in old Irish or Celtic language which translates to the Wizard's Tree. It is often associated with Faeries, perhaps on account of its beautiful creamy-white, five petalled flowers, a similarity shared with those of the also fae friendly Elder and Hawthorn, and there were certainly lots of them around the famous Fairy Pools on the Isle of Skye when we visited a few years ago.

The Rowan is also important in Norse Mythology, legend has it that when the God Thor was swept into a fast flowing river towards the underworld, Rowan dipped her branches and rescued him, allowing him to pull himself to the safety of the banks and also as opposed to being crafted from a spare rib, in Norse creation folklore, the first woman was made from the wood of the Rowan and the first man was made from that of the Ash Tree. 

My favourite legend or myth though, is the one I alluded to, but which eluded me in my little video, and that is of the Greek Goddess and bearer of the chalice of eternal youth, Hebe. Her magical chalice bore the Ambrosia or Nectar to  the Gods and Goddesses of Olympus. It was stolen from her by demons, and the Gods sent an Eagle to help her recover it. A battle of epic proportions ensued, and although the eagle triumphed and restored the chalice to Hebe, many of their feathers and droplets of blood fell to earth, whereupon the Rowan Trees sprang up with berries of blood red and leaves shaped like eagle feathers. 

Hebe - Cup Bearer of The Gods  - Photo courtesy of www.theoi.com

Hmm, throwback to a 'sip of birdwatching', rambling rowan thoughts currently include sipping a cup, maybe as in a cup or chalice of eternal youth? Service tree, could that be serving the Gods? As for aucuparia  and 'avis' and 'capere', could that also be catching, how about the Eagle recapturing the chalice? Each to their own interpretation, but  I think I know where my thoughts and inclinations have rambled off to! 

Rowan is renowned for it's protective qualities, it is said to protect people from witchcraft, enchantment and even lightning. Planting one in your garden was said to make for a happy and safe home, my parents house, which was my Nan's house before that, has several Rowan Trees in the garden, partly due to several generations of us having Rowan Berry Fights every autumn, and that has certainly been a happy family home through no less than seven decades. A staff of Rowan is said to protect the traveller from getting lost too.

Rowan berry protection charms were once very commonly made and placed either in or outside the home to protect those who dwell there. Over the years, several have disappeared amongst the Jasmine around my front porch, but flashes or red peek through every now and then! I make them most years, carefully and respectfully asking the tree for their wood and berries before I take them. They vary in design, but usually incorporate a cross of Rowan twigs, and a circle of berries on red cotton in one form or other. This month we decided to make some more at our Moon Circle, no doubt weaving in an additional collective protection, brought by the power of women sat in a circle drinking tea and eating cake!

It seems such a satisfying short ritual to make them, one that our ancestors must have done for many years. I've hung mine with the collection in the porch and also made a simple string of berries to hang above the back door too, and of course you can't fail to notice the tiny pentagram on every single berry, adding protection, magic and mystery to each charm.

Have  A Blessed Week x x 

The Comeback Queen

Funny how a simple decision sparks a chain reaction isn't it? 

So here's the thing, I was sat at my desk last week doing loads of work stuff  (yawn) and from the depths of somewhere deep in my belly, I knew I needed to go for a walk, so off I trotted and there I was, wandering through one of my favourite places, phone in hand snapping pictures, when suddenly, I was doing a live video on my WWMG page. After keeping a very low profile for sometime for no reason other than feeling I had  nothing wild or interesting to say, there I was, my Moon in Leo fully engaged, showing off my special place to all and sundry. Now I do realise that sounds wayyy more Only Fans than it was (no nudity I promise), but it was all a bit of a shock to me! 

Something was obviously a stirring somewhere, because it happened again walking to work on Monday, I decided to film a little video to share - and look at me - I'm loving it! (Even if does look like I'm just wearing a denim jacket, I can assure you there is an olive green outfit underneath!)

Walking through those fields was exactly what I needed. Like suddenly seeing an old friend that you haven't seen in years, my heart leapt, as in a few short minutes, to my delight, I found myself surrounded by signs of the turning of the wheel, and knew I was full of enthusiasm for rabbiting on about it again. Even kicking my shoes off to walk barefoot in the warm, dry, baked earth, listening to the wheat singing to me and almost in tears at the joy of it all. Luckily no one was there to witness this insanity, so it really was a good job I filmed it!

I'd got stuck in the same sh*t, different day of it all and forgotten the magic. 

The magic of ripening, shiny purple damsons and sweet and juicy blackberries, jostling for pole position amongst the fresh spiky green holly leaves and the tingly nettles. I'd forgotten the wonder of this time of year, as Goddess yields her precious  treasures  up to us, my favourite time of the year - seasons beginning to overlap and blend magically and seamlessly into each other. 

Wheat rippling and swaying, like a golden sea, with a track of clay-coloured warm earth right through the middle, it was just made for a Goddess loving 50 something like myself to run through and realise that the pathway was never lost or unloved, just hidden from sight. 

To quote Maya Angelou, "This is a wonderful day, I have never seen this one before." or if you're more Elton John - The Bitch is Back.

                                    Have a Blessed Week x x 

Inspiration and Idols

Well February was a bit of a month! 

It started off with a powerful Imbolc experience with some of my beautiful SiStars, joining in with an online journey dedicated to Brigid with the lovely Tara Wild, I even dug out my old Goddessing Notebook from my days studying in Glastonbury. It was lovely to explore new perspectives and ideas, always good for the soul! As per usual I found a strong connection with my Ancestors and felt the comfort of voices whispering from the past.

An Imbolc Journey

Just a week later, I was absolutely thrilled to be attending a reception and afternoon tea at no less than the House of Lords (and Ladies) to mark 10 years of Street Link in connection with my work. A very auspicious day as Volodymyr Zelensky was visiting too! 

Look Where I am!

Prior to the reception, I took myself off to Westminster Abbey and spent a fabulous couple of hours being a proper tourist, even managing to find a cheeky Greenman carved into the door of The St John The Baptist Chapel! Finding these little reminders of our pagan and folklore loving past mixed in with the changing face of belief over the years always makes me smile. I can almost imagine the carpenter grinning as he crafted a little nod to the old ways.

A Nod to the Old Ways

Whilst I  was up there, I also made a point of going to see the Statue of Boudicca on Westminster Bridge. I always picture her Red flaming hair wildly flowing a bit like Brigid! according to Dio Cassius, the Roman Historian she was "tall and terrible, with a great mass of red hair to her hips.." I love her! I too am tall and terrible!  Hair shorter than it once was, but growing back.. I remember wanting to be Boudicca or Boadicia as we called her then when we were kids and the boys wanted to be Robin Hood, or Cowboys and Indians or whatever it was we were playing, strange child I was.

An Iconic Heroine

Of course whilst I was up at Parliament Square, I had  to take a moment to pause and admire the statue of Millicent Fawcett, the leader of the National Union Of Women's Suffrage Societies, another of my Heroines and one of my Great Nan Ellen's too, she was a member of NUWSS at a time when many husbands and fathers would be less than supportive of their Wives or Daughters, or even Mother's being involved, especially when they were a respectable pillar of the community like my Great Grandad, luckily he was a wise and forward thinking man.

First Ever Statue of Woman In Parliament Square

To quote Millicent herself "Courage calls to courage everywhere, and it's voice cannot be denied.." Could have been said by Boudicca too. Strong women.

I certainly filled my cup up with inspirational and wild women, which is pretty handy as the month took a turn for the worse. Less of a turn, more of a slip, trip and fall, a horrendous cracking sound which saw my ankle going a different way to my knee... it's dangerous stuff putting cat food away!

OUCH!!

Queue more heroes and legends, our fabulous NHS, including one of my best friends Tracy who is a nurse, full of sympathy. compassion and "WTF have you done now you silly moo?!" So one right ankle with 2 fractures later, with himself away Trucking his way up to Scotland, here I am at nearly 52, being loved, looked after and cosseted by my wonderful Mum and Dad again, in my childhood bedroom, having to do as I'm told by Nurse Mum and learning another lesson in patience. Could have been worse, and here I am, spending more precious time with them.   

   Have Blessed Week x x 

A Busy New Year

A Frosty Walk To Work...

So how's your New Year been ? 

We've had all sorts happening here! There was a random heavy snow shower before Yule, but only frost so far, we'll have to wait and see what The Callieach brings over the next couple of days!

Already this month I've been to a very wet and muddy Wassail, which was happily located at a local brewery, I mean beer and musket fire what could possibly go wrong? Luckily we are all still present and correct...

Sadly a friend of mine passed through the Veil just before Yule and I had the privilege of conducting his Memorial service at a local chapel, hidden in the Kent Downs. It was sad and moving, but there was laughter too.

Afterwards, I had a walk round their new barrow interment site and I think I've found my final forever home....

Holly Barrow

I've also managed to have a cheeky stroll along the beach with himself on a very cold day, red nosed and with tingling fingers we marvelled at the big deceptively blue skies, felt shells crunching beneath our feet as we walked off a big fat roast dinner, listening to the waves crash, as the sun went down, always so cathartic, it brushed those final vestiges of the cobwebs of 2022 from my brain!

Blowing The Cobwebs Away

This weekend our local Pagan group met for a walk and an early Imbolc ritual at Mote Park, our local park in the heart of the town, over 450 acres of parkland, woods, wild areas and a lake, perfect for self respecting Pagans to melt like ninjas into the undergrowth for a covert ceremony... 

Apart form the fact that our merry band came complete with 3 bunnies, yes seriously! Well it has just been The Chinese Year of The Rabbit! 

We got even more odd looks than normal, and that's saying something....

Beautiful Willow Moon

After making lots of children's days with bunny cuddles, we sauntered off undeterred and found a magnificent Oak Tree to gather round, calling in the quarters, giving offerings of oats and milk to Brighid, listening to poems and even some singing, which whilst tuneful probably scared a few dog walkers!

All in all, a busy but fabulous start to the year.

Have a Blessed Week x x 

Halcyon Days

I don't know if any of you remember my little 7 day connect to the Goddess challenge I set back in February? Well anyway, it created quite an interesting journey for me, and I promised a blog about it at some stage, so here we are!

Halcyon Days - Otherkin Words

So at the end of the little challenge, the final part was to do a short meditation journey, I ended up on a sunny river bank, watching a beautiful ethereal lady serenely paddle a boat towards me, both of us surrounded by kingfishers, which was all rather lovely and not at all what I was expecting. Maybe I was influenced by the colours I was wearing? Who knows, but I know enough to know a sign when it comes and bites me on the bum!

Me looking all wafty and Kingfisher coloured...

As you can imagine some  fervent googling and researching ensued. Now the only remote link I could find to the Goddess and Kingfishers, was Alcyone. In Greek mythology she and her husband Ceyx were mortals who angered the gods by daring to refer to each other as  Zeus and Hera, whilst Ceyx was out at sea, an enraged Zeus whipped up a storm (or a thunderbolt depending on your storyteller) and the boat was lost, Ceyx with it. Unaware, Alcyone continued to pray to Hera for her husband's safe return, only to discover that he had died - again either by his body being washed up or by a visit from Morpheus (God of dreams) disguised as Ceyx by way of a premonition. Either way a distraught Alcyone threw herself into the sea/river and was drowned.

Halcyone - Herbert James Draper

Now don't worry, I'm not about to be throwing myself into the Medway, I nearly drowned when I was 8 and that's enough for me, thank you very much! Anyway out of compassion (or guilt I reckon) Zeus turned them into kingfishers so that they could be together again, the Kingfisher's scientific family name is Alcedinidae, and the belted kingfisher's proper name is megaceryle alcyon. 

So Halcyon Days means idyllic past days, memories of the golden days. Now that made me a bit sad to be honest, like all the best days have been had, wow, what if even most of the days have been had? That's how my brain was working, not surprisingly perhaps after a long year of serious health issues. Hmm. More googling required. Spiritually a Kingfisher can mean Love, Abundance and Prosperity, now that was more like it! Boldness, Courage and Peace? Why yes, I'll have me some of that thank you very much!

The name Alcyon was still nagging at me, where had I heard of her before? I was thinking the sky but perhaps that was just the Kingfishers flying? Finally I remembered, the Pleiades!

From : goodwitcheshomestead.com

The Seven Sisters! No not the 'mountains' that I climbed on the South Coast, no one mention them to me ever, ever again!  These Seven Sisters were  Maia, Alcyone, Merope, Asterope, Calaeno, Taygete and Electra, daughters of Atlas, who holds up the earth for the Gods  and  Pleione - a sea nymph. There are many stories about them, a popular one being that because of their beauty they were pursued relentlessly by the hunter Orion and to protect them from his advances Zeus transformed them first into doves and then into stars to keep them safe. Personally, I'd have had a stern word with Orion first...  

Ironically the Pleaides constellation is  a cluster of stars in Taurus, next to that of Orion, so he still pursues them across the night sky. What a sex pest. They are visible to the naked eye but it took me a while to find them. 

I'd encountered these sisters before, when I did my celebrancy course, my tutor believe it or not was a lovely lady called River (just small connection!). We had to do a plant spirit/ally mediation, I connected to a red pimpernel, and that in turn connected me to Maia, the eldest of the Seven Sisters as She is the 'deity' connected with that humble plant, that was another amazing mediation and probably a whole blog in itself too, but this moment of serendipity really connected me to two of these sisters. Maia is connected to the month of May - which is just days away and her name means among many other things, midwife, grandmother and wise one. If you make a happy accident of a connection with things, go with it, go with the flow, you're not mad, you are finding your own way and that above all is what I think Goddess wants us to do.

Kingfishers Come A Calling...

Just when I thought I'd finished with Alcyone, Maia and the Kingfishers for the time being, they re-joined me. Me and Himself had gone out for the day, to one of our favourite pub Restaurants at Dungeness - the Pilot, and stopped off on Romney Marsh to look at a few things, one of them being St Eanswythe Church at Brenzett as well as the local marsh visitors centre when they paid a surprise visit in separate art works.....

So as you can imagine that got me thinking again, about these Halcyon days and what it all means. The good old days? The best days are done? Look back with rose tinted glasses, and wallow in nostalgia? Certainly no harm revisiting them, those amazing days that we have enjoyed in the past. Just don't remain there.

It's also the Good Times right now, The Prosperous Times, Better Times round the corner! Those ahead as well as those we've experienced. What if today and yesterday are tomorrow's Halcyon Days? Let's make the most of them! 

Have a Blessed Week x x 

Equinox Adventures

Blessings of Ostara and Spring Equinox To You All!

I love the fact that here in the Northern Hemisphere it's a moveable feast and can be anywhere between 19th to 21st March. To me it feels very flexible and fluid and If I can't do anything in particular to mark it on the actual day, I feel quite at ease doing something a day or so early or late. Day and Night, Light and Dark are equal in hours, harmonious in perfect balance, it all has a wafty quality for me as though the Sabbat itself really is on Pagan Time! The aspect of duality always appeal to me, every year I say I am going to do some shadow work around this time but as usual what I think I am going to do ends up being a completely different experience to what actually happens!

The Start Of My Ostara Altar

This time of year, my altar always builds up slowly, adorned with gifts from the Earth Mother Herself as they are bequeathed to me, and this year was no different. Last Friday I found myself heading off  with my lovely friend  Neene, who like me is always up an Adventure with a capital A. She'd seen a workshop advertised last year - A Goddess Creation Workshop to be exact and wondered if I might be interested, to be fair she had me at Goddess Creat... and the fact that Himself bought it for me as a Yule present was an added bonus. 

We really were that excited!

So after a super early start of 5.45 am, relishing the fact that Lady Moon was still high and watchfully witnessing the Sun Rise - what a beautiful and apt Equinox moment in itself, we arrived in the wilds of Suffolk. The reason we were so excited? Literally our idea of heaven, hidden away in the woods we found this...

Our Venue For The Day - Will's Earth Lodge

I think we were both actually squeaking with excitement at this point! We finally stopped squeaking long enough to go and introduce ourselves to our host for the day Will Lord. More squeaking ensued as we discovered the inside of the Earth Lodge....

Squeak, Squeak, Squeak....

And then ....

More Squeaking then I can type!!

The one on the left is a resin copy of the Venus of Willendorf and the mounted one is Will's own carving. For those of you who are scratching your heads here, The Venus of Willendorf was a Goddess carving called a Venus Figurine made approximately 25,000 -30,000 years ago most likely symbolic of fertility and The Mother Goddess. So, that's why we were there, to create our own...

Now, other than stylising my mashed potato into a volcano complete with gravy lava and killing off a village of peas, I've never really carved anything before. Daunted? A little. After discussing all things Stone Age with Will, his carving Supremo friend Scott and the other intrepid souls that had joined us, fortified by Tea, we discussed carving, flints and materials found in the nearby Grimes Graves, including a Goddess carving found there dated about 5000 years ago, thought to have been left as an offering along with an ahem, phallus shaped carving to either thank the Goddess for her flint that was mined or maybe to encourage more 'to grow'. No one quite knows and for me that's the wonder of it all!

My raw block of Chalk from Grimes Graves

So this is what I started with! Not the creme egg, that was soon demolished and not by my snazzy flint tools that were cut especially for us, dangerous or what, and they let me and Neene loose with them? Already in the sun we were starting to see the difference of the light and the dark in the lines and the shadow, something not lost on us as we approached the Equinox. 

Proper Sharp!

Look how sharp they are!! It didn't really occur to me what I was handling until Will said that we were carving chalk that had been cut away 5000 years ago in the flint mine and piled up. 5000 years!! So the hands that cut this chunk out, lived at the same time roughly as 200 generations ago, the same time as my 198 times Great Grandparents.... they were the last hands to touch these! How freaking awesome is that! I sat there for a little while just holding this damp lump of chalk, letting  the shape form in my head. For some reason the word replete came to mind, so my Goddess slowly emerged from the rock, scrape by scrape, first tentative and then with more conviction and purpose and you know what, I'm pretty darn impressed with myself...

I did manage to utter the immortal words " I just need to smooth my breasts out" which made us giggle a fair bit, but I decided to leave them as she had been crafted by me, which is a whole lesson in itself for me! Perfectly imperfect.

It really was a beautiful spring day and the changing light lit up the carvings we had crafted, really bringing them to life. What a lovely medium to work with. As we drove home, we were once again blessed with the newly Full Moon Rising in The East and The Sun setting to our West - in almost perfect Harmony. It was truly surreal and exquisite.

So here's my Goddess, all replete on her Oak Disk Throne - gifted to me by the fallen Oak Tree that sadly came down on the Village Green in the recent storms and Ivy that grew up my path and needed trimming back. 

In Her Rightful Place...

My Ostara Altar is slowly evolving and being gifted to me by the Earth Mother Herself - light and dark, the shadow side of life and death, all in the turn of the wheel, perfect for Equinox.

Have A Blessed Week x x 

Imbolc Inspiration

Sometimes I have amazing bursts of inspiration of how to celebrate the Sabbats and I come up with some amazing new and funky ways and rituals to do so. Other times, to quote my friend Jenny's turn of phrase, I am as about as spiritual as a stick. This Imbolc, my style and inspiration instead of being that of Sassy Spiritual Chic, I was more like Stressy Spiritual Stick.

Snowdrops at St Margaret's Church

So whilst muttering darkly to myself that none of my snowdrops had come up (probably because I hadn't got round to planting them) and that fact I had to work on Imbolc,  I sat listening to my lovely friend Jacqueline on one of her Facebook lives and heard her talking about Brat Bhrides, or Bratog Brides, also known more simply as Bride's Mantles. Pieces of linen left out on a tree over Imbolc Eve or Imbolc Night for St Bridget / Bride / Brìghde to bless with healing powers for the year as she passed by. Up I jumped all Catherine Tate like, declaring I can do that! These special pieces of linen are sometimes embroidered, and I knew I had the prefect thing - altar cloths that I had found in various charity shops over the years. Gleefully I pinned these two on my Olive Tree, that serves as my sacred tree of whatever weird and wonderful thing I'm doing on my patio..

Brat Bridhes, Bratog Brides or Bride's Mantles

How beautiful they look! That made me feel much better, following an old tradition that is more or less forgotten, nothing novel and wild this year, that worked for me. The idea is that they are filled with healing energy and you can use them throughout the year as and when you need them, just make sure you peg them down when it's windy! With this mind set firmly in place I decided to have a goat another traditional Imbolc custom which could be done on limited means and effort, making Bridie's crosses out of leaves from the garden.

Much happier now my mind turned to sacred wells, the only spring and well I  knew of near me was not far away but is in a sad state of repair and covered in pigeon poop, and I was really feeling that. Randomly I had a google, a really lazy Goddess Girl's google literally - 'sacred wells near me ' and lo and behold St Margaret's Well appeared! Ok so she wasn't Brigid - (I mean we're not in Ireland Claire for goodness sake!) But  it was just 8 miles away. The next day WAS my day off so this was too good an opportunity to miss!

The Plaque at St Margaret's Well

Luckily it was easy to find and I parked my car up, and got out to have a look at the well based at the bottom of a little hill with the beautiful Norman Church of St Margaret's at the top. Now, I quite like a Church, from everything I've read and researched, they were usually built at a cross roads or meeting place - on a sacred site that predates them by a long way. So after having a few quiet moments at the well and carefully placing my homemade Bridie's cross I had made on it, I walked up the hill, passing some gorgeous snowdrops on the way.

My Bridie's Cross at St Margret's Well

At the top, much to my dismay but sadly not unexpectedly, I found the old church locked, but round the side of the Church there was a man taking a break from mowing the church yard talking to another man, so I asked if there was any chance of having a look inside. Bless his heart, he was the Church Deacon and went back down the little hill to get the key to show me round, whilst I stood chatting to the other man who had come to visit his wife's grave, admiring the  ancient Yew there, what a beauty and a certificate verifying it's age as over 1000 years old hangs in the Church Porch! Looks like I was right about it always being a special place!

The 1000 Year Old Yew! 

We heard a car alarm go off and I could see my indicators flashing so I merrily bleeped it with my fob and carried on chatting. When the Deacon came back chuckling he said, "you might have to move that car o' yours, it's blocking the road!" Bewildered I went to investigate, only to find that I must have forgotten to put my handbrake on in my excitement and it had rolled down and was proudly sitting in the middle of the road, completely blocking it both ways, with several cars curiously at a standstill with drivers and passengers wandering about trying to find the owner! Hahaha. Luckily the only thing it had touched was the kerb on the other side of the road which had prevented it rolling through a thin wooden fence and into someone's front wall. Apologising and blushing profusely, I moved my car and made sure the hand brake was on good and proper this time.

What Glorious Keys!!

Re-joining my new friends we all laughed about it, before they opened the church with the most amazing set of keys and then proceeded to give me a lovely little tour round the church, perhaps they simply thought I wasn't safe on my own! They may well be right. They showed me all the hidden gems, the squint holes for the lepers and the beggars to peer through, the 500 year old stained glass in one of the windows, the mechanism of the pipe organ as well as pointing out graves of importance  - such as a famous bell maker and showing me just the right angle to peer into the crypt to see the wooden coffins sealed off below!

What a beautiful unexpected little Imbolc afternoon out, and when I got home, I decided to look up St Margaret, she's the patron saint of expectant mothers, perfect for Imbolc wouldn't you say? 

Have A Blessed Week  x x