Realising the Mother Line

It seemed such normal
drive to work...

After a busy but mundane week, nothing out of the ordinary, I was beginning to wonder what I would find to write about in my blog. I have however learnt by now that if nothing else I should expect the unexpected, I asked Ker for inspiration and imagination in my daily conversations with Her, trusting and content in the knowledge that something would inspire me! Still it was a surprise when I had a rather odd thing happen to me on Friday morning. I  was coming along the main road when I could see a couple in a dark blue Jaguar waiting to pull out of Oatfield Drive, where I wanted to turn into. As I was slowing down I flashed my lights and waved them out. The lady who was the passenger, smiled, waved back and turned to who I thought was probably her husband, when he didn't  pull out I flashed my lights again and waited patiently, again the lady smiled, waved and turned to the man, yet he still didn't move. I decided to move forward and turn as there were cars starting to queue behind me. As I came past the car I looked to grin at the lady, roll my eyes in an "honestly, men" way but  to my surprise she had gone and the chap was sitting alone in the car! After a double take I finally managed to convince myself that she really was no longer  there. It's not the first time I've seen spirits but never in a car before.... When I got to work, I told to my lovely friend Liz (who is an absolute font of knowledge about all things weird, wonderful and spiritual) about it  and was interested to hear her view that it was lovely to think that a spirit was staying close to someone and looking out for them compared to my "well that was weird" point of view. I hadn't thought of it like that before. It made me wonder who is with me at times, unseen and unheard.

I'm sure Mark is growing his
own Cider Orchard!

On Saturday we went the allotment and were shocked at how much everything had grown over the week, particularly the wretched weeds. As luck would have it according to the lunar calender, this weekend was particularly auspicious for weeding, tidying and maintenance!  With a bit of help from our neighbour's petrol strimmer and plenty of elbow grease we soon had it looking better. The apples are growing quickly now, the early potatoes are ready to dig, some of the peas were ready to pick and the dwarf beans are looking a bit more lively. The three sisters planting is looking great, the bean plants are flowering in white and purple and the corn appears to like having such close companions, I decide against buying  

Sun through the Pear trees

and putting squashes and courgettes in yet as I thought I'd make sure the corn and beans had a chance to take off first, so they will hopefully go in next weekend as well as some more peas in a nearby plot. Whilst we were there I lit a candle and an incense stick and asked for simple blessings of sun and rain on the land as I have before. I was hoping to meditate but it was starting to get busier, it wasn't the people that put me off it was the increasing noise and some very active crickets that pervaded my thoughts and made me laugh. It was beautiful to just sit and listen to the busy insects and allotmenteers alike.

Honouring my Motherline

After that, we spent a lovely chilled afternoon with my Mum and Dad, after lunch Mum and I ended up looking through loads of old family photographs and chatting about family history. Now this in itself is far from uncommon, Mum has traced the family history many generations back in all the branches of the family tree that she could since I can remember and before the wealth of internet information became available, I accompanied her on many a grave finding mission or parish register search throughout Kent, where my ancestors have lived for centuries. On Saturday I was telling Mum how when I had seen my Uncle last week he had told me that I reminded him of their Mum and he could see a resemblance  and mannerisms, which no one has ever told me before! All of that side of the family were/are short and petite with dark hair and eyes - (think Pictish!) whereas I have always been tall, fair skinned blue eyed and well, sturdy - far more Anglo-Saxon! This led to us looking at photos with fresh eyes, Mum telling me more about my Nan's life and agreeing with my Uncle that there are likenesses. I always felt I was far more like my Dad's family. I was still struggling to accept that this was what I was learning this week from Ker, all the 'it's too early for the Mother archetype' arguments and 'save that for Lammas' etc. 

However, you know when you know....?! 

Last night had me researching the Mother Line theories and thoughts and I tried, I really did, to understand mitochondrial DNA ie what is passed down through the Mother Line, and if I've got this right we all in theory inherit from all four grandparents but proportionally more from our maternal grandmothers as that

Aylesford -home to a century
of my Mother Line 

can only come through the female line and not so much is received from our paternal grandmothers as it is not passed on in it's entire complexity through the male line. Anyone who knows more - please feel free to correct me! It inspired me to start writing poetry last night, something that I have always done in secret, which I will share maybe next week when I have 'completed' it as much as you ever do, this again made me look at my lovely Nan again, who was quite a prolific writer in her own way, despite her being a quiet private lady, we have a huge amount of letters that she wrote throughout her life, particularly during the second world war to her many brothers and my Granddad. Nan passed away when I was expecting her eldest great grandchild, my son Dan - who is more like her than anyone else!

Today I took flowers over to the family graves in the church you can see above in the picturesque village of Aylesford that was home to a century of women in my Mother Line and there are 4 generations at rest in the churchyard and whilst I didn't feel it was totally appropriate to do anything 'Goddessy' there, I placed flowers - pink, white and purple  carnations on all their 

Village Sign Depicting the
Local Ancient Stones at
Kits Coty

graves, remembered them and their names, thanked all these mothers in turn for their unknown blessings and gifts to me. The cottage Nan and her parents lived in is also in the above photo right by the famous and much photographed Aylesford Bridge. The village sign also depicts the local Standing Stones - Kits Coty that mean so much to me. 

So, I have books ordered to learn more about the Mother Line and ponder on it's importance to me, I have a poem to complete to share with you next week and I am beginning to understand the energies  flow, shift and alter, they don't always just begin and stop, whether that be Goddess or Sabbat energy or the flow of a bloodline or Motherline, I'm sure that Ker has plenty to share with me as I walk with Her as she did with all my Mothers that went before me and worked the land. I am writing this listening to Loreena McKennitt - and a particularly mournful but beautiful tune that sounded (if you will excuse my stereotype) very Jewish has just played - I just checked and it was called 'Sacred Shabbat' and is indeed Jewish in origin, interestingly a religion that measures the degree of a person's historic Judaism through the Mother's blood line and it's not lost on me that last week I visited a shrine dedicated to Mary, Mother of Jesus whilst we were on holiday.... I have much to learn!

Whilst I name and remember my Mother Line that I know of, that goes back to 1780 and is now Sophie, Claire, Margaret, Doris, Lily, Jane, Eliza and Mary...

                             I wish you all a Blessed Week x x