The Wheel Turns

Spindle Berries...Who Knew?

Well I'm happy to report that I finally found the moon and when I did she was as gorgeous as ever! It took me a while to put a name or some sense to the wild craving that was encircling me last week, until it occurred to me that I was feeling the Crone energy creeping in. The change of energy always seems to catch me unawares, as though I'll suddenly wake up at  the next Sabbat miraculously full of a new archetype energy, I'm still on such a learning curve. So this weekend I was planning a bit of an escape, clambering up a hill, yes really, me up a hill and finding some time for quiet meditation. 
Oh how Goddess must have been laughing.....  One frantic phone call later from a dear friend who having been let down at the last minute desperately needed a babysitter on Saturday and I had acquired the wonderful James, a fabulous and very lively 10 year old lad for the night. The rain deterred us from a moonlit walk through the fields with torches to look for bats (we're mad not crazy you know!) However we did get to finish decorating pumpkins and trial my new glass paints out decorating glass jars as tea light holders as well as a passing cat before watching a film. 

Clouds Not Vapour Trails...

The following day after a night  sleeping on a camp made on the lounge floor, which was not as comfortable as I remember them to be or maybe it's just my pre Crone bones, the sun was shining. After my lovely charge had asked me why I had a corn lady and candles on my window sill, loved the fact that I had made it myself and that it was my special place to remember and enjoy all the seasons in the year, I decided that he really would love to climb around the hills with me and I realised that the wildness and solitude calling to me could equally be a different perspective and what better than that of a child's, especially one who was talking about different Gods and Goddesses particularly ancient Greek ones,

A Goddess Welcome

asking if there was deity for door hinges, a blacksmith type one I suggested  and creating stories about Space Vikings with me....
The park I had seen on the way home last week was on top of the North Downs so we eagerly explored the park greeted by a curiously Goddess like wood sculpture. We found all the berries I had seen previously and more, we now know what spindle berries look like (I've never heard of them!) as well as finding redcurrants, blackcurrants and more rose hips than even I could 'glean'. At the peak of the hill we found the site of an Iron Age enclosure and learnt that far from being a hill top fort to protect themselves from marauding bands of ferocious enemies, these were the arable and cultivated farming

Harvested Corn Field

areas available above the dense valley forests below them and that the site pre-dated the Roman excavations found further down the hill. After over an hour exploring the hills, admiring the breath taking views, avoiding cow pats, watching circling hawks, happily getting muddy and climbing round the ruined walls of the 11th Century Thurnham Castle James called me excitedly to the side of the hill, "Look! Look!" he yelled and hugged me  "You'll like this.....it's a Corn Field" Wow! thank you James and thank you Ker for finding me and bringing me into your Crone energy when I least expected it. 

Have a Blessed Week and Enjoy Samhain, however you Celebrate x x 

Call of The Wild

A Slightly Camera Shy Lola

Aww bless her, look who I woke up to this morning, Lola sitting on my chest and purring like a furry machine gun. If I could just train her to bring up a cuppa it would be perfect! 
Now is it me, or has anyone else lost the Moon this week?! I know she's up there somewhere, but we've had such cloudy nights that I've yet to have even a glimpse of a slither of moon light. After a year or more of noting down my moods, feelings, artistic waves, meditations and the changes in my body, instinct told me that we were starting the new phase, but no sign as yet of the Ivy Moon as this one is known, according to my lunar diary. The 'artistic' wave was in

A Splash of Colour

full flow when I decided to splash some more colour into our lounge, orange again to compliment the cushions, this time vibrant Chinese lanterns. I wonder if anyone had shopping envy and were inspired like I was the other week! I haven't seen any growing for years - my Nan used to have them in her garden up on the top patio by the crab apples.

This is usually a good time for me to meditate and journey with Goddess but so far I've struggled to concentrate and find the peace and silence that I require to meditate 'properly'. What I have done a lot is dream vividly, spending my nights with all manner of friends, family and total strangers! I once read that if you are awake at night you are in someone else's dream - so apologies for anyone who is suffering with insomnia this week, it's probably my fault! I was also told by someone that I have a lot of respect for, that between the hours of midnight and three-thirty is when we travel astrally, does this explain why I regularly wake up at 3.33 with a jolt - or perhaps I just snore so loudly that I wake myself up! My husband might say the latter....

A Timely Discovery

This week's lack of meaningful meditation has had me questioning my daily practices of centring and calling Goddess in, plenty of time and quiet for that, not rushed or hurried, taking time to walk with and work with Goddess throughout the whole of the day - even managing to sneak my Endless Wave by Gabrielle Roth CD and incense sticks into a relaxation session for one of my groups at work, for the record the group absolutely loved it! However I have been aware of a yearning for total and absolute absence of mechanical, traffic or electronic noise that has been gnawing away at my conciousness for a little while. With that in mind, it was no surprise that this book turned up at the work, Ok maybe not really so very surprising considering that my office is in a library, but you know what I mean! Since then I have been devouring it for 'Wild' places to visit to find this solitude and oneness with nature that so appeals. 
So this afternoon after some careful thought and weighing up just how 'Wild'  I could actually stand, bearing in mind I was in

Rainham Marshes

almost hysterical tears about being stuck on the mountain forever and being left to die when we went down the wrong path on Snowdon just a few years ago and I don't 'do' hills, I thought I'd ease myself in gently. Just a bit off the beaten track, well in plain view of it to start with to be honest. Off we went to Rainham, about 20 miles away to the Riverside Country Park, for a walk on the wild side. Not renowned for it's connection to Ker or any other Corn or Grain Goddess of course but Her land anyway. 
The park is a coastal one

A Grey but Sunny Day

on the Thames estuary and there is a beautiful walk out on a spit of land with marshland either side, teeming with wildlife and birds. The head of the land was once a brick works. Again, not necessarily a promising land of Goddess connections but with the wind blowing there was very little chance of hearing cars, and judging by people miserably jabbing at their mobiles there wasn't a great deal of phone or internet coverage. The views were certainly wild, and once you could look beyond the power station on the very deceptively quaintly named Isle of Grain, grain being the local gravel, the wetlands were redolent of some of the Dickens novel settings (he did live locally) and there was a beauty in the stark surroundings, you could hear the whoosh  and rush of the feathers of the Canadian Geese that flew overhead and the calls and

Rose Hips Amongst the Foliage

squawks of the settling and nesting birds. Lots of families with children and scooters, and dog walkers prevented it from being quiet and lonely. Too busy for any real chance of meditation but an enjoyable hour spent feeling the wind in my hair and allow time to contemplate and enjoy a very different type  of environment to my more familiar fields and woods. So, happy to go on to the next level of wild, with less people but more trees, back to the drawing board it seemed, then guess what I found on the way home! A country park I've driven passed up on the hills but have never visited until today. A quick recce proved fruitful, even boasting castle ruins and the site of an Iron Age Fort... with amazing views, something to look forward to next weekend and I'm guessing the rug will be making an appearance, hopefully along with a spot of peaceful meditation!

             Wishing You All a Peaceful and Meditative Week x x 

        

'Horrid Hill'

Autumnal Berries

Gifts From The Land

Mist At Yalding Leas

I hope you've all had a fantastic week. My daily drive to work has become a temporary journey through a magical misty kingdom, the October mists are hanging in the trees and hovering over the dew laden grass or a blanket of red and gold leaves, anything or anyone could run out of the veil between the lands...unicorns, dragons, witches and fairies, or in most cases lately, sheep! I keep meaning to take my camera with me, as waving my phone about really isn't a good idea, nor terribly legal... I managed to remember later this week, it isn't the best photo but at least I was stationary at lights waiting to cross the river, where the mist was circling upwards like autumn wraiths and totally breath taking. 

Friday saw me on a road trip heading to Surrey for a training day, Rebound Therapist Refresher Course -  for the curious, this is basically  therapeutic exercises on a trampoline for people with additional support needs and meant as well as retraining, I had the chance to spend a much needed day

Autumn Hedgerow Sun

with my former colleague and very dear friend Cher. Whilst travelling back, somewhere between Penshurst and Tonbridge, sorry I really can't be more specific we were a little off piste (ahem, lost!) in the back roads but were enchanted by the tunnel of high banks we found ourselves in, that held the visible tree roots back, under the arched canopy of green and golden leaves, like an aisle in the cathedral of nature and it felt like the land was trying to reclaim the tarmac scar on it's skin, the gorgeous Cher who doesn't necessarily agree with my weird "hippy dippy" views but loves me anyway, supports me  and always reads my blog pointed out that I could write about this adventure this week. As I was nodding agreement a beautiful young doe walked out in the road and simply gazed at us without fear, whilst we hushed ourselves and stared in awe, before she trotted elegantly across the road and nimbly down the hill where she stood and watched us for a while before blending back into the camouflage of the trees. What a beautiful couple of minutes......Elen of the Ways came to mind immediately, thank you Goddess for that brief but powerful and enchanting connection, that I could share with a friend too.

Herbs Drying on the Dresser

How rock and roll am I?, Saturday night was spent making a cat mint mouse for my beloved clowder of cats (3 or more), also known as a clutter or a glaring, or a 'dowt' or a 'destruction' if you are referring to wild cats, which anyone who has ever left a chicken joint out will understand.... Cat mint is one of the herbs that I've harvested  from our allotment. Yes, I'm a crazy cat lady, and no I don't care who knows it! Those of you who read my very first blog will know that my lovely LuLu bought me a book entitled 'Gifts from the Garden' for my birthday back in April 

Unimpressive Sewing ...

and page 62/63 got the first attempt from the allotment....to be fair to start with, the cats did look pretty spectacularly unimpressed by my sewing skills. The magic happened when I started stripping the leaves from the dried cat mint, George was insistent on getting on the table and tried to eat the leaves. 

After I stuffed the first offering, named Trevor by the kids, with toy filling and a couple of teaspoons of cat mint, they

George and his New Toy

appeared from nowhere and took it in turns to hug, cuddle and then generally kick the living daylights out of of it! Success! Alpha Male George took it to sleep on his (my new cushions) favourite cushion with him, lucky mouse! Surprisingly it was still in one piece this morning, albeit a bit soggy, I don't want to think about that too much! Inspired I sewed the rest of them up today and filled them to put away for Christmas/Yule (Yes, really) Shush don't tell them! It doesn't send them scatty like cat nip but they sure do love it! 
Whilst this sewing frenzy was taking place I also watched a documentary about a year on the life of Oak Trees, that I had recorded.Who knew a 400 year old tree would have approximately 700,000 leaves and produce enough oxygen to completely sustain an adult human for a year? Best we plant some more. I would never have watched a programme like this a couple of years ago, it just goes to show how my life has changed and the level of my interest in the world around me now, how I connect with the land and the changes that happen daily, weekly, by season as I have started to walk with Her - Thank You  Ker x x 

A few Rose Hips

I also managed to have a quick forage of the fields today for the rose hips I had seen on the way to pilates in the week, for either jelly or wine, which I have frozen until I have enough, apparently this will help the enzymes break down for both - you live and learn! I'm always so full of creative energy as the moon wanes and disappears,the ideas and sketches to paint rush through me in this last week and that still feels odd, like it should build instead as the moon waxes, which is when my meditations increase in instance, depth and intensity! Go with the flow Claire.....

Have a Blessed Week x x 

Herbs Drying On My Dresser

                                                                                                                      

The Nearly Finished Mice 

Seasonal Hotchpotch

So who managed to get up and see the Super Blood Moon

Just Capturing the Eclipse
at the Top Right Corner

 Total Eclipse then?  
I have to admit that when my alarm went off at 3.30 that for a split second I thought about turning it off and turning back over! I was really glad I didn't though, after taking a cursory peep out of the bathroom window to make sure I could actually see anything, I was amazed at just how red and beautiful it was and went outside for a better look and tried to get some pictures. The photo doesn't do it justice, but it was the best I could get and according to National Geographic, we won't see another one until 2033 and there have only been 5 since 1900!

Remember these two
 Little Foals?

I'm really enjoying walking through the fields to Pilates at the moment, which is handy as we're still down to one car! The foals in the first field are rapidly growing and are less shy, though one of the Mothers still keeps a beady eye and trots over protectively if they come too close to me, I know how she feels proud, protective and wary but knowing she has to let them find their own way! 
I deliberately give myself extra 'stopping and staring time'  to walk down, which really allows me to connect with Ker and the land. It's subtle weekly changes as the wheel turns, such as the trees beginning to shed their leaves

Branches from the same tree,
 one bare,one still green
 against the sunset.... 

like golden confetti, some still clinging on like reluctant drunken revellers at a party and the sudden abundance of shiny bright red berries, including some holly ones this week herald the changing seasons and the forth coming deep sleep of the land. By the time I get to the old church where I do my class, the sun is low in the sky and dark when I come out, all in a short hour. 

Anyone Else Seeing
an Acorn?

As I said the class is in a nearby church - West Farleigh which is 11th Century in origin and an unusual but fabulous setting for a pilates class. It is deeply carpeted for anyone who wonders about my sanity, health and skeletal well being rolling around on a stone floor! I really enjoy the peace and the quality time to just breathe and be aware of my body, envisaging bones and muscles moving seamlessly, even if the reality is a bit more clumsy!  I am always fascinated by the font cover, which is unusually (according to a 'Westie' local of the Far Leighs, we be Easties!) in the middle of the church as opposed to being at the back or main entrance, the cover and the font itself resembles a huge acorn to me at least - which feels like it represents fertility and could be a nod to the changing seasons and pre Christian beliefs, which makes me happy!

Happy Birthday
 Lovely Lu! 

Last night we went out to a party to celebrate the 50th Birthday of my oldest friend Lu (she of May Day Morris Dancing, Stone and Tree Hugging renown) in friendship terms not actual years bless her -  I have literally known her all my life and we have spent many an afternoon, evening or even days discussing all things weird, wonderful, Goddess, magick, ley lines, crystals, witches  - you name it and visiting ancient sites both local and further afield including a mad summer solstice at Stonehenge! Never been to Glastonbury together yet, so am adding that to my to do list! Fabulous night with plenty of ale, cider and live music. Awesome! So just adding a photo of us because I can and I want to!    Happy 50th Birthday  Darling Girl!! 

Looking through 11th, 4th and
14th century structures...

Today we decided to drive to the outskirts of nearby Faversham, about half an hour away and visit the ancient Stone Chapel there, an online acquaintance has often mentioned it so we decided to take a look. It is unusual in that this former chapel stands on the site of pagan/pre Roman burials and probable ceremonial buildings or archaeology which was then incorporated in the flint built chapel itself.The oldest part of the walls dates to 4th century. As we approached, I very strongly felt the need to ground myself again, and reaching the flint walls themselves I  was instantly aware of the power and

Flint Walls, Cemented
 with Sand and Shells

strength of the energy there, not negative but just so potent -which I won't lie worried me! It felt like a hundred voices were talking and vying for my attention when I tried to ground, I had to restart and quell the clamour in my head which took considerable effort and concentration. As I tried to explain to Mark, for the first time ever I could see and sense him really questioning if I had lost it! Voices quelled and grounding complete, I felt comfortable  and confident to step over the threshold and enter the old church. 

Mystery Orb, seemingly
 below the line of the Sun

Despite it's proximity to the main A2 , constantly pulsing with cars and lorries, the surrounding fields and adjacent wooded area, which for the record I was convinced I had seen movement in as we walked over the field to it made it feel curiously secluded. It wasn't until we got back in the car and I looked at the photos that I found this orb, (and another one in another photo in the same place) - in the ancient 4th century part - the red flat tiles marking it out as specific to that era, exactly below where I had decided to leave my modest offering of berries and leaves from our garden, a splash of my apple wine, and where I lit a candle of thanksgiving for the continued abundance in my life.
(I took the candle back home to be Eco aware) 
It wasn't until we drove home after popping into Faversham to have a mooch round the Sunday Market and randomly seeing Sir Bob Geldolf walking past us - (sorry name drop there!) that I remembered that my Nan's Grandmother Sarah Maria came from Ospringe, very near to where the Stone Chapel is! The Motherline whispers to me again....

Have a Blessed Week x x 

Offering and Candle

Looking through The Flint...