Unexpected Connections

Early Morning Sun in Linton

Well I think it's fair to say that any remaining cobwebs have been completely blown away this week in the wake of hurricane Barney, torrential rain as well as a snow shower yesterday morning! I've felt so much more connected to Goddess this week, my daily practice has been natural and unhurried again, allowing me to focus again and feel the Crone energy around me: re-evaluating, clearing, clarifying and sharing a glimpse of ancient wisdom with me. Some unsought, some asked for, all of it a powerful learning curve, that will shape me and will help me grow, harsh lessons though they may be. 
In particular this week the Crone energies have probably very naturally shouting ancestors and Motherline to me. After having a chance to chat with cousins I haven't seen for years, since past funerals and also meeting a cousin that even my Dad hasn't seen for 46 years, our accidental chance of birth into the same 'clan' gives us a shared DNA, more similarities than we can conceive in looks, traits and personality, more family photos have been added to our family archives and it was a personal reminder from Goddess that life can be short and to appreciate the people around us (not that I don't!) which to me has meant to make more time to see my lovely parents, again not that I don't, but to quote Andrew Marvell - "But at my back I always hear Times winged chariot hurrying near " With this in mind, I decided to fully embrace more opportunities to spend time with them as they arose, leading to an impromptu Fish and Chip Supper  at ours after the Funeral on Monday - one of Kevin's

Mosaic Floor at Lullingstone

favourites and then on Friday Dad randomly suggesting that I joined them for a trip to Lullingstone Roman Villa the following day -  well of course I said yes. On Saturday I sat in the back of my Mum and Dad's car feeling like an excited child again and resisting the urge to ask "Are we there yet?" as we drove to this local treasure, I recalled memories of being on a coach at junior school, Mum also on board as always, helping out with any trip that she could and making time for those that she probably would have preferred not to! At this point I wasn't looking for any special Goddess connection, just happy and thankful to Goddess that I was able to spend care free time with them so readily.
It didn't take long before I began to feel the familiar sense of reason, destiny

Four Seasons Mosaic
- Summer is missing

and dotting the i's and crossing the t's - watching the introductory film, telling us  how there was an unusually large Granary on site for the size of villa, ooh, my radar was up and in full search and retrieve mode, no wonder Goddess sent me in this direction and noticing the fabulous mosaics, more of Gods than Goddesses  I grant you, but still a pretty funky looking one with corn in his hair that miraculously still survive, as well as the wall paintings that naturally portray nearly 2000 year old images of Goddess.....of course! 
Sorry the pictures aren't of great quality -

Frieze of Water Goddesses By The Well

for obvious reasons to preserve the site the lights are low. In what might have originally been a cellar the archaeologists had found signs of Pagan worship including this beautiful wall frieze of water Goddesses by the well, which appeared to be in an underground room the modern day historians have called "The Cult Room" - which sounds quite menacing, which later had a Christian Chapel built over it but it looks like it was still used until the owners returned to Rome as well as the remains of a shrine to an unknown deity in the grounds. The photos really don't so the painting justice! 
The walls of this underground room still have bits of paint on them, not that I could pick them out in the lighting but it must

The Cult Room, the Frieze is on
 the left wall parallel with the well.

have been something special in it's day. So I stood there feeling slightly miffed that there was no magical or divine Scooby Doo ending here. 
Disappointed that there was no sign of a Corn/Grain Goddess to be found in the former shrine or "Cult Room", I suppose I had expected an all singing and dancing sign from my Goddess, an amazing relic that I instantly connected with or something, I turned to talk to my Dad who was engrossed in a wall display and well, there She was, albeit it a simple modern drawing on a display about Roman Gods and Goddesses, not necessarily in the form or the name that I would connect with Her, but a small

Ceres

simplistic drawing depicting Ceres as a Goddess of "agriculture, grain and motherly love" even holding a sheaf of corn. Not Ker as such, but a timely reminder for me at least all the same that my Goddess is around me, even when I am struggling to see, hear or feel her! I think I need to pay more attention to that clarity and wisdom that the Crone is trying to share with me and leave my own preconceptions of what it should be like behind. Thank You!
Slightly late post this week as when I picked Sophie up from work last night and asked her what she wanted to do for tea (as we had all already eaten) she decided that she wanted to go to Nanny and Granddad's for tea.... My poor parents probably wanted some peace but instead they had a couple of hours with their only daughter and only granddaughter looking at old family photos, laughing at anecdotes and memories and drinking tea, all thoughts of blog writing out of the window and you know some how I think that Crone / Wise Woman / Ancient Grandmother would have preferred that!

 Have A Blessed Week x x 

Artist's Impression of What the Villa
And Cult Room May have Looked like.