A Well Celebrated Solstice...

Blessed Summer Solstice Everyone! 
I hope you had a beautiful morning, day or evening - whatever you did to celebrate. I made a complete spiritual solstice pig of myself and celebrated for about 4 days solid! My body has yet to forgive me....
Hot on the heels of our few days away last week and ignoring the weather forecast, I headed off to Eastbourne on the East Sussex coast for a spot of camping with my friend Charlotte and her daughter Jem at a Summer Solstice Festival run by a local drumming group that another friend is involved with. 
An hour later, after a whole car load of camping equipment had been battled with and sworn at, finally vanquished with no instructions and a fortifying cuppa from our new 'neighbours' had been gratefully drunk, we were ready to go and explore the variety of stalls and be entertained for the afternoon and evening. 
Lots of deeply resonating drumming from the Pentacle Drummers, wonderful performances from various Morris groups and dancers and magic from that old scoundrel Devil Stick Pete, but yet again it was the fabulous confident and sexy hip-swinging belly dancers of Tribal Unity that stood out for me. A group of ladies of mixed ages and body shapes, curvy and slim all unabashedly dancing to wonderful music from around the world

Tribal Unity

celebrating the diversity amongst themselves rather than hiding it away and enjoying it - Go Ladies! I rather think my Goddess would particularly approve of them.
Later a simple ritual was held to mark the forthcoming solstice, which included calling in the four elements, the Goddess and the Gods, as well as some bardic story telling about the Oak and the Holly Kings battling for supremacy over the seasons.
The evening was topped off by some brilliant singers and bands; singing a mixture of mournful, joyous, haunting and funny songs about Beltane, Gods, myths, Goddesses, legends and the earth late into the night with some catching up with old friends, followed by a spectacular near full visit from Lady Moon as we headed back to our woodland camp site and attempted to sleep. 

Lady Moon

Funny how much quicker it is to take the tents and awnings down the following day isn't it? After an impromptu visit to the nearby beach on the way home where I collected some beautiful stones for my altar, I managed to sneak an extra hour of sleep in my suddenly oh so comfy bed, before seeing my lovely Dad for Father's Day and then somewhat reluctantly, hauling myself off to my local  Maidstone Pagans Moot that I unexpectedly inherited the Admin and running of a while back! A lot of people had been unable to make it and I was all but ready to cancel it when a new lady said she was definitely coming. My reward, apart form my lovely husband offering to drive for a change so that I could have a cheeky pint, was not one but four shiny lovely new people and a great evening chatting to like minded people about all manner of things Goddessy, Angels, Tarot, Ghosts ... you name it as well as making amazing connection between two people that had lost touch with each other - small world!
As if I hadn't done enough camping to make my bones ache and grumble over the weekend, I packed every waterproof I possessed and made my way with some anxiety to my next adventure a Summer Solstice Camp, anxiety

Sunshine Wheel

due to the fact that I'd only met two people there a mere once before. Big, brave pep talk and stern talking to myself in the car ensued about being confident and all of it being part of my journey, basically telling myself to Woman Up! Just to reassure some of the less confident among you that I do get a bit lonely and isolated too on my path and have wavers in my faith of my abilities and limits and wonder if I should just go back home - quite a lot if I'm honest! Usually grounding or centering myself clears all that negativity and calling Goddess in helps me focus on my strengths and identifying my goals.

Solstice Incense

Deep breath, last minute grounding and as I got out of the car, found myself approached by two lovely people who welcomed me with hugs and introduced themselves, pointing me to where I had to register and showing me where to pitch my tent - sorted. Heartfelt prayer of thanks sent to Her upstairs.

Tent pitched and mug of tea filled, a quick wander round the beautiful camp - Kits Coty Glamping nestling in the North Downs, it's absolutely gorgeous and I was ready to Solstice! I joined in with a colourful selection of solstice arts and crafts that was taking place, like the sun wheel above, easy once you got the hang of it, which we later placed on our own cloutie tree at the site, as well as mixing and blending our own recipe of incense, making and decorating wands, masks 

Midsummer's Eve Walk

and designing flower mandalas whilst chatting with lots of lovely people and recognising a few more familiar faces too.
Before our sundown ritual, we just had time

to walk up to the stones, my beloved Kit's Coty where I often go for a bit of peace or to clear my mind. Walking through fields of waist high grass and wild flowers was pretty magical in the evening sun. 
The children in the group laughing and running ahead up the hill, playing and hiding in the long grass, like they must have done for time immemorial on their journey up to this special place. It really felt like the ancestors walked besides us as we went and I have to say that later on as evening fell, I was very aware of the closeness of these people, I was sure I heard voices nearby but couldn't understand what was being said. 

Offering at The Stones

As we reached the stones, I saw with delight that someone had somehow managed to get through the railings that surround the stones to protect it and placed none other than a corn dolly there for Litha, Summer Solstice or Midsummer - couldn't be a more apt symbol for a Grain Goddess such as Ker could there? Interesting choice, which had me wondering who else visits there regularly and why this corn dolly was so important to them that they went to the effort to place it there!

We celebrated further into the night with a short sundown ritual and a fire, with plenty of bats flying above our heads whilst we drank hot chocolate and toasted marshmallows before catching a few hours sleep. My sleep was disturbed by a strange snuffling and shuffling outside of my tent, first instinct was that it was a crazed wolf, then a rabid fox or a ferocious rat...it was in fact none of them, just a curious hedgehog who blinked with bewilderment when I shone my torch at it. I'm sure I could still hear those voices though! Sunrise came round quickly and was veiled in cloud, but we stood there bleary eyed and fuelled with tea to greet it and perform another ceremony to welcome Summer. I'm still not quite sure how I got through  all day at work, but I did get a much needed early night in a proper bed that night, it may take a while for the rest of me to catch up though!

Have A Blessed Week x x 

Journeys

A Shy Peony at The Druid's Inn

The last few weeks seem to have been all about journeys for me, spiritually, mentally as well as physically. 
On several levels I have felt as though I have moved along my path significantly. Whether that is because on the most basic level I am exploring and writing about the wheel of the year again, perhaps with more clarity and understanding than before, as well as the fact that people have sought me out to ask me questions about my journey, how to start theirs and for advice. I've become on occasion 'someone that will know' - not that I always do and neither do I claim to be an expert I hasten to add! It's

Moon Meditation Journal

as though I  have progressed to the next class up from beginners - with that comes confidence to trust my own instincts, to listen to my inner voice and the knowledge that what I do is right for me but also carries the weight of responsibility and need for wisdom. I feel as though my learning curve has become instinctive now, a purely personal journey where I walk with Goddess. 
Through listening to my own body and my reactions, as well as keeping a meditation journal I discovered many moons ago,(boom boom!) my meditations are usually much more vivid and powerful when the moon is waxing. It also increases my creativity, again adding to the vividness of my meditation journeys- ideas, thoughts floating into focus, that mother line of mine jostling to be heard  and I have been very conscious of the need to tell lost stories, obviously in my own way and a little poetic licence for fiction! I've always loved tales of myth and legend, believing that is probably a grain of truth somewhere in them, this week I have been happily scribbling away, characters developing, plots unfolding fast and furiously to the point where I have had to implement a project book just to note down ideas, as well as making a serious start to

Druid's Cave

planning some more serious and accurate research for other projects  - I won't have time to go to work at this rate!
This week we headed off to Manchester for a concert and stayed with some family nearby which allowed us to explore a bit of Derbyshire and the Peak District, reluctantly Mark let me navigate unsupervised without the satnav. He wasn't at all surprised when we pulled up outside a pub called the Druid's Inn and I told him there was a cave behind known as the Druid's Cave that I wanted to explore... Walking boots on, we went off to explore and found a series of small caves that would have been habitable if a bit precarious!

Cave Entrance

Hidden from the road and in a high out crop of rock it's easy to see where the legend came from - there's even carved steps and a rock with a dip in that could act a bathing pool! A bit 'girlie' for a druid/hermit maybe?
This cave entrance was very feminine in form, if not positively yoni like! It got me wondering just who had lived their before the legendary Druid or Hermit, you can see why it would be a special place for anyone, Goddesses too!.
Bravely and against his better judgement, himself continued to let me navigate off piste - (very rare) this time I steered us to Stanton Moor for a 'short walk' as I misinformed him, to find a stone circle known as the 9 Ladies. legend has it that 10 women were turned to stone for dancing on the Sabbath....one stone fell flat so hence the name now!

Hmmm, seeing as they are 4000 years old we can discount that myth, the information said that funerary and ceremonial relics have been found and it has 

long been seen as a special place. Being me, I had to have a little weave in and out of the stones and touch them as I went, some seeming warmer to the touch than others. So quiet there apart from the odd marauding dog, straying away from their owners to check out our packed lunches! I fancied that the tress looked like dancers poised in a tableaux, the odd sway in the wind looking like a discreet lack of balance! Me and my ideas.... Walking back to the car I could almost hear whispered voices and we both heard what we thought were hooves clip clopping on the ground but there were none to be seen, just a few shy sheep a little further along the track. it would Remote and secluded it must have been a wonderful place for a ceremony or ritual  for something special or sacred, I suspect it still is!

My good luck with full control of the navigation continued and on the way back yesterday, I managed to sneak in a few more detours. First we went to Eyam, a small village up in the Dales that had the misfortune in 1665 of being in receipt of a parcel of cloth for the village tailor that was infested with fleas from plague ridden London, what followed was inevitable. Their courage though was exceptional, they barricaded themselves in, quarantining the village - a act which cost them three quarters of the population of the village, but prevented the plague spreading anywhere else. Entire families wiped out in days and weeks, or decimated so that just one member survived. Despite the grimness the stories fascinated with me, a fantastic museum has preserved their memory and celebrates their bravery, their names are real, especially as you walk through the beautiful village and the houses that these people lived in are signposted. One lady in particular kept replaying in my mind all the way home, I think her story will be one I will have to tell in depth - yet another set of

8th/9th Century Celtic Cross

scribbled ideas in my project book. When I asked  Goddess for inspiration, I was thinking creativity in making up a story, what I've been given are facts and stories that inspire creativity, I can work with that! 
Also found a slightly shortened but otherwise fabulous Celtic Cross, dated 8th/9th Century in the church yard that appealed to me, no one knows how long it's been there or where it was previous to the building of the church. The front had the normal Celtic knots on it but the back was covered in odd shapes that almost look like cornucopias with long strands of foliage coming out of them.  Finally the satnav was wheeled out for the sake of himself's sanity, but bless it, our route took us past a sign to a village nearby called Cressbrook.. Now researching any mention of Ker all over the UK  and the world as I have, Ker and cress have been linked, it's even suggested that cress that commonly grows around a well is a derivative of Ker, this could mean only one course of action... Driving into Cressbrook I discovered it was their one week of the year to

Green Man Well Dressing

have their well dressed, most of the others are in July - now just what are the odds of that?!
A brief pit stop had me running down a grassy bank to find this beauty on the village green! Not Ker of course, but the Green Man, Old Cerrunus himself - rather an odd choice for the fund this year for the village church! Next to it they had a  standing stone about four feet tall to mark the millennium, which I thought was a lovely idea - I wonder if people will look at it in a few hundred years and wondered if we danced round it?
Safely belted and locked in the car, satnav firmly on, we headed off on the long journey home my head full of sights and stories that need ruminating and meditating on to bring them alive once more.
Full moon is also Summer Solstice which I will be celebrating in a variety of ways that involves a lot of camping, singing, dancing, drumming and hopefully not too much rain!

Have a Wonderful Solstice or Litha However You Celebrate. Blessed Be x x

Sitting With Myself

Cow Parsley From My Nature Photo Challenge

So, I was rather happily having one of those quiet Goddessing weeks, just pootling along with my camera, happily and quietly muttering away to myself, staring thoughtfully into the local countryside looking either fey or deranged - dependant on your own personal opinion, which suited me just fine. Over the last few week I have been floating around on a serene cloud of love for all around me. I was planning on blogging about the nature photos I had taken as part of a week long facebook challenge by a friend, nice and easy. Nope, should have known, Goddess had other ideas for me and the chilled lazy next few days I had planned.

Stunning Windows
- Reminded me of Corn

Cue a frantic phone call from my daughter on Thursday afternoon to tell me she'd missed the last train to get her to college in time for her final and graded drama performance.... quick mental calculations about possible options resulted in a formula one style drive across what felt like half of Kent, full of raging warrior mother energy as well as plenty of loud and fiery hormonal induced teenage squawking and pre-menopausal stressed shrieks from both parties, followed by a silent terse last part of the journey. Joy. 
We got there with a minute to spare. As there was no time go home and I didn't feel like doing another 25 miles just for the fun of it, I hauled my huffing and puffing grumpiness off to the nearest library and sulkily chose the nearest book I could find that appealed. It just happened to be Labyrinth by Kate Mosse - before carting myself to sit by a pretty village church just outside of Tonbridge to read it.

Witchy Clouds

Tudeley Church as well as being the nearest village is also a place of ancestral interest to our family, who shouted Mother line at me? 

Book in hand, I wandered through the churchyard, amused to see a collection of clouds that looked like a witch on her broomstick to me and was delighted to find the Church itself open. 
Still huffing and puffing and decidedly stressed,  I let myself in and explored it's simple and beautiful interior, complete with it's amazing stained glass windows, the work of artist Marc Chagall, commissioned as a memorial. Sitting in the dreamy light and atmosphere of the windows was like being underwater and put me in mind of the book Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. Soothed, I sat back and felt the emotions of centuries of hopes, dreams, tears - happiness

Churchyard Labyrinth

and sadness that have worn the stone floor down; some by my own ancestors wash over me, until I returned to my pre phone call state of love and wonder. One stunning window in particular made me think of the flourishing corn fields growing near to home and of Ker, how little symbols where literally everywhere, which left me pondering quite how religion dominated by men overtook the spirituality that had pre-dated it-had feminine spirituality dominated or had there been an ancient equality between the sexes of all the deities in the past?  

Heading outside, I made myself comfy on a bench and opened my book to read. Barely a few pages in, I was aware of a persistent bird call round behind the church and not for the first time felt I wasn't entirely alone. Curiosity got the better of me and I walked round the back of the building to find this simple labyrinth cut into the grass. I had to walk round it of course, even if the sign said it was designed as a project for children! Spinning round it, (that had to be

A Corn Field - What a Surprise!

done too didn't it?) I stopped opposite a grave that bore an old family name on my Mum's side, hmm not just a coincidence! 
That and the fact that when I walked through the grave yard path and beyond I found myself standing in a corn field  of all things, where I sat on the track and spent a long time watching the gravity defying swooping acrobatics of some magnificent swallows who seemed totally unconcerned by my presence as they flew in and out of the growing corn.
So with Raging Warrior calmed and Wild Woman understood and appeased I found I was actually grateful for the anger and stress that had sent me off to find some peace and solitude, acknowledging it, sitting with it  and honouring it had led me to a place of peace rather than letting it fester away and brew

A Bit of Tranquillity

for another occasion, rather than 'allowing' it room and head space - how silly that seems when you look at it like that! Like damming a volcano! I was back in benevolent Earth Mother mode  and headed off to watch Sophie's show, which she was absolutely fantastic in, despite sudden massive technical problems, hitches, the fire alarm going off and everyone standing in the car park for 45 minutes, yes really!
Good job I had take the time to deal with my anger or I may well just have actually spontaneously combusted with frustration in West Kent College Car park!
Got me thinking though, I know I don't like to accept stress and anger as a part of me and try to push it down and deny it, which to be honest just makes it worse. I think we all do. Interesting that acknowledging and working with a bit of a blow up as opposed to ignoring it, led me to all my favourite things and found me a healthy way to deal with it fully. 

Have A Blessed and Not Too Combustible Week x x

Lessons From Nature

Midday Sun 

I'm going to do it, I'm going to mention it - you knew it wouldn't be long before I did....what beautiful weather we've had!

As the wheel of the year turns, the lighter evenings and warmer days have drawn me off the sofa and led me out, keen to explore Goddess's land and countryside again, greeting the plants and familiar seasonal landmarks like old friends. 
This year I have found myself remembering what was where the year before, looking out for signs of new growth and really noticing the subtle changes as they happen, rather than just suddenly realising we are in a different season once more. I've restarted

The Corn Field, that was...

my weekly Wednesday walk through the three fields to pilates (or 'pirates' if you allow your predictive text headroom - sounds much more fun that deep breathing, lots of pelvic floor clenching and rolling around a church floor doesn't it?)
The corn field that became a bean field, has become a mystery field again - some sort of cereal by the looks of it, a joyous replacement to the muddy field I stood quietly in a few months back, arms outstretched and  listening to the rhythmic patter of rain on my hood. I really look forward to this part of my week and it has become a ritual as important as my daily grounding and calling in of Ker or Kerah as I once again name Her as Lover and Warrior. The 15 minute walk usually takes me well over half an hour, all my senses revel in their hyper sensitivity, gleefully eagle eyed in spotting new blooms and foliage, smelling the wild scents and ears straining to differentiate the different bird calls. This week as I approached

Woodpecker's Nest Hole

a beautiful quiet copse carpeted with bluebells and celandines, I heard a persistent tapping that grew louder and nearer. As I inched in to the copse, I was rewarded by the sight of a magnificent male green woodpecker gently and carefully drilling into a tall silver birch. My size 8's crunched on a dry twig and frightened him away before I could get a photo, although I got a photo of a fresh nest hole that will hopefully become a home soon. I was amazed how big he was - about a foot tall and so close! What a surprise blessing from Goddess. A bit of research taught me that their call, known as 'yaffling' is a sound I've often heard and not recognised - to me it sounds not unlike that of a warning call of a Blackbird. So that's why the Wooden Woodpecker in Bagpuss is called Professor Yaffle!! Who knew? 
Before I started writing this week, I looked up the symbolic meanings of woodpeckers; opportunity, the need for creative vision, refocusing on projects and even a suggestion by Dr Carl Jung that they

Apple Blossom in The Third Field Orchard

represent a return to the womb of creativity* which resonated with me as my mind continues to swirl with half formed creative ideas and projects, spirally and drifting hazily before slowly taking shape in the depths of my imagination, as well as mentioning root chakras and 'other worldly messengers', protection and the star sign of Aries (mine) - I've added a link at the bottom if you would like to read more. Interestingly I saw a rune like figure in my Beltane fire last weekend, which I identified as Algiz. A friend of mine who is a wonderful Rune Maker and Master, assured me that it meant protection, doubly so with the fire element. Protection from what I had pondered? Hmmm. My research made me remember something from earlier in the week and I would get another prompt before the week was out....

Pink Spanish Strain Bluebells - not so welcome?

Earlier in the week I had attended a local Mystical Forum that has started up. Each month there are two guest speakers, this month a wonderful talk on meditation with a short guided meditation which I easily slipped into and enjoyed, feeling the familiar tilt that comes to me when I meditate. I used to feel like a ship listing, convinced that I would wake up at an odd angle. Someone once told me it was a start of a trance which used to worry me a bit until I accepted it and went with the flow, I seem to come back ok, although I usually find a cat sitting by me or in me as I come back to real world. This night however, it was suggested that it was the closeness of a spirit around me, bearing in mind that I often see odd things,

Altar Feather

I wasn't quite so happy about that! The second talk was about Paranormal Investigations which was fascinating and we had a taster experience of equipment used in an investigation,however yet again I was slightly freaked out to be one of a couple of people singled out and informed -albeit kindly that I was susceptible to spirits, deep joy! Is this why the protection seemed to be around me from the rune? Then I have Mr Woodpecker who seemed to be adding weight to that too. I also had a wood pigeon literally shed a feather on my head as I was walking - I suppose it could have been worse! I decided that such a gift needed to be added to my Altar - maybe it was  Kerah's sign to remind me that I can fly in my own way and to keep looking for my wings?
That or we have a lot of wood pigeons around here!

Saturday I headed off towards Folkestone to see a lovely lady called Sue and to support a fund raiser for her sky dive in aid of MS. A meditation journey and an angel card reading in Sue's wonderful and aptly named Womb Room, once again called up a complete focus on creative gifts and their current lack of usage, followed by a discussion about how the obstacles could be overcome. I'll consider myself told! Told and protected!

I'll leave you with a picture of my crazy cat Spock, yes named after the dude from Star Trek, enjoying the sun in style..... Bless him!


     Have a Blessed Week x x x








*http://www.whats-your-sign.com/symbolic-meaning-of-woodpecker.html

Beautiful Beltane

Outside Beltane Altar

Blessed Beltane to you All! 

As you may have noticed I'm tinkering with a slightly different format time wise at the moment so please bear with me! Phew - what a busy few weeks in general and a particularly hectic weekend for Beltane.
We started off on Saturday with a long overdue trip to the allotment - to tidy up and dig the beds over again. Our lovely neighbour in real and allotment life had run his petrol strimmer over the grass paths so it really wasn't too bad but the beds themselves needed a thorough dig over. As well as that we had psyched ourselves up to dig out a new big border that we had previously treated with a natural mulching plant, allowed to die down and covered over to put some goodness back into the ground. This new bed may only be about 10 feet by 12 feet but it felt like an acre! 
Not for first time I felt the combined force of 

Beltane Eve Fire

generations of ancestors shaking their heads with mirth at my huffing and puffing whilst I was digging and woefully rubbing my sore palms! How they did this day in day out, I seriously don't know! Aching, muddy and tired we didn't need much persuading to light our Beltane Eve fire early and gladly sat around it talking and enjoying the peace and warmth of the fire with a drink or two, I opened my Spiced Lindisfarne Mead that my Cousin had bought me which was dangerously pleasant! You'll be pleased to know there were no attempts despite the mead to jump over the Beltane Fire as is custom as I wasn't up for a late night trip to A and E!

Dode Church Grounds

A seriously early start the following morning required an early night, so by 10 I was tucked up and probably snoring. For the record it was freezing cold at 4 o'clock on May Day morning! There was ice on my car and the temperature dipped to minus 0.5 as I drove down the lane muttering to myself about my sanity and asking myself exactly what I was doing, thinking I could just stay in bed and get up in the daylight and just light a candle for Beltane - surely Goddess wouldn't mind? Just then I was greeted by the wonderful sight of a pair of beautiful badgers running up the lane, probably thinking the same thing. I slowed and let them cross in front of me - I think that's the only time I've ever seen any in the wild that weren't dead.  Okay so that alone was worth getting up for! 
So, twenty minutes later I

Dode Church

found myself bundling into a convoy of cars with my friend Shelley's group Wicked Belly Morris and heading for the site of Dode about quarter of an hour away.  Dode was a hamlet with a Norman church believed to be built on a man made mound, the ancient site of a meeting place that pre dates Christianity, apparently the local lanes Holly (Holy) Hill and Wrangling Lane point to it being this as well as it being on the cross section of local ley lines. It is also in the middle of the sweep of standing stones and tombs in Kent known as the Medway Megaliths..... The community was wiped out by the black death in 1349 and the church hasn't

Wicked Belly Morris

been used for worship since the 14th Century. Now restored, it's a popular site for handfastings and weddings, the stones are a recent addition by the current owner. It has a beautiful atmosphere, spiritual and calm.

Unusually for May Day morning there was a thick frost, I really can't think of a May Day so cold and everyone was hopping from one foot to the other whether they were taking part in the Morris dancing or not! The Kent Gorsedd Beltane songs, invocations and ritual was accompanied by hoarse calls from hidden pheasants in the undergrowth and a solitary circling bird of prey, the sun came up slowly, warming and illuminating the peaceful valley

Lady Moon Lingered...

and even Lady Moon lingered to watch us wake the Jack or Jackie and the land. Normally I wash my face in the May Day dew to keep my ahem, youthful looks as legend has it, this year to avoid frost bite I didn't!
The group performed a dance to awake the Jack, with a girlie twist which satisfied my inner Goddess, and made an offering of cake and Mead  to the spirits of the place and the land - I'm sensing a bit of a pattern here..  After this we all headed off to a local Biker/Transport Cafe  for a much needed cooked breakfast to warm up, before I headed back home for an even more needed 3 hour catch up of sleep. 

Beautiful Dode Church

There were so many moots. gatherings and ceremonies this weekend that I couldn't possibly attend all of them even with a time machine, my facebook page abounded with messages of 'Beltane Blessings!' and photos of friends doing their own particular Beltane thing which was wonderful.

We spent the rest of the afternoon as my parents with all the family, attempting to devour one of my lovely Mum's "eat four plates full please, you can't go until it's all gone" buffets, this random family gathering unusually at the request of my Brother 'just because' he hadn't seen us all for a month - good timing Bro, even if you do 'lovingly' call me 'dirt worshipper' - a name that I seemed to earn even more yesterday by turning up barefoot as my sandals had broken and I wanted to use Dad's glue as we had run out!  A beautiful sunny afternoon in the garden with all the family ensued, lots of chatting and laughter, attempting to consume the buffet, followed by the  important and technical business of the team effort to repair of the swing-ball, the ensuing serious swing ball wars, numerous dogs attempting to eat the swing-ball ball, swing-ball ball entering next doors garden, more than once ....  followed by everyone piling into the lounge to watch video, yes video camcorder footage of the 90's and early noughties accompanied by much rewinding, hilarity, squealing, laughter, cringing,  and embarrassment.... oh dear  the haircuts and the glasses - perfect!

 Have a Blessed Week x x 

Braving the Elements

Belated greetings from deepest, and at times darkest Kent. 
First of all apologies for my recent lack of blogging, without going into a huge amount of detail (unlike me I know but it's not my detail to give), we suddenly had to deal with a serious health issue involving a vital and hasty operation of someone very close to me, which despite going well, involved a fair amount of stress, visiting, changes to plans etc as you can imagine and was generally exhausting. So whilst the storm passed and everyone got through the crisis more or less in one piece physically and emotionally, pulling each other forwards and onwards when necessary, my long realised knowledge that I am not superwoman, nagged at me to refuel my soul. As Michelle our wonderful teacher and Priestess is fond of telling us - you cannot serve from an empty vessel, nor apparently can you write blogs, my vessel was well and truly empty . Lethargy had well and truly set in, so I went into hermit mode and crawled into my bookcase- pretty much literally, working my way through my 'unread' pile to recharge and replenish all that spent energy. So, refreshed, still as full of

A Basic Wheel Of The Year

odd observations and keen to look for signs of my Goddess here I am - thanks for hanging on in there with me! I'm planning on catching up with myself somehow to keep the posts chronological. It might work...
Interestingly, even before this personal 'storm' I had been obsessing about the weather (no change there then) and the elements, fuelled I expect by the extreme weather we had recently experienced as a result of Hurricane Katie. For those of you unfamiliar with the wheel of the year used by myself and my circle sisters, a basic explanation is that the main compass points correspond with a Sabbat and/or season, with an archetype of Goddess and an element - less confusing than it sounds - I even drew a diagram! Obviously there's more to it than my simple doodle and I know different groups and paths use different wheels, this is very much Avalonian tradition. I've been very aware of which ever element was prevalent, both on the wheel and in my surrounding environment. 

We Used to Climb This Tree as Children 

Coming back from our lovely weekend away, where we were surrounded by a forest, we had heard the wind but seen little of it's force until our return when we found Mum and Dad's 50 year old plus Rowan tree had crashed down, luckily no one was hurt, not even Mum, Dad or myself after we yanked, pulled, shoved and chain sawed our way through the afternoon in our post storm operation clear up, pretty game for a couple in their 70's eh? The result was a fine stash of Rowan logs and kindling - what a shame none of us have a real fire indoors. You can see where I got the idea for a fire pit for himself for his upcoming birthday can't you?

My desire to brave the elements coupled with the

These Boots Were Made for Walking....

urge to properly christen my new walking boots that had only just touched the earth as yet, lured me out of house for a lovely long ramble along the river, something that I would never have done on my own before I started my journey walking with Goddess. My plan was to walk to 'nearby' Yalding about 5 miles upstream and then catch the bus back to the cross roads on the top road, even sitting, legs swinging enjoying a swift half in the pub garden whilst I waited for it. It started of well, despite the additional mile and  half down through the fields to the river itself, trying a new path for good measure. By the time I got to the river I could see how swollen it was with rain it was and how muddy the earth had become, ah no concern for me, I had proper big girl walking boots - Hurrah!

A Bit Of Nature Art

It was a beautiful walk, and half way along the path I found a beautiful natural grove or bower, with a tiny stream finally making it's final few feet to the river. Joyfully I decide to have a moment! I grounded myself and offered up thanks to my Goddess for sharing this special place with me and for this wonderful commune with nature, unperturbed by a train rattling suddenly past and probably much to the amusement of the passengers wondering why there was a crazy lady spinning round in a partially hidden grove! I decided to fashion a bit of natural art out of the many fallen branches and twigs by making this Goddess shape out of them in the grove, it will probably freak the living daylights out of the next person to walk past, but oh well! As I emerged from the bower I was greeted by ominous black clouds, I was exactly half way between either of the bridges so decided to press forward...it got darker and then it completely poured down, the paths were getting muddier by the minute and at a couple of points I actually had to climb over a fence and along a railing to avoid wading through deep puddles, huffing, puffing and swearing as I went - so at one with nature, hmm! Completely soaked, jeans clinging to my legs and belt-less threatening to flash my backside in a sudden freak sagging accident at any minute, I trudged on, hoiking my jeans up as I went. Finally I could see Teston Bridge where there is a country park, I've never been so pleased for the urine soaked aroma and dryness of a public loo before! Rain was still lashing down I gave in and phoned my Dad

Teston Locks...Really!

to rescue me, bless him. The sun of course came out while I waited for him, which gave me a chance to have a the river and the locks, where they often walk the dogs. As you can see from photo the entire lock system was under the water - just visible behind the red life buoy marker! I don't think I could have got to Yalding if I'd tried. That was enough of braving Goddess's elements for me for one day, after copious amounts of tea and cake with my lovely parents before they dropped me back home and left me contemplating the awesome power, force and strength of the weather, wondering how much my ancestors who lived and worked on the land for generations would laugh at my modest effort to brave the elements, probably quite a lot!

Have a Blessed Week x x

Birthday and Easter Celebrations

Easter Card From One of My Service Users

Happy Easter! 

There I said it - out loud and I didn't spontaneously combust or fall writhing to the floor at the wrath of any deity who feels slighted by my Goddessy sharing of seasonal joy! I've got a bee in my Easter bonnet about that sort of thing at the moment, having witnessed some online snobbery and arguments raging on about who is right with their 'true' understanding of Ostara /Eostre /Easter /Ishtar with people calling each other out and screaming they've got it wrong - as if any of us can know any more than our heart tells us and what resonates within us! I'm right with me and that's all that matters. 
I was made this lovely Easter card by one the gents who attends one of the day services I manage and put it up the minute I got in, delighted that he wanted to send me seasonal blessings in his own way, whatever his faith or customs. 

Ready to Celebrate...

As per usual I was looking forward to relaxing and spending some time with my family, a delicious meal or two, a couple of glasses of wine and of course lots of chocolate! This year of course we had the added blessing of 14 of us along with 2 dogs spending the whole weekend in a beautiful 17th century farmhouse and cottages at Nutley Edge to celebrate my Mum's 70th birthday. Luckily she took the surprise of some more additional family members joining us very well and I am still here to tell the tale! 

The Neighbours

We were surrounded by symbols of Ostara and Easter, some very tame chickens, who kindly laid us some wonderful fresh eggs for breakfast and some fabulously plump pregnant ewes that came right up to the edge of their field right next to our cottage patio to investigate us in the mornings as well as hundreds of wild rabbits than ran backwards and forwards all day long much to the keen interest of the dogs Scrumpy and Marley.  The fields were beginning to burst into life with wild flowers, the banks of the railway tracks when we visited the nearby Bluebell Railway steam train were covered in primroses and the soft drone of the odd passing

Mum's Cake - Daisies are her Favourite Flower

bee was reported too - all signs from Goddess that the land is refreshed and life is regenerating - whatever and whoever you believe in!
As well as making Mum's birthday cake, I had let myself in for catering for all 14 of us, something which evolved into some amazing team work with cousins and bonding with my Brother's girlfriend Nikki, especially whilst cooking up family feast of roast lamb, when we managed to over parboil some potatoes for roasting, ended up with 100 percent more mashed potatoes than we had anticipated, had to hastily peel a few more as well as creating what we jokingly called 'Nutley Mess' - adding some spare shallots, garlic and herbs that I had thrown in the car at the last minute, which became known as 'sad potatoes' and were devoured! Luckily I had already made a gluten and wheat free nut and vegetable loaf for the veggies amongst us, that has been the source of requests for help from Goddess when I had called her in on the Friday

Marley Enjoying the Warmth of the Fire

I made it - it's odd that whenever I do that before cooking, there always seem to be plenty of oohs, aahs and appreciative noises - She didn't let down this time either! 

Trying to find any time, space or more importantly peace for daily rituals was difficult to say the least. I managed to sneak a few precious quiet moments by the fire with the dogs to catch my inner balance and ground myself in between catering for and socialising with everyone. The fire which seemed very appropriate for the season and the energy of the maiden Goddess, also very quickly became the focus of the farmhouse for everyone else, if I remember rightly 'hearth' is Latin for 'focus' or the other way round! Either way, they are definitely connected and it's not hard

My Morning View

to see why. I also managed to find a few moments of peace and for some reflection on the patio of our cottage first thing in the morning before the entire clan awoke - who couldn't find a tranquil few minutes with view like this over the fields and Forest with sheep, chickens, rabbits and a cat called Charlie for company as well as some horses grazing in the distance and various birds of prey hovering over head?
All in all, a totally fantastic celebration was had by all three generations of our extended family, most importantly Mum loved it and will probably forgive me by her next birthday, just! It was truly beautiful to watch all the family members chatting with each other over the course of the weekend, those related by marriage as well as blood, finding common ground and topics

So Very Mead!

to discuss, sharing laughter and jokes, reminiscing about the old days and making new memories that will one day be the youngest family members tales of their youth to tell their grand children as the wheel continues to turn. We told the four 'children' now aged 18 to 23 (who weren't too big to get involved in a hunt for over 40 hidden small chocolate eggs for the record) tales of our varying childhoods, stories of our Grandparents our Parents and  our Uncles and Aunts stories - characters from black and white photographs brought  to full colour and to life around a fire like our ancestors must have done before us for millennia..
Apparently I am already a Wife, Daughter, Mother, Sister, Niece, Cousin and Godmother (Goddessy Wild Woman - we decided was a better description) of Myth and Legend and was given a bottle of Spiced Lindisfarne Mead by Emma my beautiful little cousin and Goddess Daughter (instead of God Daughter) as she has become, who saw it when visiting Holy Island last month and thought of me - Awesome! How Blessed am I with these wonderful people in my life?

I Hope You All had a Wonderful and Blessed Easter Holiday x x x