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Clover: The Sacred Three Leaf Cover Crop
“There was an herb called wood sorrel and it is said that there is a tradition connected with it. It was a sacred plant of the Druid before Saint Patrick came to Ireland. It is now called shamrock as Saint Patrick picked it at Tara and held it up as a symbol of the three… Read more
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A Druid’s Ritual at the Spring Equinox
“Where flowers bloom, so does hope.” Lady Bird Johnson A woman walks along a deserted beach in her sturdy Docs on a pet of an evening in March close to the Equinox. She is alone, there is no partner, no child by her side, not even a dog. She carries nothing, no book, no bag,… Read more
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Cyclical Living
Cover art by Jan Eric Krikke “Today is the first day of the rest of your life. The past is history. The future is mysterious. Then tomorrow—this starts all over again.” Kat Lahr The way we focus on the wheel of the year in some pagan traditions can make it tempting to try and shoehorn… Read more
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The Gifts of the Four Cities
In the tale, “Cath Maige Tuireadh,” The Tuatha Dé Danann became masters of Magick by studying the occult arts as taught by four Wizards in the four Otherworldly cities of the islands of the “North.” North here means the Otherworld and could just as easily be in the Sky or under the sea. The names… Read more
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Ireland’s First Witch Burning: Petronilla de Meath
Cover art by dawndraphoto.com There is a famous Jonathan Swift quote about how the law impacts upon the rich and poor in unequal measure which reads… “Laws are like cobwebs, which may catch small flies, but lets wasps and hornets break through.” This interpretation was certainly the case three centuries earlier when Irish law decreed… Read more
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Chickweed: The Nutritive Star
“In olden times the people had great belief in the power of herbs for curing diseases. While the herb was being applied they always chanted some old rhyme. When one gets a sprained ankle he pulls chickweed and roasts it on red coals and then applies it to the ankle. I believe this old cure… Read more
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Oh Rowan Tree
“The rowan tree’s graceful leaves and soft white flowers brush my arm like a whisper.” Lisa Ann Sandell, Song of the Sparrow One of the things I loved most about working in big national museums, was when people Iknew came to visit because it meant I could take them on a tour of my favourite… Read more
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Reframing My Relationship With Meditation
“Quiet the mind and the soul will speak.” Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati Meditation is probably one of the most successful modalities for improving mental health that requires the least amount of effort on our part. It’s a practice that can be easily incorporated into everyone and anyone’s daily life, of all ages, even children. Meditation… Read more
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Juniper Tree: A Welcome to the Gods
“On the sideboard there always stood before breakfast a bottle of whisky, smuggled, of course, with plenty of camomile flowers, bitter orange-peel, and juniper berries in it – “bitters” we called it – and of this he (Sir Hector Mackenzie) had a wee glass always before we sat down to breakfast, as a fine stomachic.”… Read more
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Walking Between Worlds
Cover art by John Anster Fitzgerald “Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.” Carl Jung One foot on a goat, one foot on a well. There’s an ongoing negotiation in my life between being here, and being somewhere else. There’s… Read more
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Chaffinches and Their Villages
Hither, thither, through the sky, turtle-doves and linnets, fly! Blackbird, thrush, and chaffinch gay, hither, thither, haste away! One and all, come, help me quick! Jacob Grimm This morning I watched two Chaffinches forage for seeds in my garden. I was fascinated by their presence there. Both were colourful and I think male, though I am no… Read more
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Abernethy Round Tower & Symbol Stone
Cover art and photos by Mawie Barrett “May Brigid bless the house wherein you dwell. Bless every fireside, every wall and door. Bless every heart that beats beneath its roof. Bless every hand that toils to bring it joy. Bless every foot that walks its portals through. May Brigid bless the house that shelters you.”… Read more
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How Old are the Stone Circles?
Cover art of Beaghmore Stone Circle Complex and other photos by Isla Skye “The landscape itself is important. This is a liminal zone, between land and water, sea and sky . . .” Elly Griffiths One of the most frequent questions people ask regarding stone circles is when were they first built. And why, of… Read more
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The Circles of Being
Cover art ‘The Druids: Bringing in the Mistletoe’ by George Henry (1858–1943) and Edward Atkinson Hornel (1864–1933) Within the inner recesses of the passage mound at Knowth, there is a stone basin that is decorated with circular markings. I have included a line drawing of its design below. No one is certain what ritual use… Read more
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Nemetona: Gaulish Goddess of Sanctuary
Cover art by Steven Kenny “Hail to my Lady of the twilight, of stillness and sanctuary, who calls and welcomes me into her cool embrace, offering shelter, comfort, stillness and the freedom to simply be. You of the sacred grove, of the temple, of a quiet room, of calm in chaos. I honour you with all… Read more
The Druid's Cauldron
An Online Journal