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The Cuckoo Calls
“The Cuckoo comes in April. He sings his song in May. By June he changes his tune and then he flies away.” That is a quote direct from the Folklore Collection available from duchas.ie. Yesterday, two lovely things happened simultaneously: first; a friend sent a recording of the Cuckoo taken in situ about 10km away… Read more
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Meditating on the Past
All art by C.F. Tunnicliffe “Things without all remedy should be without regard: what’s done is done.” William Shakespeare, Macbeth For me, paganism is a dedication to consciousness. There is no aspect of my life in which that’s not a possible consideration. I have felt for a long time that I never want to find… Read more
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Soft Hearted Violet
“…Of the flower of violet and of sugar is made sugar of violets, of the same flower and of honey of violets and of the same flower and oil is made of violets. Whichever it is desired to make, put the flower in the honey, oil or sugar, leave it there for a period of… Read more
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The Guardians of the Otherworld
All art by Andrew Ostrovsky “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.“ C.S. Lewis I recently had a conversation with a scholar of Irish mythology about the variety of strange creatures and beings which are… Read more
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Groundwork and More on the Four Cities
“The truth is not known, beneath the sky of stars,Whether they were of heaven or earth.” Lebor Gebála Érénn compiled c.1150
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A Druid’s Pilgrimage to Brittany continued: Honouring the Path at the Menhir of Kerloas
The Menhir of Kerloas is situated on the western most point of Finistère, situated on the highest point of the Pays d’Iroise and is considered to be the tallest monolith standing anywhere in the world. It really is hard to miss and can be seen from 30km’s away and as many leagues out to sea.… Read more
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Podcast Episode 2: Beltane/Bealtaine Folklore
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Bealtaine and Bel: A Festival for Luck and Purification
“They fed the fire from great bundles of sacred wood brought to the knoll on Beltane Eve. When the sacred fire became kindled, the people rushed him and brought their herds and drove them through and round the fire of purification.” Alexander Carmichael, Carmina Gadelica, 1900
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Druidry and Having an Open Heart
All art by Lana Sham “Stars are always dancing. Sometimes they dance twinkling away with the rhythm of your joyful heart and sometimes they dance without movement to embrace your heartache as if frozen sculptures of open-armed sadness.” Munia Khan Something the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids taught me was how to be more… Read more
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The Folklore of Daffodils and the Return of Spring
“Life’s a dog and then you die? No, no. Life is a joyous dance through daffodils beneath cerulean blue skies and then, then what? I forget what happens next.” Edward Abbey I noticed that the first daffodils are beginning to emerge on our local fairy fort, Rathvilly moat, so I wonder if this is a… Read more
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Yellow Flag: The Sacred Messenger of Spring
“An iris doesn’t compare itself to other flowers, it just blooms beautifully in its own way.” Anonymous
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A Druid’s Pilgrimage to Brittany: Honouring the Path at the Menhirs of Traonigou
Druids have no shrines except nature. We honour all life and beings on our earthand eek wisdom from myth and honour our ancestors. Traditionally druids professtheir learned wisdom in ritual in ancient groves. Their presence remains enigmatic,though it endures through the ages. In the course of my path, there are certain sites where their voices… Read more
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The Magical Bottle: Protection in Folk Magic
Andrew Michael Hurley’s novel, The Loney, is a tale of folk-magic and superstition, as well as a dark coming of age story. One of the pivotal moments in the book is when a ‘witch-bottle’ is found and the ominous repercussions that ensue. In case you don’t know what a witch-bottle is, a very basic summary… Read more
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The Four (Five) Directions and Qualities
“The four directions were oriented around a sacred center, not necessarily physical nor located in the center. The sacred center was a concept rather than a specific place; it could move, it could multiply, it could even leave this world entirely and become part of the Otherworld.” Patricia Monaghan
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Podcast Episode 1: Birds and Berries
