Remember to dance

It is said that with every dawn, when first light penetrates the sea, many seahorse colonies perform a dance to the sun.

Are you stuck in the same situations in life, living a cycle of events that always end with loss or loneliness. Perhaps you are so caught up in daily life routines that your own dreams are on the back burner.

Do you dream of change and spend your days hoping that somehow, someday, you will magically get what you desire the most? 

Where is your daily dance to the Sun?

“You only have one life”

That isn't just a cliché, it’s a fact, we only have one glorious, wonder filled opportunity at a time on this Earth.

My recipe for happiness:  

Be kind to yourself every single day, and expect others to do the same

Treat others as you would like to be treated

Help out where you can, a smile, a cuddle, a healing touch means the world

Look at the love in your life is it rewarding, nourishing, supporting? If it isn’t... 

.......then it isn't love

Follow your intuition, ignore your ego - get to know the difference between the two

Get out in nature

Build a fire-gaze at the flames

 (with a chiminea you can have an outdoor fire even in the smallest of places)

Don’t concentrate on all the things you haven’t got

Raise your face and your heart to the sun every single day, and be thankful that you are here to do so.. and if you feel like it – dance!

 Click here to see the Seahorse dance:   Seahorse love    

Samhain - our ancestors

            Samhain

As Samhain approaches, what does it mean to you?

The modern american custom of Halloween, a time to dress up and go trick or treating?

This pagan festival of the Living wheel has deep roots in pre-christian Celtic peoples, from all over Europe.

 The festival observed at this time was originally a festival of the dead called Samhain (pronounced Sah-ween - There is debate about this, but it feels right to me)). 

It was the biggest and most significant holiday of the Celtic year.

It marked the beginings of Winter and was a time to bring down the Cattle from the summer pasture.

The Celts believed that at the time of Samhain, more so than any other time of the year, the ghosts of the dead were able to mingle with the living, because at Samhain the souls of those who had died during the year travelled into the otherworld. People gathered to sacrifice animals, fruits, and vegetables in honour of their ancestors. They also lit bonfires in honour of the dead, to aid them on their journey, and to keep them away from the living.

It would have been a sight to behold, feasting, celebrating, families coming together to celebrate our ancestors 

It is said the the sidhe (doors to the faery world) come partially open during this time, so find a Fae mound on a grassy knoll, or door in a tree and ask if you can take a peek inside - but be wary, if a goblin meets you, you may be gone for some time! Take a little pouch with Marigold seed and St Johns Wort - protection against mischief. 


A very simple way to honour your ancestors

It's easy to put a tea light candle in a clean jam jar (or similar) 
you could decorate it if you wish. 
Then as you light the candle, think of loved ones lost, spend some time in their memory.
The words to say will come when you need them
You could then put the candle on the windowsill, or even in your garden. 
What ever feels right, is right for you.  

What ever you do, be safe, and above all - Enjoy. 

Earth Angels

Today I met with an Earth Angel

I spent some time today with a very dear friend, a friend who touched my heart (and I know that of many others along the way too) with her kindness and love when I really needed help a few months ago.

 It got me thinking about several things, about friends, about spirituality, humility and grace. 

How very blessed I am to have such lovely friends, strong, loving women with such lovely hearts. They all have one thing in common, hearts that hold love for everyone, humility that magnifies their strength, true grace, and such kind natures. 

For all the lovely women that I am blessed to count as friends, and those I've yet to meet. 

The Wise Woman By Clyde E. Gumbs

Born into a world A culture and society In a world of expectations What can a woman truly be She is told so many things They say she should and should not be Restrictions, rules and more requirements Her worth at issue constantly She is told by some That she should be what men can be That life is a competition Where she needs to have a victory She is told by some That she must be an object of desire That her value is determined By those who seek to light her fire She is told by some That to have children is the goal That only as a reproducer She can have a woman’s worthy role She is told by some That she needs a mate to make her whole Someone who can meet her worldly needs To play a validation role She is told by some That status and image dictate all That what others think she is and has Can never be allowed to fall She is told by some To seek religion and morality That through her fear of God and life She can survive temptation and humanity But could anyone believe that this Is what every daughter’s born to be What could this bleak existence Offer to humanity There is a woman who is divine Gift to those born and yet to be There is a woman of purpose pure There is a woman of destiny There is a woman of awesome power The power of all divinity Instrumentality of purpose The mother of all humanity There is a woman who cares for all Who nurtures all that is alive She accepts all in times of need In her presence all must thrive There is a woman who brings peace To every single troubled soul Her compassion has no boundaries The endless comforter her role There is a woman who perseveres When others certainly would fall She is relentless in her faith Her courage does inspire all There is a woman of ingenuity Inspired genius on display She is inspired creativity She causes miracles each day There is a woman of passion pure Elegant temple of divinity The gift of her inspired passion Delivers boundless ecstasy There is a woman who is for certain The woman that she was born to be The Wise Woman fulfils her purpose And her inspired destiny

Are you a Chicken?

It's all about being a Chicken!

Where I live, in the countryside, I have a view of a chicken shed, they have  a run outside, roughly the size of half a football pitch and so are classed as "Free range". This means when you buy their eggs, you have a happy image of them scratching around in freedom, spending their days happily in the fresh air, hunting for worms and insects, contentedly laying eggs for you and me (as ethical consumers). Evocative hey?

They are entertaining to watch and so recently when they suddenly disappeared, I missed them and their amusing antics.  Then, a huge lorry came and brought a new supply of point-of-lay pullets. After around 3 weeks of being shut in (I assume to acclimatise them) the windows were all opened and they were given a very small run initially, again I suppose to acclimatise them. 

Then I noticed that only about 40 or so were brave enough to venture outside, during a lovely evening walk, we returned home via the rear of the chicken shed, and noticed lots of little yellow beaks, and bright yellow eyes.. I peeked through the window and got the shock of my life as I viewed something very similar to this: 

It was at that point I realised that all these weeks I had been viewing the chickens outside,  there were literally thousands that never came out!  They didn't know that freedom lay just the other side of their shed. The sheds are built with racks/perches that rise almost to the roof with a central walkway (for human access) so all the birds on the left couldn't see the exits to the field. 

Now back to the new arrivals, suddenly they were given access to the entire field, so much room to roam and be totally free range in every sense of the word. Except guess what? They had already become so institutionalised, they didn't know they had freedom to explore further.

 Isn't that sad? I immediately decided that I would only ever buy eggs from true free range hens , those signs outside private houses for example. I discovered a lovely man with a smallholding about a mile away, cycling up to collect the eggs is a total pleasure and at £1 for 6 lovely eggs that were laid that morning, it's cheap too. 

So the point of this blog is to ask, are YOU a chicken? are you looking out from the window of your life, remaining in your house, or the familiarity of a run (school run, work run, shopping run etc) 

It's so easy to lose sight of yourself, to get wrapped up in the demands of modern life, when in fact, there is a whole world...... just the other side of your window.