And the wheel of time goes on...

Upon Each Samhain

I miss you most upon each Samhain
When the boundary turns to sheer
I wait until the veil is parted
At the ending of the year.
Sweet spirit, as you walk among us
At the tolling of this eve
I see your face beyond the sunset
And hear your voice upon the breeze.

In the glowing of the candle,
From the shadow on the wall
I watch for you in every movement
And hear your footsteps in the hall.
Can you sit and spend the evening
As the portal opens wide?
Ancestral dead, I bid you welcome,
Most recent dead, I pray, abide.

When you come I sense your presence
I put my hand out in the air
A moment, then, we stand united
Palm to palm while waiting there.
I miss you most upon each Samhain
When the boundary turns to sheer
We share these hours until the dawning
Then bid farewell until next year.

David O. Norris "Upon Each Samhain"

A place of peace....

Quite a few evenings now have seen me meandering through the old gravestones and memorials in the old part of the local cemetery....

Thinking of the people who lay  here and wondering who they were and what sort of lives they lived, were they happy and fulfilling lives that made the most of every moment....

I asked my daughter what she felt as we wandered and she said "peace and a sense of hope" which I think is an enchanting way of describing the atmosphere here...

There seems to be a particularly poignant and beautiful spirit of place that is palpable especially in the evenings when I can walk here alone... I was gifted with a stone last visit,  which now sits on my altar to be pondered in a quiet moment...

The Sons and Daughters of Robin Hood by Damh the Bard

The Sons and Daughters (of Robin Hood) – Damh the Bard
Verse 1:
We all watched you on our TV,
Right Honourable Gentlemen, apparently,
Different voices with only one aim,
To win my vote, to win the game.
People have died to pave the way,
So we can vote come polling day,
X marks the spot that gives us our voice,
But how do you vote when there isn’t a choice?

Chorus
If you thought that we would do nothing you’ve misunderstood…
For we are the Sons and Daughters of Robin Hood!

Verse 2:
See I remember exclusion zones,
At Solstice time around the Stones,
Poll Tax riots at Trafalgar Square,
The rich they got richer, the poor were stripped bare.
Building new roads with no thought for the land,
And the blood of the Beanfield is still on your hands,
Now drilling off Shetland will do just fine,
And you’re selling off forests like you closed down mines.

Chorus
If you thought that we would do nothing you’ve misunderstood…
For we are the Sons and Daughters of Robin Hood!

Bridge:
Nothing to see, there’s nothing to see, there’s nothing to see here…
Nothing to see, just look away, there’s nothing to see here…

Verse 3:
England’s green and pleasant land,
Is not there to put cash in your hands!
I see your symbol is the English oak tree,
Is that your idea of irony?
Now thousands of eyes will fall upon you,
Each watching closely what you will do,
All are ready to spoil your game,
For the blood of an outlaw flows in our veins!

Chorus
If you thought that we would do nothing you’ve misunderstood…
For we are the Sons and Daughters of Robin Hood!

These are a few of my favourite things!

Well first of all we have chocolate!

And then we have Faeries!

And maybe there are even chocolate Faeries...?


And of course we have the Harp!

And my messy desk!

Cannot forget about the best drink of the day! TEA!

And of course, lots of books!

And drawing.



Spring in Llandysul

I went to the lovely town of Llandysul today in magical west Wales.  I took my harp for a service and went for a walk around the area with hubby and doggy.

Spring was very much in the air. There was a very sharp bite to the wind even though it was a beautiful sunny day. We walked along by the river Teifi and found snowdrops everywhere. The river was fantastic, all rapids and frothing and foaming loudly as we walked along enjoying the views.

My harp was being serviced by Telynau Teifi ~ the Harp Centre of Wales. They are a wonderful company that makes beautiful handmade harps on the premises and you can watch parts of the process of making in the workshops there. All the people who work there love the harps and the company and you can feel that from when you walk in the front door.

My wonderful Gwennol harp.  She is totally beautiful and I love her very much.  I feel very fortunate to finally have a harp after wanting one for a very long time. Now I just need to get to lessons with my new teacher!

For the love of Trees

"Trees purify the air, they also purify the mind. If you want to save your world you must save the trees."

It is definately safe to say I am a tree girl.  From being a tiny baby who would often only settle when put under a tree, to now, where hours are spent in the company of trees;  my tree friends are a very important part of my life. 

To be able to go for long walks and enjoy the company of these wonderful beings is a real blessing when times get hard.  Also to sit and relax in my back room and watch the wind dancing through the evergreens at the back of next doors' garden is an opportunity to unwind and tease the knots out of a tired and snaggled mind. 

Sometimes a special tree will mark the pathway to somewhere magical....  Are you ready to cross the threshold....

The Artist's Way ~ Week 1 ~ Recovering a sense of safety

I am currently working through this book for the second time and I am really enjoying it.  I am doing my morning pages and I am going to go on an artist's date, although I am not sure where I am going to go yet or what I am going to do....

One of my favourite places to visit is the Iron Age Hillfort in the next village over from me.  It is always a place of inspiration, of filling the well.  It is one of those places that broods silently and that feeling stays with you for sometime after you leave.  I love to walk around the undulating ramparts and think of times long gone and of all the many things that must have taken place here over the years....

I love to take photos here and then sit and remember later over a cup of tea and chocolate, which is pretty much my favourite thing in the whole world...

I love it here because to me there are echos of the ancestors and they don't seem to mind me dwelling silently for a while in their company....  To me this is something of a healing ritual,  albeit never an easy one.

I love this time of year, the feeling of the new season about to burst into all its tightly held potential... It almost feels like a gently held in breath, a tension or maybe a suspension in time before we move to the equinox and the light takes over from the darkness of the winter months.

Blessings of Imbolc...

Drum

Deep within a sacred space.
A small flame burns inside.
A drumbeat growing louder, louder.
I feel the need to ride the sound.

The sacred space grows stronger, outward.
Revealing more of my true need.
I follow the drumbeat steady, louder.
It seems to come from beneath the ground.

Down the snaking spiral, flying.
Across the pathways in my mind.
I make the sacred journey stronger.
Riding rhythms that spin and glide.

Faster and faster, wilder and wilder.
Red hair flying, wind on my skin
Singing, chanting, spinning, dancing.
I am the wildness from within.

The flame grows stronger,
ever deeper.
I journey on inside my mind.
Weaving, wailing, burning, keening.
I feel my roots now my spirit flies.

Darker and darker, deeper and deeper.
I find my centre and hold it, still.
Bathed within the silent darkness.
I feel a rich, dark death begin.

Returning now, along the spiral.
Back in my space, I pause and breathe.
An eternal moment holds me closely.
I feel my home upon this land.

Helen Caladhiel '07

Rambles

Serenity

She sits:
Serene,
Still,
Knowing.
I punch her face,
scratch at her.
In my mind.

She sits:
Serene,
Still,
Strong.
I am filled with rage.
Burning.

She sits:
Serene,
Still,
Knowing.
I struggle with accepting.

She sits:
Serene,
Still,
Dispassionate.
I lie uselessly on the floor.
Dying.

She sits:
Serene,
Still,
For eternity.
I am the ashes blowing
Remaining......


Helen Caladhiel 20/03/07

New hobby

Well I have a new hobby :-D

After sitting for an afternoon just thinking recently, I realised I missed music and more importantly playing music. Not that I was ever any good at it previously. I did try to learn an instrument a few years ago but I had to stop due to some severe life circumstances at the time, and music lessons were not something my family could afford when I was a child, so it was only as an adult that I had my first try at learning. 

But anyway, I realised how much I missed my music lessons and practicing, (missed it like a physical ache), so I decided to try again. Ten years on from my first venture into learning I now have a 34 string folk harp and I am having lessons.

To say I am loving them would be an understatement! I am aching from my neck down to my finger tips from over enthusiastic practicing hehehehe!

I thought I might be too old to learn now at 37 years old, but I am having so much fun, its amazing!