The Song of Wandering Aengus by W.B. YeatsI went out to the hazel wood,Because a fire was in my head,And cut and peeled a hazel wand,And hooked a berry to a thread;And when white moths were on the wing,And moth-like stars were flickering out,I dropped the berry in a streamAnd caught a little silver trout. … Read more
In some mysterious way, woods have never seemed to me to be static things. In physical terms, I move through them; yet in metaphysical ones, they seem to move through me.— John FowlesThe daylight hours in the Northern Hemisphere slowly, almost imperceptibly, grow longer. But the Moon now fades, and we move towards Her dark … Read more
This is the Eve of the Winter Solstice. This is the great celebration of Mother Night. As far as we know, our ancestors did not have atomic clocks or satellites to help them dissect Time to the nanosecond. Instead, they had to figure by their keen observation, by dead reckoning, by the plants and animals, … Read more
O the Ivy O, she’s the Queen of old,And the Holly he is red.Hang ‘en high in the farm,and us won’t come to no harmTill the Christmas days be told. — Traditional carol from Somerset Both the design and materials of your Solstice wreath can invoke magic. As I explained before, the circular shape is … Read more
DREAMS WITHIN DREAMSby Fiona MacLeod (William Sharp) I have gone out and seen the lands of Faery,And have found sorrow and peace and beauty there,And have not known one from the other, but found eachLovely and gracious alike, delicate and fair.“They are children of one mother, she that is called Longing,Desire, Love,” one told me: … Read more
©The glorious art of Willow ArleneaWe have come to be dancedNot the pretty danceNot the pretty pretty, pick me, pick me danceBut the claw our way back into the bellyOf the sacred, sensual animal danceThe unhinged, unplugged, cat is out of its box danceThe holding the precious moment in the palmsOf our hands and feet … Read more
Do you seek the road to Faeryland?I’ll tell; it’s easy, quite.Wait till a yellow moon gets upO’er purple seas by night,And gilds a shining pathwayThat is sparkling diamond bright. Then, if no evil power be nighTo thwart you, out of spite,And if you know the very wordsTo cast a spell of might,You get upon a … Read more
If you’re an asker, you’ll be a knower:Poetry’s knotty and wily –The riddles you hear are windows,And the door is enquiry…– Gofraidh Fionn O Dalaigh There is certainly a fair bit of hoopla going on in the mundane world about today’s lucky numbers. So I thought I would suspend our exploration of the Ruby Realms, … Read more
Summer set lip to earth’s bosom bare,And left the flushed print in a poppy there.— Francis Thompson (1859-1907)Like those moments when other riders are climbing on and off of a Ferris wheel, we have slowly come to the very top of our ride and pause here for a few moments more. We know the descent … Read more
The young maid stole through the cottage door,And blushed as she sought the Plant of pow’r; —“Thou silver glow-worm, O lend me thy light,I must gather the mystic St. John’s wort tonight,The wonderful herb, whose leaf will decideIf the coming year shall make me a bride.”— Old German St. John’s Eve divination spell Today is … Read more