I arise todayThrough the strength of HeavenLight of SunRadiance of MoonSplendor of FireSpeed of LightningSwiftness of WindDepth of SeaStability of EarthFirmness of Rock. — commonly known as St. Patrick’s Breastplate, but also believed to be the far older Druid Deer’s Cry Invocation As I’ve been discussing, the evidence is overwhelming that time spent in Nature … Read more
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
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
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
White coral bells Upon a slender stalk, Lilies of the Valley Deck my garden walk. Oh, don’t you wish That you could hear them ring? That will happen only when the faeries sing.— For my brothers, sisters, and the Dragons of MMT –- Did you stay up last night to dance and sing with the … Read more
Amazing Grace, how sweet the EarthThat birthed a Witch like me.I once was burned, now I surviveWas hanged, but now I’m free. T’was grace that drew down the MoonAnd grace that raised the sea,The magic of our people’s willWill set our Mother free. Rejoice! Rejoice! Blessings of Litha! May the children of Earth awaken, rise … Read more