NOCTURNAL ADVENTURES

I am not in my studio today. Waiting for the paint to dry is an excuse for feeling lazy, due perhaps to my nocturnal travels.

There is a portal in the bedroom that I enter that allows me to visit other realms of life. Last night's journey was to faery and I had some wonderful adventures with those special folk. We went to a hurling match which was quite violent at times, almost like a faery war but not. Did you know that outside of the arena they play their fiddles for the sole purpose of encouraging and enlivening the hurlers ? That was news to me.

After the match I made my way home via a coastal route that took me close to the sea where I saw an old chap fishing with his pole, dressed in colourful clothes and wearing a wooly cap. I think he felt a bit shy because as I watched the colours of his clothing started to fade until all that was left of him was a black outline that pulsated once or twice and then was gone for good.

The fisherman did appear again later and this time he was just an outline of himself sitting precariously (I thought) on a very thin, twiggy branch of a blackthorn tree. This time I avoided staring at him for any length of time in case he took fright again. 

My journey ceased near a mound not too far from where I live and very soon I was back in bed and sound asleep.

So What did you do before sleep

last night ?

In Celebration of Samhain

Yes it is Samhain today !

Cairn L at Loughcrew, Co. Meath where on one stone the

Samhain sun shines.

Samhain is the last of the Fire Festivals and the penultimate before Winter Solstice [Grianstad an Gheirnhridh] after which the first celebration is the Birth of the New Sun (New Year) [An bhlian úr agus breith an ghrian nua]

All that is written above is not old folk lore yarns. It is factual and can be proved by astronomical calculations/observations.

The druids of today such as me are as keenly aware what is going on in the sky above their heads as were the people of eight thousand years ago. It is to those wise people, men and women that we applaud for having constructed the mounds/cairns so very carefully that the light of the sun is able to shine in on set dates throughout the year to illuminate particular stones the backwalls.

I have two examples to share with you as proof of what I am saying,

both of the places are of equal importance, as are all of the mounds throughout Ireland and elsewhere.

The Mound of the Hostages at Tara and Cairn L at Loughcrew. 

Both of them situated in Co. Meath and several miles apart, there are as I have said many other mounds in Ireland most of which have never been opened or excavated and perhaps that is a good thing too.

The Mound of the Hostages at Tara in Co. Meath

at Samhain.

Well, now last night I set out a poem and thinking it finished I went to bed to sleep soundly. Then on arising glanced again at what had been written and added a a few lines more. So here it is for your perusal :

SAMHAIN'S BIRTH.

Thrown back in time

No fault of my own.

As watery light falls

Greenly through glass

While fumes flow lazily

Up black chimney stack

Smiling smoke turf flavoured

An ambrosian dessert for all

On this ancient day

Ruled by sullen sky

SAMHAIN has birthed

A new season

and

Winter is her name

born on

 7th November 2017

Heralded by a shaft of Light

in Tara’s Mound of the Hostages.

© MRL 7/11/17

FIRESIDE TALES

My blog FIRESIDE TALES contains the stories I wrote several years ago for my grandson.
They tell of an old druid and a young lad discovering the magic of nature and the nature of magic.

I doubt that I shall continue writing this series but if you enjoy reading them then perhaps the adventures will continue in your own imagination......

You can find FIRESIDE TALES on the link HERE

An Intrepid Explorer

A visitor all of four feet and two inches high has arrived with his parents to explore the wonders of this island. Yesterday he made a visit to an inland beach far from the coast!

The intricacies of the river being explained to him.

There is no better experience than solitary exploration.

It takes courage to stand on the edge and look down

into the depths of the river.

Leading the nervous along a new route!

Bell Harbour Monasterevin, Co. Kildare

St. Evin brought a number of monks with him from his native Munster. This gained the settlement the name Rosglos-na-Moinneach (the green wood of the Munstermen). Saint Evin was politically astute; today he would be called a spin-doctor. He secured special status for the Monasterevin area placing it outside the common law, making it a sanctuary. His famous bell was used for swearing oaths and was much in demand by tribes of the region for guaranteeing peace treaties.
It is from this accoutrement that the canal harbour on the Barrowline was given the name of Bell Harbour.

Bell Harbour

The lift bridge, I was hoping to see the bridge lifted
there were no boats moving that day.

In the second basin are a broadbeam boat and a
narrowboat. Traditionally the Irish canals are much wider than
than those found in the UK and to see a narrowboat moored in the basin
suggests that this boat was imported from the UK.

The first basin up from the lift bridge has two modern plastic cruisers moored within.

A modern estate of luxury flats were built on the gardens that surrounded
this old house.

The Barrowline links the Grand Canal to River Barrow, which is one of Irelands three sister rivers, the Nore and the Suir that rise within a few miles of each other and then meander through the countryside to join up and flow out at Waterford City.

For further information about Irelands canals please view http://www.waterwaysireland.org/Pages/Home.aspx

Sunday Afternoon

A book lies open on my lap and I turn the pages slowly. 
My enquiring wife asks “Are you reading ?”

“ No" I said and then added “Well yes,for actually I am dreaming into a book”

We have just returned from Ena’s at the Mill where we had a very satisfying  lunch.

I sat heavily into my favourite armchair and relaxed….. picked up the book called ‘Charlie Chaplin’s Wishbone and other stories’ by Aidan Mathews.

To be totally honest the text merged so well with my dreams, that I new not whether I was awake or asleep…

CILL DARA - KILDARE

Round Tower at St Brigid's Cathedral

We awoke on Monday morning to a bright blue, sun filled sky and I felt this was a sign to rid ourselves of the cabin fever which we had both been aware of for sometime. 

"Kildare is calling us” I said to Lady H.

"Which way shall we go ?” said Lady H.

"We will take the stress free route and take the old road towards Dublin.” 

So we did, for the old roads are a pleasure to drive on these days and relatively free of traffic for most people use the motorways.

Kildare in Irish it is Cill Dara meaning the Church of the Oak, made famous by St Brigid who had her monastery there complete with a perpetual fire which was kept burning until the 15th century.

On our arrival Lady H hopped out of the car and went off to take photos and on her return said we'd visit the Parish Church next. 

“Hang on a minute" I replied “just behind us is the Cathedral with St Brigid’s Fire pit and the round tower, it’s important that I go there first.”

The first and last time I was at the Cathedral was in 1993 when I took a few friends to visit Kildare.We spent most of our time sitting in St. Brigid's Fire Pit chatting and when we decided to leave, we found ourselves locked in after the caretaker had chained the entrance gates together. 

We tried to attract attention to our plight by shouting but to no avail.

The youngest member of the group, a lad by the name of Tolly, climbed over the gate and went to the nearby pub for help, but not until he had tried to

con us all out of money. We were not so easily fooled and understood that if he was in funds he’d be in the pub for hours whilst we’d be still behind bars! 

After twenty minutes or so the landlord came across with a tray of free drinks and passed glasses of Guinness

through the gate to us. Tolly was dismayed after being told he was underage and about thirty minutes later the key holder arrived to let us out us out.

St Brigid's Fire Pit

On arriving at the cathedral we found the building locked, not that it bothered me for I have no love for church buildings.

www.chooseireland.com/kildare/st-brigids-cathedral

Lady H was keen to move on to the Parish Church which has doors decorated with Brigid’s Crosses and bronze hands. 

I explained it was just across the hill as I’d noticed a spire as we drove into town.

Over the hill we went and arrived a large church. There were doors but no bronze hands were to be seen, however we entered, lit a candle as requested for by a friend and left. 

Lady H disappeared (again!) and I was left alone to my own devices. This time I noticed two signs one said White Abbey Church and the other Carmelite Convent 

In my mind I said ‘Whoops I have erred! This isn’t the right church at all.”

Never the less during Lady H’s absence I went for a wander as you never know what may be discovered. 

Find something I did, something that I can best describe as a breasted tree with a ring seat around the trunk

'the breasted tree'

www.carmelites.ie/whiteabbeykildare.html

Finally returning to the car Lady H produced a map and she was right, the Parish Church was elsewhere. We drove down to the correct church, parked outside

and herself took off to take photos of the bronze hands, while I contented myself with a pipe of baccy. 

Our next stop was St Brigid’s Well and I spotted the sign easily so was able to direct my driver on her return.

St. Brigid's Well is in the countryside and it is in 'Nature' where I think you can best connect to any deity and by whatever name you care to use.

Brighid’s Day February 1st

Today is Brighid’s Day, an internationally known Goddess and Saint of Ireland, She is in fact the only female Christian deity that I know of who is revered as a saint and who was never actually canonised. Such is the power of the people and the whimsical nature of the church -  however, that is a debate for another day.

Below is a link of to a fabulous programme about Herself which I encourage you to watchhttp://www.tg4.ie/en/player/home/?pid=4730382145001

A few years ago I composed a poem with Her in mind, although I did not name it so and today I have added two more lines below the original.

SOME CALL HER MOTHER.

Some call her Mother. The Mistress of this land

Her body hidden haunts wild places for man

Whose calloused raw hands worked nippled

Cairns to stand proud on mountains

Hunted, fought bloodily among heathered tresses

Ploughed deeply her fertile plains to feed

Warrior lords, foreign, crippled with greed.

In Her a sea smooth cave, that once sheltered Fintan.

Crabs with dead mens fingers, sought a womb watery grave.

To rebirth rebellion - Freedom and the marrow

Of Her Favour!

She walks still this land breathing out love and inspiration

To those who seek justice for all of her people.

Today here in Ireland this day is also the beginning of Spring and in my garden the Snowdrops are in full bloom and a crocus has just popped out.

Wishing you all a Happy Brighid's Day wherever you are in the world.

Transcendental Meditation

For many years I have been actively practising transcendental meditation.
This all started for me in the mid 1970’s when I wanted to know what all of the fuss was about as newspapers of the day were issuing warnings that it was a dangerous practise.
I felt that they were wrong and needed to find out for myself. 
To this day I have no idea where their fears came from, to my understanding they were incorrect.

I know that my practice of T.M. has benefitted me greatly over the years. My first gain was a sense of bliss which was a good experience. My mentor told me that was just the first rung and I needed to work beyond that, to get past the greedy ego. I recall feeling a bit disgruntled at the time for what seemed great to me was just swept away as if it was nothing. I know now that it was nothing
and merely like learning how to look into the mirror when first driving a car.

After a few years my mentor said “It is time now for you to deliberate on your own, for you do not need to consult with me.” Had that been said earlier it would have been a big wrench for me however, we both knew that the time was right for me to go forward alone.

My practice of morning and evening meditations every day of the year became second nature to me and still are. When necessary I can drop into that mode momentarily for it is a useful tool to aid concentration, as well as relieving stress and lowering blood pressure.

I also receive information regarding my inner self and have strengthened my intuition, which I have learnt to rely upon.
This learning is an ongoing quest, the more I have understood, the more I desire to know.
There are other attributes that one gains which I decline to share, for I believe that they need to be gained by each practitioner lest they become a target of egotism.


Today there is a similar exercise known as Mindfulness which has it’s base in T.M. from what I have learned it is a shortened version of 6 to 8 weeks with specific targets such as Behaviour and Relaxation etc. for which an expensive fee is charged. I do not endorse business.