The Dark and the Light of Samhain

Samhain Thoughts.

This as we know is the time of year when the veil is at is thinnest, we remember our ancestors of line, place and blood. Especially we remember any of our family or friends who have departed for the Summerlands in this last twelve months, all this is natural.

Every year we have the same feelings....should we allow our children and ourselves to loosen up a little and enjoy the dressing up, the fun costumes and should we be giving our children sweets, nuts or perhaps fruit? Naturally the latter is always a good idea and the odd plastic spider in a bunch of bananas won't hurt anyone. 

It is a time to remember, it is a time to be still and listen to the inner voice, to practice our divination and to pray.

All our festivals have been to an extent hi-jacked by those who simply want to make money, sell lots of ghoulish treats and tricks, in the same way as our midwinter festival has been taken over by commercialism. 

I have had more time over the last two weeks to think, partly because my husband has been having eye surgery and needed someone with him most of the time, so I sat and watched him come to terms with firstly very poor sight and then a week later, far better sight. 

I personally don't see why our children should not have a little fun, and the adults for that matter. And to that end I did take a selection of spooky sweets to the gathering last Sunday.

Sadly we were rained off, very heavy rain bouncing off the paths and causing little streams where footpaths once were. But we do need to keep a balance between the fun of each festival and fun is a very good thing, and the real intent which we need to have for each season. 

So I am remembering, I always will remember, but I am also seeing the fun side, for the sake of the children, a little laughter goes a long way and is very healing.

Let's Talk About Pagan Festivals

Let's Talk About Pagan Festivals

For months and months this little book has been in the making, it grew from a request from the Nursery School that my youngest granddaughter went to for a booklet or some details of what the Pagan Festivals were and how to help teach the children a little about it.

The felt that they taught about several different other religions and to be able to widen this would only help the little ones's development and understanding. So I wrote a booklet, shared with a few of my friends who had small children and in a short time I was writing a whole book. And now its ready for pre-order, the first in a series of books written to help parents, teachers, guardians share a little about the Pagan faith with stories, things to do, recipes, coloring and pages.

There are some beautiful graphics in the book done by Nina Falaise who herself is a very remarkable women, born deaf and turned down by the royal ballet school she didn't give up, she got a place in another ballet school and became a prima ballerina. Retired from dancing she took up art and has now illustrated three of my books and one of my husbands.

http://axismundi.spheresoflight.com.au/index.php?page=NinaFalaise04


Its all happening so quickly now, I shall have news soon of a website with details of all the books, so you can read a little more about the whole project.

So the last few days with Jupiter travelling through my 10th house of profession and carrier, expanding everything it touches I am working with the flow to write more. All the while my publishing company Moon Books: http://www.moon-books.net/welcome-new.html is organizing some marketing for the little series.

Let's Talk About Pagan Festivals is aimed at children between the ages of 4 and 8, depending on if their grown up's read the stories to them or if they are older and can read the stories themselves:-)

Available already to pre-order from Amazon. 

The waiting game

I'm playing the waiting game at the moment, soon we will begin to let people know a little bit more about the new series of children's books I have been writing, the first will be out in December, "Let's Talk About Pagan Festivals" which was written for parents/teachers/guardians and their little ones from the age of four to perhaps eight.
Very little is available for folks to work with their little ones, so I have written  notes, some gentle stories, added some 'things to do', and a recipe and we have also added a coloring page. I have taken the children through the year, right through the eight seasons and festivals of the Pagan Wheel.

I've got another two books in this series in the pipeline so I have everything crossed that these are going to be well received by the children, their parents, teachers and guardians. 

I was made very aware this week that I see Deity as a Mother/Father image, although I also see the power of the divine within all of nature, its trees, flowers, rivers and seas as well as all the many animals we have on this earth. I would go one further that this and say that I feel there is a power which flows through the universe, call it a 'Great Power', 'Holy Spirit', 'Source' to name a few and some say 'a Noise'. 
But humans being what they are, the majority need to understand this in a form they see themselves, so they build a person, a God/Goddess to which they can relate. Over and over again through the ages people have done the same thing, written stories, painted pictures, carved images all of them being their Deity. Then we have the wars about which is the best one, or the only one? 
The only thing that most (not all) will agree on is this power, this supernatural flow, and that this in turn is within everything.....not just in humans.

So are there Cows in Heaven? Will I meet my dogs in the Summerlands? 

Thoughts are very powerful, sparked with this supernatural flow, I think we will see all the creatures, but hopefully we won't have so much muck to clear up?

Insects that Bite

Insects are abundant in Scotland! We are famous for tiny little midge that leaves you with thousands of tiny pin point red marks that then blister and gradually start to make you feel very ill. 
Well that was the case until I started research into pure natural essential oils!


I'd been doing a lot with incense and essential oils for many years, I used to farm in the southern uplands of Scotland, I had a herd of beautiful dairy goats and we all got very badly bitten. One day I mixed a spray with some essential oils and sprayed the poor creatures in an effort to try and help and it did up to a point. I clearly didn't have the recipe quite right because I think if I used the one I have now then the poor goats would have felt a lot better.


But happily now, with a blend of five different oils, in different strengths I have come up with a blend that when mixed together and allowed to mature and then added to different base products really does work!


I tend to make my blends up at the full moon and our flat is frequently smudged with incense, and circled with prayer. I feel with the right mindset, with the intention of helping and healing the discomfort and pain caused by insects, I can put some of this into the product. 


I'm very much tuned into healing of all kinds of ways and this is one which happily does work well.


I feel happier in the knowledge that I am wearing something that will cause an insect to simply fly away rather than produce a nasty chemical spray which will kill the insect and no doubt harm my own lungs at the same time. 


So I'm not going out in this mild damp weather without my "No Bites" !

Is Chocolate Healing?

There's a lot written and talked about when it comes to chocolate, its fattening, its full of fat, its addictive so they say. I have never been a great chocolate eater until the last few months and then I've allowed myself a gluten free Belgium chocolate wafer every day, but I have to admit to sucking the chocolate off slowly to draw the moment out.


Many do say there is a calming effect in chocolate and a little bit does no harm at all,'a little of what your fancy does you good', so they say.


Stress is an odd thing, it makes you feel on edge, your'r walking close to the edge of dissolving in a puddle of tears or laughing hysterically. So some grab some chocolate or something sweet to offset the nerves.


I've been working with essential oils for most of the morning, mixing them into different blends for different reasons, but it can be dangerous. Not a good idea to get your head over the jug in some cases, but it certainly clears the head:-)


I think the aroma of some essential oils does work to dispel that feeling caused by stress, I notice the difference if I'm working on blends for relaxation, I end up so relaxed I could sleep!


But sadly none of them smell like chocolate, and they certainly wouldn't taste like it either.

Tummy Healing - Gluten Free Style

I have come up with a few suggestions for coping with this sore, bloated painful tummy that persists after eating anything at all with gluten in it, so here are my thoughts on controlling the tummy and perhaps dropping a few pounds in the process:-

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Tummy Healing - Gluten Free Style

Breakfast:

Fresh fruit porridge ( for one):

30gm of dry weight gluten free oats

One glass of water and semi skimmed milk

Half a teaspoon of mixed spice

A good handful of either raspberries, blueberries or other fresh fruit

Pinch of salt

A desert spoon of organic honey

Method:

Put all the dry ingredients in a microwavable bowl, make a well in the middle, add in the liquid and fruit but not the honey.

Cook for 3 mins on full. Take out and add the honey, mix well and if its too stiff add some more water.

Pop back for one min on half heat.

Stand for one min and then serve.

Alternatives 1:

Two slices of brown gluten free toast, with light spread, with a poached egg, add seasoning to taste.

Small glass of fresh fruit juice

Black coffee or black tea or fruit tea

Alternative 2:

30gm of Gluten free honey puffed oats (Rude Health)

Semi skimmed milk

A small glass of fruit juice or add some fresh fruit to the cereal.

A cup of tea or coffee.

Alternative 3:

2 scrambled eggs on brown gluten free toast

Tip…spread a little marmite or vegemite onto the toast before adding the scrambled egg.

A small glass of fruit juice

One cup or tea or coffee (you could have this first thing when you wake up and then just have the juice with breakfast)

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 Gluten free lunch:

1.     A sandwich made with two slices of brown gluten free bread, warbertons now make a very nice one! Use either slices of low fat meat or cheese.

A fat free fruit yogurt…..Mullar now makes some very nice thick Greek style ones. Or a Shape far free yogurt.

Fresh fruit: either one apple, banana or a pear, or a small bunch of grapes, an orange.

Drink a glass of chilled water with your lunch and try and drink several glasses of water a day!

2.    Soup: Veg, ie any combination of veg with two teaspoons of gluten free stock, add in a handful of red lentils tip…..avoid adding too much potatoes as they absorb all the stock and the soup tastes very bland…..you end up adding far too much salt!

Either some fresh fruit or a yogurt (fat free) Or both!

3.    Four slices of rye crispbread (completely rye is almost gluten free) with low fat spread, use some low fat cheese or marmite/vegemite or if you eat meat try a slice of cooked ham. Or one packet of corn crispbreads, these are gluten free!

Sugar free jelly or fruit or yogurt (fat free)

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Dinners:

You can eat a fairly normal dinner, smaller portions than normal and more veg, avoid too many peas as apparently these are a little higher in cals.

You could have meat/fish or completely vegi meal, potaotes, or gluten free pasta.

Snacks:

Give yourself one, two finger chocolate gluten free wafer (Kit Kat look alike) a day and you could have two cookies, or a Naked Bar. Or you could choose to have a bag of low salt crisps or a packet of snack a jax.

So that’s two treats a dayJ Or you could have the equivalent in chocolate if you want.

Drinks:

Lots of water, plenty of black tea or coffee, fruit tea and herbal teas are fine also.

Avoid ‘sweetened’ drinks if possible because the chemicals in the sweetener can do damage to the nervous system over a period of time. You are far better off drinking black tea or coffee or take a small amount of semi skimmed milk each day.

Clutha's Sunsets

There is nothing so healing as a gentle breeze, and watching the Sunset, making the sky light up a beautiful salmon pink.


Yes, another day has passed and in some respects no one wants to see each day slip past so quickly, but the way in which each day abounds with energy, is lit with light and then ends a rosy glow of affection does make it all worth while.


Little by little our home is getting a make over, this weeks efforts have been the tall unit that runs along one wall of the sitting room, carefully put together by my daughters boyfriend and my own hubby! Flat packs are not the easiest things to do and this one is solid!


Its all a question of balance, glass doors that hang by a screw or three, in the same way our lives are sometimes glass hanging by a thread, a line, a few nice words or a wonderful photo or painting. 


So what's so great about this?  Or about Sunsets or Sunrise, its that magical time between day and night, light and dark, bright light or gentle shadows of Moonlight. At each transition there is a magical moment which is neither black or white, dark or light, its pure energy and its very much what you do with that magical moment that's the all important thing.


Anyone who works in magic or in healing will tell you honestly that there is energy, pure energy and its what you do with that energy which makes all the difference.


We are coming up to a Full Moon and to a very magical moment in time when we shall see photo's of Venus passing across the Sun, so the Goddess of Love, of beauty, of the depth of entertainment, will be lit from behind by the Sun, what will that bring us?




...........well its going to touch love, affection, the quality of beauty, and naturally its going to touch money!  We need to look into this a little more over the next few days, but for now, lets enjoy this moment of balance.

I never go back...

I have always made a point of moving forward, remembering the past but not going back to it, in a way like drawing a line in the sand and stepping over it. And yet I have to admit there could be times when its necessary to go back.


The family have had a stressful week, it started with my daughter crashing her car into the back of one in front, she was shaken but unhurt and in each case the air bags were not deployed so its unlikely any lasting problems will occur.
And that came after my grandson has a major autistic outburst, and since then its been a little odd. 
So today I have spent, reading stories, singing action songs, drawing pictures and doing all I could to keep my youngest grand daughter entertained :-( 
I'm afraid all my efforts were not good enough and the little over-active soul drained me of energy. But that's children for you.


My mind has also been else where today, my family buried my Uncle Peter today down in England and we were unable to travel down and attend the ceremony, sing him off etc But my brother went with my sister in law, so at least this branch of the family were represented.


My Uncle not only was a member of the RAF in his youth, he was a glider pilot and instructor, he was a young 80 when he took his last flight. He was a very interesting man.


So shall I be 'going back'? I have to go back to the South of England, I now have to go visit my cousin and pay my respects to my Uncle, and I have a list of folks I wish to hug.


"I will rise, I will go back,
To the White and silver shore.
I will have courage,
As the sun does rising and setting.


At birth and death, the gift of life is precious,
Soul-life streaming down the strand.
I will go as the sea in its turning,
I will rise, I will go back, I will rise.


(from Caitlain Matthews prayer for Courage to Re-encounter situations, Places or People which have shaken confidence.)

Saying it with flowers.

I love flowers, most of them, I've always associated some with funerals and some with different times of the year. Finding the right flowers is not easy, how to express ourselves, what healing can be achieved with the choice of flowers?


In Victorian times they had a whole language of flowers, sending little posies to each other with hidden meanings. Naturally red roses were for love, white for purity, yellow for a true friend, pink for affection.  And even now we use rose petals at times for Rites of Passage....White for a Naming Ceremony, Red for a Marriage and Yellow for a Rite of Passing......going to the Summerlands, where the Sun is always shinning.


Forget me nots were sent to those left behind when our Hero's went to war and now its common to grow them in remembrance of a loved one. But be warned if you think its a good idea to grown them in your garden....they grow like weeds and will be popping up all over the place.


I wonder how many other people pick flowers for friends and lovers without thinking, and in the hope that its something they might like? Lilies will always remind me of Easter growing up as a child and seeing the beautiful pure white flower displays with the huge Arum Lilies in church. They were meant to stand for what? Life after death perhaps. 
But there are some very beautiful coloured lilies which have so many different meanings depending on their colours.


Flowers for a Rite of Passing can help those left behind, give them a sense of the feeling the person has for their dear one? Although its clear they have to be cut in order to be used....but they are grown especially for this.


Flowers to give someone when they are unwell is also full of meaning, something that smells refreshing? Light colours, maybe the rose is a nice one to choose.


And the marigold which does not smell very nice has so many different healing properties, and the petals can be used in place of saffron, the oil of the flowers will soothe and heal burns and sore skin.


And the healing power of love, the oldest cure in the World, nothing like the deep rich red or the rose, although the smell has all but gone on cut flowers now so perhaps if we could grown some and then pick them from our gardens or window boxes?


And the most important? A Peace Rose......creamy in its purity and then turning pink and then red with love.


This week we shall be saying it with flowers!

The Dowsers Gift

My Uncle was a lovely man, although I met him late in life. Through researching family history I found my mother's siblings and re-united them, they had not been together since my mother was a baby and left with an aunt. But that's a whole other story and I'm saving that for a book one day.


Uncle was many things and one of them was a dowser, he was very sensitive and could feel lay lines and find things on a map. He kept most of this to himself and just went and helped whoever needed his help, the police, members of the general public who had seen things and folks looking for something. As far as I know, although he was good at finding water and water ways, his gift was his ability to make people feel so much better by dowsing and explaining something to them.


Uncle was in the RAF in the war, in fact both of my Uncle's were RAF, but this one was an engineer. So there is a great connection to aircraft and to all the varied engineering that goes along with it.


I live in Scotland and most of the blood family live in England so I don't see them very often and I had no idea he was so ill, so its come as a shock to learn that he left this World for the next just as the eclipse took place. 


So his 'healing' has taken place but what of the close family, all running from one appointment to another trying to get everything organised. Such a lot to do and so many people to see that its not until all of this is over that the cold facts fall into place.


Uncle could dowse with anything, he was using a piece of string tied to a pen top when I last saw him do some investigating, its not about the equipment its the gift that is the important thing.


All of us have different gifts, yours might be playing music, or singing. It could be sewing or making a tapestry piece, or simply learning to repair and mend old things. But to my mind Uncle's gift was his sensitive nature, and being able to use this to help others. It may not have been 'acceptable' in some parts of the family, but he never did anyone any harm, he just wanted to help and he did!


Although I found him late in life, I did find him, love him and I feel for my cousins.


Rest well Uncle, you like many other hero's deserve a peaceful sleep for now!

What a difference a day makes!

Yesterday I had such a wonderful time with my friend and her terminally ill husband, singing and laughing, finding songs that none of us had sung for many years, going back to the Troggs and 'Wild Thing' which is also used in one of Omina's songs.
Today, although the weather is beautiful and spring is coming into her own here in Glasgow, the picture could not be more different.
My friend's husband is in hospital, unable to bear any weight at all now on one of his legs, in a great deal of pain which the hospital are dealing with, filling him with morphine and other drugs.
Life, is all about living, taking each day at a time, one step in front of the other from tiny children all the way through to our wise years when there must be some days when its difficult for some to put one step in front of the other and such a day has come for him.


Healing has many different threads, physical hands on healing, all kinds of creams and different  ointments, rubs, massage, lots of strapping and even plaster casts are needed at times.
Then there is the spiritual healing, the prayers, emotions, energies and all that those of a spiritual mind set will say, send and give for another.
And yet there is another healing that many of us find very difficult to talk about, and that is a final healing, when we leave this body our spirit inhabits and move on to where ever you understand the next place to be, heaven, the summerlands, the halls of the ancestors just to name a few ways top perceive life after death. But this is just as important a healing as any other, maybe more so.


For those with faith, with a knowledge of a spiritual path that teaches that this is not the end, that there is indeed life after death, our loved ones need to arrive in this new place in a stage of peaceful healing. Ready to meet with those who are there waiting to meet us, so how can we help here? If its possible at all to help.


I would like to think that prayers, candles lit sending thoughts, energies being sent would all help make a person who will soon be in the next place feel better. Arrive better rested, pain free and comfortable with their time.


So I'm not going to stop singing, nor stop sending my prayers and thoughts to this family, or indeed to any family that ask me to do so, because I think it does make a difference.


So sing, love, laugh and celebrate life, as we do gathered together, as many of us are taught to do. Because I feel that life is worth the celebration and the song, all the way over to the next place.

Music All the Way.

I spent this afternoon visiting a friend and her husband, he has cancer and wanted to meet us. I've known this good friend since I came to live in Glasgow in 2001 and over the years we have all got close, life came between us all for a time and then in the last couple of years we all got back together. In all the years I've sung, chanted, meditated and ate and drank with my pal, I never exchanged more than a brief work with her hubby.
Now I realise how much I've missed! He's musical you see, been a professional musician all his life and I love singing, and music. 
But this afternoon we had such fun, five of us sat in their sitting room, four of us around a hospital bed with him playing and singing along with us all!


Now that is how to live, all the way, music, laughter, song and chatter. So I set off this afternoon to visit a dying man and ended up having the greatest of times with a man who was living his music for as long as he could and that really is the way to live, each day at a time without a care for tomorrow, because there may not be many tomorrows left.


Is the glass half empty or is it half full.......his is certainly half full, cheers mate, here's to plenty more songs and lots more music.

A Ceremony for Every Occasion

This has been the big development so far, a totally different kind of thing from anything I have done so far and being dyslexic I'm pleased that I have managed to come up with the kind of book I was asked for, something that anyone can use to help plan their Pagan Ceremonies without having to depend on others.

Its a little book you can use as is, or you can use it as a template and tweak it to suit. 

It will take you through the whole year, each festival of the wheel of the year and then some rites of passage, ending with the rites of passing we all have to deal with in our lives.

My next book is already written, the artwork is all done, I had a contract for it some time ago but as yet I have no date when it will be eventually printed.

"Let's Talk About Pagan Festivals" is a book for children, small children with notes for parents, teachers and guardians. This one has things to do and colouring pages for the little ones.

I hope to have news soon as to when this is going to be available.

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Healing Creams, Lotions and Potions:

Its been another important thing I have been working on and now have the first workshop under my best with twenty folks who can mix, blend and prepare healing creams, butters and gels.