2018 | Earth Pathways Showcase

Void of Course Moon

The Moon ceases making aspects to the planets as it approaches the end of each zodiac sign, a period of hours shown in the diary pages as V/C every two or three days. As the Moon aspects a planet it is said to precipitate events, triggering energy for action and projects. So a Void of Course Moon is no longer triggering planetary energy until it moves into the next sign. This fallow time is perfect for doing the things you’ve been putting off, because nothing else is pushing to be started. So, finish things that you may have begun and not yet had the time to complete; chill with friends, or perhaps just give yourself rest if you need it; read a book, meditate quietly, or ponder inwardly. Tune in to the quality of that Moon sign in your life, so you are better prepared for immersion in the next Moon sign - see the list of Moon through the Zodiac Signs.

The Moon through the Zodiac Signs

As the Moon circles the Earth, she channels to us the qualities of the starry constellations, the Sidereal Zodiac. Biodynamic gardeners follow that sequence of qualities, although the influence on the land of the Phases of the Moon is more pronounced in effect. Western astrologers use the Tropical Zodiac, which follows the same sequence but depends only on the Sun’s relationship with the Earth. (The dance between these two Zodiacs creates the great astrological Ages - we are shifting from the Pisces Age to the Age of Aquarius). The Moon shines into our emotional life from each sign for only two days, so our mood quickly changes from one sign’s quality to the next:

♈︎ Moon in Aries: a drive to action; speed; impatience. Others are equally keen to get to their destination, so take care as you travel about. Perfect for waking up to your surroundings, ready for the move into...

♉︎ Moon in Taurus: slowing down; rooting; getting grounded - back to square one. Take time, don’t push yourself. Steady progress is assured. Great for gardening and being with nature. Exercise and rest prepare you for...

♊︎ Moon in Gemini: connecting; making phone calls; talking/listening with friends, clients and colleagues. Getting out and about while the energy moves us all, you will feel deserving of...

♋︎ Moon in Cancer: coming home; cooking; taking care of yourself - and another. Emotions are flowing, so give them space. Knowing how you really feel, you will be more ready for...

♌︎ Moon in Leo: being yourself; showing up; sincerely praising others. Good for enjoyable gatherings, and expressing positive opinions. Connecting with the world from an open heart, you discover who you are, and then you will be ready for...

♍︎ Moon in Virgo: the everyday work; clearing spaces; sorting things out. Focus on the tasks that will improve your life, or the lives of others. Take time, and organise yourself for good health and well-being. When you are sorted, you will be ready for...

♎︎ Moon in Libra: relating to another; finding out how life is for someone else; rebuilding friendship bridges. A good time to say what 6 needs to be said kindly, to prepare a space of harmony for...

♏︎ Moon in Scorpio: going deeper; recognising your real motivations; dealing with finance and family. Emotions will be rising from old beliefs and hurts, so tread carefully when anyone is upset (including yourself). Own up, transform your attitude, and then go for...

♐︎ Moon in Sagittarius: finding out the truth; trying another way; laughing kindly at yourself and the world. Explore new ideas, discuss problems positively, and have fun! Only after that will you want to be ready for...

♑︎ Moon in Capricorn: putting ideas into practice to achieve your planned results. Take responsibility for your life being what it is, and set about doing what is necessary. Having fulfilled your commitments, it’s time for...

♒︎ Moon in Aquarius: standing back; making time and space for yourself, and for others. Breathe and take stock; with a detached view, consider the part you play in your community. Having savoured your freedom, you will be ready for...

♓︎ Moon in Pisces: meditating; sensing the ebb and flow of all life; feeling spirit as part of every moment. World events trigger everyone’s emotions - so be kind and respectful to all in the truth of oneness; and you will eventually experience a need for... Moon in Aries!

Phases of the Moon

We have the opportunity to begin a new emotional cycle at each New Moon. The Sun sign, as the Moon reaches it, bathes us all in that quality for the following month. We experience the waxing and waning of the Moon through our emotional responses to each unfolding situation.

New Moon: A seed of light from one of the Zodiac signs is planted, and that quality will colour our emotional involvement in whatever begins now. But as the seed is deep within the ground of our being, we may not yet know what will grow.

Crescent Moon: We see the first shoots of the new seed of light, and feel the stirrings of growth within. Something in daily life may have started to develop, and we need to allow the natural timing of its growth without interfering too much.

First Quarter: Problems of expansion may arise, where our established habits and attitudes may want to block the new plant’s growth. We need to clear space amongst our assumptions of what we need, which may entail uncomfortable introspection.

Gibbous Moon: Having passed the blocking inertia of past expectations, growth is rapid and strong. We have a good idea now of what the New Moon seed was about, and life makes way for its flowering. This is the optimum time for seed germination.

Full Moon: The fullest growth for this cycle is now on show. The light of purpose it brings touches our soul and shines in our face, and we respond emotionally, rising to the task.

Disseminating Moon: The fruit of the New Moon seed is ready to share, the light to be radiated into the shadowy areas of our lives. With the giving comes new understanding, the pressure fades, and the work gets done..

Last Quarter: It is now time to gently withdraw from identifying with what has been achieved. This is a time of letting go.

Balsamic Moon: The cycle is almost complete. We need to accept the lessening in motivation and relax, rather than trying to create a ‘new’ burst of enthusiasm. This is our opportunity to open inside with gratitude for what has been, becoming ready to receive the next Zodiac impulse.

Retrograde Planets

Planets appear to travel backwards through the Zodiac when we are overtaking them. A planet’s retrograde movement suggests a reluctance to express its energy outwardly. So we use the energy inwardly, and consequently experience hold-ups in the flow.

Mercury - Being about movement, be prepared for hold-ups in local travelling and misunderstandings in communication. Develop your self-awareness, meditate, and get your correspondence up to date. Focus deliberately on what is going on around you, responding to situations as though other people are asleep! Say clearly what you mean, and listen carefully for what others mean. And don’t take the glitches personally! Three times during 2018: 23rd March - 15th April; 26th July - 19th August; 17th November - 6th December.

Jupiter - For four months every year, Jupiter’s growthful influence fades. Projects that were developing nicely seem to slow down, or even stop. Leave them fallow, or gently review them, making adjustments and checking the grounding is good, to go forward successfully when the energy picks up. This year Jupiter is in Scorpio, so deep emotional issues may be re-worked, or any business or financial plans. 9th March - 10th July 2018.

Mars - The motivating energy of Mars, felt inwardly at the solar plexus, will likely have us making a stand in Aquarius and Capricorn, polarising on the spectrum of freedom: focussed on either personal independence, or humanitarian issues. Check and take care of all electrical systems, including your nervous system. And don’t push for results! 26th June - 27th August 2018

Venus - Venus, transiting through Scorpio, will be looking at your deepest emotional concerns in relationships. So this is an opportunity to enquire into what you really feel, recognising that what you want, you need to provide for yourself before you attract it from another. People’s behaviour has deep roots, so be kind, and respectful of vulnerabilities. 6th October - 16th November 2018

Astrology writing for 2018 © Margaret Koolman

Taking stock of the multitude of miracles
evident in the richness of life in this present moment,
we are released from the fear that
there will be none in the future.
We know there are already blessings
brewing in the background,
miracles on the horizon of tomorrow.
The layers of trivia encapsulating our thoughts
are cut through and a wide perspective
allows us to encounter the world in all its glory.

Turn our attention, switch our attitude in an instant
and be thankful for the ordinary everyday gifts in our lives,
toothpaste, running water, a park bench.
Our hearts open and
our body armour
dissolves. We arrive in
the presence of now,
the gift of the present.

Viewing with an appreciative gaze, our mind chatter stills.
We are here and now and we are timeless.
We are uniquely ourselves and undeniably connected.

Gratitude as an Attitude © Looby Macnamara

This is for the ones we call our sisters...
Circles of trust, and honour and love...
This is for the wise council... and the good company...
The dancers to the drum...
The warriors of the heart... the keepers of the code...
The blessed woman kindness...

This is for the warrior women.
The shield-maiden sisters...
The Protectresses...
This is for the ones who have each other’s backs...
The strong women, the wild women...

This is for the warrior women.
The shield-mother sisters...
The Protectresses...
The ones who hold each other up...
The nurturing women, the kind women...

This is for the warrior women.
The shield-crone sisters...
The Protectresses...
The ones who mend each other’s tears...
The teaching women, the wise women...

This is for the ones who went ahead,
Over the wall, into the fire for us...
This is for the ones with buzzard sight...
The watchers at the edge...
The defenders of honour...
The keepers of justice...
The fighters unto death and beyond...

The Protectresses © Suzi Edwards-Goose 2015

Imagine the meridians all over our planet... everything they touch is potentised with life. Stems thicken, chlorophyll blooms, flowers unfold, seeds proliferate and are spread on the winds... The whole Earth sheds its humanity-hewn scars and unfurls into a new vibration. And we, little humans, destructive as nuclear, are disarmed by love. Suddenly we grasp the vision and are astounded by the depth of our interconnection with each other, with all animals, with all species; we see ourselves for the first time as beings within a coherent whole, and we begin to be capable of living in peace.

Love Prayer for the Earth © Maddy Harland

May this moment reach in and find you
May fear and pain never bind you
May kindness touch you and guide you
May your friends love you and mind you
May the earth nourish and uphold you
May the air breathe and expand you
May fire heat and ignite you
May water cleanse you and flow you
May the moon illume and soothe you
May silence still and refine you
May spring quicken, inspire you
May summer blossom and feast you
May autumn ripen and harvest you
May winter deepen and rest you
May your heart cherish and open you
May your soul sing you and dance you
And may death always remind you
To live the vastness inside you

Earth Blessing Song © Debra Hall 2016

Imbolc

Imbolc is a celebration of the awakening Earth, of the light returning and new life stirring. At this time, nurture a gentle pace that keeps you connected to the deep roots of your inner power and all the possibilities that are rising within you. Make space to listen to your intuition and your heart by walking in nature whatever the weather. It will help keep you connected to the Earth and lift your spirits. Breathe deeply whenever you remember. What do you hold dear as you emerge back into the world? Strengthen your intentions with positive acts of clarity and Love. This will create the seeds of what will happen next. Your creative juices are rising... Make good use of them! Plant seeds of Love.

It is time to cleanse, clear out the old and revitalise your sense of direction. Choose to act with Love, integrity, beauty, co-operation, right relationship and all things that bring out the best in you and in others. At your Imbolc ceremony, make declarations and dedications for your way forward. Pledge your allegiance to the Earth. Her need is great and we are rising...

Wren calls you to be aware when it is best to keep silent and stay hidden, and when to speak out your message clearly and loudly so all can hear. Celebrate all that makes your heart sing! Defending the Earth can take many forms and can be achieved on many different levels, both inner and outer. Find your own strengths and ways to serve her. Great healing begins with positive affirmations and clear intentions.

Imbolc © Glennie Kindred 2017

It was snowdrop time, the end of winter and the very first tender stirrings of spring. The moon was a bright crescent sliver high in the afternoon sky. Snowdrops were scattered in clumps across the hard compacted ground like tiny votive lights, promising the return of warmth and new life. The lengthening days were brimming over with the magic of possibility. It was another chance for a fresh start, for everyone.

Every colour known to nature was waiting patiently beneath the ground: the velvety soft yellow of primroses, the elated blues of spring and summer skies, the bridal white of hawthorn blossom, rosehip and rowan- berry reds, the golds, russets and oranges of leaves in autumn and every shade of grass-green that a hungry old horse has ever seen. All were rolling, snaking, undulating and blending beneath the earth, poised to take over from the ever-dependable evergreens and recolour the land.

In a cave below the hillside, Bridie had been sleeping beneath the huge fur coat of Sol, the winter she-bear. She lay still in the dark... listening. She opened one eye and pushed her fingers and toes into the loamy earth. It was definitely warming up. The shortest days, the darkest nights, the deepest dreams were done.

Imbolc – Gateway into Spring (excerpt from Bridie’s Story) © Debra Hall

Hope
is what is left
when everything else is lost

And when you are scrabbling around in the dust
trying to blow on the embers of the fire
You realise that the ground you have fallen onto
is love.

Under the hard baked earth there is a richer soil
alive with roots drawing up living water
The bud on the twig swells in the darkness
The furthermost root drinks from the earth

The crescent moon sails across the
forest like a coracle h
olding a promise.

Hope © Eleanor Westwood 2014

Sometimes you need to take the dog in you out for a long walk
Take off the leash
Senses roam, sniff, scutter winter’s muddy trails
Through lichen-covered oaks
Green as spring
Go ahead
Chase horses
Lap water
Taste blue stones tumbled from mountain tops
Take a cold dip and shake
Shake, shake it all off
Become fur
Listen
Symphonies sound in silent woods
Only shaggy ears can hear
Lick wet ferns
Dance with shadows
And howl
Like the animal you are.

Ty Canol Wood © Susan Elizabeth Hale 2013

When I moved back to my adopted homeland of Scotland, I asked for guidance on what my calling and purpose was there. ‘Place your hands in the soil’ were the clear and comforting words I heard.

A little later I was passing an old community hall. Behind the building was an overgrown, cluttered plot of land, just waiting to be loved and cared for. ‘Place your hands in the soil’ was a call to creativity and so I began a small but productive community garden.

With a lot of passion and persistence, we now have a beautiful space, rich in its abundance, both of home grown fruit and vegetables, and rich in building friendships and community. We have pensioners, toddlers, a forest school and several individuals enjoying the space. If you see some common land that can be used, just ‘place your hands in the soil’ and dream!

Place Your Hands in the Soil © Rachel McCann 2016

Dancing with trees, or outside in a field on the grass, or in woods, is a beautiful and enlivening experience. Have you ever noticed how trees dance? If you spend any time with trees on a breezy day you can see them move and blow in the wind and it looks very much like dancing. Isadora Duncan, the mother of modern dance, used to spend hours dancing under a big oak tree until she could feel the spirit of the tree flow through her.

Spending time with trees is grounding and energising. We cannot live without the oxygen that trees provide. There is something deeply magical and soothing about dancing barefoot on the ground with a tree to accompany you. It can feel really relaxing to copy the moves of the branches and leaves with your arms and hands and fingers and body. You can play music too but you don’t always need it, as there is a natural rhythm that comes with the breeze. Your feet become connected to the earth and you feel grounded and supported. You get extra oxygen in your lungs which gives you more energy and there is an innate feeling that makes you feel deeply whole and at one with yourself and the universe.

Dancing with Trees © Emily Jane Love

Often we can get so caught up in our own struggles, our own small stories, that we forget our place in the larger story arc. We forget the way that our actions, our choices and our achievements can and will blaze trails for those who come after us. Trail blazing is what we do when we find ourselves in the wilderness, with no map and no path to guide us but our own intuitive understanding of nature and our destination. It is a forgotten skill. We push aside branches, or cut them back, we tramp down nettles and long grasses, ford rivers and streams, through the inner and outer landscapes. We push them back not just for ourselves, but for those who come after. At times we must walk through the night, guided only by the stars. We know when to sit and rest, and when to strike on. We know where it is safe to gather water or set the campfire. We know what on the trail will sustain us and what will do us harm. We are courageous and cautious in equal measure. We are driven forward not only by our own desire to reach our destination, but also by the desire to leave a visible way for others who follow.

Trail Blazing © Lucy Pearce

Spring Equinox

Spring Equinox is a celebration of the spring: of days lengthening, of unions, fertility, new life and new growth. It is time to gather a clear sense of direction for the year ahead. Whatever you give your energy to now will grow. Draw towards yourself all the threads of your Love for the Earth and celebrate her beauty and life force every day. Union is the goal this year, so look for positive partnerships, acts of co-creation and community.

Do not tolerate injustice to the Earth. Become a defender and protector of the land, the waters, the trees, the melting icecaps, the ozone layer and endangered species. Focus on the things that you CAN do in defence of the Earth. Share your thoughts with others. Build bridges not walls. Spread benevolence to increase benevolence. Support the efforts of others, and remember that you are part of a big and beautiful movement of Earth- Protectors, and never give up! For your Spring Equinox ceremony make a list of all the things that you bless and appreciate about yourself and read them out loud to each other in sacred space. Look at how you can use these gifts to help the Earth.

Hare calls you to know when to move swiftly and when to stay hidden and watch. Invoke Hare’s gifts of poise, balance and alertness and be ready to run with the potential genius of inspired solutions. Out and about at night, and at the edge times of dawn and dusk, Hare reminds us to step between the worlds and work with subliminal energy and intuition.

Spring Equinox © Glennie Kindred 2017

Spring is a favourite time for me. Days incrementally lengthening and warming while bright green leaves emerge from the ground, punctuating the taupe, brown and buff winter colour palate. Spring is known as the hungry gap, the time when the winter veg is all but over and the new crops are not yet ready to harvest. But I have never known a hungry gap as the small, sweet-leaved spring arrivals provide rich pickings. Wild spring leaves are typically quite cleansing herbs – stinging nettle, cleavers, wild garlic, Jack-in-the-hedge, hairy bitter cress to name but a few. While I gather I breathe the fresh spring air; while I eat my body cleanses the excesses and inertia of the winter season. By eating wild plants I feel myself becoming that little bit wilder. As I eat the local landscape, the soil and climate, through the wild leaves, ancient whisperings settle in my bones and I know I belong here. As I meditate upon what I can do for our planet in this time of ecocide, of destruction and chaos, one simple phrase comes to me ~ become more plant. And so that is what I strive to do. On gathering my green spring relations, placing the leaves on my lips as I quietly acknowledge everything I imagine it is to be that plant, then eat with gratitude, I can feel my wild connection growing. As I eat my raw plant supper I do indeed feel myself becoming more plant.

Wild Spring Leaves © Rachel Corby 2016

The air is different here, fresher, by the stream in the woods. I sense it immediately, inhaling deeply, the equivalent for my lungs of putting a cool glass of water to my parched lips, or of sinking into the blue ocean on a scorching day. This is where I am most alive, and at peace. I am blessed. This is home. I have an aching nostalgia for a world I’ve never known, a world where we are all fully immersed in nature, a world in which the drone of traffic is unheard. In reality, nature is home, it is where we belong. I come to the woods for restoration. I need do nothing but stroll or sit, allowing my senses to fully absorb my attention. A wood pigeon coos in the canopy, invisible. The lilting stream is medicine to my weary heart. A hoverfly, confident in his waspish camouflage, basks in the morning sun. I find it impossible to be bored here. My eye moves to the stones on the path grinding inexorably over centuries into particles of dirt. I see with my inner eye the microcosm of worms and fungal networks, the bacteria that make the soil a living substance. My awareness extends to the depths of the soil beneath my feet, and below that, the bedrock. Deeper still, the magnetic core of the earth, the heart of fire that holds us, that keeps us close...

The Air is Different Here © Janey Colbourne 2016

Rain falls, soft as tears from the Earth Mother’s eyes.
Another tree is felled; she shudders in grief and pain.
Oil spumes forth; her life blood silently blackens.
Air thickens, stagnates; her gentle breathing falters.
Oceans heat, ice melts, and coldness grips her soul.
Gently she rocks back and forth, at one with her Moon tides
. Her breaking voice pulses through the air, her cry spirals up to the stars...
LISTEN... Sway with the drum of her heartbeat.
LISTEN... Sing to the music of her dreams.
LISTEN... Dance to the tune of her Spirit.
LISTEN... Weave your light into her melodies.
LISTEN... Become the healing with your song.

Become the Song © Denise Bristow 2014

I return from the field with gypsy feet,
with seams of earth between my toes
and red varnish chipped with memories of stones and fallen branches,
scraped and climbed.
My gypsy feet danced on the earth
and I wore a long skirt filled with sky
and naked legs.
Though I have returned to the city
and enclosed myself in the concrete rhythms of our time my heart dances still
like a flutter of bright silk in the breeze:
my heart still moves with an ancient freedom.

Gypsy Feet © Hannah Malhotra

It is time, friends, to take to the road
To sing again to old bones,
To seek out the old places,
And find each other once more.

It is the moment, sisters,
And we are the ones,
We are all chosen.
The ancestors are holding the door.

We know each other, women,
Not by clothes, nor the trinkets we wear,
But by our naked souls
And the way they glimmer in the dark.

Take my hands, brothers,
And drop the old story
To make space for the ancient songs,
To know what our ancestors knew.

It is time, family, to root ourselves deep,
To wind love around rocks,
To plant hands in the earth,

To make beauty with our bodies.
It is time, It is now.

It Is Time © Catherine Pawson 2016

Beltane

Beltane celebrates the beginning of summer, nature’s rampant growth and the abundant fertility of the Earth. We too are part of this Earth energy, so at this fertile time dare to be your wildest and most expansive self, and manifest what you truly want to happen next. Live your life in a different way, one that respects and cares for the Earth and all her inhabitants. Be an inspiration to others. Everyone has their part to play. Each person makes a difference and adds to the whole, and from our collective actions an Earth- centred future will evolve.

Extend your Love to reach out and experience the expanding life force and the wild edges of infinite possibilities. All of life is in communication at this time. Learn to join in the dance! Love unites the worlds and transcends the boundaries of separation. Fear and doubt block the flow of the life force. Keep connected and earthed by putting your bare feet on the ground often. This time of high energy can make us feel unstable and scattered, so at your Beltane celebration seek clarity of direction, remembering the power of simplicity, and the necessity of protecting yourself. Hold in your heart your sense of our co-existence with all life and your fierce Love for the Earth. Your positive thoughts will bear good fruit.

Adder calls you to shed your old skin and begin something new: heal old separations; take up a new direction; change your lifestyle to consciously minimise the harm you do to the Earth.

Beltane © Glennie Kindred 2017

A Monday in May - the hottest day of the year so far, and the canal looked cool and inviting on my morning walk with Muffin. A magical thing happened. Looking round to check where she was, I saw her rolling in something on the path and called out some suitable comment on her behaviour. As I did so, a hare emerged from the long grass on the bank, crossed the path just in front of me, and darted off into the cover of the crop field. Its ears were very long and upright and it had a wild, elegant way of bounding, quite different from the softer, more cutesy lolloping of rabbits. It felt very special, particularly as the backdrop was so beautiful; lush grass, full-leaved trees, creamy hawthorn and cow parsley lining the canal banks, rapidly maturing crops, glinting water, blue sky and a hot, golden sun, still early enough to retain its freshness but powerful enough to bathe the countryside in warmth. I felt it was a sign, and the picture as I replay it in my mind is cinematic or illustrative: so perfect that it feels it must have been specially constructed in order to be laid before a viewer. When I remind myself that this was a real event and I was the only spectator - caught in the perfect moment at the perfect time - it feels like the whole universe is on my side.

Morning Hare © Sally Ann Wardroper 2016

I sit in the Willow Bower in my rainproof poncho which covers me completely. Inside I feel dry, warm and cosy. Around me I hear a steady dripping from the leaves. The smell of the rain connects me to the Earth as it sweetens the Air. The roots beneath me seem to sigh as they accept this offering of nourishment. The gift of life.

After some moments I get up and walk slowly, feeling each step making contact with the wet grass as I move towards the Honeysuckle bowed down by rain. Then on to the May blossom where each tiny white flower holds a shining diamond. The corrugated leaves of the Hornbeam, newly unfurled, create tiny rivulets for each droplet before it cascades downwards. Every drop of rain I see on each plant, leaf, flower and tree holds a glistening orb before falling to nourish the Earth.

I follow the path carefully, slowly, through the Beech archway and back to the Willow Bower to sit a little longer feeling energised, calm, relaxed and at one with my surroundings.

Rain at Breathing Space © Lindy Brook Tweed

When I’m feeling disconnected from the flow of life, I know I need to plug myself into the energy grid of Mother Earth. I go out into the garden and place the soles of my feet onto the grass. My awareness expands and I feel my heart at one with all of life. I am connected to the grass and the trees and the flowers who have their feet in the soil too. Their heads touch the sky and so I am one with the sky also. As the wind blows around me, I connect with the element of air and imagine the breeze carrying me to far off places where I am the air that breathes life into rivers and streams and waterfalls. I am the water that rises and falls back to the earth as rain. And once again I’m in the garden, where I am the soil, I am every sliver of grass that blows in the breeze that I am. I am Gaia and she is me, and you, and all of us. Thank you Earth Mother.

As Within, So Without © Lindsay Adams 2016

Caught once in a huge storm bivvying out in woodland with just a thin layer of canvas between myself and the elements, I realised how tenuous my life is. Instead of being afraid, I felt liberated. Rather than some grand plan of a lifetime’s mission, I understood in the turbulence that the question of life is not “Why am I here?” but rather that “I am here now by a thread! If I am to live, it should be with the realisation of the fleeting smallness of my life.” From that place of humility, right action occurs. Once we understand the grandeur of our cosmos and the wonder of the natural systems that surround us, what we do arises from a perspective of respect and awe. We understand that we live within them, as an interconnected part. We can no longer consciously do harm to those natural systems. The realisation of true abundance is in our deepening relationship with the great and incontrovertible power of Nature.

The Teachings of the Storm © Maddy Harland

I found bush crickets in my tiny (6x4m) inner-city garden in June. On the day my granddaughter-in-law took these pictures we counted nine. They were easy to see as they basked on marigolds, phlox and verbena. Later, on rainy days, they went among leaves as green as themselves and I had to hunt to find them. I grow as many flowers as possible: in the little piece of ground, in hanging baskets, pots on shelves and climbing up the walls. I imagine birds and insects flying over grey roads and tiled rooftops looking down and seeing a refuge where they can feed and rest. Many different bees and hoverflies come, and butterflies: peacocks, tortoiseshells, red admirals when the buddleia’s flowering, come as late as October. Once, a humming-bird hawk moth hovered long enough for me to recognise it. Other occasional visitors include sparrows, goldfinches, and flocks of tits who take aphids off the climbing rose. I’ve tried feeding the birds but have had to stop as the neighbourhood crows descend, scoff everything in minutes, then quarrel and damage the plants. I found crickets in the garden every day for weeks. I hope they come again next year.

Welcome Visitors © Pat Childerhouse

This, she understood now, was a still point. In the days before, she had chafed against the bars of an unseen cage, pushing forward, eager to know the next unfolding, and now it dawned on her that far from being stuck, she was being freed. Being freed.

Little by little as she moved more mindfully in that narrowed place, knots inside her unravelled and new spaces glimmered around her. The future fell away from her mind’s fevered grasp and she no longer cared.

She came at last to recognise the value of stillness, of the beauty of simple routine and the repeating rhythm of her breath. She ceased to wait, and immersed herself in the infinite velvety depth of the moment that is now.

Still Point © Catherine Pawson 2016

Summer Solstice

The Summer Solstice celebrates the high point of summer and the height of nature’s active power. Everything is happening fast now, so make your every thought, word, emotional response and choice make a difference. Be guided in all things by your desire to live in right relationship with the Earth. Change begins with you and me. Share positive solutions for change with others. Seek friendships and like-hearted community, for they will sustain you, and creative partnerships will grow from here. Live outdoors as much as you can, walk the land, and explore your authentic connection to each of the Elements of life, experiencing them as part of yourself.

Solstice is a moment of pause, a still point of reflection in the midst of great movement. Gather your power and strengths, both outer and inner and celebrate all that you have achieved this year, especially in your quest to be of service to the Earth. Use this moment to affirm new directions, new thinking patterns and new strategies for change. Stand at the threshold, between the worlds, and celebrate your inner path, the power of Love, generosity and kindness.

Fox calls you to hone your survival skills and to learn when to come out into the open and when to stay in the shadows and be watchful. Being cunning is being astute, as long as you hold your integrity and honesty close. Find ways to connect to the wild edges of yourself and the land; learn how to adapt quickly to new situations with diplomacy, clear vision, wisdom and a deep inner knowing.

Summer Solstice © Glennie Kindred 2017

I unroll my yoga mat in my hilltop garden to land once again
like a returning voyager to the space within:
naming the heart, claiming the body, stilling the soul.
Amid the rushing pictures of my life I ask
Where am I trying to get to? And why?
It really is quite tiring, this constant striving and desiring!
I fling my arms wide, taking a breath to greet the here and now.
Rather than seethe inside, I take a moment to see the inside.
I picture a wedge of ancestors standing behind me;
cheering, steering the present expression of this lineage.
All anyone can do to heal the broken in the world
is tend to the self first, from which to deliver ourselves.
To simply stand and breathe I am blessed beyond measure -
bone-deep, heart-wide, mind-full,
soul voyaging high:
grateful am I.

Voyager © Lula Garner 2016

Many years ago, or perhaps just yesterday, three travellers walked into a village asking for a little food. The villagers, accustomed to scarcity, assured them that they had none to spare.

“In that case,” said the strangers, “we’ll make stone soup.”
Watched by the villagers they put three smooth stones into a cooking pot and added water.

“This is going to be a fine soup,” one of the travellers pronounced, “but a pinch of salt and a few mixed herbs would make it wonderful.” One villager thought she might have just a little and rushed off to get it. Gradually more and more was added and the villagers sat down with the newcomers to a feast.

The next morning the villagers brought food for the travellers to take on their journey. They thanked them for sharing their secret but the travellers turned to the crowd and said, “There is no secret, but this is certain: it is only by sharing that we may make a feast.” And on they went, never to be seen again. However the villagers had a whole new recipe – for more than just soup.

So do we present this as a story about clever tricksters or about the magic of sharing? By such choices we create our future.

Stone Soup retelling © Marion McCartney

My old traveller Gran loved Gorse or Onn (old Gaelic and easy to say) and bright purple heather or Ur, which means renewal. She said Gorse was a spark of sun throughout the year, a reminder that the sunshine would return, especially on cold wet days when freezing muddy water streamed under our feet as we collected sticks of both Gorse and Heather for a smoky fire. If there were Gorse bushes we would always pitch as close as we could to them, as they were the best windbreak and the best place to dry washing.

She always said that Gorse lifts the spirits of the sorrowful – and who could fail to be moved by the deep yellow coco-nutty honeyed flowers? Gorse flower and Heather tea was the prescribed cure for any sadness; it could melt frosted hearts, aid freezing hands, and take away that headache too.

She could even tell the weather by looking at the bushes. If there was an abundance of Heather flowers in autumn, it meant a harsh long winter to follow. Sometimes she used Gorse sticks to divine an outcome for people who wanted their fortunes told. We always had Gorse in the van in May as this ensured a good dry summer. Every time I see Onn and Ur flowers, I think of Gran and smile.

Sunbeams and Dancing Ladies © Thea Prothero 2015

My teacher is the blade of grass which grows tall in the lazy meadow, the crow which calls to me as he tracks above, the apple as it swells through the summer, the weeping willow branches as they sway in the autumn breeze. The wise out there know exactly what to say to me, and when to say it. They call, oh so quietly, beckoning me, summoning my soul to reach out and hear their telling.

The Teacher © Nicola Smalley

Fire as lightlure, sparkspinning shadowdancer,
.......... step-light, eye-bright, knitting souls to bones,
holding our dreams for safe-keeping.

Fire as solar heart, radiant orphan, starsibling,
.......... double-edged sword, driver of drought and scald,
rainbow, aurora, renewal and ruin.

Fire as pot-baker, charcoal-maker, oven, still, welder and smelter,
........... brightmetal midwife, forge-focus, torch and crucible,
fusion of To Be and Done.

Fire in the belly, spirit whipcrack, ember of genius,
........... cutloose cup of daring, leap of love,
arcing out of time,
unleashing soul from bone

Album (from Firegazing) © Brian Boothby 2016

Lammas

Lammas is a celebration of the first seeds forming, especially the grasses and grains that sustain life and feed the world. Through listening to our feelings and inner wisdom, our own new seeds of awareness begin to form. This is holiday time, a time of fairs, festivals and community gatherings. Strengthen your friendships and alliances, and never miss an opportunity to speak about your fierce Love for the Earth. Let go of old beliefs and separatist thinking. Transform the ‘us and them’ mentality into ‘unite and heal’. Be receptive to other people’s ideas and practise reconciliation, but not at the expense of your integrity. Take time out to be alone. Traditionally this is the time for a vision quest to seek your own deep wisdom. Reach out to connect to the spirits of the land, the trees and the native plants, and pledge them your help and allegiance.

At Lammas time, celebrate and give thanks for the abundance of the land. Celebrate your generosity of spirit and deep joys, the things that make your heart sing and spirit fly. These are the seeds of your future, to use in defence of the Earth. The more we give from our hearts, the more returns to us and the more we experience ourselves as intrinsically part of the power and flow of the life force.

Heron calls you to embrace your inner wisdom and medicine song. Learn to watch silently, with patience and perseverance, but know when to act swiftly to achieve your goals. Set your intentions to transform through Love.

Lammas © Glennie Kindred 2017

Sculpt me in marble, carve me in wood
Play me on strings and drums
Sing me aloud
I am all around
Let me catch you by surprise
Unveil your eyes
Show you wonders in the everyday
I am anywhere, everywhere
In swaying corn and storm clouds
City streets and kindness
The centre of a flower
The edge of the world
I am in moonlight and
The warm touch of the sun
Or one hand in another
Beauty
You will find me when you learn to see.

Beauty © Izzy Robertson 2015

Were you washed up
On the morning tide
Like driftwood?
Gull feathers tangled in your hair
Limbs cold-blue as the sea

Heart barely beating
I wrap myself around you
A seal-soft shawl
Cradling you like a dream

A warm kiss
On your salt-laden lips
Friction kindling fire
Chasing the chill
From your ocean-whipped bones

I am moon-pulled by your mariner’s eyes
Brimming with secrets
Dark as a night without stars
Wild as the wind

You are sea-shaman, singer of storms!

And on a hot breath
You whisper your names

Sea shaman
Whale rider
Singer of storms

Kin of the deep ones
Lightning seed
Bringer... of dreams

Salvaged © Amanda Griffiths 2015

I’m in love with you world, in love with being alive.
I love being a guest, a participant,
a collaborator, a family member of life.
I love having memories stored within my DNA of millions
of years of evolution, and memories
of laughter and warmth and friendship stored within my heart.
I love the circles of friends and friends of friends
interlocking and overlapping,
paths crossing and people arriving and
flowing in and out of my life.
I love my inner world, ideas flowing and intermingling.
I love my family and all the rich intimacies and reflections.
I love my friends and their sharing, humour and stories.
I love each person’s little quirks and unique ways of thinking,
and the surprises that arise when I open to their way of seeing.
I love all the flowers, each petal true to itself.
I love listening to the song of the trees in the wind,
a thousand leaves in the choir dancing on the breeze.
I love the smoothness of pebbles transformed
by countless strokes of the sea.
I love the sheer fecundity of midsummer, nature bursting into
every nook and cranny, reaching forth with full abandon.
I love it all: I am so lucky to be alive, so lucky to be me.

Love Letter to the World © Looby Macnamara

I can see further
than I thought I could,
can feel and hear
more deeply.

The earth turns
and the stars wheel,
here in the present,
this night.

I can see the edge of the land
and then the open sea.
I can hear
the stars breathing.

A thousand white birds land.
Their single beating heart
thuds in my chest. I feel their love
as my own,
in the endless sound
of their wings opening.

All is become.
All is blessed.

Thank you, I whisper.

Opening Wings © Bryony Rogers 2016

This mural was created communally, to be sited outside a community-run shop, cafe and community hub that is flourishing on the site of a former service station in west Wales. The mandala celebrates the many benefits of this initiative: how we can work together to regenerate our local communities. Included in the design are notable wildlife species found in the immediate area. The underlying geometry reflects the four elements and the turning seasons.

Seventeen people contributed artistically to the painting over a three month period – the youngest aged 4 and the eldest 78. Some people joined in for an hour, some for much longer. We worked quietly through the winter, gathered around the circular pattern, sharing stories, drinking tea and offering ideas as the design developed. In this way it was an organic process, which evolved from my initial concept, to unfold and expand in response to the input of all involved.

The whole painting process was recorded using stop frame photography and edited to create a short film, with a soundtrack specially composed. You can view the film ‘The Birth of a Mandala’ at youtu.be/DymR4BRjAAs

You can read more about the project and view a map to find the mural at www.peoplescollection.wales/items/515349

Many Hands Make Light Work - Cletwr Community Mandala Directed by Anne Thomas 2016

Non-consumerism is about developing skills, awareness and resilience. It is an adventure of the spirit where we explore our deeper connection with the natural world: wild swimming and camping, walking, conservation volunteering, tree planting, bird watching, seal watching, running, growing food, making art and crafting, propagating, grafting and sharing plants, saving and sharing seeds, upcycling... Let’s measure our wealth in terms of sunsets, the proliferation of pollinated flowers, a glut of courgettes, and murmurations of starlings.

Reframing our (W)health © Maddy Harland

Autumn Equinox

At Autumn Equinox day and night are equal again, reminding us to maintain balance and equilibrium, to listen to our intuition, our heart’s response and our inner wisdom. The time for outer action is shifting: it is time now to remember the power of inner work, the deep magic of intention and protection, and the power of Love to transform and heal. Integration, and seeing ourselves as part of the interconnected web of life, anchors us firmly in the knowledge that everything we do, think and say adds to the whole. So make it all count.

At your Equinox celebration affirm your allegiance to the Earth. Give thanks for all the food the Earth gives us and for all the Earth’s resources we use. Count your blessings, and through your appreciation and gratitude, your relationship with the Earth is transformed. Our tribal ancestors did not take from the Earth without offering something of themselves back... What do you give back? Celebrate your personal harvest and intuit the seeds within your harvest. What will you take with you into the dark of the year? What do you leave behind? Make positive changes that affirm your chosen direction. Your calm insights will be an anchor for your own life and your steady actions will help others who need trailblazers to show the way.

Mare calls us to look for solutions and directions within ourselves and the inner realms. She brings us deep connection to the land and reminds us to keep moving forwards and never give up.

Autumn Equinox © Glennie Kindred 2017

We have always gathered under the Harvest Moon for years aplenty. Nestled here in Crow Valley,
We have laid tables with cloths of many colours.
Lit lanterns and kindled our Hearth Fire. We have set down bowls of hedgerow fruits sweetened with mead.
We have soups warmed with eastern spices and bread newly baked. Once there was a barn here for the Harvest Home. But ever a star studded sky and delicious company. And not once did we know for certain it was the last...
... The very last!
Or we would have laughed and danced longer, Beaten our drums and sung louder.
Next year,
will we sit in the shadow of a different barn?
And for whom will we set our Harvest Supper tables?
I have folded away our many coloured cloths with Verbena and Lavender blossom between each fold.
So that we will carry away sweet valley memories and the kindness
And good company of friends.

We Have Always Gathered under the Harvest Moon © RavenCrone 2016

This is a season of water and fire.
Everything is harvested, and all that remains
is to burn, burn away the waste.

Face the dark forest; you will emerge from it changed, one way or another.
Grasp the nettle; you will come to know it completely, again and again.
Keep your own counsel; your silence, this time, will protect and guard you.

Death can be savage
And the winter is coming, with ancestors riding on its wings.

You have three choices:
Go, journey out, find a new place – and be in beautiful, restless exile.
Sleep, in dormancy dream – and rest your way to rebirth.
Meet the dark, shapeshift – and find a new form to your Self.

Give up your illusion of control.
Take up your map.
Set one foot in front of the other.
Know that your body accompanies you and is faithful.

Spin; and in the spinning you will grasp galaxies and absorb the wisdom of plants and trees.

This is a season of fire and water. Death leaves traces, waymarkers on the path to build, build again full Life.

I have been learning a new land, leaving the concrete and crush of the city and making a new home on a high sandstone hill by the sea. It has been a polite courtship, a gentle unfurling into relationship, a slow falling in love. I believe that to truly know the land, we have to give the land time to know us. And the land has no need to rush. I struggled, felt disconnected, lost, until one day I walked and met a wilding apple tree:

...who hid in green until her apples shone and shone for me and called me there, called me onwards to the sea, a wilding me
walked on, in drifts of hemp agrimony
and wild carrot flowers unfurled in ordinary beauty.

And I walk on, autumn-lipped with elderberry,
dusty-bloomed with sloe, and willow herb
who draws her bow to set her seed-kin free.
And then the sea, spun silver by the summer grey,
washes the memory of green away with seagull-feathered spray
that salt-sings and wings the day to wild.

I have only just begun to know this land of salt and green: the sandstone hill, the silver spring below, the memory of badgers, bone-blessings from the crows. I can think of no greater love, no greater intimacy, than this melting into the land that we walk on every day. I am grateful to the wilding tree. She shines on.

The project begins on the Celtic festival of Samhain, when the veils between the ethereal world and the corporeal world are at their thinnest. We locate a site next to the stream, so that the entrance will look south to see the sun lift into the valley. First we set a stone floor to form a dry sitting base. We use four Ash poles to create the framework, and on completion an eight-legged dome tilts towards the water’s edge, rather like a giant spider. The horizontal weaving is with Silver Birch. The construction of the walls dips and dives through periods of creativity and rest. A final burst of activity in July brings us to a completion on July 31st 2015 - a full blue moon in Aquarius.

A place to sit
To feel safe
To ponder the possibility of new futures
New ways of thinking
New ways of living
As we tread with loving lightness on this planet

Before each of us are born, we choose. We choose the circumstances of our birth. We choose a path in life that will be most deeply fulfilling to the soul. We choose those members of our soul family who we will come together with in this life, who can shine a light for us, as we shine a light for them. And so we help to illuminate the path for one another. As we are born, Spirit refracts its light into all the elements of physical existence: Earth, Air, Water and Fire. And because of the density of having a human body, most of us forget who we are. Most of us forget what it is we are really made of.

Human beings have free will, and so sometimes the path may wind, but the Heart-Self is always singing, for those who are ready to hear it, from wherever we are, a compass always pointing to home. We are in the time of the Great Awakening on Earth. And all of us born here at this time have our part to play in the awakening consciousness, so that we may heal ourselves, our relationship with our Earth, and all beings who live here. As each of us comes to remember, we can choose to raise our own voices and join in this great Heart Song, this great wave which ultimately embraces us all.

Samhain

Samhain is a celebration of the ending of the Earth’s year, and marks the beginning of shorter, darker days. The Earth teaches us that everything in nature is cyclic, and death will inevitably lead to rebirth. Welcome these dark days as an opportunity to shift your focus from achieving and doing, into reflecting and assimilating all that comes to rest in you now. A daily walk, whatever the weather, keeps you healthy and connected to the Earth.

At your Samhain celebration, let go of the old year, old beliefs and old attitudes that dampen your life force and the life force of the Earth. Honour what has finished and the lessons you have learnt. Seek the blessings hidden within them and plant the seeds of your future in your heart. Where we put our energy influences what happens next. Light candles for the Earth and pledge to give something back by being part of her human support system. Pledge to stop doing the things that are not helping her eco systems to repair. Name these in sacred space. All your actions, whether outer or inner, make a difference. Acknowledge the ancestors, those who have walked before you and ask them for help and guidance.

Crow calls you to take time out to gain perspective and insight, to keep alert and watchful and to push beyond the boundaries of what you think you know. As a spirit guide, Crow is connected to the deep mysteries. Metaphysics, guided by Love, aids our shift into a holistic interconnectedness and deep unity with all of life.

For me getting creative in nature is my favourite form of celebration. It not only lifts my spirits and anchors my awareness in the present moment, but it also really connects me to the seasonal cycle of nature. My intention for this ritual was to journey within; to leave behind aspects of self that prevent the blossoming of my full potential, and to plant seeds of intentions for the new year.

I was guided to position myself beside a beautiful ancient yew tree, where I mindfully arranged the leaves in a spiral shape. At the centre, I lit three tea lights upon a pile of acorns to invoke spirit. Spirals represent the path leading from outer consciousness (external awareness, ego) to the inner soul (unity consciousness, nirvana) and the acorns symbolise seeds of new beginnings. After connecting in with my higher self, my guides, nature spirits, the elements and the divine, I selected a decaying leaf to represent what I wished to leave behind, (outdated energies, patterns and behaviours that no longer serve me). I then walked mindfully towards the centre, visualising these aspects releasing. At the centre I burned the leaf – transmuting the energies it represented, and I picked up an acorn upon which to impart my intentions for the coming year as I spiraled back out again. After expressing gratitude to all involved, I buried the acorn, planting my seeds for the future.

The birches are spending their autumn gold, secure in their silver to last all winter long. No tree speaks the changing seasons as eloquently as the birch. Other trees seem most themselves at a particular time of year: birch inhabits all seasons equally, speaking them through white bark and dark twigs, through shimmering leaf of green or rich ochre gold.

Lately each week brings me another woman grieving for the loss of a beloved tree or forest, trees that are local but not ‘owned’ by them and over which they therefore have no rights: trees that they have in some cases named... oh, not birch, rowan, alder but with personal names, names they have gleaned through relationship with trees they considered friends.

My neighbour wants me to ‘do something’ with my birches. He is a keen gardener, concerned they block the light. On sunny days their dappled shade allows me to write beneath them. What do I do with them? For five years I have delighted in their grace and beauty and in that of the many small birds who visit them throughout the year. I have prayed through them, confided in them. I have held their trunks as the wind in their branches sang strength to the roots beneath. I have been at times almost afraid of their vitality, so much greater than my own. What should I do with them then but honour them as fellow beings, as friends?

Invoke the courage
To consolidate the changes
You feel inside.
Compost the exhausted harvests of yesteryear
To feed the rich soil of
Here & Now.
Dare to wander beyond the familiar,
Taking time to savour
The beauty of the path.
Mourn the losses,
Appreciate the gifts
Offer it up
As a blessing.

I stand by the sea, and my edges soften and open
with the yes, yes, yes of the waves.

Salt tangs my lips, my tongue, and I sing to the water,
to the sky, to the birds.
I sing greeting, memory, love. I am making a prayer
at a place where yesterday never was.
I am making a dance, with the salt spray
and the cold fresh wind.

I am turning, to face myself and see a truth within me,
reflected in the arc of the gull,
screeching, above me.

What is beneath the brown aching surface of the sea?
Leagues of mystery, creatures
unimagined, worlds. Far out,
the surface breaks.

Burrowed in
Hands and feet sunk deep
Lips and tongue tasting dirt
Rich and fertile, wet and wild.
Follow the trickle-tease of life
Down a tunnel
Dark and deep
To the cavern
Silent burrow
Settle yourself by the eternal fire
Claw the ash
To feed your roots
And clothe yourself
In the possibilities of tomorrow.

Our family celebrates Winter Solstice with a visit to an aligned local stone circle to watch the setting sun meet the stones. Christmas follows soon after. I desperately wanted to find our own family tradition to mark the season; to connect this time of gifts and togetherness with the darkness and the natural world, especially for the children in my family. I found inspiration in the children’s picture book “The Night Tree” by Eve Bunting. Every December 24th eve, after having spent the afternoon making popcorn strings, hanging apples and bird-food balls, we bundle ourselves up to go to the dark woods for a torch-lit walk. Our ages range from two-and-a-half to seventy. We find our special tree and decorate it with edible presents for our animal friends. In the crisp night, we gaze at the stars, drink hot apple juice and sing, making memories for a lifetime.

Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice marks the shortest day and longest night. It is a celebration of the beginning of a new outer growth cycle and the light that will return. The time for dreaming is not yet done. Strengthen your deepening awareness that all life on Earth is interconnected and follow where this leads you. Use your power as an ethical consumer to only buy products that support fair trade and responsible agriculture. Spend your money wisely, and only support good people who are producing good products. Give thanks for the Earth’s resources that make our present lives possible. Count your blessings. Aim to plant some trees this winter.

At your Solstice celebration take a moment to stand in stillness and ask what you want to grow in this new cycle. What do you take forward? What seeds of new beginnings are you nurturing in the dark? Look for the changes you can make in your life that will help the Earth to regenerate. Embrace the certainty that all your positive loving actions are helping to change your life and the world. Envision the changes already in motion. Let parts of your old self die and draw the new towards yourself. Dream a new dream and walk towards it. The future begins now.

Owl calls us to be patient and to temper impulsive actions at this time. Tap into your inner wisdom. Be clear what you choose and where your choices lead you. Select the attributes you want to live by, and live by them. Embrace simplicity

Can you try to picture a softer dark than the dark you have been taught to fear? A darkness which is benevolent and mysterious. Can you imagine that rather than a void of nothingness, darkness holds complete intelligence and possibility – waiting to take form?

I invite you to step into that darkness with me, now. Adjust your gaze, heighten your vision, and begin to allow yourself to see through sound, hear through feeling. In the dark you need all your senses. As you wait in the dark, your inner eyes and inner ears are heightened and aware, your instincts are strong. Your ears are primed. You are fully alive. Feel yourself cradled in it: fully held.

This is not the darkness of fear, but of love: deep, complete, unconditional acceptance. The loving darkness of our mother’s womb. Soft and dark and round and safe, the darkness that held us as we grew. For the first part of our life, we were at home within her. We belonged, intimately, within the Feminine. And part of us longs to return to that safety, ease and feeling of deep belonging.

And we can. Each night, each new moon, each winter, we can return to the darkness and find ourselves held within her embrace.

The Astrology Mat is a collaboration between myself and Sarah Wilson. My dream was to have an interactive, visually enriched representation of the Zodiac that could be used to facilitate an embodied and dynamic experience of astrology, because I feel this to be powerful and healing. So the mat functions as a lively energetic focus for a shamanic approach to astrology. I’ve loved the sensitivity of Sarah’s work for years and asked her to make the panels for the mat. Both of us poured our energy into it. The content, information and imagery were developed through a series of meditations. Sarah would hold the space for the meditation and support me to journey. Then she’d take notes as I relayed what happened. Sarah then went through her own atunement process out of which she developed an image in a textile panel for each sign. People really respond to the beauty that Sarah has created in each panel. They want to reach out and touch, they wonder, they are moved. Each panel is detachable so the soft felt can be held in your hands, the intricate story can be explored with fingers. The mat creates a sacred space that welcomes in the teachings of the Zodiac signs and the Planets through the texture of the BodyMind. I’ve already started using it with clients and for dynamic Astro drama and group energy work.

The Maiden has returned.
Footsteps scattered across the Land
Mantle white as snowdrop skin
Fire burning deep within her
Dancing;
She is dancing
Life into the Earth
With her rhythmic tread
Clever hands and warming hearth,
Promise of rebirth.
Calling;
She is calling
The Dead back to life.

The dew strewn grass-tips lick around my toes. I can feel the coolness of the earth beneath my feet. Such comfort this feeling brings, anchored to this meadow as the sun kisses my skin, like tender lips that are moving slowly over the body of a lover.

The wind sings her song, bringing tales of good fortune and abundance from the West, a box of treasure hidden in the dark secret place revealed only by those who reside in the Otherworld.

Here is your bounty, which you will find by following the words of magic hidden within the wildness of the moors. Follow the whispers, hang onto the scent of the unknowable, until the call becomes so clear you can do nothing to calm it but answer and respond from your own inner depths.

A marriage of souls out in the wilds, the wonder awaits.

When I met your outer form
a seed inside me stirred and woke up.
Now the spring rain of your love
opens that seed and I remember you!
I remember the breath of my being
which is joined with yours,
and though people think I am only one
I am not.
I am with you
and we are One.

Listen with your bones,
feel a throbbing ,deep
deep within the marrow of you,
deep in the beyond of you.
Birdsong weaves a melody,
hare leaps in tune,
the wildwood hums,
bursts,
thrusts,
mirroring the Green Lord’s ardour,
his lady’s desire.
Let go, now is the time,
light your fires,
burn brightly and dance
to the ancient call of the Beltane drum.

Blooming
Blossoming
The tentative tendrils of a new dawn
Slowly unfurl
Like an emerging butterfly
Being released from its chrysalis shell
Its gossamer wings spreading unsure
To reveal a rainbow prism
Of diaphanous perfection.

It could be missed,
Just for want of an outstretched hand,
Separate death on every island
Because no-one dared the sea.

But from such a scattering, here's a thing:
A navajo frame, threads of unsung mystics;
There, aborigine weft, tibetan warp;
In us all, colour and strength,
Spirit and science.

From every island hands dare the sea,
A new tribe is weaving
To warm mother earth.
It can be done.
It could be missed.

Where does the path lead?
Into the woods,
into the elven halls
of mystery.
Step through...

Step from the painted scene,
step from the photograph,
into the real woods.
As the door opens,
into the heart,
the spiral journey,
turning,
the woods within,
as real and verdant,
step into sanctuary.

Walk in the real woods,
open the door,
into my heart.

Sadness has been stalking you for days:
with the softness at last
of charcoal feathers
smudged by the rain
you have whispered it's name to the silence.
When did you last hear the blackbird sing?
Neither riddle nor rhetoric,
the loss unnoticed till now
swells like a gorgeous egg in your throat,
stretches your eyes grief-amazed.
Soon the robin will sing
from the top of the wild pear
but first you will have to bear
upon graceless shoulders
the burden of November's lead.
Nature being generous-unkind as it is,
the blackbird will sing again all summer
but by then the bird that sings
will be a different bird
and you will be a different you.

Here in my hand,
an absolute beginning place. The seed of a flower
that will blossom in the Springtime. The earth,
on my fingertips,

the wind passing through,
the wet of the rain,
blowing over. This night is the deepest of deep,
and in the darkness, my heart opens.

Many days ago, the full moon
slipped over horizons
shaping a future in the sky and
shadows on the sea.

And now we are here, embracing potential in the dark,
with the waves beckoning me home; the ocean,
and my heart, a wide horizon.

Moments drift on the ebbing tides of night,
Shadows whispering snatches of dreams,
Out of sight of the sleeping world.

Swinging back and forth on the pendulums of time,
Minutes turn to hours, then the clocks strike,
Shattering this silent night

Earth Pathways Showcase

Earth Pathways Diary and Wall Calendar 2018

Showcase Gallery