Joyous Beltaine, everyone!
May your creative juices flow, in whatever way is right for you! Honour the tree of Beltaine, Hawthorn, by leaving little gifts for the Faerie folk. Ask them to help bring fertility to your deepest desires. Xxx
These ravens were enjoying a bathe in a flowing stream, talking to each other and having fun splashing one another.
What powerful birds they are. In Japan they are seen as something of a nuisance, and one student told a story of attending a shamanic workshop in England to find her power animal. When she got a visit from Raven she was disappointed, as she wanted something bigger, so dismissed it.
Yesterday, while she was tuning into a tree a raven came and stood at her feet, talking ( or rather shouting) at her. She tried to shoo him away, but he wouldn’t go. She clearly heard the message ” I love you. Please accept me” which she was surprised at. She said it was as if he was proposing to her, which of course in a way he was!
Some photos from the three days of Celtic Earth Magic levels I and II. Very successful, and lots of fun.
Weather great, thanks to the Sun goddess!
A busy three days coming up. It is Golden Week, so a kind of public holiday.
I am running levels I and II over the next three days in a beautiful park which used to be the Emperor’s palace in the Edo era, from 17th to 19th centuries. Shoguns were the rulers, and Samurai were powerful warriors.
Remains of the palace can still be seen, and a magnificent stone wall and moat surround it.
The theory part of the course is run in the Science Museum, which is in the grounds of the park. Many concerts and the Kendo championships are held there in an ancient and very beautiful building.
I have to say that when I first saw my name on display in the Science Museum it was a bit of a shock, and being English, of course, I felt a little embarrassed!
Trusting that the Sun Goddess will be kind to us over the next few weekends.
These are my graduate students with Yukari, my friend and hard-working translator and myself.
These students have completed all four levels of Celtic Earth Magic, and practitioner level. They presented the most amazing body of work, and I was thrilled to see and hear how they truly have grasped the concept of the course. They actually ASKED for there to be a practitioner level, which I don’t suppose many students do, and their eagerness shone through as I read all the things they had been doing with this energy since I last saw them in the Autumn.
I am so proud of them, and of course, the most important thing is that they will be spreading the word of how by connecting to, and respecting the rest of Nature we can live balanced, fulfilled, abundant and joyful lives. Just look at their faces! They are shining with a light which comes from within.
I can’t tell you how blessed I feel to know that my work, always inspired and guided by Nature itself, is touching lives in such a profound and expansive way.
I may not know how to get my head round technology, but when I meet people like these it doesn’t seem so important!
I want to thank, deeply from my heart, Megumi, Visha, Kyoko, Akiko Kimura, Akiko Furakawa, Tomoe, Miyuki and of course the gorgeous Yukari for coming into my life. Much love and deep respect to you all.
Everyone knows Apple, with her beautiful heady blossoms in early Summer, and the delicious fruit that is so indicative of Autumn. Unfortunately we do not have the Apple orchards we used to, but anyone who remembers strolling through an Apple orchard when the blossom is falling cannot help but be immediately transported back to the memories associated with this idyllic scene.
Apple in Ogham is Quert.
I call it the Holy Grail, as it represents the qualities of peace, love and beauty. This is the ideal quest, so when we use this symbol in healing it is usually offered to quieten a troubled mind, or to bring solace after horrific trauma.
If we cut an apple in half horizontally we can see the magical five-pointed star, representing the four main elements, plus aether, the four directions plus the centre-point, and the five aspects of the self – mind, body, emotions, individuality and spirit.
The magical isle of Avalon, where King Arthur was taken after his death, means Isle of Apples.
A beautiful, mystical symbol of hope and never-ending life, the Apple means a lot to me personally, and is a welcome spiritual ally in all aspects of my healing, manifesting, divinatory and magical work.
At last! A beautiful warm and sunny day in Tokyo!
I have just spent time in the local park, where the trees are all fresh and green. The turtles are sunbathing, and the Ravens calling to each other.
I am very pleased with the results of the introduction of Celtic Divination Healing, where I offer a 30 minute reading using my best friends, the Druidcraft Tarot, followed by 30 minutes of Celtic Earth Healing, when the energetic vibration of certain trees are placed into the energy field via the ancient Ogham symbols. I am also giving Munay-Ki rites, as usual. All my 50 private sessions are full, and I have good numbers for the 4 Celtic Earth Magic courses.
Tonight I am facilitating an evening seminar, where I will be talking about my work, and performing a Beltaine ceremony. I know, I know! A bit early, but it isn’t possible to organise it for the proper day. It will be indoors too, which will feel very strange, so no fire for the fire ceremony, just LED lights! I will be honouring this festival of fertility on the proper day in my own way, and imagining I am on Firle Beacon as it would have been in times long ago, when each hilltop would have been glowing with the flames of passion as the Sun god unites with the Earth goddess.
I have to admit that this week I have cheated, and used archive images for the Spindle.
I set out yesterday to try and find a tree to feature, and ended up stuck in a couple of feet of thick, oozing clay soil.
When I tried to pull myself out my wellie and sock stayed behind. I overbalanced and ended up covered in mud. My newly-pedicured toenails went from bright red to dirty brown, and when I looked in the car mirror after extricating myself – with great difficulty, I thought I would have to wait to be rescued – my face, hands, coat, trousers and hair looked as if I had fallen into Willy Wonka’s chocolate machine.
So here is the elegant and striking Spindle as we would see it in Autumn.
The tiny white flowers appear in late spring, and go mostly unnoticed, but in the Autumn we are left stunned at the bright pink berries, which open up and show seeds the colour of a glorious orange sunset.
The Ogham symbol and mantra is Oir. 
Oir brings sweetness and delight after a long struggle. When we are faced with painful challenges we need to look hard for the opportunities for change. Choices have to be made, which can be really scary. The longer we remain in a difficult and debilitating situation the more it takes over our life. When we eventually move out of the dark and into the light there can be an empty space where the pain used to be. We can fill this void with the gentle, healing energy of Oir.
I am off to work in Japan for a few weeks now, so pictures for Tree of the week will be taken from archives, as the Spindle was. I will also be showing some of the beautiful Japanese trees I meet while facilitating my Celtic Earth Magic workshops and courses.
When people ask me what I do I find it difficult to explain in a few words, so here is a brief overview of how Nature inspires me. It is based on my Celtic Earth Magic courses and workshops. I hope to make more short films in the future based on Munay-Ki, Tarot lessons, dowsing for Nature Spirits, animal communication etc.
