Strange Solstice Seeds

“The making of soul-stuff calls for dreaming, fantasying, imagining. To live psychologically means to imagine things; to be in touch with soul means to live in sensuous connection with fantasy.”

James Hillman

The last time I wrote to you, I was writing winter letters to my grandmother who is long passed, now I’m writing love letters to the universe in the form of strange seeds.

As we build towards Samhain’s climax at the Winter Solstice, we enter the dreaming time, the longest night of the year here in the northern hemisphere. This week, in the Áes Dána Incubator, inspired by Yumi Sakugawa’s numinous companion, ‘Your Illustrated Guide to Becoming One with the Universe’, we planted some strange seeds in little pots filled with dark soil.

We then journeyed to meet the Spéirbhean, the “Sky Woman”, an Irish goddess archetype who traditionally held our aislingí, our dreams and visions. We released into a grail of tears our dreams not yet lived, and the dreams of our ancestors that they never got to live in their lifetimes. Inviting the Spéirbhean to become a patroness for our strange seeds. Some we hope will sprout in time for Imbolc and perhaps come into full bloom by the Summer Solstice, other seeds will have their own timelines, their own agendas that only retrospect can show us.

As Yumi encourages, we will send our strange seeds telepathic messages to help them grow and chant the song of the Sky Woman:

“Is mise aislingeach m'aislinge féin,

I am the dreamer of my own dreams.

Tá muinín agam as m'aislingí,

I trust in my dreams.”

What strange seeds might you plant in the dark soil of this dreaming season?

Upcoming Offerings

Voices of Celtic Wisdom is a four-month course is intended to be a deep and rich exploration of ‘Celtic’ ways and culture across Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales, providing nutrients to feed your own sense of connection and belonging. It features:

• 19 Workshops with Guest Teachers (including myself teaching about the Celtic Otherworld)

• 3 Crafting Classes with wonderful Craft Teachers

• A beautiful bundle posted to you with specially gathered materials from Scotland, England and Ireland for making your crafts

• 1 Live Sound Journey

• 3 Community Calls with founders Hanna Leigh and Lana Lanaia

• A moderated community-sharing forum (not Facebook)

Looking to 2024

As we close 2023, I feel an acute awareness of how this year has felt like one long Samhain for me. Last January, I had a year-ahead reading with my wonderful friend Regina de Búrca of the Irish Rider Waite Tarot where the Four of Swords emerged as my card for the year, so no surprises there! I did as Clarissa Pinkola Estés urges and:

“Go out in the woods, go out. If you don’t go out in the woods nothing will ever happen and your life will never begin.”

Life has brought me on many winding trails into the shadowlands over the years. Once we reemerge back out of the woods for a time, our daimon, our soul’s guide, grows restless, eager to hoodwink us into the next phase of our becoming, and back in we go.

In I went in 2023 and back out again I am coming in 2024.

I feel that the next phase of my becoming is in Brigid’s hands. I created this image yesterday inspired by the art of John Everett Millais and Ella Young’s poetry of Brigid as Venus, our morning and evening star, our flame of delight!

She is fanning the flame within me and I will return to you early in 2024 with what I hope will be an enchanting new offering for you all.

In the meantime, I leave you with love, grá, gratitude, buíochas, and importantly, peace, síocháin.

For Peace

As the horror and brutality of war rages on in Gaza, I’ll end here with this poem, ‘For Peace’ by Irish poet and philosopher, John O’Donohue.

As the fever of day calms towards twilight,
May all that is strained in us come to ease.

May we pray for all who suffered violence today,
May an unexpected serenity surprise them.

For those who risk their lives each day for peace,
May their hearts glimpse providence at the heart of history.

That those who make riches from violence and war,
Might hear in their dreams the cries of the lost.

That we might see through our fear of each other,
A new vision to heal our fatal attraction to aggression.

That those who enjoy the privilege of peace,
Might not forget their tormented brothers and sisters.

That the wolf might lie down with the lamb,
That our swords be beaten into ploughshares.

And no hurt or harm be done,
Anywhere along the holy mountain.