Loch Seaforth, Scotland creates the border between The Isles of Lewis and Harris in the Western Hebrides, Scotland. Its extensive meanderings create much of the beauty and magic of the sacred landscape that centers around the Callanish Stone Circles. I have vowed to return. I also realize there is so much more for me to research and learn.
Read MoreIf I were forced to choose only one county in Ireland to visit, I would choose Cork with its breathtaking mountain passes looking down to the sea.
Read MoreSummer Solstice is a major Celtic holiday. It is also celebrated throughout Europe by many names. Those of us who take an interest in Celtic tradition know the major images: Stonehenge at sunrise, bonfires the night before, general merriment.
Read MorePausing in silence and connecting to our memories through the four elements, especially stones and water is an age- old tradition. When we are still and let the voices of the stones carry us into stories, into our stories and the stories of our family, we are gifted with teachable moments and a sense of ancestral/familial support that is rich and meaningful. By extension, walking through the oldest section of a cemetery or strolling up to a park monument, gives us an opportunity to imagine the lives led by people whose names are carved in their stones- a humbling and moving experience.
Read MoreThe cycle of life comes to life in the spring. The Celts celebrated Imbolc (lambing) followed by the spring equinox Eostre (eggs and bunnies) and then Beltane (livestock driven through fire to cleanse and increase fertility). They were not only celebrating Nature bursting forth in new life but trying to assure that it be bountiful.
Read MorePistyll Rhaeadr, a wondrous site nestled in the Berwyn Mountains of Wales, is known for the absolutely magical waterfall. I got to view it from early morning until twilight from a charming balcony self-catering apartment at its foot.
Read MoreIt is so exciting to find someone who shares your passion. I recently received an email from someone who had discovered my book Amidst the Stones of Celtic Ireland with a similar passion to mine for these sites of mystery and wonder. He sent some awesome pictures and briefly shared some experiences.
Read MoreI had never thought much about how the stars and planets align and what that might mean for my life and the life of our planet. In the last month, there was tremendous celestial activity: three eclipses. The power of the skies was not to be ignored.
Read MoreI find it intriguing and ironic that we are now beginning to see that the Ancient Ones understood and used energy in ways that are just coming into our awareness. You don’t have to visit ancient sites to open to this awareness. A walk in the woods, sitting in a garden or watching a sunset can do it.
Read MoreWe all have read of such things in classic children’s fiction: Alice going down the rabbit hole, the Narnia wardrobe. More recent fiction has Harry Potter and friends finding a portal within the train station at Platform 9 ¾ and Claire dropping into an earlier century Scotland in the Outlander.
Read MoreThe fringe of the fringe seems an apt description of Brittany and Galicia, both on mainland Europe and, therefore, even more weakly linked to Celtic identity.
Read MoreCan you imagine what it was like for our ancestors? Damp, cold, standing water in the grasslands, dark days with only a fire for light and warmth? It certainly makes sense that they would create monuments to the Sun, calibrated to align with the Sun on the solstice when the sun is at its highest and the length of the day is longest. How they must have yearned for summer. How they must have watched for the signs of the turning of the seasons.
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