Getting to know the Goddess Course 4:1

Goddess Pages online course - The Crone: This is a suitable archetype for me, as I am in the last years of my life. I am sure there were wise women of older years throughout all time who guided the younger women. There were also those who were distressed by difficult circumstances, perhaps lonely or not financially or emotionally coping in times gone by,mas there still are today. It is not just young women who need guidance and counselling but those who feel that society has left them behind and has no further interest in them.
Keridwen (has part of my name included in hers) is the example provided by the course and her mysterious myths leave me puzzled as to their possible meanings. A cauldron of nourishment, a pot for hot soups and stews, this is still my favourite dish. It could be a symbol of a woman's pregnancy, or of a pot of plenty of any kind, of riches, resources, a family united together, a progressive society, a world of caring, beauty and wellbeing for all people and other species.

The Crone is a prophetess, presumably she has witnessed much in her past, and can see patterns that will inform the future. I feel frightened for the future, that wars will bring division and pain for generations. I feel fir those most vulnerable, as they are always the greatest victims. I feel for other species who have as much right to live in peacevas we all have. I think the Crone should be champion of the planet, of protecting all species and those people across the world most in need.

Church Visits

When you visit a church, take a compass. When you arrive at a church look up to see a weather vane if there is one. This was for pilgrims who needed to know the direction and weather for their next walk. 

Walk around the outside of the building. You may see a covered lychgate some 40 paces from the church door. When the coffin arrived on the carriage, the coffin was removed here and placed on the shoulders of the pallbearers. Take a walk around the graveyard if there is one. In the past, Christians were buried with their feet to the East. On the last day, when Jesus comes in majesty, the Christians will stand to face the rising sun. Priests were buried with their feet to the West so that, when they stand, they will face their flock. The northern side of the church is a cold and dark spot where the unbaptised were often buried. Because of limited space, this is sometimes not possible. 

The Crystal Gazer - A Story

I wrote this "skit/parody" after a visit to Maxine Sanders at Clanricarde Gardens! I studied with her at a time when Alex was on the south coast. He passed while I was in her Moon Shadows group. For those who know Maxine, you might recognise her tutoring style!  

The psychic peered into her crystal and whispered "I see hardness about you. There is no true love of beauty... yes, dare I say it? There is death all around yoou and you do not see it... and loss, great loss... and here, at this time, you will meet with an angel.. an angel to guide you to your destiny. You must seek maturity and wisdom..." her voice became quiet, then inaudible. 

When Tomorrow Starts Without Me - A Poem

 When tomorrow starts without me, And I’m not there to see,

That the sun should rise, and find your eyes, All filled with tears for me.

I wish so much you wouldn’t cry, The way you did today.

While thinking of the many things, We didn't get to say.

I know how much you love me, As much as I love you.

And every time you think of me, I know you’ll miss me too.

When tomorrow starts without me, Please try to understand.

That an Angel came, and called my name, And took me by the hand.

And said my place was ready, in Heaven far above.

That I have to leave behind, all those I dearly love.

But as I turn to walk away, A tear fell from my eye.

Free Relaxation Training - YouTube Video

This video will make you drowsy so do not drive a car whilst listening to it. Make yourself comfortable, take a couple of deep breaths, close your eyes, and enter your inner world.

Dr Diana Beresford-Kroeger

Using Science and Celtic Wisdom to Save Trees (and Souls) from NY Times

• Part I MERRICKVILLE, Ontario — There aren’t many scientists raised in the ways of druids by Celtic medicine women, but there is at least one. She lives in the woods of Canada, in a forest she helped grow. From there, wielding just a pencil, she has been working to save some of the oldest life-forms on Earth by bewitching its humans.

  At a hale 77, Diana Beresford-Kroeger is a medical biochemist, botanist, organic chemist, poet, author and developer of artificial blood. But her main focus for decades now has been to telegraph to the world, in prose that is scientifically exacting yet startlingly affecting, the wondrous capabilities of trees.

  Dr. Beresford-Kroeger’s goal is to combat the climate crisis by fighting for what’s left of the great forests (she says the vast boreal wilderness that stretches across the Northern Hemisphere is as vital as the Amazon) and rebuilding what’s already come down. Trees store carbon dioxide and oxygenate the air, making them “the best and only thing we have right now to fight climate change and do it fast,” she said.

Perfume Part Two

Smell, memory and emotion are three aspects of our life that always go together and can enhance mood and a feeling of well being. Business is becoming wise to the art form of using ambient scents to create an atmosphere of harmony and good relationships, described as 'Logo' aromas. For instance, Rolls Royce added to the interior of their vehicles what is described as the 1965 Silver Cloud, the scent of leather and wood. Woolworth created a Christmas scent in 2000 for their shops to entice customers with the scent of winter holidays. During an expedition of Oedipus in 1997, the National Theatre created the scent of human sacrifice, hardly an enjoyable but definitely a memorable experience, and visitors to the Learning Zone at the Millennium Dome were reminded of their school classrooms! Superdrug pumped the scent of chocolate into their shops and executive lounges at airports are sprayed with outdoor aromas of new mown grass, a scent used for centuries by the Santa Maria Novella brand. Hospitals develop a good reputation with the smell of disinfectant, and private hospitals use lavendar to calm and relax visitors and patients. Peppermint is useful for offices to give an emotional lift. Lloyd and TSB have a scent for their banking branches, Dorothy Perkins has a green floral fragrance for its stores, and the Julian Graves chain sells bags of nuts and dried fruit and has a scent to match their trade. Chemicals in the atmosphere are a concern to many people, especially those with allergies or illness.