(Regina here: I am not the author of this article or lovely artwork. This blog is being shared from friend whose work I greatly admire. I am sharing her blog here today as a wake-up call to artists and musicians. Thank you for reading, your comments are welcomed! Much love!)
A few weeks ago, I received a text message from one of my most tech-savvy friends. The message described how he was exploring Stable Diffusion, an AI art generator and found my work in the database as well as the fact that my artistic style was something that the AI could replicate. He sent me…
Recently I’ve heard young parents voicing dismay with the lack of enchantment in our modern, “mechanistic” world and wondering how to keep a joyful spark for life in their school-age children.
They acknowledge that reading to their kids is not high on the priority list, yet express concern how fairy tales and just being outdoors isn’t interesting to their kids unless it involves some handheld device. How just being happy to see animal shapes in the passing clouds is not as important to their kids as wanting to stay inside and veg on a video game. Who will teach the children about air sylphs, water spirits, how to talk with a flower, how to put the imagination to work when only a few items are on-hand? If the only education children receive is how to parrot the media on climate change, gun shootings, pronouns, and virus counts while their sense of a hopeful future is waning, where does that leave our society? Children are our future, so we have to ask: Just exactly what kind of future is being cultivated?
The world didn’t lose her magic, but humanity is running the risk of losing its soul to someone else’s plan. It is high time we came to realize we are swiftly being engulfed by programming and conditioning that serves someone else’s political and financial agendas. It’s nothing new, been happening this way for thousands of years, only the narrative changes.
I believe re-enchantment begins with one’s self. If you can make time to feel the soft, magical caress of a breeze, practice listening to clouds, walk gently enough to not scare away visiting birds, bring colored chalk to the beach and color the rocks, build a fort in your backyard and add fairy decor, then you are exactly what the world needs right now; ready to enchant peoples’ memories back to where they once belong.
Really, I do these things because I don’t want to lose my inner child. When my (now young adult) kids have time in their busy schedules to hang with me a spell, I make sure to decorate the home entry and certain rooms with the spirit of the season, leave out the Jenga game, or bright colored whimsical puzzles, and (if weather allows) stargaze at night with a little fire in the pit. For my own entertainment and education I joined a school of wizardy – who even knew such a thing exists?!
If we continually practice emanating an energy of the Divine and Sacred within ourselves it will rub off on others, and some will even stop and ask you what you do in your spare time? I give them an example, if they seem like open-minded adults, such as, “I decorated my Juniper tree out front with holiday decor and birdhouses and named it ‘Gerard Ent’”! 😆🌲 – My husband, surprised me by suggesting the last name“Ent” as he remembered it being the name of the tree people in Lord of the Rings. I was duly impressed! And “Gerard”? Well that’s just a really handsome name, I think.
Maybe you don’t want to go to such extremes and do fairy decor. Maybe you like a more scientific approach, such as learning to identify starry constellations, or how to rebuild soil that’s lost its nutrients, or maybe you want to start a volunteer group to clean up litter in your neighborhood. It’s all good! Whatever makes you feel in resonance with your heart. It’s the intention behind the act that sets the waves in motion. Others will hear about it, be inspired to collaborate or create their own ways to help.
My hearfelt wish: Don’t wait for the world to re-enchant itself. Instead, be the one who jars the memory for them. Do it for the Earth, her beloved Nature spirits, liminal spaces, and devic realms. They need our help now more than ever, and they miss sharing playtime with us.
I adore David Halpin’s posts on Irish Fairy Lore. Sadly, he has yet to create a book of all his amazing, informative stories and I feel concern they may be lost. With that, I will be interweavIng his posts into my blog page as “historical records” every now and again. Please take a moment to “Like” his FB page if you’re so inclined.
For now, sit back and learn about the Bean Sidhe, thinning of the veil during full moon, and why making very clear intentions, prayers of protection and honoring the deceased is so valuable at this time. Many blessings! 🌙 😘
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The August Full Moon: Magic, Ancestors, and The Bean Sídhe.
Tonight brings the August full moon and it is worth remembering that all of the various moon names and seasonal lore were real reminders about the seasonal changes and how a person might acknowledge the yearly cycle.
Perhaps the most widespread spiritual aspect to the full moon is the association with ancestors and past family members. The full moon is said to create a thinning between the realms of life and death. Often it is the case that powerful and poignant dreams both remind us of those we have lost but also serve to help us remember to appreciate our own lives and those around us.
In Asia, in their pre-Buddhist, shamanic traditions, the August full moon signals a more liminal window through which the hungry ghosts might emerge. These are ancestral spirits who may be lost themselves or yearning for something in their past. They may be unable to forget a loved one or an event which still holds them back from progressing in their spiritual journey. Tradition says that we have a chance to help such ancestors at this time by making offerings and sending guiding intentions which can help these lost spirits find their way to their next incarnation.
You can notice some similarities to Irish and European Samhain traditions and beliefs in this. The fields are now full of mushrooms often forming ‘fairy rings’ and for many these are places one should only enter with caution. Perhaps there is a crossover here considering the ritualistic use of certain psilocybin-containing mushrooms? Some researchers suggest that ancient sweat-houses were used as places to consume these mushrooms where the seer would enter trance-states to contact ancestors and spirits. As nature offered the opportunity to contact the otherworld, the time of the year was similarly associated with corresponding rituals.
A piece of very obscure Irish folklore regarding a positive encounter with the Bean Sídhe records how she is deemed to heal the sick through moon bathing. This custom was called ‘All Heal.’ Considering how we are told in the folklore that it was “old people” who carried on the name ‘All Heal’, I think we can safely say that this is a long regarded tradition. The practice took place on the evening of six days following a full moon, which is in itself quite unusual. In this tradition, it seems that the sixth night following a full moon is regarded as particularly magically potent.
The ritual proceeds as follows. If a person was sick they were brought to the shore of a lake in order to bathe, but not in the water, and instead in the reflected light of the moon upon the lake’s surface. This moon-bathing for wellness is very interesting considering much more recent evidence regarding how different types of moonlight might affect us. Many people might be surprised to discover that it has such a long history in Ireland. https://www.farmersalmanac.com/7-ways-moon-affects-health-26747
This tradition also has parallels with some Bealtaine customs earlier in the year and the warding of malevolent forces. In that particular case it is moonlight in the morning dew which is said to both repel evil influence, as well as bestowing beauty and health upon those who wash their faces in the dew at dawn. Another curious factor is that Bealtaine is associated with fairy queens and, as we shall see, so is the night of All Heal.
The twist to ‘All Heal’, and its cure, though, was that if you did not get well after two or three nights you would then be visited by the bean sídhe. However, the aforementioned twist is that her song would be one of comfort for those about to die, as opposed to one which instils fear. In this case, the bean sídhe is identified as Áine who is sometimes considered both a fairy queen and, according to some, a potential Irish moon goddess. This latter point is often argued, it must be said, but it is very interesting to read of her being associated with the lunar cycle in this account as well.
Also associated with this moon bathing ritual is a red haired dwarf named Fer Fí, identified as Áine’s brother. His task was to accompany Áine’s song on his harp and comfort the person as they fell into ‘sleep’ by the moonlight. This ‘All Heal’ tradition is recorded as occurring at Lough Gur which has always been associated with an entrance-way into the Otherworld.
Here is the full piece as recorded in the archives at Duchas.ie. “On the 6th night of the full moon the people brought their sick close to the lakes so that the moonlight shone brightly on them near the waters of the lake. The old people called this night- “All-Heal” and if a sick person was not better by the 8th or 9th day of the moon he would then hear the “Ceol Sidhe” which “Áine” the bean-sidhe and spirit of Lough Gur would sing or play to comfort the dying. The sick person would fall asleep as the music “Suantraige:- which was said to be the whispering song of sleep which Aine’s brother Fer Fí played. Fer Fí was a kindly red haired dwarf and it was said to be a sign of good luck to hear him laughing. He played only 3 tunes – Wail, Sleep and Laughter – on his 3 Stringed harp.
So, as you can see, even though this account concerns a Bean Sídhe, it is not always the case that these beings behave in the ways that we expect. Perhaps this is why they have always been approached with such respect and care. I hope everyone gets to enjoy the full moon on Sunday.
Recently I encountered a lovely person and her very wobbly, little dog. Turned out her dog is suffering from heart and kidney disease. Though she didn’t ask for it I was compelled to write a prayer which later morphed into a song. After emailing her the video link it occurred to me that perhaps others may benefit from the prayer as well, so now I share it with you.
Thank you for watching and for your support of this blog page. Many blessings! 🌷🌸❤️
Wandering the local woods on the full moon I pondered, “What is art?” The following photos and thoughts are the results. Thank you to Nature for the inspiration!
Oregon Grape Root in bloom
What is art? The expression of powerful, balancing and chaotic energies, forces, and Spirit.
Sacred space
The Master artist? Nature, the dancer of yin/ yang. Effortless and yet pressured, like a diamond forged from coal, or a thunderstorm bursting out of the clouds.
Hidden gem in woody cave
Art is not without suffering, but suffering is subjective. Pressure is behind the term “suffering”. Like the chick who taps blindly in its eggshell for an opening, we are under constant pressure to break free of our daily-grind mind, to let in the Light! The need to create art heats us from within.
Mushrooms
Nature does not create the art of a sunset, a butterfly’s wing, or song of a dove to gain our attention or approval. Nature creates because it can. Nature’s furies, chaos, serenity, and breathtaking beauty are elemental forces at play.
Mighty giants
We choose to place value judgments and opinions on what is good or bad art, yet Nature does as it pleases, with no care for perfection or cleanliness. The joy of creation knows no limits and still remains in perfect balance.
Moss people
Art does not need interpretation, planning, or credentials, it simply requires us to show up. The Universe invites us to join the dance. Let the creative play begin! ❤️
In January 2020 I began having deep, uncomfortable feelings in my chest / heart region. This started shortly after a family member’s emergency hospital visit so I wrote it off as stress. As February rolled around the discomfort was more consistent and really agitating my sleep. Thankfully, a wise and insightful friend, who also happens to be one of my sound healing teachers, suggested I begin taking Hawthorne Berry supplement, which I did. Worked like a charm! Everything calmed down, but – as we all know – 2020 was far from a calming year and the insane levels of stress and lack of grounding has flowed into every year thereafter. I was on a mission to find a peaceful place within.
Then this last weekend rolled around. A delightful gal, Sarah Lemos, gifted psychic-medium and featured guest “seer” of haunted locations (see Travel Channel’s “Ghosts of Morgan City”) was presenting at the RaSani Fair in Oregon, just south of here. Since I’d had an insightful reading with her by phone I wanted to meet her in person. This would also be my first trip to a psychic fair! Generally, I tend to avoid large crowds, a remnant PTSD issue since my band days when I was coerced into playing my saxophone amidst large crowds of drunk and clumsy dancers. But the weather was beautiful, and a voice within called me to be brave and follow through. So glad I did! Not only was a Sarah an inspiration to see and hear, but I also discovered a beautiful display of drums. Creator David Burling, owner of Dragon Reiki Drums, explained all the materials he used: skins, crystals, wood, and he kindly let me sample the sounds of each one. He said this event was his first time putting the drums on public display since 2019, so I felt very fortunate to have found his booth! After carefully playing each handmade creation a couple times the one that just sang to my soul is pictured below.
Buffalo hide with elk antler handle and cedar wood mallet.
The deep resonant tone of the drum so echos what I feel the spirit of Buffalo to represent: grounding, present-moment, extension of the Earth, indomitable, perservering, ancient, primal, solid, and life-giving. The feel and energy of the elk handle brings to the drum a gracefulness; strong, resilient, yet able to adapt. The spirit of the Cedar tree in the mallot exudes strength, might, purification of spirit.
I sit in a darkened room, closing out the world, with little more than a small candle or incense burning while playing. With the drum positioned close to my chest I tap with the mallot gently in different sweet spots where its voice changes timber, tone and resonance. There’s no structure, no right or wrong way to play, no stress. Bathing in gratitude for the spirit company of buffalo, elk, and cedar tree we float together in a river of rhythm, and after a period of time my mind feels light, my body almost floaty… we could dance the entire night if it weren’t for the need to rest. Playing this drum right before sleep has resulted in some of the most peaceful sleep I’ve experienced in a long time!
Hoping you, too, will find your peaceful place in this wildly insane world we’re roller coastering through. Perhaps a drum is calling your name?
Funny I kept putting off buying this giant book, though it stared me in the face at the store check-out stand. 😁 I couldn’t imagine reading that much about EO’s. After scanning the contents page I was duly impressed!
This book is quite the tome of all things essential oil. In 683 pages Valerie has shared in-depth essential oil descriptions and chapters on how they may be blended for use, from preventative care, blends for women, babies and men, muscle tension, fragrances for the home, first aid for pets, and much, much more.
If you take essential oils serious please give her book a read. You will not be disappointed! 🤓
A single candlelight illuminates even the darkest room, yet the brightest light casts the darkest shadows.
❤️
The shadow cannot exist without the light.
Duality is an inherent quality of life in this reality.
Likewise, our brain is divided, left and right. Our mission in schoolroom Earth is to practice equilibrium by walking the middle path.
Emotions are the side effect of our thoughts and beliefs about this reality, and our state of health. They are not a by-product of our ❤️.
Like the 🌞 and ✨ that shine unconditionally upon every form of life, the ❤️ beats unconditionally, regardless of the mind’s dualistic thinking.
The ❤️ is electrified into awakening by Source.
The ❤️’s electromagnetic field extends vastly farther into the body’s surrounding space than the brain’s EM field.
The ❤️ entrains its rhythms to the ❤️beat of the 🌍, (aka the Schumann Resonance).
The 🌎’s ❤️beat entrains it’s rhythms to the pulses of our 🌞.
Our 🌞 entrains its rhythms to the central galactic 🌞, called Alcyone.
Our galaxy is akin to one cell of countless galaxies inside the body of the Universe. Our Universe is but one of the multiverses (or “many songs”) sung into existence.
The Divine Source IS ALL, the Mystery, the seen and unseen, the known and unknown. Call it what we will, we are the Source, and Source IS us, and speaks to us with every beat of our ❤️.
This is why we bow to the ❤️ each day. The ❤️ knows the Truth. There is nowhere to go but within for the answers and the peace we so long for.
This time of year is truly exciting for me as the bright, sweet faces of crocus, hyacinth, ranunculus, and many other dainty flowers line the garden store shelves, almost as if in defiance of the freezing temperatures and harsh rains. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Earth laughs in flowers,” and how true! After brutal freezing winds and ice she busts out a bouquet of fragrant eye candy, perhaps to lift our spirits.
Last year I made an official commitment to honor my indigenous-human roots and seriously begin tracking Earth’s seasons, natural holidays, movements of sun, moon, stars, and identifying/ connecting with local trees, flowers, and wildlife. I love celebrating the solstices and equinoxes, and am becoming more familiar with and celebrating cross-quarter days, such as this week’s Imbolc – the exact halfway point between winter solstice and spring equinox. A fellow nature lover recently said that when we create ritual on these natural holidays we cultivate greater internal balance within ourselves and in our relationship with Earth. Seeing as how we and Earth are one, inseparable consciousness what better gift to give than celebration and ritual to the very energies that make life possible?
Even turtle is reminding us that all the patterns of life, from the ocean to heavens above, are interwoven.
My husband, who recently plunged into studying Ayurvedic medicine, expressed interest in becoming more attuned to these natural rhythms of the cosmos. Ayurveda (life science) is an ancient form of healing – over 5000 years old! One might say it is the parent of all medicine in its original, wholistic form. “Very well,” I told him, “how about you choose an Ayurvedic recipe that’s dark like the new moon?” And so he did and he baked up a tasty batch of “Cinnamon Black Bean Brownies”, a recipe found at Talya’s Kitchen (link at end of blog). They turned out so yummy, yet have no granulated sugar or flour. Don’t they look like little new moons? With each bite you kind of feel like you’re eating the solar system. LOL
Yummy!
Should you decide to make this recipe please note he found it necessary to cook it longer than Talya said; closer to 45 mins. The end result is still very malleable so once cooled I was able to roll them into bite-sized sphere shapes.
New Moon (courtesy of Hoodwitch)
To know the position of the moon also entails knowing what effect its current position in the heavens has on our emotions and mental processes; this is where a seasoned astrologer comes in handy. Lately I’ve enjoyed listening to youtube channel, “Raising Vibrations”. Below are some helpful questions and contemplations I took away from Simon’s show regarding this current moon phase:
“Are you sacrificing your days, energy and time for another’s dreams.. we are crossing a threshold and structure on the outside is failing. If your personal power was held outside of you this time may feel as if your world is breaking. It’s time to wake up and express yourself. Ask yourself what empowers you? Give yourself time, maybe a year or two and allow yourself to reprioritize. Find your power from within. Devote time each day to what you value. Ask yourself, ‘Where am I not valuing myself and instead telling others how I need to be valued?’. Detach from what disempowers you and step into the unknown. Here you will experience freedom of expression, new values, letting go of old versions of yourself. You are your own savior. Breathe fire into the essence of your heart!”
As I finish this blog we are officially 10 minutes away from the New Moon here in the pacific northwest. Imbolc (astrologically speaking) will occur on Thursday, Feb 3rd at 12:37 pm. Hope you find the joy, inspiration and new you in this new year!
“Systems are created based on the needs and beliefs of the people; the outside world mirrors the collectives’ beliefs about themselves.
”Historically, all systems built up to this point in time have been hierarchical, from kingdoms, oligarchies, to modern republics because people did not own responsibility for their personal power to live sustainably and maintain their own well-being. They gave power away to an outside source to take care of them. Ultimately, this has lead to revolutions where the current power is ousted only to be replaced with another outside power.
“If we can’t communicate diplomatically and find sustainable solutions within our own families, intimate relationships, and social circles, how do we expect to manage as a country, as a globe?
“Many more crises are coming down the pipe at an accelerated rate because it’s time that we evolve, become more conscious of our personal power, and work together. We are mammals, meaning we are social beings who shine best when we cooperate as communities in order to survive and thrive. The crises are here to help us awaken to our truth, our power, and our ability to respond (i.e. “response-ability”). The system coming into being will be a reflection of how we handle all these crises.
“Body, e-motions (energy-in-motion) and mind must be aligned – this is where the inner work begins. Starting with the body: It is a mirror of all that has been taken in, food and drink, encoded into your DNA. To create the ideal body consume the colors of the rainbow in fruit and veggie ([Skittles 🌈 is not a food, just sayin’]… Fruits, seeds and plants will increase the photon light in the body as they are the result of photosynthesis.
“To increase the capacity and balance of the mind one must regularly tune into the heartbeat and breath. The mouth is for eating, the nose is for breathing; breathe thru the nose, long slow inhales and exhales while holding the breath about 5 seconds between each breath. Fill the lower lobes of the lungs with each inhale: This will oxygenate the body, balance the emotions and physical. Heartfelt laughter is very therapeutic. Find the humor in everyday challenges.
“2020 was the start of a planetary reset. Everything that hasn’t worked up till now is being reviewed as part of the collectives’ ‘final exams’. Those who do the internal work will pass to a new level of consciousness. Yes, it will be uncomfortable, and even hurt at times. Intense pressure over periods of time is what changes coal into diamonds. Matter needs pressure in order to grow.
“A virus is the tiniest being in our biological world, the perfect bio-machine that replicate its DNA in the host DNA. The host adapts to the virus DNA because they are now united with the virus DNA. The mechanism of the virus is to improve overall biology. Since the inception of earth bacteria and viruses have helped us constantly improve. Without illness we wouldn’t be here. The virus is a tool for global evolution. The mind can think about states of blissful higher consciousness and happiness, but for the physical body to join in those states it is pushed by the intelligence of Nature. The environment makes a difficult passage for the body to overcome so that the information will be recorded in the cellular memory and strengthen the body going forward.
“‘Corona’ means crown. This virus is helping us to reconnect with the crown chakra, the ‘I Am’ within each cell of the human body. For us it is a crisis because of the way we have been living, but for the Earth it is a symptom of evolution. The virus’ message to humanity:
“Go home, think about what you as a species have done for these past centuries. Personally, think about what you have done these past number of years. What do you want to become of this planet? Do you even want to be on this planet?
Nature says, “We need to improve, we need to adapt.” The planet is indifferent to our needs. Earth and all species are ready and moving to a new level of consciousness. For humans to join in that process we have to upgrade our bodies, our thinking, and our way of being on Earth.
“Everything that exists in the universe is simply a projection of the One mind (Source, God, etc), the singularity of reality. Therefore, every thing in Creation is also the Creator, in their own fashion. We are projections, reflections of the One and only Truth. If we reside in a state of incoherence (body/ mind/ spirit imbalance) we will not manifest a higher consciousness reality, rather we will manifest according to our belief in lack and this will be what projects into our manifestation. While our ego may think we lack something that needs to be fulfilled it may not resonate with what our heart, body and soul needs. What ends up manifesting may not make us happy and fulfilled because it wasn’t done from a place of body/mind/emotional balance.
“Purposefully manifesting is an effortless flow is achieved through balanced body/mind/spirit. Begin by acknowledging you ARE Creator, everything you need is within you, and you are not lacking. You create because you enjoy creating.
“Re-member yourself, collect all your lost soul parts in the name of love and know that you need nothing from any other being, for you ARE everything and everyone. Be your Higher Self.
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Loosely translated from the video link of Matias De Stefano’s YT presentation (below).
Please give him a listen and a “Like”. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Best wishes!
Regina Chante 