Tag: Druid
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Relationship Stories and Questions of Self
For most of my life, relationships of all shapes have been difficult for me. It started at fourteen with the boyfriend who found me too serious, and that refrain has carried on through friendships and love affairs alike. Too intense. Too much. Too difficult. From teenage onwards I had the keen sense that most of…
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Are Fairy Encounters Physical, Psychological, or Both?
All art by Marie Spartali Stillman One specific aspect of fairylore which tends to divide those who are prepared to take it seriously are the physical versus non-physical attributes of the encounters. I understand this in some ways. By attributing sights and interactions to altered states of consciousness we can then address the phenomenon without…
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The Sacredness of Wood Continued
“Three landmarks of Erin, thou seest, are shorn of their strength, the Tree of Ross, the mighty Tree of Mugna, and the red sided Tree of Tortu.” Ogham DivinationIn Part IV of _The Metrical Dindshenchas_ translated by Edward Gwynn
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Wild Garlic: Nutritive and Magical
“While Finn was there he saw a man coming out of the fairy-mound. A kneading-trough was in his hand with a pig upon it, and a cooked calf, and a bunch of wild garlic upon it. The time was Samain. The man came past Finn to reach the other fairy-mound. Finn made a cast with…
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What I Want From Politics
I write this a day before a general election, conscious that the things I am most concerned about are not on the agenda for mainstream parties. Here are the things I wish were major election issues. There’s no priority order here. Climate change – real commitment to tackling the causes and preparing for the uncertainties…