Tag: Árainn
Oilithreacht

Oilithreacht

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The structure of the five day Celtic Spirituality retreat allowed gracious time to explore solo. Our group spent quality time together but many hours were spent on my own where I connected deeply with the land, sea and sky as well as the elemental energies of the special island of Árainn or Inis Mor, Ireland.

When the retreat was over most everyone of our group of twelve left the island on the 5pm ferry with the exception of one couple and me. I moved to a bed and breakfast near Killeany. After settling in I walked the 1.63 miles into the small town to meet them at the pub for dinner.

I left Joe Watty’s pub filled with good food and memories of companionship but ready to be by myself. Rain…cold rain…and wind caused me to pull the hood of my rain jacket close. For a moment I felt lost and lonely after several days of delightful connections. On that walk in the darkening night in the cold rain I felt like a Pilgrim beginning a new journey, happy to have the freedom but small, cold and alone.

But those feelings lasted only a few moments and lifted just as the rain stopped. I walked on with appreciation for new beginnings and anxious to spend the next two days exploring that end of the island.

One of the closing rituals we did in the workshop was to write a blessing for ourself, for the journey of our life. I share it as a blessing for all who walk the path of the Pilgrim, ever seeking deeper connection with the Divine….within and without.

May I allow the wind to guide me as I release the fears that keep me small.

May I embrace the beauty of my heart and know the home it creates for me.

May I dance with wild abandon in celebration of my Spirit.

May I leap upon the Sacred White Horse and journey with Her through star-filled skies, able to see into the darkness and call forth the dawn.

May I share freely of beauty through word, song and images as Nature calls me deeper into Her embrace.

May I honor the strength and courage within me and accept the help of others, both seen and unseen, in the fulfillment of my promise to Mother Earth.

May I dive into depths of the sea and listen with an open heart to the Voice of the Sea and Her creatures and share the message that longs for expression.

May I become intoxicated on the fragrance of the Rose that blooms within my heart and stagger in delirious dance ever-toward the Spirit that calls my name.

Oilithreacht….Pilgrimage

An Gaoth Fiáin

An Gaoth Fiáin

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The final walk up to Dún Aonghusa was with four friends from the retreat. It was late at night and the wind was crazy. It was my first nighttime excursion that wasn’t solo and their first nighttime visit.

Rain had soaked the ground earlier and left rocks slippery. We used care as we climbed the slick, steep trail and because of the wind, used the buddy system to make sure if one of us blew off the trail we could notify next of kin. We joked but it was rather treacherous.

It wasn’t just wind speed, it was the swirling and gusting that made it difficult to brace or know how to prepare. It was an adventure of stamina and courage.

As we entered the grassy circle a gust nearly knocked me down. I dropped to a knee to keep from falling. We climbed further and found soft grass to lay on and got as flat as possible to watch the stars.

And the wind still pushed us as we lay gazing into stars.

The reward for the challenging climb was a night sky that appeared to hover just over us with brilliant stars that twinkled brightly. Even with wind raging around us, a calm descended as we collectively soaked up energy from the firmament.

But the wind eventually won and we agreed to descend to safer elevations. Once again, the wind swirled and knocked us about as we walked down through the fort. Twice more it pushed me to my knees. The geek in me later researched wind speeds and standing versus being knocked down. It’s safe to guess the gusts on Dún Aonghusa were 55 miles per hour or more that night. It wasn’t kite flying weather or a night to get anywhere near the 300 foot drop into the Atlantic Ocean.

We carefully navigated the slippery, steep path down and kept close watch on one another. While I usually like to explore solo, I told my new friends how happy I was to be with them that night. That was no night to be alone on top of the cliff.

It was midnight before we returned. In my journal I wrote….it was wicked windy. That, my friends, is an understatement.

 

An Goath Fiáin……The Wild Wind

 

Note: The photographs were taken from the pre-dawn visit that morning. My tripod and camera would have been blown off the cliff had I attempted to use them. Even taking the photograph below, a few days before, I had to hide my equipment from the wind. Our arms weren’t locked around each other just because we care about one another…..it was pretty windy that day as well.
Maidin ag Dún Aonghusa

Maidin ag Dún Aonghusa

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For several days, sunrise at the fort was my goal but I never seemed to be up before the dawn. My goal was to walk up in darkness–for some reason that walk in the cover of night was incredibly special–and photograph the fort before daylight.

Finally, some wild force awakened me and I gathered my photography gear, warm layers and boots and quietly exited the guest house. As soon as I opened the front door the wind grabbed my hair. It was crazy again which would make the walk up in darkness even more exciting.

As I entered the prehistoric fort, built over 3000 years ago, the wind once again grabbed me and I stumbled forward into the first circle. I grounded myself and walked over a field of rocks and climbed again to the upper level of the fort.

The night before I sat on a huge slab of rock close to the edge. On that morning, I stayed far away from the edge due to the swirling winds moving through the fort. In fact, I could hardly stand at the same place where just hours before the wind kissed my face in sweet caresses.

With my backpack secured and the tripod in one hand, I stood in darkness facing the sea and with a strong voice repeated the invocation I do every morning. As I begin to speak, the wind completely stopped.

I rise with the strength of Heaven. Light of the sun. Radiance of the moon. Splendor of the stars. Swiftness of Air, Power of Flame, Depth of Sea, Stability of Earth. I rise with a mighty strength because I know the Oneness of All Creation.

The moment I finished speaking, the wind whipped around me. I paused….did that really happen? I asked myself. The answer I heard in my mind was, The planet is alive and listening.  Definitely something I believe but that morning’s experience took the truth deeper.

In four days, I made six trips up to the fort, four of them in darkness. The wildness of the place called to my wild spirit. The wind, sea and stone worked deep magic on me….for which I am deeply grateful.

Maidin ag Dún Aonghusa….Morning at Dún Aonghusa
Beannachtaí

Beannachtaí

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The pilgrimage to Árainn or Inis Mor, Ireland brought such deep contemplation and expansion for me. The stories I could share are many.

Like the old man who stumbled and whispered his life story to me and apologized for it in a small cafe. He taught me how the story we tell and re-tell weaves the life we experience. We come to believe a personal myth that too easily becomes a permanent judgment we settle upon ourselves.

Or the story of walking up to the fort again at night under the half-moon. Stars were brilliant, wind soft and distant waves crashing kept me singing to that bass drum as I climbed. The moon glade on the sea was moving with ripples like a golden sea serpent and I sat in the highest section of the fort viewing the Milky Way as the sea sang 300 feet beneath me.

Those stories might appear later in expansion. But today, I want to share a blessing I wrote while on retreat.

May the beauty of your own heart rise above the filter of your mind to infuse your thoughts with peace, kindness and love.

May the strength of your heart give you courage to love openly and without requirement.

May the dreams held within your heart be given wings to transport them beyond doubt and fear.

May your heart open like petals of the most beautiful flower and may you drink deeply from the sweet nectar and become drunk on the fragrance.

May your heart know the precious gift of love given freely, expecting nothing in return.

May the life that longs to live through you be born through your magnificent heart.

Beannachtaí…Blessings
Tairseachas

Tairseachas

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While singing during the morning session of the Celtic spirituality retreat I went into meditation and saw myself wearing a dark blue cloak with a triple goddess spiral clasp at the throat. I was wearing tall boots and splashing in huge puddles that created rain when I stomped. I was near the bee hive hut where I first met Fiona, the white horse.

Fiona was the name I ‘heard’ while our group was with her the day before and it wasn’t until I was researching the origin of it that my jaw dropped: it is a Latinized form of the Gaelic word meaning ‘white’ or ‘fair.’ Maybe I remember Gaelic after all.

Back to the vision…

When I met Fiona I jumped on her back with no reins or saddle because no self-respecting free spirit would ever allow herself to be controlled. With her mane and my long hair flying we flew through the star-filled sky. Freedom and power!

The stomping in the vision was a proclamation of power. This is who I am! This is the leaping-off place! 


After the gathering, each of us went off on our own for a Threshold walk. In Celtic Spirituality, Thresholds are important markers. They are inner doorways, places between two worlds, transitions from one place to another, but there are physical expressions of them: mists, doorways, gateways.

On my walk I was greeted by a sweet black and white dog and so turned in the direction he led. Immediately after turning I saw a beautiful dapple horse on the hill near the cafe. Down the lane and past the Irish Cob and her filly….my feet carried me to see Fiona.

After walking down the steep hill and through the stile in the rock wall, through small rock-enclosed pastures I came to the bog just before the bee hive hut. Water was standing almost knee-deep in places due to heavy rains. I was just one pasture away from the hut so the only choice was to move forward.

Rain gear keeps rain off. Gore-tex boots are waterproof….unless water is over the ankles. As I splashed through the water, lifting my feet high for efficiency, I remembered the vision and the powerful stomping. This is who I am! This is the leaping off point!

Photograph of Fiona taken on a sunny day….

After sloshing and stomping through the bog I crested the small hill to find Fiona waiting for me. I fed her sweet grass and then ducked into the stone hut, where a monk from perhaps the 8th century had lived and others after him, and squatted out of the rain.

Fiona stuck her head inside and whinnied. She wanted so badly to be out of the rain. I fed her large handfuls of lush grass from another pasture before leaving her–consolation for her lack of shelter. And I thanked her for being a guide to the Otherworld for me and assisting in my moving through the Threshold to freedom.

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Tairseachas….Gateway….Portal…Threshold