Dream Patrol

A flower lamp shines softy.
Omniscient stars glitter, winking, keeping watch.
The mellow honeyed bouquet of sunset warms my weary mind to its core.
Nocturnal followers in their finery whisper their chants to the moon goddess.
The blanket of moss I nap beneath a second skin, I purr contently in my natural refuge.
Gently, with such grace, the dream patrol fairy cradles my head,
Protectress of the glistening treasures of my dreams, she banishes The Darkness.
Shielded, I dare to dream.

Milena

Travelling Dream Chair

Safely floating in the warm enveloping arms of my chair of dreams:
Adorned with glittering sequins, precious stones exuding strength,
A plethora of fabrics, each telling their own magical story,
A whispering treasure chest of possibilities, ever changing yet still familiar.
Dizzying heights of adventure as I allow my spirit to roar,
Saying farewell to that white rabbit in Wonderland, clutching its timepiece so possessively.

I drink in my dream, every colour, every sound, every touch,
A pioneer of my own truth, free I laugh out loud.

Meandering safely to the ground, I this time hold on tightly to my chair,
Must I push it back into its hidden place, away from critical eyes?
No, it will today take pride of place, an inspiration, a lesson to be learned,
A connection between the two halves of myself.

Milena

Feeling Christmassy

Looking out of the window I can see the first snow flurry of the season :) I sit here admiring my lovely Christmas tree, sipping a cup of Baileys coffee, snaffling a most delicious mince pie, listening to my mischievous Shadow cat purring by my side. I am feeling most Christmassy; what a precious moment.

Gift From The Sea

Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s book ‘Gift From The Sea’ is the most inspirational book I have read in recent times. Although the book was first published over half a century ago, the wisdom contained within its pages still holds such powerful truths for women today.

The book is a reflection of the stages of a woman’s life, comparing each chapter to a different type of shell she discovers on the isolated island beach of her daring holiday alone, away from husband, family and friends. She asks herself and her reader many poignant questions through which a multitude of lessons are learned. I have taken away with me a large handful of ideas I wish to translate into my life:

1. The simplification of life both outwardly and innerly. Anne Morrow Lindbergh speaks of the hectic and often chaotic lifestyle, which moves so fast that there is hardly enough time to breathe. By stripping our lifestyle down to its elements, by asking ourselves what we do in fact need to feel fully alive, by mindfully evaluating our material world and social spheres, she argues that it is possible to live life much more fully, much more deeply. I suppose we would call this decluttering both in a material as well as spiritual sense.

2. Taking time out to nourish our spirit and soul. Here the idea is that we should not feel guilty for taking time out from our obligations and many roles we play, we should not apologise because this time is vital to replenish and feed our inner selves. Only if we listen to the needs of our spirit and soul are we able to speak and live our truth.

3. The fabric of love changes over time but each chapter of our love is valid and precious. Anne Morrow Lindbergh ponders on the first blossoming of love, the time when we cannot bare to be parted, followed by the creation of a life together with its many journeys as a family emerges. She argues that these times are so precious yet also part of a journey as we develop; we shouldn’t try to keep replicating these feelings as we develop together as human beings. Instead we weave a web of connection between us, part of this is comfort and predicability, part of this is also spending time by ourselves and not needing to be in close proximity to each other each every minute of the day and night. For love, she argues, is that web of connection, that trust and knowledge of each other, not just the romance and brilliant sunrise of blossoming love.

4. Living for the moment and not only the future, taking time to appreciate the beauty of what we have. It is so easy she comments, to keep racing on for future gains, for having dominating goals which swallow up any notion to immerse ourselves in the gifts of our present. By only seeing the bigger picture we are denying the solid foundations of our being.

5. A connection with nature. For Anne Morrow Lindbergh the ebb and flow of the sea, the spreading warmth of the sand and therefore the sheer fundamental beauty of mother nature is an incredible healer and teacher.

At the end of her reflection Anne Morrow Lindbergh leaves her island with a new set of values symbolized by a bag full of shells she will place on her desk at home to act as guides for the values she has discovered within herself. She states that these shells are her island eyes with which she will view her life. I was given this book as a present by my wonderful aunt together with a shell, which I have placed on my desk as my own reminder of this island way of thinking.

Glorious Moments

I began another e-course today, (I am rapidly turning into an e-course junkie and proud of it!) this time created by the wonderful SARK. The title is Juicy Journaling and it promises a treasure chest of writing adventures. I began today and spent hours and hours writing; I cannot remember the last time I did this, feeling the words pour out, feeling fully immersed in my craft. Here is my first poem of the course, on the theme of glorious moments:

MOMENTS ( A LIST)


Waking, a day full to the brim of possibilities,
Purring felines healing with every vibration,
Pages after page of nourishment for the soul,
Dancing brushes drinking in sparks of life,
A crisp breeze blowing the cobwebs away,
Magnificent Goddess journeys, daring to adventure,
A darkened room, fairy lights twinkling gently, whispering happiness,
Moon gazing, the insects of the night accompanying with their haunting melody,
Hands covered in earth, a rainbow of colours and scent sharing such beauty,
The sun warming my senses,
The taste of childhood in left over biscuit dough,
Capturing a perfect moment in a lens,
A gallery of my creation,
Crisp sharpened pencils and a multitude of papers,
Cocooned on a train, watching the land move past like a delicious painting, so vibrant,
Earthy autumn leaves meandering, the rhythm of life with every crunch under foot,
Treasure in the form of a handwritten letter, anticipation in the opening, reading over and over,
The essence of silence, of time,
Opinions being read, being heard, feeling alive,
Pride in a word, a phrase, a sentence,
The intensity of friendships both comfortably familiar and sparkling new,
Precious story telling,
The sparkle, the glamour of a bygone age,
Rolling of dice,moving of counters, laughter of those loved,
Candle light, mesmerising, thought provoking,
Falling a sleep after a day of living my truth.


Here is a link to SARK's website, if you want to find out more:

http://www.planetsark.com/JuicyJournaling.htm

Stonewylde Giveaway!

Am feeling over the moon as Kit Berry left me such a wonderful message concerning my Stonewylde review, which I posted yesterday! I feel truly honored. If anyone is interested in exploring the Magus of Stonewylde, Kit is currently giving a limited amount of free copies away on her website, all you have to pay for is postage and packing!

http://www.stonewyldestore.com/

Stonewylde

Over the last couple of months I have been reading the most amazing trilogy about an ancient magical community, thriving in modern day England, named Stonewylde. It is indeed to become a pentology and I simply cannot wait to let my imagination roam free again in this glorious natural place, unspoiled by modern day pollution of every kind, where nature and ancient pagan traditions are honored for the good of the land and its community.

The author, Kit Berry, has such a magical talent of weaving delicious language into a plot so rich, with many tangled strands. The brilliance of the story line is that although the land with its traditions are pure and honored, the minds of the human beings, which inhabit the land, are much more complex. There are many contrasts in Stonewylde; of natural power against manufactured, of nature against nurture, of the rich against a hard working class, of violence against a peaceful existance, of love against hate. The outcomes of these contrasts are not always clear cut, for human beings rarely are, and the honesty of this shines through brilliantly.

The main story line is of a prophecy declared by an old wise woman of Stonewylde, claiming that the birth of a special boy named Yul at a most magical time, will mean the downfall of his power hungry father, the Magus of Stonewylde. The Magus is blessed with the earth energy of the land, and it is his role to lead and take care of his people. However, the current Magus, although driven in his vision of creating a sustainable and developed Stonewylde, is also power hungry; his need for control is so strong that he takes much pleasure in the pain of others. Thrown into the mix is a young girl, Sylvie, who enters the community by invitation, having been poisoned by the outside world, both physically and mentally. Through Stonewylde she reclaims her life source, her energy and love for life is restored and indeed she learns that she is a conduit for the moon’s energy, another vital source of life for Stonewylde. She, as a moongazy girl, is a vital key to the prophecy through her power and her love for Yul, but I will not say more than this for fear of giving away events and therefore the suspense,which Kit creates so skillfully.

I have great admiration for Kit Berry, as she is not only a wonderful writer, but has such drive to promote her creation. The books are self published and she puts in an amazing amount of time and energy to give the wonders of Stonewylde to as many audiences as she can possibly reach. Not only this but she has created an online community for lovers of her books, which is warm and welcoming like few other online meeting places I have come across.
Here are the links to find out more about Stonewylde and the Stonewylde community:

http://www.stonewylde.com

http://www.stonewylde.net