OTHER INTERESTS.....

White Willow

My runes, 2 sets - the green ones I made myself

I am very interested in Runes & the mythology & history surrounding them, & the fact that they were used by Norsemen as well as the early Saxons etc as a means of bartering & marks of integrity, writing & communication as well as divination. The clay ones were a gift but I made the green ones using pebbles, paint & nail varnish. There are 25 in each set.

Also, the Ogham alphabet used by the Druids is fascinating - usually carved onto sticks of wood, the people who used them were very skilled, & the Ogham offered a means of communicating secret messages - often sticks or twigs were used by laying them on the ground,and sometimes even by using the fingers against the shin or nose as the horizontal or vertical straight line!

The belief of ancient peoples in the spirits of trees indicates their closeness to nature - if only people today were as linked in to the natural world & the turning of the seasons! - Each tree had its place in the wheel of the year & had its own personal attributes & energies which could be helpful to the people needing them.

This leads neatly back to 'White Willow' & its link to this website!

Ogham Alphabet: a secret method of communication, see how each letter fits onto a horizontal line.

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some crystal wands

WHATS NEW?

Crystal Wand Massage! see 'Holistic Therapies'

About Geopathic Stress see new page

Little drum painted! horse/snake energies/4 directions

Big drum, with some tawny owl feathers

back of big drum showing ties, with sweetgrass

drum beater with tawny owl feathers

Drumming is something I do from time to time & own a small Celtic style drum. It needed a picture painting on the skin & I had been waiting for the inspirationof what to put on it for more than 4 years. Recently the inspiration came in a flash, so now it is done! I painted horse energy on my drum, plus the four shamanic directions - white = north; yellow = south; black = west & indian red = east. The snake all aroung the edge represents my birth animal! - Max, if you read this, your birth animal is wolf! & you Sue, are brown bear!

Since then, I have been on a day workshop to make a (much bigger) drum using a deer skin. The workshop was outside in the woods near Newport Pagnell in Sept 08. It took a week to dry out! Now I have painted that one too, though the inspiration for it came almost spontaneously during the workshop! (see pic) it is a night eagle (spirit of owl) flying over a full moon. The spirit of owl has the ability to fly between the two worlds (upper world & lower world) which are represented by the stars over the moon for the upper world, & the trees & stones of the lower world. This drum has a wonderfully deep resonance when played, whilst the little drum has a higher, flatter tone. The main difference other than that is that the little drum has a synthetic skin, so doesn't get damp or stretch, so the tone never changes. Big drum is made of deerskin, which gradually absorbs moisture as it is played & so stretches, making it go out of tune every now & then. It is amusing when everyone meets at the monthly 'fire', as there are always one or two people holding their drums to the fore to dry them out!

PS I made the drumsticks too!

As well as all my esoteric interests, I love walking in the countryside & by the sea. I have two cats & an ancient Dandy Dinmont dog called Flossie - she is 19! I read alot & do watercolour painting when time allows.

I enjoy all kinds of music inc classical, but love the Blues! especially if it is live! Of course I enjoy New Age relaxing music, also Gregorian chants & drumming sounds.

I am drawn to stones, bits of driftwood & old bits of trees as well as crystals. All sorts of these lie around my home! They all give out their own energies , the crystals in particular, give out healing energies, which vary according to the type of crystal.

Shamanism is another interest as it tunes in to nature as much as Wicca. I love the concept of every person having their own 'power animal' (a sort of spirit guide) to help & support them through life.

Below is a power animal or spirit totem. Power Animals are similar to spirit guides, but in the form of animals, which represent parts of the personality. A shamanic tradition believed in strongly by Native American Indians. Each person has their own unique totem with them for life from birth, though other totems can appear at certain times for specific purposes and to give guidance. These can be withyou for a long time, or for just a day, depending on your needs at the time. This black panther is my protector. He can be summoned whenever I feel vulnerable or ill at ease.

power animal - black panther

detail from my painting of my guide 'Elen'

'Elen'

Drawing and painting the things I see in meditation is very exciting. Above is a spirit guide called Elen. Sometimes she appears as a young woman, at others she is a wrinkly old hag - but always wears either a dark green, shimmering robe, or dark green rags with a hood.

Power Animals are found, or 'retrieved' through meditation; either by having the retrieval done for you, or by guided meditation. I wish to offer a painting of the spirit animal and the landscape it was found in, to all those who choose to have their power animal (spirit totem; spirit animal) found by me. Otherwise a guided meditation to all those interested in finding and working with their power animal/s. See 'contact me'.

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