Magical fairy adventures "down the garden path"

Sometimes life just flows and synchronicity abounds. I love it.

Last Sunday afternoon was the last Sunday session of our Good Grief group program, ending on Step 10 - Reinvest into Meaningful Efforts. All the feelings flowed for me as we reached the end of the journey together. A journey it is, and a journey made together indeed. So much gratitude for both my groups (the Monday group finished up with Step 10 the following day). It is such an honour and a privilege to run these groups, with the program developed by the wonderful and wise LaUra and Aimee, the founders of the Good Grief Network, and the participants placing so much trust in joining, giving their time each week to show up, exploring some really big topics and sharing so much along the way. It runs so deep.

I finished our Sunday session with the group check out "what are you doing after this?" on the spur of the moment. My own answer to that question was that for a change I planned to leave for later the session follow up on the computer and head out straightaway to spend some time with my family and see my little girls both wearing the fairy wings I had just finished making for them the day before. I also said spontaneously that I would ask my older daughter to pick a fairy card for each person in the group. The next thing I knew, this intention magically morphed itself into magical adventures "down the garden path," led by my little fairies, and no cards were required for messages from the fairies to appear that day, that somehow just slotted right in to the flow of the afternoon.

We went to visit the Fairy Queen, in amongst the geraniums, and on wondering if the Fairy Queen might have a message for us, the elder fairy replied "Fa fa fa". Luckily, the younger fairy translated. "Quiet time" this meant apparently. And yes indeed.

As we sunk into our silence, we then listened to the birds, the little thornbills flitting about in the trees above us, bringing their joy, and their courage and their curiosity, and the whit whit alarm call of the nearby nesting pardalotes protecting their young.

We celebrated the achievement that I had completed 10 weeks of Good Grief facilitation for one of my two groups as we sat in a row in our garden. We read a couple of stories, bought that afternoon by beloved and the small ones from a local second hand book shop.

We were then inspired to head down the hill, and to see if Totoro (the earth spirit troll creature from the Studio Ghibli film of the same name), who eldest says lives in my favourite big old tree, might also have a message for us. Totoro was sleeping and didn't answer - but what a good message nonetheless - to sleep and to ignore unnecessary interruptions to that most important task.

Favourite big old tree, home of Totoro, is on the right

So, it was decided by big small that we must ask more fairies. Turned out the fairies hadn't come to talk though, they'd come to play. And the good ideas kept rolling! Play!

As we wandered on, the small ones decided it was time to pick some grass, weeds for the fairy to eat apparently, for afternoon tea, for breakfast, and for lunch. Another good idea, to harvest wild foods for nourishment. (And sticks for the baby fairies. Because they're babies. The grass is also made of ice cream, and good for goats too.)

A little spider web also sent a reminder to weave dreams and stories. Always.

Spot the web!

We continued down the back to walk our labyrinth. 

In the centre beloved found that the message there for him was just to relax, chill, to enjoy the nature, enjoy the blue sky, and, he pondered, to contemplate, or not to contemplate. :-) Well, sometimes, that is the question. Meanwhile, enjoy the nature. In particular, some of our beautiful spring time flowers that just keep appearing in their many forms.

Now you see it, now you don't...! (Spot the difference)

So the most magical thing about all this, along with just some generally lovely good ideas, was that in fact many of the messages from fairy folk and more were repeats of the discussion of our Good Grief session for the afternoon (though not the part about grass made of ice cream also good for goats). So indeed!

Let's always remember the importance of quiet time, listening to birds and their messages of joy and delight, curiosity and courage and protecting our young. Let's celebrate, let's read, let's have good uninterrupted sleep. And let's play - yes, let's play! Let's nourish our bodies with wild food from our gardens and beyond. Let's weave stories and dreams. Let's relax, chill, enjoy nature and the blue sky, and contemplate. Or not. And repeat, as required. 

And let's always remember the magic of intuition. Of asking for the messages we need to hear, and listening for the answers, however they come. Let's know ourselves, observe ourselves and trust ourselves. Let's set our intentions and let our attention, focus and actions follow to open doors to possibilities we didn't even imagine, because everything is possible. And magic happens! I do believe in magic! And fairies. And children. And aren't children just so good at all that. Bless their little cotton socks.