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.

Labyrinth in the Light

Over the days following finishing our Lal Lal Labyrinth, as the moon waxed to the quarter and continued on towards full and now beyond, many feet big and small already have walked the labyrinth and shared energy, added sticks, and embraced the walking, the winding, the within and without.

The next day we had our bush play friends come to play outside and experience walking the labyrinth. Later I went down to walk yet again, with my little family. I, erm, gracefully climbed a tree to take photos from above. (Photos of my graceful ascent at the bottom of this post so as not to distract.)

Freshly cleansed by the rain, and alight with muted sunshine filtered through clouds, the labyrinth from above, in its quiet stillness of presence.

And speaking of grace, we were graced again by the presence of another rainbow. 

And by bird song resonating through the wet hills and vales. A video of that birdsong is below if you would like to enjoy it too.

I am feeling so much calm, balance, stillness inside me, in my core, from this practice of ritual walking. Mmmmmm...

Still around that centre, I dither, I frizzle, I race, I run, I grump, I laugh, I stress, I cry, I worry, I work, I wonder. I am human after all. But all the while in my centre, the stillness is quiet, and strong, open, clear and grounded, and connected, and warm; nurtured by the walking, the space made for silent presence, and the intention for balance.

Last time I shared a walking video, and I didn't yet mention that the inspiration of making a labyrinth walk video was from the wonderful and magical Wendy Rule, who previously shared a video of herself walking a very different, desert located and rock constructed labyrinth. Wendy is a visionary songstress, a well of deep wisdom which she shares through monthly Full Moon concerts and Dark Moon meditations and other sharings in between. I have learnt so much since first meeting Wendy at the Glastonbury Goddess Conference, through these sharings and also her Lunar Magic course as well. I had already begun to explore the seasonal celebrations, the cycles of the waxing and the waning moon, the magic and meaning of possibility and ritual, but connecting with Wendy has definitely brought many new depths to this learning. Find her here if you are interested, and if you sign up to her Patreon from only $2/month, you too can listen to her lovely Full Moon concerts monthly and enjoy the immersion in musical magic and soak in the learnings as you go. We all need more music and magic!

Meanwhile, some more photos, and another walking video below. The Labyrinth in the Light.

Labyrinth in the Light - walk with me

 

Labyrinth and birdsong - listen in presence

And just for something a little less serious.............. Yep, it's been a while since I properly climbed a tree...!

These faces say it all really...

I did get there in the end...

And to finish... Back to that stillness and grace of presence, a rainbow, and the labyrinth in the rain.

(And look closely for me in the tree) :-)

Labyrinth Journey to Equinox Equilibrium

Sometimes deep soul work takes a long time. A lot of other things jump easily into the time, many very important things, and sometimes some things otherwise, so the process can be slow. Also, it most often just is a slow process. None the lesser for it, rather more. All good things take time.

And here we are. An intention birthed today.

2 1/3 years ago the intention was set at Samhain.

A solo blessing of the opening space last year at Winter Solstice. Perhaps deep journeying within requires more than one wintering to really even begin.

And then, as the seasons have turned, one round at a time, one stick at a time, the labyrinth has grown, all the way through yet another wintering. Along the way many messages shared - through windings and turnings and spirallings and weavings; through the life, death, birth, rebirth revisiting, as the cycles have continued along their way.

And then what was there was gone

Peek a boo!

Three winters, three times journeying within, three ways. 

I thought I was making a two path labyrinth. A labyrinth that can be walked many ways. The same way in, and out, for integration. Another way in, and back the same way, for a different journey inward to centre, and outward, integrating. A way for two paths to arrive at the same place, two perspectives to meet in the middle. A way to walk another's path out, and back in, and out again your own way, carrying with you the perspective, the way of the other.

These weeks I have been thinking a lot about either/or, both/and, and more. The ways in which two voices or more sharing differing perspectives can come to yet another way, many times a better way. So perhaps that is the third way of this labyrinth. A way to find another way, together. Many voices, many hearts, many souls, many journeys, many paths and many ways to reach our intentions, for the highest and greatest good. Journeying within, finding our way out. Together. Alone we may journey within and reach insights. Together the potential is infinite.

Much love and work and thought and reflection and sharing, with the help of family and friends, and perhaps most importantly, many fairy wishes, have found their way in to this labyrinth.

And after such long journeying, this Spring equinox, finally, suddenly, the labyrinth was finished. And it is not finished. Because the nature of it is ephemeral. It will, it is, it has already decayed into the soil. So always the process will continue, with moments of completion, and then continuing again, journeying always. But it was finished, is finished, complete in its ongoing journey.

A rainbow arrived to bless the completing. As the equinox moment drew near, my family worked on the final round together.

Then my big-small one and I walked in together on new paths, each our separate way, for the first time into the complete labyrinth. We met in the middle. And then we took the path of the other on our journey outward. We met at the entrance, at the way out, and we walked out together, holding hands, on the new path (one path in and out for the entrance/exit had eventuated, instead of the two in the original plan). We felt satisfaction at a process complete, for now, the work done, a journey taken, and an arrival at a finish.

Equinox is a balance point in the world. Light and dark are balanced, day and night the same length, all over the world. The world is united. The world is one.

Balance too is a process. Coming back, again, to equilibrium, an ongoing journey.

And so here we are. Arrived, again. 

And in the night, as the equinox moment drew ever nearer, I took another labyrinth journey, with the intention for equinox equilibrium and balance in the world. Under the night sky, under a new moon slowly growing, waxing again towards full, bringing with it the potential of intention. 

The intention to return to balance and equilibrium once more.

Walk with me if you like.

 

Equinox Labyrinth Journey - link to video here

The frog song of cleansing and release.

The reflected light of raindrops landed, not yet absorbed.

Seeking balance.

Visiting of insects (moths?) - transformation. A filter to see through, a lighter way. Close. It wants to stay.

A patterned leaf - a gift for the journey on the path. So beautiful. 

Old life holding lush new life. Nourishing new growth with the wisdom of what has come before.

Another leaf of glistening patterns. Not alone, together.

Spiralling in the centre circle.

The moment of arriving at the centre point, finding stillness and clarity.

Patterning, glistening, old life and new, veins carrying life blood, water, nutrients.

Listening for shared learning.

The way out unclear.

Another moth of transformation.

Protecting young life - this is clear.

Beetle on bark, waiting still in the centre of the path. 

Exposing misconceptions. 

Choosing a more beneficial, intuitive, caring, nurturing way of life.

Sudden darkness, shadow. 

Finding the way with the help of the edges - boundaries.

The new moon shining the light of intention.

Stepping out of the shadows.

Letting the light shine on the path forward.

Finding the way out in the darkness.

Flash of insight from a shooting star above, a gift.

Blessed by a rainbow.

Equinox Labyrinth Journey - insights after

Listen or download on Soundcloud

Hope you can walk it with me, really, some time. Get in touch when that is possible.