Monochrome Weekend

Snowdrops....

If you like black & white or sepia visit Monochrome Weekend... you won't be disappointed!

[I never thought to say when I first posted, if you come over from MW there are more colour snowdrops in the previous post]

Snowdrops... Fragile Beauty

Beautiful aren't they? 

A mass of snowdrops in the old orchard 

they've been there for years,

 multiplying over time.

  Maybe a bit like our thoughts in they old grey matter... 

or emotions...

Sometimes the big picture is enough, but zoom in for a closer look...  

appreciate the finer details...

identify one area (thought, idea, emotion, problem etc) to focus on...

Notice how some are slightly more open... 

and if we look closer some are nearly still closed...

 some are in full bloom (ready to pursue, work on, deal with)...

 some need a little more time... 

a bit of coaxing (a bit more effort, consideration... healing...)

From another angle... wow! 

Sometimes we need to look at things from another perspective,

turn things upside down to see what we have been missing...

little details... clues...

Would we have seen that sky behind

 if we only looked at what was obvious in front of us?

The background... the past... 

something that coloured our judgement, affected our emotions...

How often are we carried away with the bigger picture, 

caught up in a mass of thoughts or feelings, 

whether it be enthusiasm or despair?

Pause... wonder.... look.... and really see...

Caught in a storm they're beautiful...

we are beautiful...

you are beautiful...

Even in a downpour...

because of it.

We may bow our heads to weather the storm,

we may look or feel extremely fragile...

but those raindrops will run off our backs...

let them cleanse and heal...

'cos even on the greyest day

be inspired by their fragile beauty...

seek another perspective.

the clouds are just a background,

highlighting strength and beauty within.

And the winner is....

.....Jasmine

Congratulations!! 

Thank you to everyone who took part... would you all send me your address so I can send you all a token of my appreciation xx

This is my singing bowl that I placed the names in...

It is engraved with the 8 Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism, which you can read about here

I actually dreamed the symbols the night before I found this. I could only remember the endless knot & the golden fish, the others were hazy.... so when I saw it I knew it was for me.

I'd been having quite a chaotic time, with a fair bit of conflict between myself & my significant other... I knew nothing about these bowls or the symbols, but this was definitely an 'auspicious sign' that I was on the right track.

The sound is so clear... and calming. Which is what I needed at the time. It took me a few goes to coax the sound by rolling the wooden baton around the edge, annoyingly my daughter got it first go, lol. 

Thank you again for entering the draw... you are a small but special bunch of participants!

Positive & Negative Energy Effects on Water Crystals...

Interested? Then skip over to Healing Whispers to see more & find out about a water healing ceremony on World Water Day, Monday 22nd March.... a relevant date i think, following the Spring Solstice.

The Secret of Kells

Make sure you have your volume on (i never to begin with!) and take a look at The Secret of Kells a mythical cartoon/film inspired by the Book of Kells. The illustration & music is gorgeous.

 (note to pixie sue; on some of the pages there is a very pale silver scroll bar, that you might not see, in the centre of the page, to scroll for more text) 

all images from the Book of Kells

One of the characters in Secret of Kells is Pangur Bn...

Here are a couple of snippets from Thomas Cahill's "How The Irish Saved Civilisation:

This 4stanza Irish poem was slipped into a 9th century manuscript containing material such as latin commentary on Virgil & a list of Greek paradigms:

I and Pangur Ban my cat,

'Tis a like task we are at:

Hunting mice is his delight,

Hunting words I sit all night.

'Tis a merry thing to see

At our tasks how glad are we,

When at home we sit and find

Entertainment to our mind.

'Gainst the wall he sets his eye,

Full and fierce and sharp and sly;

'Gainst the wall of knowledge I

All my little wisdom try.

So in peace our task we ply,

Pangur Ban my cat and I;

In our arts we find our bliss,

I have mine and he has his.

Another verse slipped in the margin of a manuscript by an Irish monk in the time of Viking raids in the early 9th century (from the Fury of The Norsemen by John Marsden)

Bitter is the wind this night

Which tosses the white locks of the ocean

I fear not the coursing of a clear sea

By the fierce warriors of the lochlann

 another version is

Bitter is the wind this night

Which tosses up the ocean's hair so white

Merciless men I need not fear

Who cross from Lothland on an ocean clear.

Lothland is Norway, and Vikings could not land in a storm.

I wonder how one of my clients would feel if I just slipped a random poem into a commission now & again!? 

Gemstone Jewellery & New Blogs

Ages ago I received a blog award that was about nominating new blogs... It was so long ago I can't find it now. I never did anything about it... i never seem to remember to go back to things like that if I don't do it at the time. Anyway the point is I'd like to mention a few new blogs:

Debbie of Hippy Hipster Diary has just started off a new blog about her jewellery-  Mystical Moonshadows Jewellery

And one I was going to mention in that long forgotten post about the award is Magic Mixes- Aromatherapy & Crystals, concocted by welsh witch. Slap my wrist how could I forget to do this?

Pyewacket at Pye's Place has dipped a tentative toe in the blogging world, but like welsh witch its an occasional thing, so far. Perhaps some encouraging comments might persuade these lovely ladies to write some more!

You may like to take a peek at Moon-time Tara and there is a common thread between all of these blogs which is this forum where many an interesting discussion is held.

Happy blog-hopping!

Sale & Give-away closing date

...is Sunday 21st March. 

Just scroll down or click here to see previous 'sale' posts... even if you don't want to buy anything why not enter the draw for my "Everything Happens For A Reason" canvas here. All you have to do is leave a comment... We'll be moved by 31st March, so this gives me time to post things off & get sorted out!

Outdoor Living...

Fancy a relaxing bath? Panoramic views to enhance your pleasure!

Or perhaps you would like to invite a friend for a romantic bathing experience?

And when you're done, dry yourself off, take a seat & watch nature tv... 

plenty of channels to choose from, there's terrestrial telly...

and you don't even need a satelite dish to get sky!

Fragrant grasses...

Fragrant grasses.

    

A place not sacred?

Where?

 

(Words of the Ancients)

Watery Wednesday

hazy reflections in a flowing stream

memories of all that has ever been

stare in the depths, the image remains

but the water you see is never the same

the river of life, of thought, of dreams

elusive visions both seen and unseen 

For a wonderful array of watery photography just pop over to Watery Wednesday. I promise you will enjoy.

Don't forget my studio sale of calligraphy & canvasses, listed over the last few posts... & the chance to enter the draw for this one, just by leaving a comment. I still haven't got a definite moving date, but it's looking like the end of March.