~moongazy gathering 2016~

last week we came home from our yearly gathering with friends and I came home feeling rejuvenated...well sort of .

it has taken me a week to recover, but because I am feeling so bad with my fibromyalgia that's not saying much to be honest.

it has reached the point that I saw my gp yesterday and going for blood tests today to test for inflammatory conditions...either that or my fibromyalgia has become a whole lot worse.

*****

however the moongazy gathering was, as usual, amazing.

the day we left was a bit stressful because our caravan misbehaved and we had to leave her at home meaning we had load everything into 'gibson' our normal size vw van (if you remember pretty pagan was a much larger van!) but we arrived safely and spent the afternoon setting up camp.

the back of the camper was loaded to the gunnels...complete with ferret cage!

I always love the views in Wiltshire~i have ancestral connections there going back many hundreds of years and so feel very connected to the land.

less than two hours from home is the field that becomes a magical sanctuary for one week every year

swampy looks happy to have arrived

our neighbours

I had really not wanted to go, my anxiety and depression getting the worse of me, but deep down I knew that if I didn't I would regret it.

but I looked after myself, I took time apart when I needed to, when my body and mind told me that I needed to and that helped. although I couldn't combat the pain I managed.

it was worth it.

while I was there the old magic of the gathering worked its spell on me, it helped me find my way back onto my spiritual path.

its as if all of those spiritual souls gathered together generates so much spiritual energy its catching, that the air is filled with this energy and if you stop long enough it will seep into your bones, into your very soul, bringing back that which was lost.

and it works

while there I visited my usual haunts, avebury~where we walked the avenue

collecting sheeps wool from the sheep that graze around the stones

then there was Glastonbury...

anyone who has been there and feel a connection, feel that Glastonbury is their spiritual home will understand the feeling that the Tor is like a beacon. that it is sending out energies across the land to draw us back home and that we will link into this from miles away.

unfortunately I became really unwell while there and so did not spend the day there as I usually do but I was able to visit all my usual haunts before swampy had to take me back...

on the way out of Glastonbury we stopped at the White Spring Temple, something I try to do each visit. despite not feeling good I had to go there, I had to visit each shrine, bathe my hands and face in the ice cold water, stand in the cold, darkness and absorb the energies of the area. then, stopping to fill my two empty bottles with the sacred water it was time to get back on the road.

back at camp all was good

the solstice cafe

stonewylde goodies

our friend chyna is so very talented

so is our friend Eilen...I have this soap, made with hops, and it is so good

kilts are an essential

so is live music

as nights fell the fires were lit...

and during the day crafts were worked on

before too long the week was up and one by one tents, were taken down, caravans collapsed, campers loaded to the gunnels and we said our farewells, arranging to meet at other camps or events throughout the year but all pledging to return and create this sacred site again next year.

the sight of Salisbury Cathedral is like the gateway to the forest, only half an hours drive from home, it is like we are already home when the cathedral fills our view.

and so another moongazy gathering is over, the camping equipment packed away until our next adventure...

~a sofa day~

today is a sofa day

actually i have had a few sofa days this week

i am having a bit of a fibromyalgia flare up as well as a lot of pain from osteoarthritis making typing this very painful~so this could well be a short post but i am determined to start to blog regularly.

the weather here in this ancient forest is a typical dark, stormy winters day. i was in the garden earlier watching as swampy was using foraged birch and hazel sticks to make a makeshift fence. we still have some nasturtium flowering and my pot of canyon sage has many little purple flowers and smells gorgeous when touched~releasing a spicy scent into the air.

our black elder is going a bit wild and swampy took off two long thin branches-these are going to be dried and sanded and will be created into wands to be sold at the wylde apothecary next year. i have also been going through the seasoned branches we have in the shed to find some good pieces for my new inspiration-decorated wooden pendants/amulets/talismans.

i have also had some inspiration on making medieval scrip bags so watch this space...

~sunny, sun, sunshine~

ahhhh the sun has been shining here for three days now, the nights have been clear and chilly but the days have been glorious.

so glorious i have spent most of the daylight hours sitting in my nook looking out over my wild garden.

 

Beltane dawned grey and damp but i wandered the garden among birdsong and feeling blessed to be there

 

 

 

my little maypole~a hazel branch with ribbons set in the west of my sacred garden area. i have decided to keep it there and change the ribbons at each festival~but also thought of adding permanent adornment, a hag stone, feathers etc. 

 



 

this me dears is a concoction of spinach, carrot, apple and ginger. swampy and i are having similar concoctions every day for our lunch in an effort to shed some weight. we have also started swimming twice weekly again after a long break. i just need to now get into daily yoga practice.

 

the case is my ukulele...a concert size which is one up from the tiny soprano

 



i couldn't resist a couple of pictures of mismi and inca~we found some packing beans so for a few days mismi enjoyed leaping around in them until i caught him eating the end of one and i confiscated the beans and replaced them with play balls (which really are not to exciting!)

 



 

inca on the bed exploring the cushions from the camper

 



 

 

i have had a hard few weeks as i am going through a big fibro flare up. i have also been diagnosed with sciatica. its been going on for a long time...years in fact. i would get funny twinges that would stop me in my tracks then go. i ignored them as months and months would pass between the 'twinges'.

this last year i have been getting more and i just passed it off as another fibro related pain~now i am at the point where it is weekly and it lasts for longer. as i was going to see my gp anyway i asked about it. sciatica, another ailment to add to the list.