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This autumn I decided it was time to take a journey through northern Wales. I did not intend to take a casual trip, but a journey to the thin places. I wanted to rediscover magic and mystery. In truth, I was tired of the conflict in the world around me, and I wanted to rediscover hope and meaning. I needed a taste of Avalon.
This photograph was taken at Bryn Celli Ddu on the Isle of Angelsey. The name means "mound in the dark grove," and to me it was clearly an ancient feminine initiation site. Jennifer Chapman, a fellow Celtic Shamanka, decided to climb on top and feel the convergence of leylines.
The most powerful experience is to literally climb into the mouth (or vulva) of the ancient cairn and listen to the dreaming Earth. This is a deep meditation, an ancient practice that humanity has almost forgotten, and yet one that we need to remember if we wish to return to balance and harmony.
During the meditation, we simply gave ourselves time to realign with the pulse of the natural world. In that moment we had the choice of awakening to an enchanted way of seeing and being. We had the chance to reclaim hope.
In an enchanted world, trees are portals to other dimensions, birds offer messages and flowers have essences that heal. In the thin places, there is no past, present or future. There is a spiral of life entwining through all time, space and dimension. When we dream with the Earth, we remember our True Nature.
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What potential within you wishes to blossom?
Take a moment. Close your eyes and sense
what within you wishes to take form & root.
The Earth knows how the seeds of plants
grow into complete patterns.
It is time to dream with the Earth.
It is time to heal,
to live in a gentle way
that is attuned
and powerful.
It is time to live in a way
that includes all sentient beings.
The Earth intimately understands you,
who you are now
and the potential of your full expression.
Feel the energy that exists inside of you,
explore the patterns,
feel the beauty & complexity that is you.
It is time to dream with the Earth.
It is time to heal,
to live in a gentle way
that is attuned
and powerful.
It is time to live in a way
that includes all sentient beings.
Write about the truth of who you are.
Record your discoveries,
sketch your visions, and know
if you tend your dreams
they will emerge in the spring
when the sunlight kisses
the buds of flowers,
inviting them to open.
It is time to dream with the Earth.
It is time to heal,
to live in a gentle way
that is attuned
and powerful.
It is time to live in a way
that includes all sentient beings.
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Attuning with the Dark Time
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The wise ones know that the darkest time of the year is the time to rest and dream. A person who takes time to enter the silence, to rest and dream, can emerge as a true leader. If you are clear about who you are and your mission, then you can create with confidence and clarity. When we embrace the darkness we tend to find there is creative potential and power waiting for us. One way to align with the Earth and our inner truth is to
engage in a Winter Solstice ritual. Here is a simple version, and feel free to create your own ceremony. Curiosity and wonder can keep us strong during the darkest times. The cycles of nature teach us that the sun's light and warmth will return.
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The Queen of Winter
& The King of Light
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This year Winter Solstice was celebrated on Friday, December 21. The full moon shining in the sky made the evening even more magical. Some mystics claim that while Summer Solstice is a celebration of the fiery masculine energies (which do deserve celebrating), Winter Solstice is a celebration of the earthy feminine energies. In a dark cairn, such as Bryn Celli Dhu,
you can sense the potent creative desire for life.
At some time during the holiday season it is good to touch back into old traditions and light a Yule Log. The idea is to find the light that will give you hope for the year to come. In some traditions the old queen of winter begins to give way to the queen of spring. In other traditions the birth of the king of light is honored. The main idea is that during the darkest times, you must look into the the Inworld to discover your light.
This can be ceremonially performed anytime
between Dec 21 and January 1, 2019.
YULE LOG MEDITATION:
Winter Solstice is a time to wrap a yule log
with dried leaves and written messages
explaining what no longer serves you.
If you have a fire place or pit,
these messages can be burned.
(A candle also works.)
Observe how the flames lap both leaves
and written messages.
Allow those thoughts
to leave your consciousness
so that what no longer serves you is transformed,
making way for the new ideas and life to come.
Take three deep breaths,
and then pull the light of the flames into your body.
Sense the energy of renewal.
Feel the potency of your creative energy.
Place your hands on your belly
sense your potency,
& the hope that exists
for all life.
Life, death & rebirth
forever.
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A YEAR OF LITERARY AWARDS
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When I was eight years old my father gave me the ancient Greek poem The Iliad to read. He was hoping it would put me to sleep, but when he checked on me after midnight I was still reading! From that moment on I looked for myths, folktales and legends. I was thrilled to discover that my Celtic lineage had it's own myths and legends with and that the women were fiesty and dynamic! I continue to collect and share the ancient tales of Ireland and Britain, for those are the
stories that keep me inspired during the winter months. I am very happy when readers send messages saying that the stories have touched them in some way too.
This has been a year of multiple literary awards. Legends of the Grail: Stories of Celtic Goddesses has now won 13 literary awards and has moved into its fourth printing. I am delighted to see so much interest in Celtic folklore. My most recent collection takes place in Britain, especially Wales.
Heroines of Avalon & Other Tales are stories of women who know how to attune to the wisdom of the Earth. They are natural healers, and they know how to work with the wisdom of life.
This book includes inspiring tales of Arianrhod who knows how to spin a silver wheel and weave songs of life. A flower maiden by the name of Blodeuwedd is released from an ancient curse. Elen and Iouga remember the process of life, death and rebirth. Elaine decides to try love again. It also includes the tale of Dindraine, the first person to achieve the Holy Grail. These stories are needed for the times in which we live. They offer hope.
As an independent author and publisher, I like to see how reviewers respond to a book before doing a hard launch, which will occur in January. Good news! Heroines of Avalon & Other Tales received a 5 Star Clarion Review and has been included in the New York Review of Books. This 5 star review is from a verified purchase on Amazon:
Ayn Cates Sullivan’s Legends of the Grail: Stories of the Celtic Goddesses and her follow-up The Heroines of Avalon are initiations and portals into remembrance of the Celtic mythic landscape and the Goddess revealed in her many forms. Within these pages are stories and activations of a mystic mythos long lost and finally re-membered, rewoven and activated, an elixir and medicine for our tumultuous times. I read each of these books slowly and carefully every
night for a fortnight approaching the tales as a chance to drink deeply from those luminous waters that regenerate the soul's knowing and I will return to these tales again and again for the entry point is always different. Ayn evokes the living landscape of the ancients. As I immersed in these pages, I felt a deep sense of radiance and reunion with my own Celtic roots, and a deepening reconnection with the ever unfolding Goddess tradition and our Living Earth. Ayn gives both historical context
and also brings these tales to life through practices and tales told from the first person view of the goddesses themselves. Enchantment transports is the balm that opens us to the Medicine our soul needs most in every moment and these are indeed tales of enchantment of the highest order. Thank you Ayn for a magnificent contribution to the literature of Goddess and our collective and personal soul’s initiation. These two books are ‘pillar books’ for our libraries, treasures that will continue to
reveal. Highly recommended.
SENDING YOU A HAPPY, HARMONIOUS & HEALTHY NEW YEAR! BLESSINGS, LIGHT & LOVE
- Ayn
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