Earth Pathways

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Inspiring Our Connection to the Land - Inspirational diary, calendar and journals celebrating the work of creatives who share a deep love for this Earth. https://www.earthpathwaysdiary.uk

A beautiful tawny owl swoops low over a colourful wildflower flower meadow.
A gorgeous photo of ox eye daisies against a blue sky on the July calendar page.
A tranquil painting of the sand sea and sky
A tranquil painting of sea, sky and sand with a dark blue horizon.
Solstice altar with candle, petals, suns and a feather on a purple cloth.
Early morning sky on a day with ripping wind. This is Common Farm at Nether Heage, a new rewilding by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust.
Wildflowers in the patch between station and busy road
We walk three and half miles, a circular walk in the Aeron Valley, on the flat land that was formed during the ice age. I breathe in the fragrant air and it smells of honey. The bluebells are fading now, producing fat seed pods where once exquisitely coloured bells nodded. Foxgloves are beginning to bloom, still curled over at the top, but the lower flowers, vividly pink and dotted with dark freckles, are big enough for me to slip my finger into. I watch a bumble bee nestle into the mouth of each flower, emerging pollen-dusted and buzzing. I wish I could run my finger along his furry, black-and-yellow-striped back, and I imagine how it would feel. I want to get up close and intimate with all of nature. Words: Up close and intimate with all of Nature (Excerpt from Diary of a Shielding Yogini) by Josie Smith 2020 Art: Foxglove Banner by Yannick Dubois 2023
Giving an offering when asking for something is both polite and an act of reciprocity. When I began to tread the plant path, my North American teachers offered tobacco or cornmeal, a custom I adopted. However, tobacco is the sacred grandfather of the Americas, and corn is referred to as "Corn Mother", a gift from the creator and sustainer of life. For both plants, their relationships with the humans of the Americas are deep and rich. Gifting these plants, without that relationship in place, felt empty and meaningless. Despite learning from a more in-tact culture, the importance of not blindly copying them became clear. With no local indigenous lineage to draw from, my journey to reclaim a more sacred way of being led me to explore what an "offering" truly was and how I could honour that in a geographically appropriate way. I now have two main offerings, sometimes I give a few strands of hair, a gift of myself that will feed the soil. But my most scarce and precious resource is time. So, to give my undivided attention for a period of time, as an offering, is my most valuable gift. Although orphaned by an absent ancestral tradition, there is another way. Pausing to feel into the meaning of an offering, and finding something to meet that, has imbued an untold richness into making an offering. Words: Making Appropriate by Offerings - An Enquiry 64 by Rachel Corby 2023 Art: Morning Dew by Lisa Bridge 2024
It's midsummer and the days stretch out endlessly Nature's energies are high, busy doing The sultry dog days of Summer have yet to arrive With their long, golden hours of late afternoon Carpeting all they touch with amber hues Summer wildflowers lead me to meadows To walks at dusk as the day cools My fingers brushing sundried, parched tall grasses The wildflowers framed, full of colour Perfuming the air My presence disturbs the hum of insects Sending butterflies dancing up into the cooling breezes I leave them to enjoy the golden days of Summer Words: Golden Days of Summer by Georg Cook 2023 Art: 'Louise's Meadow' (oils) by Kate Bedel
Earth Pathways 2026 Diary and Wall Calendar
Here's Sue with a flip through of our 2026 EARTH PATHWAYS WALL #CALENDAR... Want to save yourself a few £'s off the full price of the 2026 Earth Pathways Diary & Wall Calendar? Don’t miss our EARLY BIRD OFFER - available from 9am on 21st JUNE 2025: https://www.earthpathwaysdiary.uk/shop/ Or for our international customers: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/EarthPathways
It started with a breeze in the leaves. Summer was high. And then, I'd dropped, layer by layer, into a chasm... Cradled at the bottom of my abyss, looking up at pinpricks of light far above, I'm pleasantly spent; consumed. It's not dark and dank, this is sanctuary. I stargaze and sleep, trusting that the sky-high walls will recede of their own accord and I'll rise back to Earth. Awaken to integrate once more, adjusting to the next plateau as seasons shift again. But not yet... I want space and time. This lull is correct to lay in. Pausing is the only action. I rest. Words: 'Rest' by Ciara Mulkerrins Art: 'Heyl' by Emma Cox 2024
Spire-circling crows precede me. Red kites keep watch as I journey through woods and over hills and along the valleys. I sleep in the shell of a church. How amazing to be within — alone — as bells chime. I wonder if you removed the pews, the kettle, the flowers, the camp bed, blankets you'd be immersed in the most intense sound bath. Would I melt into song? I take coffee in the graveyard, bare feet on dew. Sunrise steams the grass. I feel freedom as I watch bees hum among the herbs, the wind gently rocking limbs of the surrounding trees. Swallows fill the sky. I learn the lesson of nettles. Thistle's sharp beauty. I remember the connection to the land. And here I come to rest. In the graveyard, resides a yew. It envelops the stones beneath it in a motherly embrace, and when the summer sun is setting, its limbs are warm and orange. Words: 'Pilgrimage' by George Violet Parker 2024 (Written while walking the Golden Valley Pilgrim Way) Art: Swallows @ Jackie Morris
The Longest Day has arrived! Our Sun has reached the peak of its annual journey and the Land overflows with green and growing things; energised as bees hurrying between flower and hive. Long days and warm evenings encourage us to embrace our wild side! Light bonfires, walk barefoot, dance and sing. Stretch the animal of your human body and feel alive! Summer Solstice reminds us of our expansive nature; our ability to be present and powerful in the World. If your energy is high and full, embrace that power and make use of it: take positive action for our beautiful Earth and celebrate it. If you feel overstretched or overwhelmed, turn your presence and power inward: reaffirm personal boundaries and realign your actions with your truth and integrity, embracing the sovereignty of the Sun. Find a sturdy branch or stick, Oak would be ideal, and hold it up to the sky. Imagine the Sun's warmth and energy being drawn towards it and allow that energy to fill the stick and you. Plant the stick in the ground and as you do so speak the affirmation: "I stand in truth and I shine bright." Picture the ways you are present in the World and the shadow cast by your actions. Allow that strong Sun energy to shine a light on what most needs your attention and energy. Words: Summer Solstice by Keli Tomlin 2024 Art: Litha by Avalana Levemark
Writing spells is a powerful practice that channels the energy of intention through the written word. By crafting our intentions in writing, we make them tangible, bringing our desires from thought into physical form. Words, when infused with clear intention, become vessels of magic, amplifying the energy we wish to send into the universe. One way to enhance the power of these spells is by working with plant-based inks, created from fruits, barks, berries and roots that we collect ourselves. Writing with natural, magic-infused inks adds another layer of connection to our spells. The process of gathering and making ink deepens our relationship with the plants, and their energy becomes woven into the very words we write. Plant dyes carry their own unique potencies. Each plant holds a different vibration, from the grounding strength of tree bark to the sweet, nurturing essence of berries. When used in spell writing, these natural pigments imbue the words with additional life force, enhancing the spell's power. The act of creating ink from nature mirrors the process of spellcraft itself—intentional, mindful, and deeply personal. As we sit down to write with these vibrant inks, we are reminded that spellcraft is an art of creation. By making our intentions visible on paper, we weave our desires into existence, strengthened by the natural magic of the plants Words: 'Nature Spells with Herbal Links' by Seed Sistas Art: 'Seasonal Herbal' by Meraylah Allwood
We are all Nature. We are all made of earth, air, fire and water. So to love Nature is to love all living beings and all things. Love is to accept life as it comes, warts and all, with total equanimity. Love, then, is also letting go of fear. Love is to drop all expectations and just participate in life as it unfolds. We experience transformation through dialogue, compassion and. communication. As the poet Rumi said, there is a field out beyond ideas of-wrongdoing and rightdoing — beyond us and them and beyond criticism and complaints. Lovers meet in that field of love. Love makes us magnanimous. We shift from self-interest to mutual and common interests. Love breeds generosity and magnanimity. When we love Nature, we love everyone. and everything. We love every moment of our lives. #Words: When We Love Nature by Satish Kumar #Art: Holding Grace of Gaia by Rachel Shiamh
The Earth Pathways 2026 Diary and Wall Calendar - Photo by Glennie Kindred
We climbed up high to celebrate the Summer Solstice, up, up into the hills of the White Peak of Derbyshire. We lit the fire, looking out across the valley, with the silver lake carpeting the ground below. The moon rose gracefully into the night sky as pockets of trees stretched skyward. The fire burned fiercely, hungry for fuel as he bent his ear to listen. We told him our stories and sang him our songs. We read him our poems and expressed our thanks. Drumming, stomping, laughing, crying, our community grew stronger as he burnt brighter. That night, our souls inched closer to home, closer to what life was like before the cloak of modernity shrouded our light. Together, we rekindled a bone memory from long ago when, living in tribes, everyone mattered, and all were heard. It was a fleeting glimpse but enough for something to shift within each of us. We left the next day a little different to when we had arrived. Inspired, rejuvenated and glowing with deep kinship. We are tribe. Words: 'We Are Tribe' by Nicola Smalley 2023 Art: 'River' by Kelly Cracknell 2023
Earth Pathways 2026 Diary and Wall Calendar - Available 21st June! Celebrate the gorgeous art of artists and writers who share a deep love for the land and a desire to live with appreciation and responsibility for this beautiful planet. Journey through the seasonal cycle of the year and the eight Earth festivals - find the lunar and calendar dates in the full-colour 2026 A5 week-to-view Diary and the 2026 A4 month-to-view Wall Calendar. With phases of the Moon, UK bank holidays, and a 2027 year planner. The diary also lists UK Sunrise, Sunset, Moonrise and Moonset times, the signs of the Moon and some astrological information.
We live in a huge housing estate on the edge of a busy town. However, corridors of trees that weave their way through the estate remain, and we live a short walk from one of these corridors. I cannot stretch to call these areas woodland as they are not really big enough for such a title, but they are big enough that you feel you are amongst the trees. This is not the fairy tale imaginings of being fully immersed in nature, as the signature of humanity is all around, but the daily walk amongst these trees has become a place to breathe; to replace a view of roofs with a canopy of leaves. Although the roads can still be heard, there is a peace that can only be found where the trees shield us from reality for a little while. I go there to feel soil under my feet rather than concrete, to touch bark rather than metal, to breathe in oxygen rather than fumes. I am so grateful for this piece of respite that I can escape to whenever I need. The trees silently gift us this, despite the encroachment of humans in every direction. Words: 'Tree Corridors' by Elkie Wild Art 2023 Art: 'I see you!' by Helena Zabko
You may feel small, wondering what you can do. Drop your stones all the same. You may not see the ripples but trust they are there, circling out. Who knows their reach, where they'll lap? Don't judge your pebbles' worth by the return. Trust the unseen. Your ripples know their work & criss-crossing the wake of other stones, in time they'll create waves. Words: 'Ripples' by Ali Davenport 2021 Art: 'Curation from Unlimited Source' by Rachel Shiamh
Let stars shelter us; that is enough. Let the earth cradle us; what need have we for more comforts? Let gravity remind our feet where to tread, and the sky call us to open our arms and fall against her sweet cheek. Stars flame out in glorious abandon, dazzled by their own intimate reflections against your heat-damp skin. You, an arch of ancient rock, your back held like a polished wave against a crest of red, night-cool sand, the desert wind singing itself, half-mournful and languid in the hollows drawn between your spine and the earth. Look how the Earth Mother holds us in her arms, cradling us, if we remember to ground ourselves enough to feel her touch. How beautiful it is to realise that each star in her flowing mane is unique, different from the others. Each shines their own way, and each has its place in the night sky, guiding, dazzling, flaming out in glorious abandon. Perhaps I'll take their lead on this one, and just shine. Words: 'Give' by George Violet Parker 2023 Art: 'Dancing Lights in the Magic Blue Forest' by Izu Omori
Stepping in amongst the trees, ancient trunks, familiar. Breathing in, connecting, observing, the bark, the shape of each leaf, intricate. Dappled light on my face. Held. Words: Held by Julia Phillips Art: Summer Trees by Linzi Sayles
Life is a gift. And I am a gift to Life. I am gifting the flow with layer upon layer of life-giving benevolence To spread ever inwards and ever outwards, in a joyful celebration of life. Life is a gift And I am a gift to Life. I sing out my life-song, my heart-song, Deep-filled with connection and resonance. I give back: Life for Life; Give thanks for the gifts that are freely given; Give thanks for my being here now. Life is a gift And I am a gift to Life. Within the vast web of all that is becoming, I gift myself to life's song of belonging... Words: 'Life is a Gift' (Extract from Between the Worlds) by Glennie Kindred Art: 'Wedding Tree' - Anne Thomas (shining edge)
There is great space around me, an opening into a new dimension of being. We are remembering, re-making ourselves, despite the winds of chaos that blow. We are re-building the Light that we are. Sun breaking through. We are remembering the life that we were born to live, as we set ourselves free. I bend down to touch this flower, small and white and open, which holds a tiny drop of dew, glinting in the morning sunshine. It is all promise. I wipe my eyes with dew. I carry it inside myself, in my heart, in my brow, in my song. I am beating my heartbeat out into the garden, into the world, and the sky is hearing me. Words: The Sky is Hearing Me by Bryony Rogers 2023 Painting: Summer Heart Teasels by Debbie Crooks 2023
Bluebells in woodland photo by Jason Smalley
I an learning how to listen. Not with my cars, but with my heart. I am learning how to experience kinship when it is offered, by reading the signs and intuiting the interchange. I hum to the land, to the trees, plants and waters... and words come through me. I am giving my heart. I am receiving through my heart. It is a different kind of conversation... Words: The Gift of Relationship (Extract from Between the Worlds) by Glennie Kindred 2023 Art: Return of the Swallows by Anne Thomas 2023
Hedgerows blossom, trees flower and the Land is overrun with a fresh coat of green. Life is in full flow as we arrive at Beltane. The Sun warms our days and stirs ever more life from the ground. Time to plant out seeds and seedlings now the scent of sweet elderflower and milky hawthorn is in the air. At Beltane, the Green Man wakes to dance across the Land and Lady Spring dances with him. Together they bring fullness, richness, and fertility to the Land and joy to the hearts of all who witness its beauty. The Maypole and its twisting ribbons symbolise their union; a combination of energies that provokes growth in all living things. - Gather ribbons, threads, or strips of fabric and lay them as the spokes of a wheel, with a space at the centre. Onto each ribbon, place an object or write a word that represents a being you love. This can be people, places, animals, trees; any beings you feel kinship with. Name one ribbon for yourself. Find a sturdy stick and sit with it in the centre of the 'wheel'. Take a moment to centre yourself before speaking the affirmation: "Love brings all things to life." Wrap the ribbons, one at a time, around the stick, allowing them to weave in and out of one another. Allow your love and the love of all things to weave together in beauty and strength. Repeat the affirmation as many times as you wish. Words: Beltane by Keli Tomlin 2024 Art: Beltaine by Avalana Levemark
EARTH DAY 2025 - Poster by Alexis Rockman with people celebrating the blue sky, the trees and butterflies
I am the wilderness. I have a wolf in me. My howl echoes through the valley on a winter's night, calling me home. I am the wilderness. I have a mistle thrush in me. Perched on the highest branch of the pine, I share my sweet song at dawn with the dark forest as the sun begins a new day. I am the wilderness. I have a deer in me. I leap gracefully across the grass-filled meadows, rich with the hum of bees gathering nectar for the gods. I am the wilderness. I have a salmon in me. For thousands of miles, I swim the oceans, then return up the white-froth rivers home to begin a new cycle. I am the wilderness. I am everlasting. Words: Wilderness by Nicola Smalley 2023 Art/Painting: Safe Inside by Shari Hills 2022
Every one of us has a unique potential inside us, a sacred seed that makes us who and what we are if we have the courage to accept it. Something the world needs to become a strong and resilient whole that can heal the fragmented societies we have created. All of nature tells us that diversity is what allows the whole to thrive, as an ecosystem where everything fulfils its part and lives out its purpose. Ecosystems don’t work though, if the bees try to be oak trees or the eagles try to be beetles. They only work when and because everything makes its contribution to the whole by being what it truly is, by allowing its seed to germinate. No matter how much we wander from ourselves, the sacred seed within us is never destroyed. It waits patiently for an internal Spring to let it germinate and grow, so that its creative energy can flood out into the world, visible and embodied. Words: 'Sacred Seeds' by Beth Rees (The Pagan Creative Podcast). Photography: 'Bluebell Woods' by Donna Taylor (Creative Astrology).
Let the small plant growing wild and brave in the dry rock sing to you of great movements of tectonic plates, of the heaving of the earth in birth of continents. Let the small plant growing free tell you a story of fire and flood and rivers of fire. Of the way they created quartz and feldspar and granite, laid down in sparkling layers of rock. Let the small plant tell of her root tendrils, nourished by rich minerals borne of aboriginal starfire. Words: Plant Teacher by Catherine Pawson 2022 Photography: Orchid Dreams by Ali Walters 2023
Sea meets sky, earth greets rock. Stone becomes sand, coconut gorse drifts on the air, wind-bent blackthorn sheds bridal flowers, grey seal peers out from the waves, cormorant spreads her wings to dry, echoes of summers gone and yet to come, of children grown, of castles built and washed away. Alone I climb and gaze below as swirling waters beat on stone, open handed touch the sky and watch the tides of time flow by. Words: 'Llangrannog' by Josie Smith Art: 'Backwash' by Emma Cox
Step by step, beneath the cloaked forest canopy, a haven of sound. Birdsong ensemble, accompanies the rustle of beech trees, wise oaks, ancient ferns. Soft steps on carpets of moss, crunch of fallen leaves, snapping of twigs underfoot. Safe within shifting seasons, offering eternal reassurance. Words: Safe Haven by Leora Leboff 2023 Art: Bluebell Woodland by Kate Bedell 2023
The air is thinner Light, more golden Breathe in — can you feel it? Warmer, brighter Clearer, lighter Buds bulge Chinks of colour Sleepy eyes opening Shoots stir, roots reach Winds churn As Winter and Spring Dance side by side Tangling together Like sheets on a line Sunlight swells and smiles Long nights bid goodbye Ships that pas Fleeting friends As one begins The other ends Words: The Turning by Vici Hoban Read 2023 Art: Grounding Energy by Victoria Parsons
About Earth Pathways The Earth Pathways Cooperative is a small team of people who are committed to positive environmental change and actively creating a better world for the future. We are a not-for-profit organisation and we seed-fund initiatives that help the Earth. Our commitment is to provide a thriving network and support for writers and artists who are expressing their love for the land and sharing their heart-led lifestyle choices to inspire a more caring and environmentally-aware future for all. To this end, as well as our beautiful diaries and calendars, we also have two gorgeous journals. All are available to buy direct from our website earthpathwaysdiary.uk Customers outside the UK can order from us through etsy.com/shop/EarthPathways Earth Pathways has created a thriving community of like-minded and open-hearted people from many walks of life, who care about the Earth and a sustainable future for all. Together, at a grassroots level, we are consciously and creatively, doing what we can to help make the world a better place. We have a large and committed following on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X and through our mailing list. Every six weeks we send out a beautiful Earth-inspired newsletter focusing on the seasonal flow and the eight Earth Festivals, and featuring seasonal nature-awareness, and interviews with our artists and writers. You can sign up for our newsletter from our website. Our additional Showcase website earthpathwaysshowcase.uk is a wonderful resource for astrological insights, the Earth Festivals and the work of the many artists and writers who have 2 featured in Earth Pathways publications for the last 17 years!! Art: Mossy Forest by Linzi Sayles 2023
SPRING EQUINOX
Life returns to the Land as the Sun grows in strength. Leaves and green shoots dress the earth, while daffodils and tulips burst into bright colour along our borders. The air smells warm and sweet with excitement as Birdsong sweeps away the silence of Winter. Creatures of all kinds build nests and burrows to birth their young. On the day of the Spring Equinox the length of daylight and darkness are equal. This is a time of balance and the perfect moment to pause in reflection and anticipation of what lies ahead. Your new dreams will be germinating, and shapes of possible actions may be forming. Eggs are a symbol of the potential that is waiting to be birthed at this time of year. The energy of youthful exuberance, confidence and determination is embodied by the Spring Maiden, rabbits and hares, and the cheerful bleating of lambs - Paint a smooth stone in colours and symbols that reflect your dreams and plans for the growing season. Lay it on the ground (perhaps in a nest) and move a few metres away. Stand quietly, feel the Earth and season around you, recall the markings and intentions on your stone. When you feel ready, speak the affirmation: "I take heart. I take shape. I leap into action." Run, walk, skip, leap, towards your stone as quickly as you can. Pick it up and imagine the energy in your body transferring to the stone and all the plans and dreams it embodies. Words: Spring Equinox by Keli Tomlin 2024 Art: Ostara' by Avalana Levemark
A hare breaks cover and runs the length of the field like Spring freed from the thrall of Winter. Two red kites whistle overhead, two ravens twirl upside down their wing tips lightly touching in a ritual dance of ancient mating. The winds are gusting cold, the blue sky is patchy, my joints feel stiff and my intentions for the year are sketchy. But the snake is out of her hole. The snowdrops, now Cinderella rags are passing on the mantle to the wild daffodils and I am here before breakfast running the field with hare, on that wing. Words: On That Wing by Debra Hall Art: Lunar Hare by Rosalie Kohler
Art: Treasure Tree by Aine Divine 2021 I'm shedding my skin It's time to begin I've been hiding away Discarding old disguises Getting ready to emerge anew The stillness before the busyness The calm before the storm But now my blood is pumping Flesh plumping I'm ready for the balmy sun To warm me Call me into being Release my potent power The time is right This is the hour Words: Skin by Vici Hoban Read 2023
Twenty years ago, I took on an allotment which was incredibly overgrown. I dug deep, filling three sacks with bindweed root alone! One sore back later, I needed a different approach. I strimmed all foliage close to the ground and covered with several sheets of cardboard, topped with a thick layer of manure. The layers acted to block any light, thus killing off the unwanted plants below, leaving a clean slate for my food crops. The first year I sowed the seed of manure-loving plants, courgette and pumpkin did especially well. At the end of the year barely a weed had taken root, so with a thin topping of compost I was ready for year two, potatoes. They dug a little deeper, bringing up nutrients from below the now rotted cardboard layer. By year three, the soil was thick and fertile and I could grow deep-rooted veg such as carrots and parsnips. I never did dig again, instead just parting the soil with my hands to sow and a hand-fork to uproot. With an annual topping of compost or manure and cramming plants into the space, leaving very little bare soil, I barely pick an unwanted plant volunteer (aka weed). I inter-plant multiple species to confuse predators and boom, I have a very productive allotment, perfect for the digging-averse gardener. Words: How to Create a Super Productive, No-dig Veg Plot by Rachel Corby Art: Forest Dryad Dryad by Sue Wookey 2023
Art: Arbor Low by Cath Dunn 2019 We tip into spring. Winter still holds her grip, and the ground is blue with frost in the morning sunshine. The heat is held back from us, but the light is returning. The birds are calling up the „maul snowdrops, crocuses and daffodils as the woodpecker drums the turn of the wheel once again. There is new life, hope, and promise of a glorious year. The sun will once again warm our skin, and the days will soon stretch into the night. Sweet spring, bringer of life, opportunity and vigour. Now, I await the blackthorn blossom. Writing: Spring Promise by Nicola Smalley 2023
Art: Cathedral by Mark Duffin 2023 Its power is that its existence is a complete paradox. The emotional element of water defying all natural tendencies so as to commune with the ethereal element of air. With no defined boundary of where one element begins or merges. Fog is non-distinct, yet its presence undeniable. A moist veil that is so dense it yearns to sink towards the earth. Yet it is so light it remains suspended in nothingness. It's not solid, yet its opacity can feel impenetrable. You can't touch or grasp it, yet its aqueous arms will be embracing you. It blindfolds you, keeping the bigger picture hidden, whilst offering you a magnifying glass into the immediate ambiguity, the mystery and the hidden secrets of stories of long ago ... if you are willing to pick up the gauntlet. And so I accept the invitation from the fog and yield to the unconditional silence. Words: The Potency of Fog by Louise Hargreaves 2023
I must go down to the sea again, Drawn by the wild, uncivilised call of tumbling, crashing waves Sweeping onto the shore, unrestrained by convention or cares, Finding their way, unhindered, untrained, Gentle roar of lacy, white surf over rattling pebbles smoothed by time; Raucous cry of gulls wheeling above in granite, cloud-covered skies; The pull of moon on tide, creating rhythms, Timeless, natural, unbidden, Unshackled from the clock, untamed by rule or control, Washing clean sand and shore of detritus from the day. This is the call which resounds Deep as the ocean, Wide as the blue, Beckoning my soul, Captivating my mind, Seducing my heart, To live as the sea Wild and free. Words: The Call of the Sea by Vanessa Wylie 2023 Photo: Calm Sea at Sunset, Sennen, West Penwith by Sarah Vivian
Alter for imbolc: snowdrops, candles, feather, crystals and a St. Brigid's Cross, a small cross woven from rushes or straw that symbolizes the beginning of spring.
The Land wakes slowly to the returning Sun. Deep within the bowels of the Earth, bulbs are beginning to stir, but it is not yet time to leap into action. First, they sink their roots into the darkness below; for only when they are firmly grounded can they emerge in fullness. Determined snowdrops and courageous crocuses herald the first breath of Spring. At Imbolc we dream of new beginnings, trusting them to emerge when their time is right. A festival of inspiration and incubation, Imbolc has long been associated with the Saint/Goddess Brigid and her triple gifts of word-craft, healing-craft, and smith-craft. She represents the seed of possibility, the power of transformation, and is embodied by a sacred flame. - Gather objects, items, and images that inspire and encourage you. Lay them in a circle, taking the time to look at each one and feel what it stirs inside you. Sit in the circle with a sheet of blank paper and a pen. When you feel ready, speak the affirmation: "I root in love to rise anew." Write or draw your dreams for the year ahead on the paper; dreams for your life, the lives of others and for the Earth itself. Words: Imbolc by Keli Tomlin 2024 Picture: Imbolc by Avalana Levemark
Earth Pathways Tree Journal