North

Fáilte North, element Earth: I re-member the energies associated with the north.

Everything that is born, matures and ripens must die and be reborn. I am the direction of coolness, darkness and rest. Home of the brilliant starry skies and the spectral aurora. Energy of foundation and stability, meditation, sleep and peace. I am the soothing dark night of the daily cycle and the winter of every year.

North is associated with Archangel Uriel the just.

In Irish mythology Brigit took the land in Kildare from the high King by placing her cloak on the ground and prayed as it grew and covered enough land to build her monastery on.

Silent supporting earth, our sacred land, home of the Ancestors, place of the subconscious, introspection and deep Peace.

In this direction lies Loughanlae where we celebrated lughnasadh and Sliabh Gullion, the rocky remains of an ancient volcano, home of the Cailleach .

I bring this energy here and now.

⧫ I place this stone to remind us of the energy of strength and stability in ourselves.

Finding a symbol

So Speaking out loud to myself I remembered why I was here and took a moment to centre myself and link in to everyone who was tuning in across space and time for equinox.

As the thought arrived “ mark north “ I went looking amongst pebbles to see who might be calling to me. It was an instant thing, I didn’t analyse, I just flowed in the moment.

North, north, north. A speckled pebble nodded from under a large rock.

I am the midnight sky of speckled stars.

I am North. I am that which is hidden until bidden.

Place me in the pool to the north of the egg.

Then I stood over the middle and brought all the elements into a unified hub, blended energies of the north, south, east west, the up and the down, heaven and earth. It occurred to me this was a heart and a heart has 4 chambers, a central core and an up and a down. 2020 - Goodbye Hello - Donabate

Northern Lights - Auroras - love Equinoxes

At this time of year, cracks form in Earth's magnetic field. Even a weak stream of solar wind can penetrate to spark a good display. Researchers call it the Russell-McPherron effect. This photo was end of February 2023 flying home to Ireland.

Revelation and wisdom

Carl Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. He had an interest in alchemy and says that the “heart” of Mercurius, aka Hermes, god of revelation, is at the North Pole and that he is like a fire (northern lights). Mercurius appears in Carl Jung's writings as “a world creating spirit”, integrating light and dark, good and bad, the beginning and the end of the alchemist's quest.

In 'Alchemical Studies' Jung suggests that Mercurius comes disguised as the lumen naturae (light of nature). The source of mystical knowledge second only to the holy revelation of the Bible. This light appears only to those who are mindful and vigilantly strive towards it, while for many the same light “turns into a perilous ignis fatuus [foolish fire, an illusion], and this guide of souls into a diabolical seducer.” He is, after all, the son of Maya, a great goddess of Illusion. Read more about Jung and alchemy here.

Connecting

Stand outdoors facing North inhale the darkness. Sink into your own depth. In the stillness, ancient wisdom emerges. Just like the sun is still at this time it too will rise again like a rebirth. And as we are all connected you too shall rise in love and light and much healing. 2022 - Answering the Call - Connect

Church Service and Design

With the English Reformation, the Church of England directed that the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist be celebrated at a communion table placed lengthwise in the chancel or in the body of the church, with the priest standing on the north side of the holy table, facing south.

Up to the present day north is viewed as a place of cold and darkness. Additionally, in the first few centuries of the Church the barbarian armies lived to the north of Christian cities and were viewed as hostile people. The prophet Jeremiah even mentions how, “Out of the north evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land” (Jeremiah 1:14). For these reasons the Gospel during Mass was said facing north in hopesof co nverting the barbarians to Christ. Geographic symbolism affects every aspect of Christian culture.

Many medieval churches have a north door into the nave. This is often called ‘the Devil’s door’. Legend says it must be left open during a baptism so that the Devil, when he left the crying child, could escape from the church. There's no real foundation for this attribution but it makes a good story. The Northern Door would often be the main entrance into the church, eg. Durham Cathedral.

However, the idea of the north being unpleasant and possibly harmful does hold sway. The northern side of the graveyard was generally avoided for burials, usually being reserved for suicides, unbaptized or stillborn babies, etc.

The Lady Chapel and anchoresses’ cells were usually placed on the north side of the eastern arm of the cruciform church. It was the woman's area and to this day the ‘bride’s side’ of a church is the north, with the groom’s family using the south side.

‘An image of Our Lady with reddis Riffey, set in a Tabernacle well gilt, upon Wood, with twelve great Images, and four and thirty small Images of the same work, about the Chappel.' From an excellent guide to Peterborough Cathedral