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2020 - Goodbye Hello - Donabate

A simple celebration of Goodbye and Hello. Saturday 21st March at 10am - Donabate

The Plan

We will walk to the high tide line, (high tide is 10am), and open circle, acknowledge the time of year, (Ostara, renewal, etc) and say thanks to the darkness and welcome the lengthening light.

To really say goodbye, we can pick up a stone from the beach and throw it into the sea, throwing away that which no longer serves, ie, fear, office politics, feelings of (insert your own words here) ... and we will set sail our hopes, dreams wishes on our little boats with thoughts of positivity (I will bring little paper boats that will go off on the turning tide).

Mother Earth still has the birds singing, the buds blooming; the world is turning, and we welcome the light in more ways than one.

If anyone has something to contribute, that’s welcome.

Now maybe we need to lep around to ground ourselves... and close circle, and head to hotel (if open) for a cuppa. I will have spring bulbs and eggs for all to take away, symbols of renewal, etc. (Choc eggs)

What happened on the day

It was a very cold windy day at Donabate this morning at ten o clock but that didn’t stop people from getting out and about.

No one else joined us, so John and I walked along the cliff path in a northerly direction, looking for a suitable spot, a spot that would be sheltered and also suitable for our ceremony. We looked at a few places on the beach and finally found a lovely little, somewhat sheltered, location where we opened our circle and called in the elements.

We were mindful that Martin was tuning in from the West, and Nora from the East, and with John as North and me as South, it seemed like there was a good flow and connection. I was getting a diamond shape (north, south, east, west) and that felt appropriate.

Martin in Galway 200 plus miles westNora's garden pond in Bakewell, England, 200 plus miles east

There seemed to be plenty of black stones along the shoreline and we made good use of them, throwing them in to the water, with each throw, shouting what we wanted to let go of,

- fear, negativity, corruption, queues on the M50, direct provision centers, bad body image, viruses, etc etc,!

and as John said, the waves were crashing in uncovering the stones, but cleansing them too.

We then wrote words on the boats,

- hope, love, peace, bliss,

and set them off to be carried away with the turning tide.

We said "good bye" to the dark and "hello" to the light.

We read a greeting to the equinox:

Glad bringer of brightness, hail!
Maiden of grace, lad of laughter,
Gifts of vigour are returning,
Spring’s surprise, rainbow’s embrace,

Quickened be the heart within us,
Opened be our souls to grace,
May the blessing be abiding,
Welcome sit on every face.

(From Celtic Devotional by Caitlin Matthews)

I read an poem which had been on my mind for a while:

Hope - Emily Dickinson

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
and never stops at all
And sweetest in the gale is heard
and sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
that kept so many warm
I’ve heard it on the chillest land
And on the strangest sea
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

We had a silent few moments to reflect and tune in to all, then closed the circle and said our farewells.

We had in our circle some chocolate eggs, which we were able to let some children have as we were going back to the car while they were out walking (seemingly reluctantly) and that brought a little smile to their faces and hopefully cheered them up on the cold windy day.

It was mighty cold out there, the pics will show the greyness but the boats were a lovely splash of colour.

Equinox's promise of a new beginning

This coming weekend is quite busy, astrologically speaking. If you don't already know, the Spring Equinox is this Friday at 3.58am (GMT).

This is the astrological New Year, when the slate is wiped clean and new starts are possible.

This year it's followed by a Mars-Jupiter conjuntion at 11.35 (GMT). Mars and Jupiter meet up only every two years or so, so this is quite significant.

The conjunction is in Capricorn - any project started now will eventually bring rewards - the Equinox's promise of a new beginning is emphasised.

Susan.

Pythagorean Numerology

Extra comments by NJ.

Martin starts his piece, "ten to ten" = 10 2 10... echoes of numerology from the directions above. See also his and Anne's experiences during the Global Spiritual Wheel below.

Covid-19 virus

This event had to take into account social restrictions caused by the pandemic that swept around the globe in 2020. "Appropriate social distancing, hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette measures will be maintained in this situation."

As the Host says - I may be the only one there but that's fine, I want to acknowledge it.

Global Spiritual Wheel

comments from Galway - Bakewell, Derbyshire - Dublin - Donabate - Navan - Portmarnock

Martin's opening is reminiscent of the White Rabbit's `Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!' from Alice in Wonderland.. just before he goes down the rabbit hole and into a tunnel.

Anne in Dublin did actually go down a tunnel and along some Quays - Keys?

Deepak Chopra has a wonderful series of Youtubes named The Rabbit Hole... here is an example. This came to my attention on the 21st March, so sharing here. NJ.

Martin in Galway

Ten to ten, ten to ten ...... I had nothing ready...... I threw on a coat and wellies, grabbed an umbrella and going out the door I spotted an egg and leaving the gate I dead headed a daffodil and took a sprig of Rosemary.

I headed west through the fields while I realised Susan on Donabate beach would be walking easterly. Nora would be further east and others would be tuning in too. Susan at the centre.

Over the hedge and through rough boulders to a smooth flat part of the beach a liminal place being exposed to both air and water. Each step a mindful meditation in balance!

I reached into my pocket to pull out the rosemary sprig and flicked it through the space I would be using and my own energy field. I placed the egg in an east-west direction in a shallow puddle which had been formed from a mix of salty sea water and fresh rain water. As it's equinox and Easter is close the egg represented this time of year, the germ of life, the human in the auric field, Éostre and the fecundity of spring.

I reached in my pocket again and pulled out the battered and spent daffodil head. I thought to put this to the west of the egg to represent that which is waste.

I rummaged in my pocket to see if I had any crystals and was truly surprised to pull out a quarter dollar ........ how ..... where ..... when.... no idea how it was there, but it obviously was so unusual that it only seemed right to be included. I flipped it to see which side up it would land .... eagle up...... maybe this could represent wealth, plenty, freedom. As opposed to the wasted daffodil head. If it were a dream symbol it would also represent small change.

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.

East, east, east. The energy of everything that is born and created. The flash of light in the darkness. Hope. Beginnings. Sunrise. Choose me. A smooth grey pebble am I representing the firmament of the heavens and the sunrise represented by this single circular groove. Place me to the east of the egg.

South, south, south. I am the energy of growth and development. I am the noon day sun, the warmth of laughter and fun. I am expansion. You will see me in this small red shell to represent the energy of growth and sustenance. See how I managed to rearrange these particles from my world to raise my home. Place me to the south of the egg.

West, west, west. I am the gateway to memory. I am water. I am the wisdom that comes with engaging with life. I am the wisdom of the ancestors and the record keeper. The fossil remains on my wrinkled skin show you this. Read well. Place me to the west 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.

Susan had mentioned throwing stones, so I went looking for some likely looking pebbles to represent blocks in life. The rocks around me were fissured and contained small stones wedged between the crevices. Try as I might the stones were well and truly stuck in there..... I wondered does this represent my own inner blocks not wanting to budge. So with this in mind I increased effort and knocked two loose.

I knew now that I wanted to clear away the clutter and non functional aspects of my life, to create space and to allow room for the new.

Instinctively I ran the first stone down my chakras head to toe like an unzipping, like a strong hoover visualising all the negativity being sucked up and concentrated in the stone. Then I threw it away to the west as far as I could throw. It felt good, like a release. I repeated the process with the next stone, hovering up any lighter psychic debris and again threw it away and then a third time using just the breath to collect and blow all the rubbish in my life to the west where it could rot and be usefully recycled.

Turning to the east I invited in fresh space and energy, even though I had no clear concept of what this was. I entrusted this to my guides and angels to work with the un-manifest for my highest good.

I spent some time in silent contemplation, wondering at the state of our world. The thought popped in “Use what your hearts were built for.” So then I circulated mirrored gold light to everyone in my heart and to mother earth. When I saw her smiling back at me I knew my prayer was done and closed the circle to the apparent world leaving the sea to reclaim the coin, egg, daffodil, rocks and shell.

I thanked the directions and the place I was in. It was at this point I realised I had forgotten at the beginning to ask permission of the spirit of place to do something that would likely have an energetic imprint in their world. Basic energy manners, knock before you come in.

“I’m so sorry, I totally forgot. I recant everything I say or did that may have caused offence”.

But in the next breath I got the feeling of being embraced. I got the feeling that it was accepted and even welcomed by the genus loci.

So after an hour in the pouring rain I headed home to get something to eat, drink and ground myself. I also wanted to bring some of the inner sunshine back to my own egg, to integrate or infuse my equinox beach ceremony with my normal life. The tune of “Africa” by Toto was in my head.

I had recently put up a video of an Irish version on Tara Celebrations on the resources section. So the lyrics do seem appropriate if you care to read them and be aware that a central pillar of the song is about healing.

Good bye winter.

Thank you for your lessons.

I let go of all the winters in my life.

I have created space and allow springs promise to fill it with new and exciting opportunities.

I enter into the heart of it all, the centre of everything, I stand perfectly poised and balanced integrating the everything of the all and radiate this delicious divine love to one and all.

Peace.

Nora in Bakewell, Derbyshire

I could not find my camera. Oh well. Not to be. The photo of the pond above was taken 21st March 2019. I suppose that came in to acknowledge the annual cycle.

The thermometer claimed it was 9 degrees. A bright blue sky, sunny, day. Yet the wind blustered, shaking the bushes, creating a wind chill factor.

Walking down to the little square pond, which is in the northern side of the garden (echoes of Susan and John walking north) it was freezing. Daffodils near the bench stood tall and proud, adding bright yellows, creams, pinks and whites, colour to the starkness of the weather. Reading Susan's description it seems my daffodils reflected her boat colours. I was aware of the others tuning in.

Watching the trees reflected in the water it felt as if we were to look above and below as well as note the four cardinal directions. Everything is there, in that place, as it is everywhere.

It was as if this water held the memory of everything. It sits in the garden throughout the year, soaking up the starlight, increasing with the rain, reducing in high summer drought, shaded by St John's Wort and the copper beech, providing water for the blackbirds and other feathered ones to drink. I felt at the centre of the world. At an omphalus.

It was quickly time to come in and warm up. The 'releasing' stones were in a wooden bowl, sat on some very old pot pouri with three petals from a garland blessed by Amma. I had it in Ireland, when living there, and, down the years, carefully carried it around with me. Time to release.

The stones are dark browns and blacks with lines through them. Each one has it's own character. I thought how different we all are, and yet how similar our experiences. I wondered if each stone was indicative of something I should release, but just got that they needed a good general wash. No specifics. However, not to throw the baby out with the bath water, so to speak. I tipped the old pot pouri on the garden, washed the bowl and stones in salt and water in the sink, inwardly focussing on my intentions, then left everything to dry. The photo is of the wooden bowl all cleansed and the stones pristine. Refreshed, it stands in the eastern window in the kitchen, next to the plants I brought with me from Tara.

“I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.” Isaac Newton

Anne in Dublin

Re Equinox.

I was heading into town when I remembered to tune in. At the time I was heading down the deserted Port tunnel. North to South. Then West along the people free North Quays and East along the South Quays. Then down Westland Row and past government buildings.

Town was mainly deserted and peaceful around Stevens Green, Kikdare Street, past the museums and the government buildings and National Library. First people we met were workers at road works.

Then down Dawson Street to Optica to collect glasses I’d ordered in February. Blue green glasses, the colour of the sea. And the view through them so clear. Given presents of glass cleaner and wipes.

Hardest thing was we are all huggers and couldn’t hug. A weird feeling of closeness without being able to physically hold.

Although town was deserted and empty, it felt as if something was going on. Almost in a parallel reality and timeframe.

Re the beach. Words and phases that came to mind:

Balance. 2male 2female. 2 there. 2 from a distance. 3 realms. Cleansing sea wave. Grounding earth. The rocks of time, primeval fossil rock from old beginnings and ending. Ebb and flow. The still point. Mini arks. The sands of time. Blessings. Release. Harmony. Begin again. Respect

Anne at Donabate 11th March 2020 - 10 days before the event.

Anne N shared these photos of Donabate at High Tide on 11th March 2020. They were posted with the Plan and aided focussing and feeling the place we were linking in to.

In a later comment Anne shared:

By the way. The day I took the picture. I did a lot of release to the sea of emotions. And physical cleansing of my body with black stones which I then threw into the sea. And released my fears to be transmuted. Interesting that Susan picked there and did something similar.

Bernadette and Pat share their beautiful Equinox sky photos.

Pat at Portmarnock Beach 22nd March 2020 at 8am

Bernadette Mac in Navan connecting to the Spring Equinox New Moon

24th March 2020 - New Moon at 09.28

I took this photo sometime last year. It drew me to it.

As you can see the moon is in the centre of the dream catcher - a web - just like where we all are at this moment in time, not stuck but being present in our centre connection with each other via the web.

Read more here - Full and New Moon Celebrations