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2023 - Journey of the Five Directions - Tara

Photos are courtesy of Anne, Daniela, Jackie, Martin, Pat, Susan C.

Join us on a mystical journey over the hill of Tara covering the archaeology, energy and legend of the hill under the themes of the five sacred directions.

The start point will be at the holy well south of Maguire's shop.

The celebration is to mark the spring equinox and will involve...

Participants are advised to dress for the mud and weather.

This event is not suitable for children.

Celebrating the east with air, south with fire, west with water, north with earth and the centre with ether.

Reflections

In the name of the earth, the air, the fire, the water and the ether.

Planning a ceremony is always a fun thing to do and inevitably leads one on a journey of reflection, self-discovery and some unexpected surprises.

Did it turn out the way I had planned? No!

There were even bits cut out and forgotten in notes but as we finished, I felt that the outcome was better than I had hoped for.

A few of us met in Maguires before the ceremony and the warm food did not disappoint. In many ways it prepared us for the inclement weather outside. Weather is always a little strange and unsettled around the equinoxes. The day had started out with blue skies and glorious sunshine but by the time the meal was over there was persistent light rain……..

We headed to the holy well to start

with the west. Element water. And the water was there in abundance

to meet us at the gate! The well had over flown and the water had

formed a stream flowing down the path and flowing over the steps.

After “reflecting” on the qualities of water, our water bearer offered a shell full of water to the rest of the participants to bless what was important to them in the moment and the remainder was returned to the stream.

What struck me was obviously the amount of water which none of us had seen before in this spot. Water was the element that predominated the whole day and at one point all the scripts for calling in the directions (north, south, east, west, centre) fell into the stream which was going to be an integral part of the ceremony in any event.

The acknowledging of the earth, air, fire, water and ether is the norm at the beginning of a ceremony but, it is unusual for us to acknowledge only one and move on. I suppose getting water on everything at the beginning was Tara showing us an integrated way….. a path of non-dualistic thinking.

Having finished our first direction part of me wanted to remain here as I knew we were in the lee of the rain and the hill was providing us with shelter. I knew that going up on the hill we would be more exposed to the wind and rain. But I suppose, like water, we had to go with the flow and the essence of the day was to explore all the directions.

We tracked on to Rath Gráinne briefly recounting the legend of Diarmuid and Gráinne.

And on to the sloping trenches to experience the direction of North and its element, Earth.

The lore associated here was the slaughter of the women of Tara which tied in with the heaviness associated with the element of earth. This story could be seen as a suppression of the feminine, the yang energy, in humanity. We all know that Earth can be a tough place for us, as Buddha said, life can be painful (but obviously not pain only). So, in the spirit of equinox balance we did a very simple, but profound act to speak loudly to our subconscious.

We represented our pain with some old dead wood from the hedge and placed it at a particular energy point on the ground. Then we just walked along the ley line which has a neat chakra alignment and simply stepped over our troubles, to stand at a small low barrow with unrivalled panoramic views of the country. We stood in contemplation for a short while, taking in the expanded view of the world and then our direction holder smashed the sticks and threw them to the four directions. (Music here was Kothbiro by Ayub Ogada).

There was a profound shift in energy at this point and maybe it was the ritual, maybe it was Tara maybe it was the planets but there was something almost palpable emerging.

...

Our next port of call was to celebrate the East in the Banqueting Hall. The east is associated with the rising of sun, moon and stars, inspiration and initiation and from here on in we would be walking the sacred inaugural route of the high kings.

We travelled up the banqueting hall, which is a linear, liminal space, half below the ground, half above with no view of the outside environment (unless permitted by the “windows” giving us controlled vignettes onto the important ancestral monuments such as Rath Gráinne and Skryne. Its alignment also bringing in the astronomy of the zenith and nadir of the sun, moon and stars. At the end of the banqueting hall, you are reborn onto the hilltop proper with expanded views and an alignment of ancient monuments stretched before the initiate.

The next monument was the invisible neolithic henge and Rath of the Synods at its centre. Crossing Rath na rí the archaeology showed us a change in belief system in the Iron age, where the deep ditch was on the inside the embankment, revealing to us that the elite were now protecting the common people from the power that resided inside the rath. The high bank with a palisade on top would have blocked the view of what happened inside and that the goddess was now speaking through an exclusive priesthood. Compare this to the earlier Neolithic enclosure where the view of the centre was likely uninterrupted.

We stopped then at the Mound of the Hostages where we saw how the coming together of the sky father and earth mother was a type of hieros gamos performed when the rising sun projected the shadow of the Lia Fáil into the chamber of the mound of the hostages during Samhain and was associated with the feish of Tara.

With the weather closing in we made a hasty visit to the Foradh and surveyed the powerful and energetic Lia Fáil which was recently vandalised with blue spray paint with the word "fake" carelessly daubed top to bottom. It was all but gone thankfully. One can only imagine that the attack was due in part to the coronation of King Charles in England as the stone of Scone, the Scottish coronation stone, is often confused with the Irish Lia Fail. (For the record the stone of Scone has been confirmed as being quarried only a few miles from Scone and the Lia Fáil is Irish.)

At this point we retreated to the shelter of the yew trees in the church yard. Here, to the music of Max Richter, (Path 5 Delta) we had our healing circle. However, we didn’t get to ritualise and acknowledge the direction of south, element fire.

I silently agonised over this, but in any event, I think our candle bearer did a wonderful job being radiant at every stop and holding the lantern throughout and although there was no outward verbal expression of south/fire it was certainly embodied by the brazen energy of the group in the prevailing rain. Strangely, on reflection, I found myself coming to a creative desert when considering how to honour this direction and it's qualities during the planning stage……. so it was there but, in a sense, invisible…. merging more with the direction of centre and the energy of the group.

When we regrouped for the healing circle in the shelter of the trees, as per normal round one was for ourselves, round two was for friends and family, and round three was for the more global concerns which included wars, trees, mothers, and mother earth.

This was augmented with the homeopathic remedy, Aconite. Aconite was placed on the earth in the centre of the circle for global healing. Aconite being used for shock and trauma and should be in every first aid box in the country!

Personally, I believe treating Gia with homeopathic remedies, gem and flower essences is a very loving, healing and balancing thing to do. If we are taking such remedies then as I have said before:

“if you’re working with a vibrational remedy on yourself then as a representative of the planet, you can bet your bottom dollar that the planet needs the same energy …. the notion of the microcosm (you) reflecting the macrocosm (earth) …. place it in your home, garden or even flush it into the toilet and into the water course to which we are all interconnected”.

The energy at this point was a mix of jubilancy, completeness, relief, joy and exhilaration held by the combined energy of some beautiful (w)holy souls doing great energy work, in a safe space. The co-celebrators / co-creators each voiced or energetically expressed some beautiful, nameless, authentic essence that if I could bottle I'd be a billionaire a billion times over.

In tears of gratitude, humility, and love. Thank you one, thank you all.

An unexpected surprise at the Gate.

They trusted folk to put money in an honesty box.

20th March 2023 - Daniela in Iceland

In a conversation about the nature of time Daniela shared this insight:

New Moon 21st March

As I was unable to attend the ceremony on Tara I was guided to pull a card from sacred path cards and the card that came up was:

Standing people

The standing people card speaks to us of root and giving. We must nurture ourself through connection to the earth in order to give freely without exhaustion. The root of the self where the strength is gathered. This root should be firmly earthed in the soil of mother planet. Without this connection, dreams cannot manifest and our giving cannot be compensated by the earth mother.

If you are spaced out, stop and reconnect. Be still and become the trees in order to observe what's growing in your forest. Look at your family tree for the strength offered by your ancestors. Lift your branches high, seeking the light of grandfather's sun and you will see how your roots make you of the Earth and yet a Bridge to the Sky world, like a rainbow.

Dear universe, may the energy of the new moon manifest the abundance and miracles I've been asking for for my Higher good. Aho!

Many blessings, Bernadette mac. New moon blessings to you all today.

Click here for New Moon Celebrations - scroll down to March for the full text of this from Bernadette

Susan shared this wonderful insight and quote

Save the Planet by Pat F.

Read his full article here - Save the Planet

“We can change the world and make it a better place. It is in our hands to make a difference” - Nelson Mandela

At our most recent Celebration – Spring Equinox – on the Hill of Tara, I felt called to ask Mother Earth for forgiveness on behalf of humanity for the wrongs we have done and are continuing to do to her. I thought about this later and wondered was I DOING anything to back up my words? Could I in any way “walk the walk” rather than simply “talk the talk”? Furthermore, could I as a solitary individual hope to have any impact on what is happening to our wonderful planet?

I had a think about it and the answer to those three questions are Yes, Yes and an emphatic YES! Let me elaborate…

In many areas of my life recently I’ve been inclined to DO things and not just talk about it. The reasons for this can be analysed later, but I suspect it’s something to do with the Covid Pandemic, my age and the prevailing Energies at work. Whatever the reasons, I’ve taken to seeking out ways of helping our planet and have found that there are many ways this can be done – ways that I would like to share with others.

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. Thanks to Jackie for sharing.

Venue: Hill of Tara, Co. Meath, Ireland

Shops and toilet block. Maguire's cafe and shop.

Read more on the monuments and a general map here

Parking and general info updated 2024

Tara - Temair in Gaeilge - is a unique heritage site maintained by the State OPW department. OPW Heritage Ireland website

Open to the public 24/7, with a visitor centre in the decommissioned church open in the summer. There is a cafe with gift shop (Maguires), a small book shop and art gallery, and toilets. Parking is free in part but please use the €2 area opposite the shop as it can get very congested on the roadside.

Busy and noisy with tourists, there are places where one can be alone, in the western woodlands, and furthest ends of the grassland ridge. Magnificent distant views over the central plain of Ireland, with Loughcrew in the northwest, Dublin in the east and the white stone fronted Newgrange often sunlit and visible in the north east.

Many are drawn to experience the changing energies at sunrise and sunset, the sky wide and expansive above your head. At night the moon hangs low over the Mound of the Hostages, the Milky Way aligns with the Banqueting Hall and The Plough circles overhead.

Navan Historical Society page on Tara - included is an excellent explanation of the word Bóthar - a type of road. Go to the link to discover the King's question after the response:

The King asked his lawyers one day on Tara why the Bóthar was measured as the length of one cow and the breadth of a second cow, and the lawyers answered; " A cow using a bóthar must have enough room to turn around and look at her calf trotting at her heels "

Link here to Samhain at Tara and Tara at Christmas

Faery Tree - read Bernadette Mac's blog for up-to-date info on the state of the Faery Tree - Hill of Tara

Arriving on the bus or driving up from the Gabhra valley The Hill appears as a ridge, just another roll in the landscape, apparently insignificant in the rise and fall of the surrounding countryside.

Yet, if you hear a call, a desire, a gut feeling, you will follow in the footsteps of our ancestors, climb the gentle hill and discover what you came for. Whatever we hold within ourselves Tara will enlarge, enhance, embolden and clarify. Tara has a child-like quality, no agenda, and will weaken or strengthen you. It will greet you with open arms or push you away for no apparent reason. But it is probable that you will leave knowing that you have had 'an experience', accepted or rejected.

The energies are often seen as yellow and maybe it is no coincidence that part of the area is known as Castleboy (boy = bui = yellow). Yellow, the colour of the 3rd chakra, the solar plexus, your 'will-power'.

A prayer for Tara

Gurbh míle maith agat Tara agus céad mile Buíochas duit.

May the rain fall softly on your fields and the sun shine warmly on your stones. May you always have a friend at your back. May you have wise and articulate council to carry your voice. May you have a community that love, support and value you. May you go forward with a sense of hope and enthusiasm. May your essence live here as long as you wish. May the aurora light your starry filled night skies. May you always be alluringly beautiful. May all peoples find succour from your rounded breasts. May you continue to nourish the world and may the world be nourished by you.

Tara go deo.