WATCHING FOR THE AVENGING HOARDES CRESTING THE FELL

Castlerigg Stone Circle

Following on from my last post, I found it so interesting to find out what experiences other people had had in liminality. Most commenters had experienced a little something Julie of Celtic Woman has even blogged about an experience she had which is really interesting. She headed her post with a photograph, which unknown to her, meant a lot to me, Castlerigg Stone Circle above Keswick in Cumbria. I promised to do part of my next posting about my small experience within this circle. So here it is.

One of the Standing Stones

I am going back about thirty five years or so, imagine, a cold windswept very early Spring day, spots of rain occasionally falling from the lowering steel grey skies, dark clouds that float over the peaks of some of the higher fells [Fells in Cumbria are small mountains] and if anyone knows the Lake District you know just how oppresive and low the sky can feel there before a long downpour, and when it rains in the Lake District, it rains heavier than I have ever seen anywhere. I was in Keswick, which is about sixty odd miles from me, with some friends for the day. I desperately wanted to go to the Stone Circle, despite the weather, you could drive up in a car, park and cross the field to the Stone Circle. The party divided into two parts, myself and one other person decided to go up to Castlerigg. When we arrived it was a truly desolate site, the stones looming against the pewter sky, not another living person to be seen, just the eerie baaing of the sheep on the fells and the occasional shriek of a curlew. We walked around the stone circle, I remember, touching the stones as we passed them by. We realised we had forgotten to bring a camera, so the other person decided he would go back and check the car to see it there was one in there.

Castlerigg Stone Circle [note the colour of the sky]

I watched him go and then turned back to view from the stone circle the surrounding fells, I remember I was thinking about the people that had built the circle and wondering about their lives. I began to realise that everywhere had gone deathly still, no animal sounds or bird calls, the wind didn't even seem to be blowing. I was rooted to the spot intently staring at the top of one of the fells. The air felt thick almost as if I put my hand out to touch it, my hand would bounce against some spongy substance. Then just for a flicker of a moment, I had a feeling that I was watching out of someone else's eyes and I knew I was waiting for something, whether it was the avenging hoardes of a neighbouring tribe, or just some messenger, and I knew they would come over the crest of the opposite fell. I also remember thinking that it felt as though I had different clothes on and was carrying something, I, honestly, don't know why I never looked down to see, I presume my eyes were fixed on this point I was watching. Suddenly my concentration faltered, I saw another party in kagouls approaching and everything returned to normal. I have never ever forgotten that day and how it felt in the stone circle. I really felt of another time, I have described the incident to the best of my abilitiy, but it was mostly a tactile and mind experience. I put it down to one of the mysterious things that life throws at you.



I have been tagged by Lila of Indigo Pear to list seven random things about myself. Hmmm, this might be quite difficult I think you know just about everything about me from previous memes. Some of these memes are so far back in the depths of time that I can't remember what I have revealed or haven't revealed yet. Well here goes, apologies to anyone who feels cheated and thinks she's said that before!


1. I am left-handed and I love being left-handed, even though it is a right-handed world. People would always comment on it as a child as though it was some great disability. Luckily, my mother was not stupid and did not force me to use my right-hand instead. My greatest difficulty was learning to sew, but I have managed. I would love to embroider properly but the illustrated instruction books don't make sense to me. I have a special pair of left-handed scissors for craft work, and am desperately looking for replacements as they nearing the end of their live. If I use my fountain pen that has a left-handed nib as well. People in my area call it being cack handed, which used to offend me, they probably made a secret evil eye against me too. Put round a table with people, and I will immediately check for left-handed people. There are more of us out there than you would think. Beware we are aiming to take the world over!

Jackie Morris


2. My two worst fears, heights is the first and been totally immersed underwater is the second, my head and neck must be above water. Even a railway bridge between platforms in small stations in the open air makes me shaky. The knock on effect from my fear of heights, is my fear of flying, you know up there in the sky in a plane, no safety net. Which leads me on to my other fear, the water immersion one. Worst possible scenerio, being in a plane in freefall and crashing down into the ocean and being totally immersed in water. Crazy though this may sound, ferries and boats don't bother me, even though they can crash and they travel through water. Perhaps, I was the village witch in a previous life and was thrown into the village duckpond.

J. M .Whistler

3. I am terribly impatient, I can't stand traffic jams, queues, or explaining things to people, if they don't get what I mean right away. I an't stand waiting for buses, trains or even taxis to arrive. I am aware of this failing of mine. It's so stupid, if I have visitors coming, as the time gets nearer I am constantly clock watching and wondering when they will be arrive. This runs over into a pet hate of mine, I cannot abide people who say, leave it with me and I'll get back to you tomorrow about it, then never ring. Arggghhhh! Do that and I'll be back on the phone giving you a headache. Bet you didn't think I would be impatient?


4. I am an only child, not spoilt, please don't mention that old adage, it really annoys me. If I was spoilt I would have had the bike I always wanted and many other things. No, being an only child made me very self sufficient. I had lots of friends to play with, but if none were available I could occupy myself happily. I still can. The only bad thing about being an only child I can think of was, I had no idea at all about sibling interaction. I was determined to have more that one child, and had two, and what a learning curve that was, watching them interact. They were both treated exactly the same, they would take this to a ridiculous extreme. I remember them cutting a Mars Bar, someone had given them to share, in half both standing watching the kitchen scales as they weighed both halves. Yes, they grumble about each at times, but they do share a flat together in London, at the moment, and have done for three years.


5. I am a good listener, I will listen to any friends troubles and sympathise, I will offer advice if asked, but I expect people to act, it not upon my advice, to move forward somehow or from someone's advice. I can't stand people wallowing in self pity or their trouble, although as I said I am sympathetic, I have this desire always to help people move on make their troubles right again. The flip side to this, is that if I feel troubled, I am more likely to try to work it out myself than to talk to people about it [maybe this is another side to my only child status].


6.As a child I would sing or dance for anyone, I played the piano in music festivals and acted in drama festivals without qualm. If there was a show or a play, I would be in it. I was chatty and outgoing. This all changed when I was eleven. I can remember the day, I was acting in a duologue, I came on stage and announced who I was and my partner did the same, except she said like me she was the Country Mouse, whereas in reality she was the Town Mouse. It was, at that time the worst ten minutes of my life, she dried completely, she just couldn't get one line right, I couldn't really help her if she couldn't remember all her lines, my replies didnot make sense as she hadn't said the lines before. For the first time in my life I was aware of how cruel an audience can be, they found it amusing. I never acted in plays again, terrified that that would happen to me one day. I also began to become more introverted, I was always with friends, but large groups would have me slightly tonguetied. I was a lot quieter until I went to college, then I firmly took myself in hand, by thinking unless I was more outgoing I would have no real fun. I blossomed, and boy did I have fun!

Elizabeth Blackadder


7. I cry a lot, at the end of books, at the end of films, if I see animals being hurt, I can cry for any reason, if I am happy, if I read something sad, if I am sent a present. My eyes just fill up, I have tried for years and have never ever managed to conqueor this. Anything that touches me for any reason, good or bad, has the capacity to make me shed a few tears. Not loud sobs, just a few tears fill my eyes up and trickle down my face a little.

Well, that seemed like a marathon task, but there are seven random unusual things about me. I am not tagging any one else, as I never do, but anyone out there feels like doing this, by all means do it.

John Piper

Just to let you know my son is fine and is now back in England. He is an experienced traveller and has been to every country in Europe, some many times and also to most countries in what was Eastern Europe. He loves Barcelona and Madrid, but says he will never ever go to that part of Southern Spain again. He loves travelling but said he felt safer in Tel Aviv than he did in that small part of Southern Spain. He has put it down to a life experience.

I also have heard that our blogging friend Claire, is improving, another blogger has spoken to her and she managed to laugh and giggle a little bit, but please still keep her in your thoughts.

TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS THAT MAKE YOU REALISE YOU MUST KEEP CELEBRATING EVERY SMALL JOY

What a week it has been so far, and it is only Thursday! There was I on Monday celebrating my one year blog anniversary, by Tuesday I had had the Spanish Police on the phone to let me know my son was fine after an incident. He and his three friends were returning to their hotel when one of friends, decided to go into the bar opposite the hotel and get a couple of bottles of wine for them to drink whilst sitting on the balcony. He was set upon by two young Spaniards, one of whom tried to steal his wallet, he ran out of the bar after the guy and my son and friends on the balcony ran down to help him catch the guy. Unfortunately, the two guys suddenly turned into a crowd and there was rather a rough few minutes. Luckily it was all sorted out, but it was quite a shock at the time.

Mucha

Tuesday, I sat down at the computer after breakfast and found out the terrible news about one of our Glitter Sisters, Claire, who, in her prime, has had a stroke. Emails and phone calls followed this news. I felt so shocked only a few weeks ago Mrs. Nesbitt, Sue, Kai, Kai's sister, Lorna, Claire and I had met up in Thirsk where we had such a lovely time getting to know each other in the real world. This lovely vibrant woman is now recovering in hospital, she has recovered her feeling in her right arm and legs, can understand and read but is having speech problems at the moment, though she should slowly get this back, though it will be long haul. We English Glitter Sisters do have some lovely ideas in the pipeline for her though. Please keep her in your thoughts and wish her a speedy recovery.



My friend Robyn has an interesting posting on her blog today, about how she felt as if for a moment time stood still, and the earth was gathering up its energies to breathe again. This made me think about liminal times and places, and I thought you might like to know about these. Liminal comes from the Latin word limen meaning a threshold. Places and times that are lininal are of great importance, a sort of 'betwixt and between' space between two realities. These are supposed to be places and times when you go pass through a portal into another reality or fae creatures and spirits are at their strongest and easier to see and interact with if you dare. Everyone's personal liminal time is one that happens at least twice a night,. that is the time you fall asleep and the time you wake up. As you go to sleep you can sometimes think that you have seen strange faces or shadows and when you wake up it takes you time to remember if what is in your mind was real or what you were dreaming. I think it is one liminal time we can all relate to.

If you think about liminal time, you can go from a year to a day with liminal points. In the year the liminal points are the equinoxes, the solstices, times when one season moved into another. In the day dawn and dusk, when the day is 'betwixt and between' dark and light, and also midday when it the time of no shadows and some add midnight into liminal time, the end of one day and the beginning of the next. Often I find at dawn or dusk, you get that moment of stillness, a silence unbroken by birds or beast, a time where not even a breeze stirs the leaves in the trees, when you can almost reach out and touch the heaviness of the air and silence. That is a time to stay still and peer into dark or shadowy spaces, or movments around the outer edges of your vision.

Bocklin

Liminal places can be covered by two types, one bound by the elements and one made by man. People often say, I just love the coast, being at the sea, it's balm to my soul, there is an extra electric feeling in the air. This is because all coast is liminal, a border between water, earth and air, a place where the air can haze, shimmer, and move. Mountain tops as well are liminal, a border between the air and earth. Druids had their own special liminal places, their oak groves, especially those near running water. I know a wood near where I live where you walk through and come across a stream winding its way over rocks with trees on either side, this is a liminal space. Waterfalls and caves can be too. You can usually feel when you are in one, you don't what it is, there is just a sort of difference in the air there, a difference in the atmosphere but you would find it hard to put your finger on exactly what it is. To hear a blackbird singing in a place like this is an extra sign, as according to the Druids the blackbird guards the portals to other worlds.

Malham, Yorkshire

Man made liminal places are usually crossing points, bridges, especially those crossing water are liminal places as are stepping stones. Sometimes you hear of people having a fear of bridges, and I often wonder if this is from the collective unconciousness, a knowledge of the specialness of these places. Crossroads, are also liminal, many many myths and folklore have tales involving crossroads. People were hung from them, the devil is supposed to lurk around them for lost souls and witches also gather round them. Country people like to avoid crossroads in the dark of the night.

I am sure if you think about it we all do know some of these liminal places, and maybe think they are special but are unsure why. I think some people call these liminal places, vortexes. Also savour the atmosphere, at dawn or dusk, especially at dusk if you are sitting out in the garden on a summer night and peer carefully into the fading light.

E De Morgan

Have you noticed my new banner to my blog? Ms Robyn made this for me, and I finally deduced how to add it to my blog. Wow! I am certainly becoming a computer teckie!!!!! Also sorry if I haven't visited your blogs for a while, I know I am Blogging Without Obligation, but I don't seem to have been commenting on some for quite some time. All will be put right soon, its just I have taken a longterm swap over and have been busy sorting out themes, partners, and other communication aspects with the members. As I said in the title of this blog. I think this week makes you realise that you should appeciate the small joys of everyday and try to make more of them, life is for savouring the tiny satisfying making you happy things as well as the large occasional joys.

TREEHUGGER

I’ll come right out and say it, I am a tree hugger, there is nothing like throwing your arms round a tree or pressing your face gently against the bark and inhaling the wonderful smell of it. In Autumn you can feel the tree quietly preparing for its winter sleep and in Spring you can share the exhilaration of the juicy and zesty sap.

My daughter once told me that my son and her were talking about their names, luckily both are satisfied with them, but my son pointed out to her that they were lucky to have regular names, saying you know what Mum and Dad were like, we could have ended up Treehugger and Starshine. Sometimes to tease, I call this giant over six foot, hulking man Treehugger and visualise him hugging a tree.



My favourite tree of all is the Silver Birch, there is one just outside my back garden on the piece of common land, I love to watch the leaves appear in the spring and the wind rustling through its leaves on a Summer’s day. It bows and sweeps its leaves so majestically like a fine lady dancing a very intricate medieval court dance. In fact, another name in mythology for the Silver Birch is Lady of the Woods, which I think just fits exactly. The Silver Birch protects from evil and a broom made of birch twigs will sweep negative forces from your house. A few birch twigs in a vase at your door will invite healing spirits into your house. It also is a useful tree to take a tiny twig of in your pocket as another aspect is protection whilst on a journey.



The Silver Birch also represents and works with the Moon. Once every so often I am lucky enough to be able to watch the full moon through or over the branches of the Silver birch tree. Adjacent to the silver birch is a rown tree which compliments the silver birch, I feel so lucky to have both so near to me.



The Fungus Fly Agaric [other wise known as the Magic Mushroom] has a symbiotiac relationship with the silver birch as it merges with the roots of the tree and help it to absorb minerals in exchange for sugars from the tree. This is the mushroom beloved of illustrators of fairy stories from which we usually see fairies peering round or sitting on top of. I must admit I have never seen any of these around my Silver Birch, though I have been told it is only about ten years old, I have noticed how much it has grown in the time we have lived in the cottage, they are very fast growing trees.



This young man, my son, is 29 years old today. Wasn't he a sweetie? [Sorry mummyitis!] He looks as good as gold, as though he could never get into mischief, sitting on the chair with the statue he won for playing cricket. How deceptive a photograph can be, he was a cheeky cheerful little boy, that people would forgive anything, his fun and cheekiness were never malicious just natural boyish fun. He is still full of fun and can always make me laugh with his hilarious comments and stories. He will be spending his birthday evening DJing at a local club. Happy Birthday TREEHUGGER! [It could have been your name couldn't it?]

So this is my lazy weekend, I am just taking a break from being lazy by getting this posting done. We intend to settle in tonight to watch a dvd, have a drink or two and maybe even some chocolates. After the house returns to just the two of us tomorrow afternoon, I am going to pack up, ready to post, any projects that need to be sent and sort out some bits and pieces to do with admin for Daisy Lupin Designs, then another slothful evening ready for a good full week of creating.



As some of you probably know from Kai's blog, the first international meeting of the GPS will take place in Yorkshire, whilst Kai is in England. I am travelling over from Cumbria and Mrs Nesbitt is travelling from Whitby and we are meeting in Thirsk. Do you think the world can stand this moment? So if on 19th March you feel a jolt or suddenly for a few seconds that time stops, a sort of hiccup in time, it could be the four [Kai is bringing her sister] of us meeting each other. We will be sending out some pretty poweful vibes, maybe a good time to try and heal the Earth.
Will we recogise each other? What will we sound like to each other? Should we sprinkle glitter all over ourselves so we know each other? This is a very exciting occasion, and I hope the first of many for meeting my friends from cyberspace.

The other event I have been involved in since I last posted was an open meeting of my Local History Group for which I had engaged a speaker to give an illustrated slide show on our village and its immediate surroundings. It was a fascinating talk, and I think even people who have lived here all their lives found at least one new fact about our village. I was especially pleased as despite it being a cold night sixty three people turned up for this evening event. I am so glad that people are showing so much interest.