Springtime

Springtime

Call to me

As the leaves burst for freedom,

Fly to me

As a bird on the wing,

Run to me

As the sun starts to strengthen,

Come to me

On a whisper of spring.

Dance with me

On a hill dressed in moonlight,

Swim with me

In the wild open sea,

Ride with me

Through the white mists of morning,

Drink of me

And set yourself free.

From 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Whispers'

The Magic of the South West

Having just returned from a wonderful 6 days away in our camper van, I am finally getting back into the swing of writing again.

We visited some of what I consider to be the most magical places in England. Our tour began in Glastonbury, where we climbed the tor, attended the Wessex Pagan Conference (very informative speakers) and took a trip out to the National Trust's Lytes Carey Manor (a gem).

We drove down to Cornwall, spent the night on the cliffs overlooking Widemouth Bay and BBQ'd under a full moon and beside a full tide. Boscastle soon called and the following night found us on the cliffs above Bosinney Bay, which was stunning.

My ultimate indulgence however has to be spending two nights in the place that speaks to my soul above all others; Bodmin Moor. The wild landscape where I met Mrs Darley and took my first tentative steps along the magical path, will for ever be imprinted upon my heart.

The Element of Air

The element of air is synonymous with the spring. According to Carl Jung, air symbolizes the thinking aspect, the logical mind. It allows us to think constructively and to build upon what has gone before. It encourages us to be analytical and base our decisions upon the basis of cause and effect, separating what we perceive to be good from what we perceive to be bad.

Jung believed that those with a dominant air aspect to their personality or the thinking types have the ability to step outside the box and consider things that others have yet to dream of. oo much thinking however can often mean that there is very little 'doing' and many bright ideas may never come to fruition if there is a lack of the fire element which brings passion and determination and the earth element which offers practical skills.

More detailed information on the elements and what they mean to the individual and within the realms of magic can be found in 'Mrs Darley's Pagan Elements'

Mother's Day and the Lent Lilly

Today is Mother's Day, an occasion when in times past servents were given this day off in order to journey home and attend a church service with their mother. It was the only highlight for many in what was the long and sombre period of Lent. Today it has become a serious money making day, just as the majority of our well known festivals have.

I am not objecting to honouring our precious Mum's, but surely this is something we should do on a regular basis rather than on one day of the year when florists, card producers, and a whole host of other commercial outlets selling and producing feminine gifts put their prices up in order to cash in on the fact that we feel obliged to spend money.

Mum's are special and as such they often don't desire a fortune to be spent on them and a token gesture would be just as welcome. In this respect a bunch of daffodils or a pot of primroses are most appropriate, for both are said to represent and attract love.

Daffodils are also known as the 'Lent Lilly' and a vase of them in the bedroom are said to assist with conception difficulties, although do ensure that there are a minimum of 13!

Enjoy mother's day and just telling your Mum how much she means to you will be more precious to her than any expensive gift.

I'm just looking across at my Mum's photograph surrounded by daffodils and remembering how lucky I was to have her as my Mum.