The overwhelming urge to hibernate through the winter is lessening with the daily increase of sunlight.
I’ve been by the woodstove dyeing, spinning and pin weaving as well as knitting Alpaca hats through the last few months.
I can smell spring in the air and the perennials are poking their heads through the ground. This year I will garden…beginning with cleaning up the debris from last fall once the snow and mud have cleared away and the warming winds of spring kiss my face.
Poor Margaret and her husband, or consort, Oliver were on a sloop off the coast of Maine traveling to Boston. Oliver drowned and Margaret died of exposure before reaching shore on October 31, 1803 when the sloop ‘Hero’ was capsized by a gale off the coast of Kittery.
I lost my life in the raging seas,
A sov’reign God does as he please.
The Kittery friends they did appear,
And my remains, they buried here.
Yeah, the fine people of Kittery may have buried poor Margaret, but not in the main cemetery grounds, and not without feeling the need to pat themselves on the back for burying her. Though now her grave site is kept neat and mowed, I was there over 20 years ago when Margaret’s stone was overgrown.
You have to walk to the back edge of the cemetery and down a hill to reach Margaret’s stone in the last patch of flat land before the earth dives down to the sea.
Samhain – pronounced ‘sow-win’ like cow-win - meaning summer’s end – is when we celebrate Halloween on October 31.
It is also the end of the Celtic year with November 1st being the beginning of the Celtic New Year.
This is a time of transformation. The harvest is in and we prepare for winter.
We honor the dead by remembering them at this time.
The Celts called upon their ancestors to guide them through the dark of winter, and celebrated with feasting and dancing.
Set a place at the table for the recently deceased to honor and invite them to join you.
Fragrant foods will fill the house with peace and joy.
Decorate with seasonal foliage and fruit. Apples and Acorns. Leaves and Pumpkins.
Place flowers on the graves of loved ones.
Light candles and remember the circle of life and death and Spirit that does not die.
Energy is neither created or destroyed.
Witches do not command the spirits. Witches do not have seances to call the spirits.
With honor and respect we invite the spirits to join us.
We aren’t looking to be entertained by bumps in the night that make us squeal with fear and delight.
As one of the Sabbats – holy days, Samhain dates back over 6000 years and under various names is celebrated throughout the world, and has been Christianized as All Hallows or All Saints Day.
It’s a great night for making love with celebration and appreciation for the transitions of life and death and rebirth.
What came before and what is to be.
I’ve always been considered ‘sickly’. Now in my mid forties I find the issues of my youth are slamming up against the issues of aging. Feeling a bit battered between the two I haven’t been contributing much beyond photographs to my blog since August.
Brain fog seems to reign these days and my body limps along without ease. I should have bounced back from my bout with Bronchitis in January but most days are still sedentary with knitting in my lap.
Finally, a Fibromyalgia diagnosis fits all the pieces of forty-plus years of pain and illness into one picture that I now see complete . I could only see the edges of a pile of intricate pieces before reading about Fibromyalgia.
Physical therapy, specifically Aquatic Therapy is my saving grace. Twice a week, when I am able, I work out in 92 degree F water. Being released from gravity for an hour in warm water is so beneficial for emotional as well as physical well being.
Well being is the bottom line.
Recent events have led to the uncovering of a Pine and Cedar forest on the coast of New Hampshire. The stumps among the beach rocks and sand at Jenness Beach have attracted the curious from around the region to witness a sight not seen for nearly forty years.
I’ve been absent in so many ways for far too long this winter.
A confirmed Fibromyalgia diagnosis has me questioning so many aspects of my life.
Aside from the syndrome that has been with me my whole life I now am crashing into the aging process.
I believe this list would benefit any person:
Positive Thoughts
Stress Reduction
Exercise
Nutrition
Sleep
Water
This list is not meant to be considered in order of importance as all aspects are related and are equally crucial to well being.
Wouldn’t you think that taking care of ourselves would be the easiest part of living? Why is it so difficult for us to acknowledge the importance of sustaining and nurturing ourselves?
Why is it easier to down a soda instead of a glass of water?
Why do we accept treating ourselves badly in so many ways?
I don’t have answers, just a day by day thought-filled awareness of walking the proper path one step after another. It is a lifestyle change that encompasses every choice.
