25 07, 2024

Two Irish Philosophies for More FUN, Friendship, & Inspiration – especially for CREATORS 🍀

By |2024-07-25T16:30:15+00:00July 25th, 2024|Creativity, Irish Folklore and Tradition, Love, Spirit, The Bardic Life|Comments Off on Two Irish Philosophies for More FUN, Friendship, & Inspiration – especially for CREATORS 🍀

Hello, my friends. I'm sending you the reddest fox to run through your thoughts and dash a little dose of magic into your week. This is inspired by the gift yesterday of seeing a red fox gallop through my yard as I sat on the back bench eating my breakfast. I couldn't stop smiling for [...]

21 07, 2024

An Irish Folk Story About Being Small but Mighty

By |2024-07-21T20:24:54+00:00July 21st, 2024|Artistry, Celtic, Creativity, Intelligence, Irish Folklore and Tradition|2 Comments

Settle in today to listen to an Irish David and Goliath tale that extols pluck and smarts and reminds us that it's often the small and seemingly weak that topple the great and grand, especially when they're being tyrants and bullies. We can ALL make a difference. https://youtu.be/qqZJRNb_W3c I'd love to hear from you: [...]

22 05, 2024

Learn an Essential Bardic Skill

By |2024-06-30T12:47:54+00:00May 22nd, 2024|Artistry, Creativity, Irish Folklore and Tradition, Poetry, The Bardic Life|Comments Off on Learn an Essential Bardic Skill

What you carry in your mind in large part defines the atmosphere of your life. I vote we put POETRY in there to fill our lives with wisdom, beauty, and inspiration! Tell us in the comments: 1. What poem do you intend to memorize? 2. What would you like to exclude or include to uplevel [...]

15 05, 2024

Becoming a World Shaper and a Light Bringer by Living YOUR Natural Poetry

By |2024-06-30T12:40:44+00:00May 15th, 2024|Artistry, Creativity, Love, Spirit, The Bardic Life|Comments Off on Becoming a World Shaper and a Light Bringer by Living YOUR Natural Poetry

A brief, passionate rant about the enlivening influence of poetry, very broadly defined with the help of John Stuart Mill and 19th century poet, Arthur O'Shaughnessy, and an invitation to throw off world weariness and cynicism and embrace and live YOUR poetry, your way. If you're moved and inclined, please share a comment - perhaps, [...]

12 04, 2024

April Poetry Celebration Week 2

By |2024-04-12T21:12:37+00:00April 12th, 2024|Artistry, Creativity, Poetry, The Bardic Life|2 Comments

This week, you’ll hear wonderful poems by our community poets, and you’ll “meet” a 19th century Irish poet whose two poems give us both our SPARK and DARE. If you'd like to participate, please send me your poems (1-7: your choice) in the body of your email (no attachments, please!), to kate@katechadbourne.com by Sunday, April [...]

25 02, 2024

Keep Playing

By |2024-02-25T22:43:54+00:00February 25th, 2024|Artistry, Creativity, Learning, The Bardic Life|Comments Off on Keep Playing

Just a quick word of encouragement from a "found" poem, discovered in a sheaf of papers recently. Can I just say again: I love my students. I feel so lucky to teach them. And I feel lucky that every day I sit at the piano and help someone to sing or play the piano or [...]

22 01, 2024

Let’s Be Unwilling to Relinquish the Sensual

By |2024-01-22T19:33:49+00:00January 22nd, 2024|Artistry, Creativity, Spirit, The Bardic Life|Comments Off on Let’s Be Unwilling to Relinquish the Sensual

Sometimes, a visitor to my home notices the mermaid-blue typewriter or the record player or the crowd of ink bottles and fountain pens on my desk. From time to time, one of them asks why I have these things in a tone that suggests I may be keeping a zebra in the bathtub or a [...]

19 12, 2023

Listening to Pleasure

By |2023-12-19T14:43:15+00:00December 19th, 2023|Artistry, Creativity, Intelligence, Spirit|2 Comments

Sometimes in my morning writing, I ask questions of “Wise Kate” – that part of me that knows more than I do at present. Today, I asked her: “What do you believe about pleasure?” Here’s what she said: +That it’s as necessary as air and water to life, and more than that – to [...]

5 12, 2023

What Bards Do

By |2023-12-05T19:05:29+00:00December 5th, 2023|Celtic, Creativity, Intelligence, Learning, The Bardic Life|2 Comments

Do you know what Bards do? They learn stuff - demonstrable, actionable things that can be shared on the spot. Sing a song? Check. Recite a poem? Got it. Tell us a tale? Gladly! This picture shows the evolving repertoire of one of my dearest and most long-standing Bardic Academy students. At present she knows [...]

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