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

How to Succeed as a (Step)Family: inspiration from an Irish Folktale

By |2024-07-21T20:28:58+00:00July 21st, 2024|Learning, Love, Spirit, The Bardic Life|Comments Off on How to Succeed as a (Step)Family: inspiration from an Irish Folktale

Creating a strong and loving family requires skill, commitment, communication, and clarity. It requires consistently making the right choice (which works on every occasion). Today, I share a marvelous Irish folktale gleaned from the collection of Bab Feiritear, a warm-hearted storyteller from Dunquin, County Kerry, Ireland. I'd love to hear from you: 1. What wisdom [...]

26 06, 2024

YOU are the Source – lessons from Irish Holy Wells

By |2024-06-30T13:16:51+00:00June 26th, 2024|Irish Folklore and Tradition, Learning, Love, Spirit, The Bardic Life|Comments Off on YOU are the Source – lessons from Irish Holy Wells

There's a beautiful dance between the literal and the metaphorical in the Irish imagination. Today, we consider Irish holy wells - of which there are some 3000 in existence - and what they teach us about being, ourselves, a source of goodness, friendship, humor, and kindness in the world. Thank you for tuning in! Tell [...]

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, [...]

8 01, 2024

The Sails of My Ship

By |2024-01-08T15:15:29+00:00January 8th, 2024|Artistry, Intelligence, Love, Spirit|4 Comments

By sheer chance, I just opened a journal from 2021 and felt encouraged by this entry: "The hardest goodbye (at the end of the term) was with C who tried bravely not to cry. It’s easy to assume I don’t mean much to people, that I’m part of the furniture of life. But even that [...]

26 09, 2023

The Secret Yearning

By |2023-09-26T14:18:15+00:00September 26th, 2023|Creativity, Love, Spirit, The Bardic Life|Comments Off on The Secret Yearning

Have you noticed that people who have ruled out all possibility of magic are a bit… depressed? And even, dare I say it – depressing? Please note that I didn’t say, “People who don’t believe in magic.” No. What I mean instead is people who have declared either with actual words or with their whole [...]

6 08, 2023

Watching a Squirrel Grooming Her Tail – and why that matters

By |2023-08-06T15:09:10+00:00August 6th, 2023|Artistry, Love, Spirit, The Bardic Life|2 Comments

This morning I came across this entry in a journal from 2021: "Watching a squirrel in the hemlock, grooming her long tail." I felt a rush of gladness. A moment later, I asked myself: Why? From this brief note in an old journal, a bouquet of reflections. ♥A tiny moment like this plants a [...]

10 04, 2023

Making Good Things Even Better

By |2023-04-10T20:49:56+00:00April 10th, 2023|Artistry, Love, Spirit, The Bardic Life|Comments Off on Making Good Things Even Better

One thing I love in this life is to make a good thing even better. I’ve written before about my belief that a thermos of tea can turn an ordinary trip into an adventure. Add a snack, add a book, add music, add time outdoors, add a friend: instant improvement to anything. I love to [...]

26 02, 2023

Welcome back to my digital “home”: a little tour of what’s inside

By |2023-02-26T21:11:58+00:00February 26th, 2023|Artistry, Creativity, Learning, Love, Spirit, The Bardic Life|Comments Off on Welcome back to my digital “home”: a little tour of what’s inside

Hello, my friend. It’s good of you to “come over” to see me here. Your company is cherished and deeply welcome. Please imagine me now, opening the green, wooden door and beckoning you inside. In our increasingly digitalized and decentralized world, I feel more and more that this site is my online home. Here, I [...]

24 10, 2022

How is learning like healing?

By |2022-10-24T22:39:21+00:00October 24th, 2022|Creativity, Learning, Love, Spirit, The Bardic Life|Comments Off on How is learning like healing?

Let me tell you a bit of an old Welsh story. When mythic hero Lleu Llaw Gyffes was betrayed and attacked by his unhappy wife and her lover, he instantly transformed into a wounded eagle and flew far away to a tree where he perched in great pain and sorrow for a long, lonely [...]

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