Macneamh | Reflections
On these pages, I look forward to sharing reflections with you from the field of Psychology, Philosophy, Poetry, Art, and Mythology and the Ancient Gaelic world, ideas closest to my own heart, with the intention and the hope of inspiring and sparking your own creativity, curiosity and personal development work.
Grianstad - The Summer Solstice
At this time of year, the Sun has its greatest moment of light, the longest day of the year, and lasts for a few days where the hours of daylight remain almost the same— as though the Sun has stopped in the sky at that place of most light…
However long the day, evening will come. [Video]
This proverb invites us to view change and transformation as a metaphorical dark night- an initiation...
The windy day is not the day for thatching. [Video]
This sean fhocal, or proverb, speaks to how all things have their own timing. It is a wise reminder not to wait for a crisis to happen to make the changes necessary in our lives…
Cocaí Féir
The haystacks stood in the field for a month or so, and then it was time to bring them home from the fields to the shed or haggard- the traditional storage area for the crops…
In the shelter of each other the people live. [Video]
Probably the most well-known Sean Fhocail, which is most often referenced, is “Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine”…
Lá Buí Bealtaine [Video]
Bealtaine marks the beginning of summer in the ancient Celtic calendar. It is a Cross Quarter Day, halfway between the Spring Equinox and the Summer Solstice. In ancient times, bonfires were lit to mark a time of change and transition, celebrating the season's turning…
Raftery - The Poet’s Praise of Mary Hynes [Video]
Antoine O Raifteiri (Anthony Raftery) was an 18th-century blind Irish poet and fiddle player who came from the ancient bardic tradition. He lived and walked the roads of Mayo and, later, predominantly, South Galway, playing music and reciting poetry in the time before the famine…
The Inner Marriage of the Divine Feminine and Masculine
We all have both Masculine and Feminine energy, irrespective of gender. How we embrace our Feminine and Masculine aspects within us is key to our individuation journey to become our authentic selves, towards a sense of wholeness…
A Healthy Relationship with Anger
In the self-abandonment wound, we avoid conflict at all costs, so anger is then squashed down in the body and suppressed. The anger, however, comes out unexpectedly and can be directed in outbursts towards others and self-shaming, self-criticism, turned inwardly…
Spring in the West [Video]
As we emerge from the dark incubation of the wintering season, the world outside the window begins to come back to life. The buds are slowly coming onto the trees, the earth softens, and new life forms. Our souls are growing, too…
St Patrick’s Day Celebration [Video]
Ireland is world-renowned for its writers, poets, storytellers, artists and musicians. It is unclear when literacy first came to Ireland. The earliest Irish writings are inscriptions, mostly simple memorials, on stone in the Ogham alphabet, the earliest of which date to the 4th century…
Authentic Power
I have been asked this question frequently, given that the upcoming workshop has this in the title. Authentic Power is related to “be-ing” – the embodiment of your strength, presence, essential essence, and how you come to express that in the world…
Granuaile – Pirate Queen of the Irish Seas [Video]
Gráinne Ní Mháille (Grace O’Malley in English), or as she is known in Irish folklore, Granuaile, was born in Ireland around 1530. She was the daughter of Dubhdara O Máille, who commanded the biggest fleet of ships in Ireland at the time. They were from Clare Island, a stunning island in Clew Bay in Co. Mayo. When her father died…
Imbolc, Brigid and the Light
Brigid, the ancient triple Goddess, is celebrated on Lá Bríde – “Brigid’s Day” at Imbolc. She stands on the threshold of spring, invoking the archetypal energies of…
Solstice, Awe and the Returning Light
As each year passes, I am more in awe at the wisdom of nature and the changing seasons. Our ancestors, who lived so close to the earth, were intimately tied to the seasons and the cycle of the harvest…
The Heart Opening
Gratitude is such a beautiful emotion when we connect to it. When we make space for it in our lives, it has such an interesting impact on us, and those around us…
Entering the Darkness
Going through change and transformation in our lives is a metaphorical dark night. It is often a deeply painful, bewildering time, not knowing if dawn will come…
Into The Wonder
When we go out alone into nature, into the wildness of the landscape, it has the beautiful ability to bring us into contact with a sense of space…