28th January, 2015 - celtic celebrations, celtic mythology, celtic music, plant medicine, stress relief

by John Willmott -
Almanac ...

Rooster Call :


Back to wintery weather at Carrowcrory, with a slither of settled snow this morning.

 Today in 'Almost Daily Blog' ...
  • Primroses
  • Labyrinth Sanctuary in Flagstaff, AZ
  • Did our ancient Celtic ancestors believe in Re-incarnation?
  • Brighid's Eve, Day and Imbolc 2015 updates
  • Celtic Connections Concert of Grit, now with videos and playlist
  • 7 things you can do to stay sane
I'm intensly writing still
I hope you are all comfortable as many of us pass through this winter blast.

Weather :

Cold couple of days Carrowcrory, and through Ireland, reaching just 3C, 38F. Wintery snow and hail showers, a sprinkling of snow has settled here this morning, and its quite windy.  
  
Next weekend for Brighid's Day on Sunday still looking ok, cold, sunny, probably staying dry, no snow, but icy evening, high around 4C high and 0C low. Then from Monday 2nd and Imbolc, which is the early morning of the 4th this year, there seems to be a slow warming trend, but there are still indications of a slump into wintery weather again by the second week of February. 

March is still currently looking good, warmer with good sun.    


Moon :

Moon waxing, at 60%  ....  at Carrowcrory, Ireland ... sets 02:46 am,  rises 12:10 pm 
sunrise 8:28 am, sunset 5:05 pm  


 News ...
Plant Medicine :
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Primroses

Primroses will be out for us for spring again soon. Lovely article about them here on the Fiach Dubh blog ...
       

primroses in spring

Labyrinths :
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Entertaining article about a labyrinth in Flagstaff, AZ ... 

"It just had this vibe that I instantly fell in love with. It felt like a sanctuary and to this day when things get rough or stressful, I visit the labyrinth to take a breather. I am a huge believer in they saying, “stop and smell the roses”"
       

stop and use the labyrinth

Celtic Mythology :
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Did our ancient Irish ancestors believe in reincarnation?

"Julius Caesar wrote of the Celts in his ‘De Bello Gallico’ that “the principal point of their doctrine is that the soul does not die and that after death it passes from one body into another..... " - another fine article from Ali Isaac to get you thinking :-)
       

celtic reincarnation

Celtic Celebrations, Imbolc :
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Brighid's Eve, Day and Imbolc 2015 - updates

Here is a link to my Special Brighid and Imbolc Page that links to

  • Events around Ireland between now and next Wednesday, 
  • Articles to support your own gatherings, kitchen, hearth and alter celebrations, 
  • plus weather forecast, moon positions and sun positions. ....     

Brighid's Day and Imbolc updates

Celtic Music :
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Celtic Connections Concert of Grit - now with videos and playlist!

A few days ago I wrote my review after watching this year's Celtic Connections festival opening concert. This concert was an orchestrated performance of the late Martyn Bennett's 'Grit'. The music, on record, is mainly traditional traveller songs supported with electronic beats and samplers as Martyn was too ill to play his instruments. For this concert, vilinist Greg Lawson transformed the work into an arrangement for 80 piece orchestra and a string of Scottish singers.

Since I wrote my original review of the the concert, it has appeared on YouTube. So after each song review I have now posted a video of the song from the concert, then finished off by placing them all into a playlist. There is a dedicated page for all of this, now ...
       


Stress Relief :
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7 Things You Can Do to Stay Sane ...

To keep going we need to tap into strengths we didn't know we possessed or had access to. Here are seven practical things to do that can help us find direction and inspiration in the midst of chaos. This includes Forest Bathing and involvement in Permaculture ...
       

seven ways to relax


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