The seasons and the weather

Today our clocks moved forward one hour to British Summer time. Yet outside it is bitterly cold and there is a heavy frost. Yesterday we had more snow showers. As a druid I celebrate the changing of the seasons but they seem to be changing at different times than expected and this gives me pause for thought.

Should I change the time of my celebrations to fit in with the weather? What do others do who do not have the same changes of seasons as we do here? Should I be looking more at the symbolism of the celebrations instead?

In the Christian faith it is Easter time which is very symbolic of death and rebirth. Where nature is concerned, the rebirth is very slow and some species will not survive unless there is more warmth soon. The breeding season will be shorter too. If this trend in the weather continues how many species will become extinct?

Looking at the reasons for this long cold spell of weather, I discovered that the jet stream has been pushed to an unusually southern location and a band of high pressure has stopped it from moving so it cannot push in milder conditions from the west. It is believed that this is being caused by the melting ice in the Arctic. These conditions could continue for some time.

So why is the ice melting? Do we have something to do with this? Can we do something to change it all? Can we learn to accept these changes and live our lives differently so that we stay warm? If these changes are to become a permanent feature of our seasons, can we learn to produce food differently too? Can we learn to produce the heating we need without environmental effects? Should we all be thinking about this, not just those who think in a ‘green’ manner, or druids and pagans?

My photo was taken in the garden this week. Snow on the ground in late March.

Spring Equinox

The Spring Equinox is a time of equal day and night when we look forward to the longer days ahead. At this time of the year we can see nature awakening, catkins on the trees and spring flowers poking their heads through the soil.

But this week in the UK we have had snow and lots of it too. There are very deep drifts in some areas and many people do not have any power. In the south of the UK there are floods and landslips.

What kind of message is Mother Nature giving us? It is usually a time to continue to clear out unwanted items and to get ourselves in balance with Mother Earth. I am doing the clearing out still but finding it hard to stay in balance. How are you feeling and what does the current weather say to you? I have plants to put in the garden but not yet as the ground is frozen and under several inches of snow. What have you had to put on hold?

The photo this week is of my garden yesterday. Today there is even more snow.

Being thankful, caring and sharing

Another busy week has gone by and at a seemingly rapid speed. On Monday I was lucky to be taken out to visit some woodland about half an hours drive away. It was bitterly cold but the sun was shining. It is a long time since I have been able to walk through such woodland but I managed this with the help of two walking poles and a friend. There were lots of pauses to listen and watch and to take photos. The cold weather has made the signs of spring stand still and nothing new had appeared apart from the catkins.

But I was so thankful that my friend had taken the time in a busy life to take me out to the woodland. I felt energised not tired when I got back home. As a druid I often think about the things we take for granted and what I can do about it. Watching Comic Relief and seeing films of those less fortunate made me even more thankful for what I have. I have a roof over my head, food and clothes and just enough money to live at a reasonable level. I don’t have a car or a fancy mobile phone but I do not need them. I can use the bus when I need to go further than the village. I am thankful that my village has a shop, a post office, a newsagent and a small supermarket as well as various eating places. I am very lucky!

If I was younger I feel that I would be more involved in helping others especially those who are much less fortunate. It does not take very much money to improve the life of others.  How do you help others? Do you send money via charities or recycle items which can raise money for those less fortunate?

This week the photo is of the woodland I visited, Swithland Wood.

Mothers and others

Today in the UK, it is Mother’s Day. Later in the year we have Father’s Day. These are special days for telling our parents just how much we love them and do something special for them. But isn’t this something we should do every day? The shops and dining places put up their prices at this time and to me this is not right. It makes a mockery of what the day is really about. What do you think about this?

Also do we have special days for sons, daughters, cousins, aunts, uncles, friends and whoever else is important to us? The answer to this question is ‘no, we do not’. Should we need special days for all those who mean something to us? If we are truly sensitive feeling people then should we not tell those special to us, that they are special and why? We can do this any day or every day or whenever we feel that those words are needed. How many times do you give someone a hug just because you feel that it is the right thing to do? It shows that you care about them and can be done any time on any day. We do not need a special day for this. What are your thoughts on this topic?

Spring cleaning and letting go

A friend made a comment about my last post and the way the leaves and catkins from last year were still clinging to the trees. They don’t want to let go, she told me. For some unknown reason nature is doing what we do all the time. We do not let things go, whether they are physical things, mental or emotional things.

Spring is well on its way now and it is time to clear out all the things we no longer need. These can be items such as clothes, household goods and bric a brac. Or they can be emotional things or thoughts that are no longer right for us or even friendships that no longer work for us.

I have started on my spring cleaning already. I have lots of craft items I no longer use and knitting wool I can no longer use either because of my arthritis, so all of these will find a new home soon. As for emotions such as envy and hate, these also need to be dealt with as they can cause stress and illness if ignored. Forgiveness is essential if you want to move on and envying others can be resolved by counting your blessings, something some people never do. Letting friends go can be hard and some people fear being alone for a while until new friends arrive. But this is the way life works. Change is essential in whatever form so we can grow and mature and move along our path in life. Don’t hang onto things just for the sake of it, there is more to life than that and there is more on the way, lots of positive things too if we look beneath the surface.

Here is a photo of forsythia taken last spring to cheer us all up.