Recently, on You Tube, I added a post about evergreens and how we bring them into our homes at the winter solstice as they represent life and rebirth during the deepest, darkest depths of winter. (https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4iMBMJz2Sg) Evergreens remind us that life is eternal, that there is no death really, only some change. This was brought home to me on Christmas Eve when my uncle died. He was the last of his generation in our family and although I am so glad that he had a peaceful, easy passing, I feel somewhat cast adrift, that my connection to old Ireland and to my ancestors has been severed with his passing.
When I returned to live in Ireland back in 1994, I went walking one evening in late Autumn and had not reached home when dusk descended. In the twilight, that in-between time when the veil between this realm and others thins, I sensed my ancestors everywhere. The miles of stone walls lining the roads looked, in the half light, like rows and rows of skulls.
Our ancestors lie in the land – they are the land. The stones are the bones of Mother Earth and she is our original ancestor. As for evergreens, with their message of continual life and rebirth, I find myself turning to them for comfort.
The Celts viewed all trees as our ancestors. The trees are the Standing Ones, the Holders of Wisdom, the Wise Elders; they are our connection to the world. Modern science has revealed how the roots of trees in a forest create a “neural” pathway throughout the forest floor via mycelia, with trees communicating with each other and with other beings through chemical and electrical signals, which work in much the same way as the human brain. If we remember the language, which is deep in our primitive brains, we too could communicate with the trees and the world at large.
Mickey has gone and I feel adrift and out of balance but when I look again at the stone walls lining the road I see life growing and clinging, confident in itself.
Lichens, Fungi and Moss are large as life on this stone;
and on this one too.
On this Hawthorn tree there are more Lichens and Moss, all of which could also be said to be evergreen. So, even though I am feeling bereaved and a bit sad, there is evidence of hope all around me. Life goes on. It is always going on. Such signs offer hope for our future, for 2019 and I am able to take a leap of faith that all will be well, I am connected to my ancestors and to the earth and I always will be. The cycle of life, death and rebirth is continuous and so there is much adventure ahead.
Blessings of Peace and Goodwill to everyone, may your year be filled with many occasions for Joy and Hope.