Today, I was feeling just a teensy bit down.
It’s a rare experience for me.
Life is so full on here at Bealtaine, that positivity fills the day, running from one task to the next and looking forward to a brief sit down and a cup of tea.
But today, something caught up with me…a growing feeling of fragility that I had suppressed for a long time.
Weakness in the face of disaster.
Fear.
I have spent much of my life suppressing fear.
To be honest, most people have too.
Carrying life, caring for life, creates a deep fear…of birth and death, and one that we know we must resist.
Not just resist, but train ourselves to regard this feral fear in as dispassionate a way as we can muster.
We as adults cannot display fear to our young or those in our charge or care…we must be brave, pretend, laugh in the face of fear.
Today I was desperate for water to ensure the plants in the potager beds did not die.
The well had stopped flowing.
The heat of the day was oppressive, as the cloudless sky framed a burning hot sun that evaporated what little moisture was left in the soil.
I drove the car to an ancient spring, lower down the valley, and spent the morning bucketing water back up to the cottage.
It was exhausting, but successful…the plants are still alive tonight, as I write this blog in the cool of a full moon.
The fear has hung over me all day, as I realise how terribly vulnerable we all are, in the face of these persistent, extreme, weather events.
In this state of vulnerability lies a growing awareness of the fragility of life.
We have to do everything we can to protect that life.
Carbon taxes won’t do that…only we can…each and every one of us!
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Well said. I think more and more of us, faced with the signals Mother Earth seems to be sending us, do feel that frisson of fear for the future. And some days, that future seems to be be here already.
In light of the winter run off you had from your neighbors above, and the trench you had to dig, is it possible that now, not enough is being absorbed to feed your spring steadily? Would a pond or swale above you be a good idea? Your experience would have frightened me too. Less water would mean a real change in how you grow things.
The Spring Well is fed from a below ground aquifer, as are most of the wells in Ireland. The trench I dug was to deepen the swale already in place. Rainfall has dramatically increased here in Ireland and the aquifers are overflowing. It’s now a matter of directing the water away as quickly as possible without pulling soil with it.
Reblogged this on Bealtaine Cottage and commented:
A reminder of our fragile eco-system and what behoves us to protect it…
Remember you are not alone, we are your partners in this fight and you have united us in this cause.
It’s inspiring that so many people are connecting the dots and taking action…I never realised what was really happening until I began to work so closely with Mother Earth and take note of the small changes, that are now big changes! Blessings x
As you can probably gather from my comments on your past blogs I am reading my way through them all !
Today we had our first rain for 7 weeks(1hour) here in Burgundy,the temperatures have been consistently in the upper 30’s.The fields are burnt to a crisp ,there is nothing for the cows to eat ,the farmers are having to feed them.
We have just moved in to this house and I had great plans for the garden ,following your ideas.So far I’ve been limited to setting up my compost and shredding .
Once the ground is wet, apply the shreddings to seal in the moisture. Love the land and it will care for you. 🙂
Blessings XXX
Water is so very precious to us, and yet those in charge are quite happy to poison it with their fracking. It is like the gold rush, with those greedy out of control morons making themselves ever richer. None of them appreciate nature. They don’t notice it as they rush to stack more in their bank accounts. None of them could name a wild flower or would think the sound of a wood pigeon early in the morning mist, beautiful. They have no souls.
Yes, indeed, their greed has overtaken their humanity. Vivien, I heartily agree with what you say, but as an optimist who believes in the sacredness of life, I must persevere with hope that people live and grow. We must strife to ensure that resources are kept for humanity and shared equally, with no measure of wealth of the person.
I am so glad that you have water again. The heat wave has broken here but no rain. Our rivers are drying up. But I have faith in Mother Earth she takes care of her stewards. My prayers and blessings are with you Colette to keep you water tank filled.
Thank you Carole. I have been watching a documentary on poverty among families in the US and how there is no safety net. I am relieved to have water, but distressed to know that so many good people all over the world do not even have a kitchen sink! Times are getting tough indeed!
Here’s the link… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV4grZ_Lw5s
All in this world are one. I spent three hours at the same task. I will ask the fae to help, for I am down to one rain barrel. My ground has craks running threw it a quarter inch wide. She is in full glory tho, and I will not give up on her.
Don’t give up. An amazing thing has happened here…the spring well has filled the water tank in the cottage overnight!
Colette, thank you for this post. Forgive me for sharing a link to something I wrote last year, but I think it might spark an idea for you: http://laurabruno.wordpress.com/2012/07/18/working-with-the-elementals/. The beginning is just some photos of faery bling at our old home in Madison, WI, but towards the end is a story of how the faeries and the elementals brought us rain after I begged them to help during a drought last year. They did! It was one of the more magickal things I’ve witnessed, and I’m sure it would work even better in Ireland, especially when you have a Faery Wood on your small holding. Blessings and rain to you! Laura (Oh, also, are you familiar with the book, “Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in Without Going Crazy” by Joanna Macy and Chris Johnstone? Kind inspiration on days when the ache of the natural world becomes almost too much to bear. Thank you for all you do to honor Earth!
Thanks for sharing your story Laura. I have something very strange to report. The spring well that feeds the cottage has started to fill and run again. The water tank in the loft is now full. No rain has fallen though. I will be writing about this later today.
Thanks for the link to the book…I shall look that out!
I’m excited to hear your story. I have shared my story with a few others and they, too, have had rain (or water) appear out of nowhere once working with the faeries and elementals. Blessings!
That was a very poignant post; the most touching one I have read from you. thank you.
Thanks Equayona…I am just sitting here in the cool of a lovely night, literally chilling out!
You are in a good position in that, when reality bites, you can do something practical and exhausting like bring water.
You’re right, Susan…and today I thought a lot about people who did not have that option!