The Nebra Sky Disk, dated from around 1600BC clearly shows the Pleiades as a cluster of seven stars.
Our ancestors marked time with the Pleiades, from Sappho, to the country folk here in the west of Ireland…
The Moon is set,
And the Pleiades.
Night’s half gone,
Time’s passing.
I sleep alone now. ~ Sappho.
“The Pleiades are frequently known as The Stróilín, and neighbours, when visiting, or on a Céilidhe, time their departure by the position of this constellation. If the Pleiades are setting they will say “It is late, The Stróilin is going down!” ~ recorded by the Folklore Commission of Ireland.
In Celtic myth, the Sidhe are the fairy folk. Each year, on Midsummer Night, the Sidhe ride forth to the sacred circle, to initiate mortals into the mysteries of their faith.
There are times during the course of the year when the veil is thin…these are the liminal times, associated with light and dark. Light marked one half and dark the other.
The Tuatha De Danaan became the Sidhe or the Fairy folk and were described as being the same height as normal people and dressed in elegant green clothing. They had many different abilities such as turning invisible and changing their appearance, known as shapeshifting.
Ireland’s mystical people, the Sidhe. I refer to them as “people,” for we have never ceased to regard them as such; beings with feelings, culture, language and emotions. Stories have recorded their interactions with the human world across time and much of what they have bequeathed to us can be found in the landscape of Ireland; fairy forts, raths, mounds, standing stones and ancient burial sites, all have been attributed in one way or another to those we call “the Sidhe!” ( From my book, “Walking Between Worlds”).
There are certain aspects of the world of the Sidhe or fairy that we are familiar with, the foremost being the world they inhabit: Nature, in all Her wildness, beauty and mystery. It is no surprise then, that as empires rise, Nature is besieged and crushed…such is the story of the Otherworld, and, its inhabitants, the Sidhe.
Midsummer holds the magic of light and lingering dusk…a liminal time, a portal of enchantment…
It is a generally accepted part of everyday life in Ireland that the Sidhe live side by side, yet parallel, with humans and that these are the original Tuatha Dé Danann or The People of the Goddess Danu, being an early Irish race who were skilled in magic and able to escape the physical death of mortal man. It is this acceptance of their immortality that gives power and meaning to the stories we, as a nation, carry forward.
This is fascinating! I’m so happy that I found your blog🙂🐞
Fascinating! I’m so glad I found you!
Thank you for being who you are Colette, and with your lovely Jack, you are such a positive insperation to us all to love Mother Earth and do our best to live with Her, to help Her, and to love Her and all she offers us. I have been stuck in an emotional state for the last 4 years, living in quite an isolated spot, with no garden, only a front small arear, where I grow trees and flowers in pots, and feed the birds, that surround me every day. I only go out to walk my dog, and am so lucky to have lovely walks from my house. I am searching for a piece of land that Madge and I can go, so we can plant trees etc, and enjoy being at one with nature, which I love. I know you too are searching for some more land, and let us hope we can find what we are seeking. Love to you and Jack from Jilly in Exbourne, Devon.
I’ll never forget as a teenager, on a camping trip with my family in the Adirondack mountains of NY, my father took me out for a nighttime canoe ride. We gazed up at the miriad of stars and he taught me the constellation he called “The Circle of the Seven Sisters”. I’ve never forgotten that and have included it in one of my paintings.
Dear Colette, you opened the door to walk the sacred path to receive blessings from the stone circle. They responded in kind, and sent their energy to you on this special mortgage free 23 June 2021 day. Congratulations!
I always feel happy to receive pictures from you, all flowers and vegetation looks refreshing. Please take care and be safe during this time of Covid 19.
We are midwinter here in Aus and blessed with cool to cold this year even in Queensland up on mountains where I live. The oranges are golden outside my window and the small birds that live here are active searching for a morsel. The veil is very thin at this time and it is a wonderful experience to behold connecting with the other. Blessings.
Keeping fingers crossed for a sunny, dry day and a long liminal evening! xx
The night sky has always enchanted me, and so I will look for this cluster in my night sky where I live in Ohio. The harsh city lights may make a wee bit difficult, but imagine my joy when I find it, in spite of them.
Such a lovely informative, e mail. I feel I learned so much. The older I become the more I am drawn to all of these legends and folklore. Thank you x
Beautiful photos and words Colette . Happy summer solstice to you and darling Jack. Thank you for sharing. Blessings 💜💚💜xxx
Colette I have watched your stone circle evolve and the beauty increase. The Red Oak is showing us how much she enjoys the place you chose. You and Jack enjoy the remaining light and all the beauty.
The woods and all its inhabitants saved my life as my childhood home was unsafe. Wild things? I am one, thank goddess. xoxo Happy midsummer, Colette and Jack!
One of My Favourite Nights of the Year, the othe being the Winter Solstice. I used to post to my Facebook page that it was a night that we all had to run around naked at midnight! Lol oh the comments I’d get!
This year I have my very own special place to celebrate this amazing eve. It comes with a lovely curving path with a Hawthorn tree, a bit of a hill onto a field that feels quite magical for all its bounty. I leave an offering under the hawthorn tree each time I enter and thank it as I leave. This pure magic the bounteous glory of Pacahamam,the Goddess, Mother Earth.
Thank you for Your Wonder Filled Words Colette
Blessings to you and Jack 💚🌿🌱
Oh to be in your stone circle on midsummers Eve. What enchantment & wonders to behold. ❣️
Beautiful photos, this place is magical.
Congratulations on the stone circle, it is a privilege to have these megaliths at home.
Thank you. Beautiful. Lovely to think of the Pleiades constant in the sky for all time and people 4000 years ago looking up at them.
Thank you for this beautiful explanation of this wonderful world. Although I’m in the US, I have always felt that there was a lot more to it and that somehow Ireland is a part of me. I have your walking between worlds and can’t wait to read it.
We live surrounded by wonderful things, but not all of us have eyes for the love of it. We live filled with wonderful ideas, but not all put their mind to the love of that. Those that see and put their mind to it flourish upon this beautiful planet and I see that with Colette and Bealtaine.
I’m an admirer of your stone circle Colette, over the years it appears more and more as if they stones grew there by themselves, they are such a part of the land.