Woooooaaaaa .... how good it feels to take a few moments off, take some time to visit Covenspace and see whats going on here . Hubby and I have been very busy, Hubby renovating buildings left right and centre, crafting his boxes and books and chests (he works with wood, metal and leather), and myself, integrating the last elements of a new course I have designed to complement my life time healing work : "The Animal Within" . This is something that has always been with me ... well, since i was 7 years old . An animal spirit came to me before the onset of a series of illnesses, and as the relationship further developed over the years, I understood the knowledge I gained was to be part of my healing "gift" . It has repeatedly helped me in this way (healing of a physical and emotional nature), the most recent and spectacular example being the near eradication, or rather, conscious control, of osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia . It took me a while to get angry with the illness and take matters into my own hands, realising at last i was no good to anyone if I was feeling poorly ! I took some time off to concentrate on myself, and, without boring you with personal details, working with my "Animal friend" and knowledge of my Female nature, I turned things around to the point when, after 5 months work, I no longer require a walking stick, pain killers, anti-inflammatories ... I am not CURED, but I am in control, and no longer poisoning my body (the alarm bells really started ringing when I was prescribed morphine on a long-term basis !) . My doctor's wrath has been appeased by the obviously positive results, all good news ! :)

I believe anyone with a true love and respect of Nature, of the Earth and all Her living creatures, has the ability to understand our connection in spirit, and make contact with "the Animal Within" in order to help ourselves and each other, to accept our place in the Natural order (which might be the main difference between humans and our brothers and sisters of the animal world) . The course is designed to "wipe the slate clean", attune the student to the Earth, to Nature, and gradually help them find their own animal connection, and so, is a personal, tailored journey taken over 6 months ... the knowledge and understandings gained can then be integrated into many aspects of personal and social life, again, a very personal journey . I feel passionate about sharing this inherited experience, hoping to increase awareness of the beauty and simplicity of Nature, the need for its preservation, and promote balance and well being in fellow human beings .

The course being delivered by email at present (until I am brave and knowledgeable enough to put up my own website ... technical knowlege does NOT come naturally to me LOL), you may enquire about all aspects of the course on laurence.bailey@yahoo.co.uk in the first instance . I will answer all queries, I even travel personnaly whenever possible, in order to provide healing, if called to, if one to one tutoring is better suited or specifically required .

THE ANIMAL WITHIN .

There is the heart beating again

Alongside my own, but faster

And here is the familiar pain

Of energy swelling bigger

Humming deeper under my skin

Pushing my name and thoughts aside

Eager to rise up and rush in

No longer bothering to hide .

 

There is the ground i lay upon

The scent of soil I roll into

The door of light and abandon

I let all my will escape through

There come the shades of blue and grey

The promising vibrant traces

Of a companion or a prey

For me to seek in dark places .

 

There is the tireless running

The wet and the soft in the grass

The rasp and the mist of breathing

The fear in the bush as I pass

The swish and the pull of a tail

The warning and force of a growl

Danger for the old and the frail

The end of the night in a howl .

 

Merrowyn - ( August 2005 ).

 

Oh ! I must say a big thank you to my friend Vila, who keeps me in good spirits with her lovely, funny jokes while I am working ! A big hug to you, Vila !

(((((((((((((VILA)))))))))))))

 

 It is an eteeeernity since I last wrote here ! I am so sorry my friends, present in my heart however, just very busy, sometimes lazy when I can afford the luxury ... I had a great Yuletide, with family and friends, one of them I hadn't seen for such a long time ... I have put in place the foundations of my work for the coming year, it looks as busy as the last . I wish all of you good health, and prosperity for 2008, and I promise I will visit Coven Space more often ! Lol ! xxx

Last week end, I attended a camp in an area of britain I had actually never been to, on an "island" called Portland (get the maps out !!! :) ) . Wonderful little place, windy as I like it, the field we were camping in was right above the sea, great scenery ... The group I joined and went to camp with has restored some of my faith and trust in fellow pagans of various paths, for there was not a bloated ego in sight, no malice to be sensed anywhere, in fact, I had not laughed so much in months . I have been a solitary at heart all my life so far ... the fact that i am an empath sometimes makes it difficult for me to be in a group of people for a certain amount of time, I often have to keep a shield around me at all times to avoid feeling ill, or avoid feeling as if I am prying into people . But there, I could relax and enjoy myself .

Following my family tradition, the biggest Circle I had ever been in before I settled in the UK in 1988, had 3 people in it, including myself ! My first attempt at group work in Sussex, in the late eighties/early nineties, left me convinced I was destined to remain a solitary for ever (bad experience ...)

However, joining this group was not a mistake . It is a unification of Witches and Druids, people of different paths, but everyone comes together in great peace and happiness and it is so refreshing, so inspiring ! The Saturday night Equinox ritual was truly wonderful . The Moon shining bright above the sea was so beautiful, the ritual so powerful and full of joy ! The moment where the Male energies were sent into the Earth will stay with me for a long time, never had I witnessed such a funny tribal dance ! Very powerful Circle ...

The following morning, I was up at 5 to make sure i could witness the Sun rising over the sea, and I wasn't disappointed . I am honoured to have seen that with a bunch of marvellous people . The Druids' early morning ritual was beautiful too, many thought provoking words said that imbued me with great pride and renewed passion for my own path .

It was also lovely to watch my daughter Madeleine (10) grab a spare drum and join the drumming circle at the party following the night time ritual . Her eyes lost in the fire, she drummed away to her heart's content and looked so peaceful I have decided she just has to own a drum ! :) She also wittled a nice peace of dog rose wood and made herself a wonderfully customised Stang . My son discovered the wonders of fire poi and reckons he has found his talent ! He may well have, actually ! Lol !

A wonderful weekend all round, I thank all the members of the Dolmen Grove from the bottom of my heart . Can't wait til the next camp ! :)

Aaaaaah ... I have been tagged . Now i have to disclose 8 previously unknown, not so good things about me, eh ? OK, you asked ! :)

 THE RULES :

Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits or embarrassing things about themselves . People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their 8 things, and post these rules . At the end of your blog, you need to choose 8 people to get tagged and list their names . Don't forget to leave them a comment to tell them they're tagged, and to read your blog !

Easy enough, 'cept there won't be 8 people listed at the end of mine ... I'm pretty new here and intend to make friends, so I'm not "running around" tagging strangers ! LOL ! OK, here goes :

1. I pick my nose when I get stressed out .

2. I hide my honey from my children so there's more left for me !!!

3. I baked a few of my pet rats poos among the currants and sultanas, in some Welsh cakes i gave to a very grumpy and child-unfriendly neighbour (she never knew ! Lol !)

4. I bought a beautiful teddy bear for my nephew's first birthday and kept it for myself (got him a pair of baby trainers instead) .

5. I got my driving license in 1985 but haven't driven anything since I arrived in the UK in 1988 .

6. I ran away from home, got hopelessly lost and hitched a lift back at 7 years old .

7. I eat mayonnaise with cheese, salad, pasta dishes, rice dishes, stews, Rich Tea biscuits ......

8. I cannot function as a human being until I've had at least 2 cups of tea in the morning .

THERE ! Now to tag some friends .... Stormy, Griselda, Whitewytch, Savage Heathen, BlackCatWicca ... Sorry guys, can't wait to read your blogs ! :)

My first "totem" animal was Wolf . He came to me when i was 6 or 7 years old, in what I now know was a dream, although at the time, I was convinced I had actually met him on the physical plane, until my mother pointed out that there were no 6 foot tall wolves, that we had never been to a zoo and that there were no wild wolves in our area ! In that dream, I was standing at the edge of a forest, looking in, and He stepped out, a massively tall grey wolf with incredibly tall legs, golden eyes ... Just stood there looking at me for a while, I looking back at him, craning my neck, and then he just backed into the forest again . He has been with me ever since . He is ALWAYS with me . People close to me, from then on, started giving me books on wolves, images, etc... to feed my curiosity . Over the years, I have run and hunted with him, known the lust and love when breaking the neck of a prey, been hunted and set upon by him . He has shown me parts of myself I would have otherwise ignored or shunned . Thanks to Wolf, the canine spirit is an inherent part of myself, I am surrounded by dogs, cannot live without them .

I have since met and worked with other animal spirits who revealed themselves to me when they felt i needed them : Crow, White Mare, Lynx, Spider, Moth ... These come and go, Wolf is always at my side, and within me .

A few nights ago, as my life is taking a new direction, I had another very powerful visit : in that dream, I was walking in a deserted street, feeling hot and thirsty . I spotted a water pump and as I started pumping, a gorgeous bearded Dragon climbed upon the top of the pump. and dozens and dozens of Dragons and smaller lizards started pouring out of the pump, into the street, around my feet ... I was torn between laughing and screaming, but the dragon on top of the pump just looked at me, tongue out, tongue in, and I suddenly realised I wasn't hot and uncomfortable anylonger, just peaceful and content . I thanked him and walked off into the rest of my dreams, in the midst of the writhing lizards and dragons . Without explaining what happened next, i will simply say that their presence was explained and I have understood the lesson I am meant to receive from them, everything fits, I am elated  .

I somehow feel that Dragon and Lizard are also here to stay, the meeting was extremely powerful and deeply revealing . 2007 has been a year of change for me and what Lizard and Dragon have so far let me see is just the right medicine ! :)

Charles Darwin once said : "It is absurd to talk about one animal being higher than another ." What BEAUTIFUL words ! They teach us lessons of Nature, reveal incredible truths stripped of the perceptions of man, play games with us, command respect . I am certain that in the not too distant future, Dragon and lizard will join wolf in a tatoo, which I am now saving up for .