Clootie Wells

Sancreed Well IMGP1838, a photo by nighthawkjw on Flickr.

You may have noticed, I've become quite obsessed with healing wells and sacred water sources of late. Recently I remembered the beautiful and mysterious Clootie Wells of the British Isles and Celtic lands. Clooties are pieces of cloth that have been dipped into a holy spring or well and are then tied to trees around the well with a prayer or as a dedication to the deities or spirit of the well.  We will be learning more about this ancient tradition and creating our own healing clooties with healing water sourced from the Wombat Forest at the Spring Equinox Circle on Wednesday 21st September. 

We'd love to see you there to help us raise money for the koalas of The Southern Ash Wildlife Shelter. Let me know if you wish to join us and please bring along a small bottle or jar for your collection of natural spring water and a piece of cloth to create your 'clootie'. Here are some images of these beautiful votive offerings at sacred wells - enjoy!

Clooties near Madron Well

St Mary's Well

Healer, Mystic, Creatrix - Women's Course in Celtic Spirituality

Hello Everyone,

I hope you had a beautiful Full Moon in Aquarius. We are still experiencing Mercury in Retrograde so I hope this is not causing too many obstacles or problems for you all - check and recheck all contracts and financial forms (on the weekend I read that thousands of people had filled in their Census forms online and without pressing 'send'. Can't get more Mercury Retrograde than that!). And of course please remember to back up your computers.

This week we are back after a relaxing break where we spent time recording our new guided meditation CD: Beyond the Ninth Wave and creating new plant essences combining Sacred Water from wells here in Victoria and Findhorn in Scotland (you can read more about that here). I will be using these essences and sacred water in private healing consultations, Celtic Women's Course: Healer Mystic Creatrix and in our Spring Equinox Circle: Healing Waters, Sacred Wells where we will be donating all funds again to the Koalas (Water Animal Totem in Australia) at the Southern Ash Wildlife Shelter (www.samthekoala.com.au).

In 3 more days we will be passing beyond the Ninth Wave, the mythic wave that takes you beyond this world and into the Celtic Otherworld. In the five weeks that we will meet together we will develop healing and intuitive abilities to help us to heal and balance the Five Elements and the Seven Chakras or energy systems of our body as well as learning to read with oracles, connect to Animal Totems, Spirit Guides and Ancestral Wisdom.

Week 1 - EARTH: Returning Home, Travelling Beyond the Ninth Wave

Goddess: Rhiannon the Sovereign, Airmid Goddess of Healing and Herbcraft

Tools: Healing with Stones and Plant Totems 

Week 2 - WATER: Sacred Wells, Healing Love and Creativity

Goddess: Beg the Wisdom Keeper, Vivienne - Lady of the Lake

Tools: Energy Healing, Oracle Reading, Water Blessing

Week 3 - AIR: Oran Mor, Wisdom, Past Lives and Creating a New World

Goddess: An Cailleach the Crone Mother, Arianrhod the Silver Wheel

Tools: Shamanic Healing, Ancestral Totem, Past Life Regression

Week 4 - FIRE: Building Fire, Tending to our Sacred Flame

Goddess: Brighid the Exalted One, Scathach the Warrior Queen

Tools: Animal Totem, Candle Magic, Healing Movement

Week 5 - ETHER: You Are We, Embodying the Celtic Goddess

Goddess: Danu Mother Goddess of the Tuatha, Sovereign Queen

Tools: Rites of the Sidhe, Channeling Messages from the Goddess and your Guides

I have 2 places free in this Celtic Circle of Healing. If you feel this one of these places is for you, you can phone me: 0421 249 183 or email me: julia@sacredfamiliar.com.au Please let me know as soon as you can so that you have time to prepare. 

Warm Wishes for the Journey, Julia

Escape into Life by photographer, Rodney Smith

Happy Awakenings at Imbolc and a big ROAR for all the Leos!

Michael Hiep - 'Awakening of Spring (Element: Earth)' http://www.michaelhiep.nl/eng/index.php

Today we celebrate the ancient Celtic Festival of Imbolc - a time of new beginnings and the awakening of the world below the Earth before Spring. This is also the feast day of the Goddess Brigid and I love to think of the Michael Hiep's Awakening of Spring as a young Brigid waking up deep within the earth. At this time of the year we may not see much change above the earth but we sense the heartbeat of the Earth growing stronger, animals awakening from hibernation, new animals being born, plants recharged and sending new green tendrils up through the soil. I am always reminded of Imbolc when I smell jasmin for the first time after winter and there is an abundance of it in gardens at the moment. Imbolc is a beautiful time to begin gently moving towards the dreams you wish to see bear fruit in the Spring and Summer months ahead. And today we are feeling the bright promise of the New Moon birthed last night. A perfect day for planting the seeds of your new life.

This morning I woke up thinking about the first class of our Women's Celtic Mysteries Course: Healer, Mystic, Creatrix. Our first class will be focussing on the Element of Earth with Airmid Irish goddess of herblore and herbalists. I wondered how she will teach us to heal ourselves and the gaelic words 'Oran Mor' rang in my ears. Oran Mor is the gaelic 'song of creation' or 'great song'. It is the song that births our world and creations into being and it reminded me that we can allow ourselves to be born into a new life every minute.

'The Restorers' from The Druid Plant Oracle. Illustration by Will Worthington

'It is this primordial myth that, like a Celtic knot, weaves throughout the entire corpus of the Celtic mythos, knitting an interwoven, cohesive mythology. The Oran Mór, as the primordial "sea melody," flows through the myths and legends of submerged lands, mystical springs, life-giving cauldrons, and holy grails. As Wisdom it "fills the head," and gives meaning to the severed heads that so disturbed Caesar. It is the "creative melody," always creating, both in the hearer and in the one singing. It is the myth of Uaithne and Boand who bear the three strains of music: innocence, sorrow, and joy. It is The Song of the Three Cauldrons giving and receiving creative blessing in its song. The words of the song are as diverse as there are people to hear it; always taking their meaning from their divinely breathed sound, never from that design which we impose. The Oran Mór’s divine sound gives meaning to – no, creates – the Celtic languages.'

'Oran Mor: The Primordial Celtic Myth' by Frank Mills

I encourage you to work with this beautiful chant at either sunrise or sunset (when the Celts believed the next day truly began). By singing this chant and bringing conscious energy to the experiences, healing and love we wish to create in our lives we connect to the divine and powerful spark of life that dwells within us all.

I have just 2 places left in Healer, Mystic Creatrix so please let me know as soon as you can if you feel called to learn more about the Celtic Mysteries.

And we have the bold and creative fire of sign of Leo to walk with us this month - happy birthday to all the wild and beautiful Lions!

Full Moon Women's Circle - Beyond the Ninth Wave

Hello Sisters,

I am so happy to invite you to a women's circle dedicated to the Otherworlds of the Celtic Goddess on the night of the Full Moon, Wednesday 18th May at Williamstown Community Centre.  In this Full Moon circle we will be exploring the world beyond the Ninth Wave through Meditation, Energy Healing and Oracle Reading.

The cost of this circle is $25 and you will need to bring a flower of your choosing, a small crystal or stone and your favourite oracle cards (if you don't have any don't worry as I will be bringing many decks on the night). You will also need to bring a yoga mat or cushion to sit on as we will be working on the floor.

Please feel free to invite your friends and sisters to this open Full Moon Circle, places are limited though so please let me know as soon as you can if you wish to join us in the land beyond the Ninth Wave, 

Warm Wishes,

Julia