Pilgrimmage of the heart

Nature notes, Dandelion plants and creating time for peace.

Woodland Bard Live this Sunday 21st April @ 6pm

Paid subscribers will receive a FREE link the Saturday morning before the event (please contact me if not received)- no need to book below.

Enter the deep lore of the hawthorn tree through the incredible stories connected to the Sidhe mounds in Ireland. Join us LIVE to experience profound meditation, inspiring prose, deep mythology and gentle Shamanic drumming that will take you into the heart of the Hawthorn grove.

For just £7 per month the event above is included and you will be able to access all the previous recordings and writings as an in-depth course on tree lore and Irish mythology.

Woodland Bard May Camping Retreat 17th -19th May 2024 in East Sussex, England.

May is a special time to communion deeply with nature and learn her wisdom. Explore the profound stories and ancient lore of our native trees and plants as well as learning woodland skills with experienced instructors in a gentle and supportive environment.

Only £195 for the weekend including sumptuous food, good company and camping.

Learn to light a fire, forage for food and medicine and explore the incredible wealth of stories that connect us to our own special patch of land.

A Focus on Dandelion

Common Name: Dandelion Latin : Taraxacum officinale  Family: Asteraceae (compositae)  
History and/or use: Roast the roots as a beverage and use the leaves for salad. Effective blood purifier. 
Wildlife Value: Key nectar source. 

The classic folk tale of the dandelion is of the Leprechaun who hides their gold under the plant. The question therefore is what is the gold in the soil? Where do the dandelion roots stretch down to? Dandelion provides one of the early main sources of nectar for our winged delights, its golden flowers attract the nectar seeking insect people. John Muir describes our insects as beautiful winged people waltzing together in pure play and hilarious enjoyment.

The gold under the plant is the very essence of life, the soil, minerals and the insects and fungi from which all life stems from. No matter how hard our lives may seem the dandelion implores us to find the gold in the earth and treasure it more than ever!

'Here's the dandelion rhyme: see my leaves with tooth-like edges, blow my clocks to tell the time,
see me flaunting by the hedges, in the meadow, in the lane, pull me up- I grow again.
Asking neither leave nor pardon, sillies, what are you about with your spades and hoes of iron?
You can never drive me out- me, the dauntless dandelion!'

Cicely Mary Barker 1925

If you have any medical conditions please check with a medical herbalist first before taking any plant and only harvest it if you are 100% sure what it is! 

The word dandelion is a corruption of the French ‘dent de lion’ which means ‘lions tooth’ referring to the shape of the leaf. Dandelion is yet another common plant which is underrated. In medieval times it was grown as a vegetable and cooked like spinach or it was added to salads. It is rich in vitamins A and C and is a superior diuretic as it replaces the potassium lost in the process.

​The leaves are also a strong equivalent to frusemide and can be used for hypertension when dried.
The root can also be used as a vegetable sautéed in vegetable oil and is a powerful liver tonic and coffee substitute. Use the root dried or fresh.

To make coffee dig up fresh roots, wash and dry them, then bake in the oven for about ten minutes on a low heat. Provided they are not burnt they taste delicious, just add hot water and according to preference some fresh milk.
If you wish to prepare the root over an open fire chop it up small and flash fry it with no oil.

Nature Notes for April- a time of leaves unfurling.

Left to right- Wood anemone- Wood violet- Moschatel also known as Town hall clock.

April is a time when the woodlands come alive as exquisite bright green new leaves unfurl such as the silky, soft beech leaves hanging from frayed pointed brown buds to clusters of hawthorn and maple leaves springing upward and hazel and cherry leaves hanging downward. Beech leaves are perfect for early salads with a delicate lemony zest flavour and the hawthorn and hazel have a more bitter taste which provides valuable medicine to keep one healthy. Tree blossom continues with the white and pink cherry flowers following on from the blackthorn and willow. The richness of colour both above and below at this time of year cheers the landscape even on a dreary day.

Striking white wood anemones are feeding the first bumble bees which are awakening from a winter slumber to get drunk on nature’s nectar. Beetles, woodlice, centipedes, millipedes and ladybirds are active in the undergrowth above which are patches of purple wood violets and clusters of moschatel which has flowers arrayed in the unique form of a town hall clock. In more open areas the golden blaze of primroses and cowslips are joined by the incredible flowers of dandelions.

Look to the sky, gaze out into the landscape and reach down to the earth to put all the problems of the world into perspective and even if just for this moment be free from an artificial human world and be unburdened by trivia.

‘…a free moment appears brand new and spacious where I may live beyond the reach of desire.'

Patrick Kavanagh

Creating time for Peace

Sitting, gazing, gardening, walking, sharing company, meditating, being in a local group, reading a book, all lead to the wonder of the joy of living.

We all need to unplug and enable our minds to be free in order to pursue that which matters. This has been recognised since human history began whether it be through ancient tribal rights or dedicated nuns and monks of many traditions.

More and more I have noticed at events and retreats people are still available to the outside world, they have invested their time and money to attend a special event or retreat maybe sometimes travelling to far-off places and yet still they feel they have to be available. You cannot pursue your inner world without unplugging from devices, every time a notification comes through you experience a ‘micro-stress’ - the accumulation of which can push your stress levels up and affect your ability to find inner peace.

‘If we become addicted to the external, our interiority will haunt us. We will become hungry with a hunger no image, person or deed can still.’

John O’Donohue

When we remove ourselves from stimulus there is often an empty feeling, an aloneness, a moment we desperately wish to fill; it is only here that we can begin our inner journey for only here is that place of true connection. This place has been significantly ignored since the invention of portable devices and potentially will create a chasm of despair if not attended to.

The anchorite, the nun, the monk, the shaman and the poet traditionally enter this place and attend to it over a lifetime. We can simply turn off any devices and be, even if only for a few hours and receive immeasurable benefits. Although a retreat in a far-off wild place may help it can also be another external distraction, a need to look elsewhere rather than within.

Since training on the Walkers Between Worlds Shamanic Programme with Caitlín Matthews and other teachers (please see below for this opportunity), I have deepened my connection to both my locality and my ancestral lands. And although my desire for pilgrimage to my ancestral lands is strong I also know the need is where I am living now and that is what empowers me:

‘The great missionaries went into exile as into martyrdom*, giving up all that they loved most dearly…’

Robin Flower

*known as white martyrdom.

A contented, constant meditation in a room or even a space within a room is all that is needed and in fact it is only here that we can address the needs of our time, that need to maintain the spirit of our individual and community space and heal our sacred land. This addresses the environmental, community and soul needs of our life and helps to address the issues of the world.

If you would like to begin the profound training on the Walkers Between Worlds Shamanic Programme with Caitlín Matthews and other teachers, I am helping to run the foundation course with Tish Marrable at the Sustainability Centre in Hampshire, South of England on 2-3 November 2024 and 15-16 February 2025. Take both weekends to qualify for further training.

For further details please email Tish at : ravenswoodshamanics@gmail.com

Our next article will explore the ancient lore of the Sidhe through the mysteries of hawthorn with meditation and teaching recordings.

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