The spark

“She’s been waiting… She’s been waiting so long.. She’s been waiting for her children to remember to return. She’s been waiting… She’s been waiting so long… She’s been waiting for her children to remember to return… Blessed are and blessed be the children of the Lady… She’s been waiting for her children to remember to return.”
Our voices echoed through the chamber as if dancing off the stones that held the mound together. It was a beautiful sunny day in Ireland, and the breeze was perfect outside. Our friends, Oak and Heather, took us to a place called Loughcrew which is 500 years older than Knowth where we had been just hours earlier. Knowth was amazing place with a central mound and several satellite huts surrounding it. It was built mainly as a ceremonial space but used over the years by the Celts, Vikings and Normans. I had felt something ancient in the space at Knowth but with the tour you can only be there for a certain amount of time before you have to head back on the bus.
However, Loughcrew was different in the fact that there was no tour guide or bus waiting for you to return. You could come and go as you please… We journeyed up the hill towards the mound with a basket of fresh baked scones, sheepskins to sit upon and laughter resounding from our six person group. I must pause to boast about Heathers baking skills... She makes the absolute BEST scones I have had the privelege of munching upon. They are soft on the inside and crisp on the outside, with a little smidge of butter and lemon curd.... *salivate*
OK back to the story... Once we were on the hill we sat in front of the hags chair or wishing chair. We laid out our picnic of crisps and scones, talked and laughed and awaited our time within the chamber of Loughcrew. It is amazing how time can seem to stand still in one moment and rush ahead in other moments.. For a top of that hill an eternity in time passed as we sat and spoke of life and journeys. The day was bright with promise and the wind had a song lilting through my ears. We waited outside the chamber for a group to come out and I felt a little chilly. I pulled the sheep skin over my shoulders and Heather remarked, "You look like the Buffalo Woman..." Then Oak began drumming and sang the Buffalo Woman - Goddess - song... Wow...
After we entered the chamber, I lit St. Brigids flame inside the right apex of the cruciform shape. It was where Heather had said the Goddess lived. For on the ceiling above were images and swirls - and if you placed your hands on the sides of the small space it felt like a birthing chamber. Perfect enough to squat down in and strong enough to hold you in place.
I then lit a twin flame to pass to our friends who had blessed us so much along our journey. There were three women and three men... Grandfather, Mother, Warrior - Grandmother,  Father, Maiden... All of us inside awaiting what would happen next. Oak begun the chanting inside the chamber as we said - "Mother Earth we honor your body, we honor your bones, we sing to your stones." My entire being vibrated with the drumming and my voice lifted up out of the chamber and into the heavens. We sang and drummed for what seemed like an eternity, in reality only ten minutes had passed. One thing I must admit about our experience is I did not cry... I was emotional with love and honor. But tears did not well up in my eyes. Instead a peace came over my spirit and my heart overflowed with love. I could feel the vibration emanating from us all, sharing space, sharing spirit with each other.
What transpired for me was something out of a film or dream. It was as if I was reading a Celtic spirituality book and thinking, WOW I would love to be able to do that!!  But I was... I was in the midst of ceremony in a chamber that is older than I could possibly imagine.
After our time inside we walked across the way to a smaller tomb that had not been excavated. Heather taught me the chant of summoning the Goddesses... She told us how when she used to protest in the UK they would chain themselves to gates and sing this song. Ushering in the power of the Goddess upon the site that housed nuclear warheads. "Morgan, Morrigan, Macha, Maeve, Cerridwen, Brigid, Ayn..." Repeated over and over with a slightly different refrain. I placed the sheep skin at her feet and sat looking up at her. Watching her mouth move so I could match my tempo with hers. Oak followed by teaching us a song about flying with the Eagles and dancing around...
I layed down on the sheep skin which somehow kept my body warm and looked up through the grass towards Oak and Heather. The sky was blue, their hippie heads were in the right space for my vision and I felt like I was in a dream... Drumming, chanting, amazing people and energy... Our other two companions - Gabriel and Anna - were singing along and sharing in our amazing journey. We ended the session with a small laughter workshop. It was, "very good, very good, YAY!!!"
The last two days we have spent in Ireland have summed up our journey. We came searching for a spiritual connection, a spark to reignite the passion we once had for the land and out surroundings... What we have found lies deep beneath the beating heart and into the core of my being... My soul once more seems to yearn and yawn, stretching outward to touch the source and back in again to spring forth the flowing waters.
Last night we walked through the land with each other... We sat around the fire together... We drank from the same cup and shared in the dimming light of the setting sun. I do not know how to go away from this place. My feet are heavy... As Heather said on our previous stay here at Slane Farm, "Once the road opens up it will be easier... Each step further down will become more comfortable."
I am not sure if these words are true. In my heart they seem more like a wishful thought than a reality. But I know that I will carry these two amazing beings, the new songs in my heart and the land that is home back to the states hidden within my heart.
Slan go foil Ireland... Slan abhaile Heather and Oak... "For we know not when we will all meet again..."