Springtime
Anois teacht an Earraigh
Beidh an lá dúl chun shíneadh,
Is tar eis na féile Bríde
ardóigh mé mo sheol
Many older Irish people first learned those lines by the poet O Raifteiri in the primary school and find themselves reciting them every year on St. Brigid’s Day. Translated the words read: Now that Spring has arrived and the days are lengthening, after the feast of Brigid, I will raise my sail again and set out.
A few spring flowers have already appeared and birds are beginning to sing. It is a time of hope and expectation for all.
What are your hopes for this spring?
A New Year
As we stand at the beginning of 2012, we are probably full of our memories of 2011, both the sunshine and the shadow times.
Traditionally the new year is seen as a time of hope and new beginnings. It is a privilege to be alive and at the start of something completely new. Life is such an unfolding mystery if we only take the time to stand and stare.
It is a good time to ask ourselves, What is my dream for 2012? What new beginnings would I like to make?
Always believe that you can be the realization of your own dream.
With all best wishes for 2012 from Glendalough.
December
Glendalough in December is a silent and still place, but still hauntingly beautiful. It almost appears to be reflecting upon itself. As this year draws to a close perhaps it is a good time for us to remember and reflect on its passing and ask ourselves What were my dreams for this year at its beginning, and how did they work out? What will be my lasting memories?
At the winter solstice on the 21st of the month, the wheel of life will begin to turn again towards the light and we will enjoy the feast of Christmas with its celebration of the birth of new life.
May you enjoy a peaceful and joyous Christmas season.
NOVEMBER
A recent overseas visitor said that he has returned a number of times to Ireland to experience the sacred space he finds here. Because we live on a small island on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean we are regarded as occupying a threshold to infinite space. Glendalough is a liminal place within a national park.
As we begin the month of November, we are entering threshold time – the darkest days of the year. It is a time when the spirit world seems very near and we remember and honour our dead. The old Celtic monastic tradition gave special attention to the resting place of the dead within the monastic enclosure. Sadly, parts of that cemetery are now badly neglected, whilst the national park as a whole is very well cared for. A question we could ask ourselves is “are there parts of my life and memories that I neglect or allow to become obscured with briars?
The pictures this month capture some beautiful scenes from the environment that surrounds us in Wicklow Mountains National Park at this time of the year.