BLAST Artist Residency Coolard National School

"Imbas of imbolc"

Imbas is a celtic word for imagination or great knowledge.

This was the theme to bring together the folklore stories of St Batts well , the cures, work with my own art practice and cyanotypes printmaking.

The well is also a  celtic symbol for "Imbas".

The residency was a journey through the imagination using the artists work , the reimagining of my work , guided meditation, sound healing and the senses,  local stories and printmaking. 

The children learned alot about St .Batts well, cyanotype printmaking and how to use their creativity in new ways.

We did one field trip to St Batts well, to meditate, work with sound healing tuning forks and do site specific art.

The finished piece is a mural that will be displayed I'm the school hall.

Blast Artist Residency, Castlgregory National School, Co.Kerry

The mural that Ms. Emma Tarrant, 21 students and I created as part of a Blast Artist Residency, recently featured in the Kerrys Eye newspaper.

The residency was child led and the children choose to focus on stories of local legends and local folklore.

Castlegregory and the Maharees are very popular areas for fishing, and the children wanted to look at fishermen and ocean life.

We looked to the online folklore resource Duchas for inspiration for local stories. It was difficult to find stories from the Castlegregory area.

The story we choose as a subject for the mural , was about a snake that lived in the bottom of a lake in Gougain Barra in Co.Cork. In the folklore story the local people would give the snake all their precious treasures for safe keeping at the bottom of a lake.

Ms Tarrant had a fantastic idea of creating a bottle cap mural that supported creative climate change action.

Ms. Tarrant suggested we paint the mural first, then cover it in bottlecaps that were collected from Lee Strand and from the children’s home.We then glued on the bottle caps with a glue gun.

Thank you to Ms Tarrant and the students for coming up with a resourceful and unique way to bring awareness to climate change through recyclable Art.

Lá Fheile Bríde

February 1st is the first day of Spring and it’s St Bridget's day.  It’s the first unfurling of Spring, the light is welcomed back as the days get longer.

 Bridget appears in my Visionary card deck and shows herself as the fierce keeper of fire with elements of Kali Ma to her. 

Like Kali Ma she holds great love for you and will champion your imbas and gifts with fierce conviction.

Imbas is a gift from the poets of ancient Ireland, and the word means great knowledge.

It relates to art, spoken word, leadership, earth stewardship and witchcraft. I hosted Visionary Card Readings at Hidden hearth festival in October while a sacred fire was held for Brigid outside.

Over the weekend she showed up in nearly everybody's reading, the spirit of imbas was so alive  Bridget speaks to me not as the maiden but as the great mother. She’s the badass witch, great mother and great teacher of herbs, imbas and magic.

Her archetype was alive in the ones in the ditches teaching hedge schools, today she's alive in the ones who stir the cauldrons of wisdom and poetry. Here is an extract from my channeled writing of Goddess Brigid.

I am Goddess Brigid. 

I am soul fire.

I am an inspiration. 

I am the triple goddess of solar light. 

My great knowledge is the arts, poetry, healing and crafts.

I am here to remind you that your cauldron of inspiration is always overflowing. 

The vibration from your bountiful gifts will uplift the world around you into a state of inspiration.

 You’re being encouraged to find out what your unique gifts are. 

Fertility Well in Muckross, Killarney Co.Kerry

The Celts call these gifts Imbas.Brigid teaches you that your Imbas will open you up to knowledge from the world around you and that of the Divine. 

It is said that when you heal your connection to your Imbas you heal the soul of the world. 

Spend some time stirring the inspiration of your Imbas. How do you light up the world? What lights you up?

You can start right now by reciting Bridgets poem. 

It will help you stir the cauldron of your imbas so you can receive the inspiration and your personal great knowledge. 

Get a pen and paper while you’re reciting .

My favourite story of Brigid

She approached the King of Leinster requesting the land on which to build her monastery. The place she selected in Kildare was ideal. It was near a lake where water was available, in a forest where there was firewood and near a fertile plain on which to grow crops. The King refused her request. Brigid was not put off by his refusal. Rather, she and her sisters prayed that the King’s heart would soften. She made her request again but this time she asked, “Give me as much land as my cloak will cover.”

Seeing her small cloak, he laughed and then granted this request. However, Brigid had instructed her four helpers each to take a corner of the cloak and walk in opposite directions – north, south, east and west. As they did this the cloak began to grow and spread across many acres. She now had sufficient land on which to build her monastery. The King and his entire household were dismayed and amazed. They realised that this woman was truly blessed by God. The King became a patron of Brigid’s monastery, assisting her with money, food and gifts. Later he converted to Christianity. It was on this land in Kildare that she built her dual monastery c.470.

Story taken from https://brigidine.org.au/about-us/our-patroness/legend-of-st-brigids-cloak/

Biddys Days Festival in Killorglin Co.Kerry

Biddy’s Day is a fusion of ancient Irish pagan traditions and early Christian teachings. Bríd was one part of a trio of Goddesses, the others being Anú and Gobnait. Bríd is known as the ‘exalted one of learning, poetry and fertility’. During Imbolg, she fertilised the land and, in the tradition of the Biddy, she brings good luck to all households she visits. This luck includes fertility for livestock and bees.

The tower that falls before the LionHeart roars

Happy Full Moon in Leo. 

The full moon is in leo which means something needs to be let go of in the areas of pride, passion, courage, creativity and impulse. 

The full moon is calling you to the path of the lion heart and its a chance to sweep out the back chambers of the heart of rage, anger and frustration. 

The heart wants bliss, but instead you cage it in, squeeze it tight and try to protect it from intruders and the unknown

The heart gets confined in its own cage, you choose safety for it. You experience a milimeter of bliss and close it again

On this full moon the heart wants to be moved beyond its current experience.

The Full moon will help you topple the tower that's keeping you stuck. 

A tower moment is a period of upheaval and destruction.

 If you dont feel in alignment with how you want to live a period of destruction will happen and a tower will fall.

The tower could be a connection to an old way of being or story where you don't receive enough from life. 

Once the tower has fallen the Lionheart will enter.

The Lion invites you to expand your heart beyond your current parameters. 

Now you have the power to build a new heart and a new castle.

 But the Lion is  courageous  and encourages you to blow the fresh air of spring into your heart spaces. He knows that an open heart is what lights up the darkness. 

Its time to find bliss wherever you go and find it in every moment. 

Bliss is a concentration practice, you’ve to focus on creating it. There is nothing stopping you from absorbing the beauty of a bunch of flowers in a vase.  

Your lionheart opens when you look at a beautiful piece of art. The opening will help you to understand that your love is stronger than any hits, any marks , any bullets to the heart. 

You bring power and love together in an infusion and make a new flower essence.

This morning the monk of bliss told me the fruits of this full moon in leo are the words Minnie Ripertons Les Fleur

‘’For all of these simple things and much more, a flower was born

It blooms to spread love and joy, faith and hope to people forlorn

Inside every man lives the seed of a flower

If he looks within he finds beauty and power

Ring all the bells, sing and tell the people everywhere that the flower has come

Light up the sky with your prayers of gladness and rejoice for the darkness is gone

Throw off your fears, let your heart beat freely at the sign that a new time is born’’

Bliss is a concentration practice, you have to focus on creating it. 

The opening is going to the next level with your work and knowing that your love is stronger then any hits, any marks , any bullets to the heart.

The flower of creative power 

The flower relates to the power of creativity. The field of bliss activates when you bring in your creative power. Its your ability to sit on your golden throne and claim peace. 

 You're tuned into the spiritual power of colors,they hold divine light and Leo’s royal power. 

Your creative power creates a forcfield of spiritual colours around you. 

The colours start to hold alchemical power and you can scry them and the mysteries reveal themselves.

Your heart has unlimited scope to express itself and its not bound to the laws of man. The seeds of creative power can now be planted. 

You cant allow the harmony of your creative process to be interrupted. 

Claim your creative space now. 

Nothing can take your power , nothing can take your heart. 

A powerful heart is one that dares to go into the corners of the heart, find the dormant pieces and light it up. 

The flower of beauty

There is no real battlefield or fight to be won; the entire battle is the one that goes on in our minds. 

We stand on the battlefield of life facing all the different parts of ourselves that prevent us from realising our true nature.

This full moon in leo asks you to face the different parts of yourself that prevent your true nature. 

Your true nature is beauty and art and the flower power realm of the divine child. The flower of beauty within is the lotus in the muddy waters,

Your own mind can suppress the true nature of the artist and the witch within. This full moon asks you to face the different parts of yourself that prevent you from blooming.

At this moment in time allow your eyes to rest on beauty.

Its like a new collage is being made of an old world and the beginning of a new one.

 Your beauty within needs alot more expression through the throat chakra, it holds your spiritual pride and your creative expression. Its a cobalt blue and its asking you to stay true to the beauty of what you love to do.

The pink light that comes down is sending blessings of metta and beauty out into the world.

The Lion heart asks you to stop hiding your true nature and your creative power for fear it will be stolen or swiped from you.

Your spirit closes down as you begin to stunt your own being in favour of the flourishing of others. The way forward is not through suffering and putting others needs before your own.  This creates a repetitive loop where you get stuck in a reality where your needs dont get met.

A lion heart will let out a roar and claim his creative power and his world. 

There are times in life that require you to put your stake in the ground and claim your space.

This is one of those times.

The birth of the Visionary Cards

These 22 characters presented themselves when the whole world was collectively preparing for a new chapter and a new way of being in their lives. It was during the 2020 lockdowns they came to assist anyone going through an awakening journey. Seemingly answering to those seeking purpose, and a deeper understanding of the innate gifts they came to earth with.

The cards are a powerful tool that can show you how to shape your gifts and talents, just like an artist crafting a masterpiece. It's all about embracing the opportunity to become the masterpiece you already are. Working with these cards allows you to hold more cosmic light and love in your heart, which accelerates transformation.

Each Master shares their wisdom with you, gathered over many centuries and throughout various societies. Some characters witnessed the rise and fall of empires, while other Masters originate from galaxies beyond. They teach spiritual authority and how to become the sovereign ruler of yourself and your life, bringing with them a sense of royalty and magic.
For example, the Kingfisher will remind you that "Real kingdoms are built with the heart at the center," and what it means to be a royal of the "New Age." Masters speak of concepts such as how to take pride in your work, and what it takes to be devoted to create your life of bliss.

All are disciplined in their practices, but do not scold. They provide tools and examples that assist you with your self-mastery. After all, a new way of being and showing up for yourself and the world brings the need for 'new' life skills. With this deck you will learn the skills to live the golden potential you innately own.
When you begin working with these Divine Masters, you'll notice they assist you at various levels in your life. The cards can support your life's work, your spiritual or artistic practices, and how you are living and creating. For example, to assist with your inner growth and expansion, helping you recognize what is awakening within, your potential and possibilities, and sometimes in balancing or clearing the past, all with a focus on becoming an authority in your own life.

Working with them will reveal knowledge of where you are on that path of birthing.

Or, to speak with the words of Lorenzo the Medici: “Once again, it is the dawning of a new age. This is a great time to be alive.”

Art + Mindfulness Workshop St Brigids Secondary School

Fiona Archibald Art Teacher and Miriam Malone 6th year head teacher of St Brigids Secondary School Killarney, invited me to create an Art and Mindfulness workshop with 6th year students.

I was delighted to be invited back to the school after completing a BLAST residency in November 2023 with Ms. Archibald’s students.

The workshop was held as a support to teenager in stress management, peer pressure and self confidence.

Goal of workshop

The goal of the workshop was for exam students to engage in a series of self reflective art and meditation tools that they can use in school and at home. The workshop taught teens the importance of creating space to reflect on their lives through Art and Meditation.

They can incorporate the art and meditation practices into their daily lives and build a sronger feelings of self confidence in who they are.

Having a healthy relationship to their own emotions will improve relationships with family, peers and the larger school faculty.

What practices did the students engage with?

Meditation Practice 1 :Body Scan

 Meditation helps to calm down the monkey mind through helping it to focus on one simple practice that's being presented to you.

The body scan goes through the whole body down to the feet and brings a sense of peace and takes the focus away from a busy mind. A body scan brings focus and awareness to different parts of the body.

It helps the mind to focus and it releases any feelings of distraction or dissociation from your environment.

This practice begins the process of training the monkey mind.

The monkey mind is a term used to describe an over active mind.

The monkey jumping from branch to branch is an analogy used to describe how you are always jumping from one thought to the next. 

The students stood in small groups and were led through a 15 minute body scan where I lead them to focus on different parts of the body beginning with the top of the head. 

For example 

‘’Bring your awareness to the top of the head, rest your attention here for a moment…. Now bring your awareness to your left eyebrow, rest…. Now your right eyebrow… Now bring your awareness to the tip of the left ear. ‘’

Meditation practice 2

This Mindfulness Art practice connects the subconscious and conscious mind through a simple art technique. 

The subconscious mind holds information, feelings and facts that may have been otherwise been unaware of since they are not part of your conscious mind.

A student may have difficulty speaking about certain worries or stresses but Art is the tool that helps them to release feelings in the subconscious mind. 

Through art you give voice to these parts and it can help the students release tension, anxiety and stress from the mind and body.

Healing music was played during the art practice to help students stay in the meditative state.

Meditation Practice 3

Metta or a loving kindness practice is a practice used to improve relationships and friendships. This is a really valuable tool for teenagers as they navigate social pressures and self esteem issues. Metta gives you the opportunity to work with one prayer You can cultivate this intention to open the heart to your own wellbeing by silently offeringyourself some phrases of metta. In your head, slowly offer yourself the phrases:

“May I be happy.”

“May I be healthy.”

“May I be safe.”

“May I be at ease.”

The students then went on to offer the prayer to someone they were annoyed with, someone they barely know such as a shopkeeper or neighbour, the last person they offered the prayer to is someone they are having difficulty with. This metta practice has a profound impact on how you see yourself, how you see others and how you deal with arguments.

Meditation practice 4

It's valuable for students to reflect how their emotions and worries are released during the workshop. 

A closing ceremony helped them to close the door on what they explored in the workshop so they could continue on with their day. 

We closed the workshop by asking each student to take part in a water and ink ceremony.

Water as an element represents the emotions so we will ask each students release big emotions through this closing ceremony. 

The water ceremony taught them how to fully let go of anything they'd been holding on to. 

We use use coloured inks as part of this water ceremony.

Each student will take an ink bottle and drop coloured ink into a six different bowls

They each dropped the coloured ink into the bowl and privately state to themselves what they were releasing.

Sacred Sites Co.Kerry

High Energy Sites were built on ley lines and energy grids chosen by our ancestors, these sites were energy sources that were considered to be holy. Ley lines have been compared to the acupuncture meridians of the human body.  Our ancestors knew the paths of the ley lines and knew how to amplify the already abundant energy.

St Ita’s Grave, Listellick, Tralee, Co.Kerry

St. Ita was called the St.Bridgid of Munster. She was born in 475 and died in 570. St. Ita was also a keeper of sacred knowledge. She was born at Decies in Co. Waterford. Ita refused to be married and after securing her fathers permission she choose to live a monastic life. After moving to Kileedy in Co.Limerick, she founded a community of Women dedicated to God. She also founded a school of boys, one of her students was St.Brendan.

Scotias Grave, Foley's Glen, Tralee Co.Kerry

Queen Scotia’s was reputedly the daughter of an Egyptian pharaoh, a contemporary of Moses, who married the Gethdor and became the founders of the Scots and the Gaels after being exiled from Egypt. Another myth says there was another Scota who was the daughter of an Egyptian pharaoh named Cingis, a name found only in Irish legend. She married Nuil so of Fenius Farsaid a babylonian who traveled to Sagthia after the collopse of the towers of babel. Nuil was a scholar of languages and was invited by the pharaoh of egypt and given Scotas hand in marriage. They had a son Geidel Glas, the eponoymous ancestor of the gaels, who created the Gaelic languages by combining the best features of the 72 languages then in existence.

 Im offering 2 hour journeys to Queen Scotia with me.
The journey to Queen Scotia is designed to help you hear the divine feminine messages Queen Scotia and Nature has for you.
We'll interpret these messages through my oracle card deck, through accessing the magic realms and by listening to the plants, trees and wind.
The land and Queen Scotia are very much alive and ready to support you on your priestess path.
You can join me with a small group of friends for magic, ritual and purpose
Click the green button for more information

Get your affairs in order with the Kingfisher King

I  stand before you as a powerful druid of ancient Ireland, and I protect Mother Nature.

I practice white magic that uses the energy of nature to achieve purposes.

I walk along ancient labyrinths and seek counsel from mighty waterfalls.

I open the gates and fairy doors for you to the Otherworld that lie across the Irish landscape.

The veils are always thin, and the heavens are always guiding me

Come sit with me in the center of the five elements.

Enjoy sitting in the divine garden, watching the birds fly by.

Earth, WIND, FIRE, WATER, AIR, ETHER.

I am here to show you how to build riches in all areas of your life.

Nature is a paradise of pleasure where you can start receiving generously.

Real kingdoms are built with the heart at the center.

Living in unity with one another can become the pillars of long-lasting rulership.

Let us align with the stars of destiny.

The Kingfisher king appears in my Visionary deck as a druid of ancient Ireland.

In arthurian legend he is the Fisher King, a man who is given the task of taking care of the Holy Grail.

The holy grail is a mythical cup that christ drank from at the last supper and it holds the blood of christ after crucifiction

There are a few variations of the story and in nearly all of them Fisher King has a wound in his groin which can be seen as a physical or spiritual wound.

The Fisher King's kingdom is a wasteland and nothing can grow because of his impotence.

The wound has rendered the Fisher King impotent and he can't lead his men into battle.

The only way for his wound to be healed is if he gives his predecessors( young knights) the holy grail.

Through my work the Kingfisher King wants you to revitalise your kingdom and heal your wound through sharing your holy grail, which is your piece of christ consciouness energy.

Christ consciouness energy is the awareness of the higher self and divine love as part of a universal system.

Your holy grail may come in the form of your wisdom, your creativity or your leadership skills.

The Kingfisher King ,what a noble title! You’re are lucky to have a double king and a kingfisher at your service.

This colourful bird heralds a time of abundance, prosperity and peace. Its time to harvest the results of your labor of 2023 and begin attracting good fortune.

Kings are careful with their words and use their time wisely. A real king leads with kindness and and holds the torch of christ consciousness. He's a beacon of light in his community and rules with fairness and nobility.

They know the importance of building your skills and that true wealth is received through healthy relationships.

The King Fisher King and the New Moon in Capricorn.

It’s a new moon in Capricorn on Thursday 11th of January and the Kingfisher king guides you to use your manifestation energy wisely.

It’s time plant new seeds, but also cast an eye over over where you may be preventing the abundance and peace of the kingfisher from coming in.

This new moon holds the master frequency, and it’s an opportunity to master thy self through meditation or through learning a new skill or trade.

Use this winter window as a chance to burrow the seeds and trust they will start to rise as new life when the Spring Equinox arrives on March 21st.

You dont need to know the whole vision of 2024 just yet as we are still in the dreaming/ resting part of the year.

Saturn is the authority figure governing Capricorn and he’ll scan areas of your life where you’re procrastinating, where you’ve left doors open to the past or where you’re leaking energy.

Both Saturn and the king encourage you to mentally sharpen up, and face towards abundance and the flourishing of your kingdom.

The KingFisher King has a few questions for you to consider.

The Kingfisher king urges you to have your affairs in order and write down your answers in a journal and make the necessary adjustments during the new moon window.Where is your kingdom barren? What long-term gains are you after?

What is the heart of your kingdom? Based on your answers, make investments in areas like training, study programs, savings, great friendships, or relationships.

He also reminds you of the medicine of Mother Nature and that she grounds and balances your energy and helps you with stability.

The Kingfisher knows the alchemical power of working with the moon cycles and nature, he wishes you great fortune on the upcoming New Moon in Capricorn.

If you’d like to join my online meditation class or book a Visionary Reading click the green link below.

x

Tricia

Teenagers at Hummingbird Studio

Teens at Hummingbird Studio

I work with teens 1:1 or in groups of max four in Hummingbird Studio. In my classes with teens I spend 20/ 30 minutes of the class teaching meditation and 60 minutes learning visual art, printmaking and working on sketchbooks. Meditation is a really valuable practice for teens to build confidence and release social inhibitions.

Life can be difficult for teens and Art gives them the opportunity to gain confidence in themselves and express themselves in their own way. Art gives them the opportunity to make sense of themselves, emotions and their place in the world. I use alot of printmaking techniques such as linoprinting, resin and cynotype , the process's involved are really suitable to teens.We also learn art history and do sketchbook work and study the colour wheel, and working with different textiles and matierials.

The meditation practices I used are based on loving kindness, self love and releasing stress and worry from the mind. I use visualisation and breathing techniques that teens can use at home and at school.

Children at Hummingbird Studio

Hummingbird Studio was founded in December 2022

The Hummingbird is a symbol of joy and lightness of being and thats what the studio is all about.

Through my training in Art, Meditation, Tusla and Hse trainings, I decided to open my own Art studio in December 2022.

I've created a structured and fun environment to help children relax, learn new art skills and meditation tools that they can use to help grow self confidence and creative expression in a way that builds societal and educational norms.

I run Kids Art and Meditation courses that integrate well being strategies in a fun learning environment. I use a range of meditation tools in my courses.

I explore a curriculim of visual art, printmaking, mindfulness art in nature, meditation.

My arts practice and methodologies has led me to be very adaptable and I have shaped art and meditation programs to suit a variety of communities. The curriculum is altered to suit the needs and skill set of different ages groups.

I've created new meditation games and new methodologies of working with emotions that bring a new imagination to that add value to communities and childrens personal lives.

I'm passionate about creative climate change action through using recyclable materials and using natural materials from the landscape.

Why are classes small groups with a maximum of 8 children per class.

My class's cater to children who love to chat and are unique and who may not be fond of big groups. So if your child is shy or likes extra attention with their art and meditation skills this class is perfect.

Exploring emotions in Hummingbird Studio

When I'm working with children we always carve out parts of the class and camps to reflect and talk about our emotions. I use creative methods as a way to teach children about positive emotions and encourage the exploration of a wide spectrum of emotions.

Values of Hummingbird Studio

As a teacher I value listening, loving kindness and support kids in building their technical creative and meditation skills.

We have alot of fun while learning and on the days that its bright and dry we go to Collis Sandes woods and do our meditation practice there.

I run after school classes and camps on school breaks and summer holidays.

If you’d like to join a class or camp click the green button

Follow the moon to a life of beauty and freedom.

The moon represents the feminine,and she heals you as she waxes and wanes throughout the year, I see her as the goddess in the sky.

The lunar aspect of your life is lost until you start to track the moons,the part you lose is your connection to your intuition.

You also lose your pyschic power and emotional depth.

When you recover your soulfulness and your connection to the beauty of your own feelings, life begins to change.

As you follow the moons, abundance starts to play a bigger part in your life.

A life aligned with the moon is a life of inspiration, growth and celebration.

The moon as your teacher and healer

As your guide, she will shine her moon light onto the parts of you that desire more freedom and beauty.

Meditating with the moons is a chance to pause and ceremonialize who you are, what you embody, your achievements, and rejoice in what makes you feel alive.

The transformation that needs to happen may simply mean you are ready to release something so it can take on a different shape.

Like finishing a project, moving from a love relationship to a more committed stage like an engagement. When you release the old shape,then the alchemy can occur.

As the new and full moons pass, you'll intuitively know when to plant seeds or when you need to let go.

Periods of feeling stuck, uninspired, or creatively blocked become less frequent.

The moon as a source of feminine power.

Feminine power is your ability to shine forth your true self and allow it to be seen.

It’s different to your masculine power which directs, takes charge and moves forward. Feminine power is inwardly cultivated through meditation, reflection and learning from past experiences.

As you grow with the moons, she starts to remove the false masks and layers of protection that keep you hidden from a real connection with yourself.

First she'll teach you about self love, healthy boundaries and nourishment.

Then you’ll find out how to cleanse your emotional body and release stuck emotions such as sadness, rage or hurt.

You’ll be freed from mental loops that keep you trapped in past stories and memories.

As your power grows you’ll sense spaciousness in your thoughts and you'll recognise you've more time in your day.

The rushed ‘‘I’m behind schedule’’ feeling starts to leave your body and the natural rhythm of life takes over.

She starts to enchant you and your heart will be drawn towards wisdom and transformation.

The time you used to be spend doom scrolling is now spent in silence, listening and practicing ritual.

How does the moon free you from limitations?

Over time the masks and layers start to fall away and the wisdom keeper, magician and true self starts to step forward.

Your true self starts to reveal itself, you'll have a desire to share your souls gifts and skills more. This gives birth to the magician within and you'll have more confidence in living a life thats true to you.

A life of magic is one where you use all your gifts and skills to there optimum level.

You no longer feel the need to direct life but instead allow it to shape itself.

Now the wild feminine power of life can move through you.

If you’re interested in learning how to work with the moon cycles in my Meditation class that begins Tuesday January 9th at Hummingbird Studio, click the green button below.

x

Tricia

Sunrise Winter Solstice walk to the Paps of Anu

The steep climb to the top of the Paps of Anu began on Saturday 23rd of December at 6.45am and the intention was to get to the top of the mountain for 8.30am for sunrise. There was no sun when we got to the top but there was plenty craic

For 7,000 years people climbed the Pap mountains on the Winter Solstice to celebrate the Goddess Danu.
The goddess of fertility and mother to the Tuatha De Danann who were a magical race of gods. They held divine knowledge and were masters of their craft.
On the Winter Solstice people would celebrate with craic, ceoil, sports and blessings for farming and Danu.
I can't imagine the energy the mountain is holding after 7,000 years of celebrations and good intentions.

At the foot of the Pap Mountains is ‘’The city’’ which is where the Tuatha De Danann live and worship the Goddess Danu.

Winter Solstice Sunrise walk to the Paps of Anu

Strengthen your path of healing and success.

Every morning I pick a card from my Visionary card deck to work with and I paint the card in a small sketchbook.

When I start painting,the messages from a divine master begin to flow.

Receiving the messages from paint has been a welcome change over Christmas, and it’s steered me away from only using my mind to receive information.

After years of meditation practice, I know that the mind can be a bit of a trickste,r and it likes to keep you safe by repeating the same old stories.

The mind will tell you what you want to hear, but paint and tapping into your pyschic senses will tell you what you need to know.

This morning,I shuffled my deck, and I asked to work with a divine master that was for the highest benefit of me and the highest benefit of all.

Lumarai the mother snake, popped out, and I got my inks and brushes and just listened.

Who is Lumarai the Mother Snake?

I am Lumarai the Mother snake and I want to tell you an aborginal creation story.

I lay asleep in the center of the earth for a very long time. 

I awoke from the void and followed my creation instinct. 

As I slithered across the Earth I woke the elemental, mineral and plant kingdoms.

I whispered to the animal kingdom it was time to wake up. 

I let them know a new dawn has arrived

I dipped my nose in the flat plains of the desert and made mountains and valleys.

I brought colour and life to where there was once darkness

I sprinkled my yellow ochre dust along songlines. (Do all people know what you talk about) 

I healed the land with my ancient songs

I nurtured the waters with reverberations from my hiss. 

I brought heart and love to places that had forgotten what it was to love. 

What messages did Lumarai bring through the paint?

Lumarai suggested an opportunity to start something new has arisen

I had the chance to seed a new creation through my art and my words but first she encouraged me to cleanse my emotional body of negative thinking and financial burdens.

She is the snake of transformation and with her help she guides you towards idyllic states of peace, harmony and love and to a place where all your dreams and wishes come true.

How cleansing your emotional body can bring you success.

As you cleanse your emotional body your vision of success and healing gets clearer, and more creative energy and love can pour through.

Your focus can be directed towards maturing the emotional body, for example if you tend to get stuck in a victim mentality or states of restrction focus on transforming the states into higher levels of happiness and creativity.

As you practice shifting emotional states soon that abundance will appear throughout your life.

The emotional body holds your next level of divinity, your waters can become sacred as you purify them.

Its part of your journey on earth to evolve and mature your emotions . You’re meant to raise your consciousness and change as you go through life.

What is the purpose of a water ritual?

A ritual for me is about getting clear on my intention, desired feelings and visions and then asking Mother Earth and the higher realms to support me in its manifestation.

Everything starts as a seed in your own mind and ritual give you a chance to plant the seed and let it grow and bloom in a way that is for the highest benefit of all beings.

This ritual is about cleansing the emotional body so I choose to ask water for its support and I gave the waters on the slieve Mish mountain a gift as a return for her help.

Water is healing, its purifying and even the sounds of water can strengthen your auric fields and energy fields.

Water Ritual on the Slieve Mish Mountain

“Mis is the original wild woman, that archetypal madwoman who lives deep within each of us. She speaks for us all: for the rage which we cannot express, for the grief which eats our heart out, for the voices we have suppressed out of fear.” Sharon Blackie

I choose to go to the Slieve Mis Mountain as Mis is a very powerful mountain with myth attached to her.

Mountains are considered a sacred place for ritual and water is a conduit to the Otherworld.

I felt cleansed after my Water ritual as it was a reminder to keep tuning into the transformational and healing power of water as I move through 2024.

I hope you enjoyed hearing about how I use the transformational power of my Visionary Cards and ritual to heal the emotional body.

If you feel inspired by this blog and wanted to ask any questions or book a Visionary Card Reading please send me a message here.

x

Tricia

x

Tricia

The money goddess + the inner mother

Every time you feel abandoned or rejected grow your capacity to feel love within. 

This pause in love will help grow your compassion for yourself.

As you shift your focus towards the inner wells of worthiness and love the outside will reorder itself.

The inner mother and the money goddess can rebalance your life in a grounded contained calm manner.

As you affirm to yourself ‘‘I AM loved ‘‘ I AM worthy’’ the money goddess and inner mother can hold a stronger presence within you because youre tending to their growth.

You can bring her presence into higher levels in order for new levels of abundance and love to be activated. Its always a choice , feed your darkness or feed your love.

The queen bee/ money goddess is the one creating communities and building the frequency of the goddess everywhere she goes. 

She prompts all the other bees to work on building the mother frequency on the planet again. 

She’s building honeycombs and communities and you have a part in this.

The queen bee has a money flow that is overflowing with the sacred waters of the inner mother because shes always tending to I AM LOVED I AM WORTHY

Heal your money wound

What is a money wound?

A money wound is a relationship that you have with money that leaves you feeling powerless, scattered, fearful and in shock .

The wound is activated when you get unexpected bills, when you don't feel seen in relationships or when the path ahead is unclear.

The money wound isnt dependant on how much money you have in the bank.

You may have a lot of money but still feel powerless, ungrounded and fearful with it. 

The money wound can impact your connection to your desires and cuts you off from feeling nourished by life. 

The money wound can be held physically or somatically in the body from past trauma, generational or ancestral lack. The money wound can be linked to your core relationships or occupation. 

Your money wound can interact with other areas of your life and leaves you feeling depleted

If you feel powerless, ungrounded and scattered its harder for loving energies to connect with you. 

I had been healing my trauma and my connection to my inner mother for years and then I started to heal the money wound with the divine feminine and I tended to the wound by giving my money wound the attention and healing it needed. 

One day earlier this year I was doing belief systems work around money when I heard my inner self say 

''It's pink money''  I asked what pink money was and I started free writing the answer

The Pink money mindset is about seeing money as a Divine feminine energy that wants to connect with you. 

As you empower your relationship to money and the Divine Feminine energy within through loving kindness meditation and grounding. 

Tending regularly to the money wound means the pressure that you feel will  start to release

As the pressure releases you’ll see that that true abundance is received through healthy relationships, art and nature. 

Source energy flows through everything, not just through money. 

As you tend to the money wound a money goddess starts to rise from within. 

As you heal your relationship to money your self respect, self value and reverence for your gifts starts to naturally increase. 

This in turn magnetises new opportunities and resources to you at the center of your life and you know the high value of your gifts.
Its pink money magic.

Learn how to see in the dark

The Winter Solstice is marked as the darkest point on the wheel of the year. It occurs when the earth’s poles reach its maximum tilt away from the Sun.  

The earth is tilted away from the sun on the Winter solstice, it's the time of year to face towards the dark. 

The 21st of December marks the official day of Winter until we rise again on the Spring Equinox in March. 

The time between now and spring gives you the opportunity to study the opposite pole to light.

The dark is not negative or bad it’s simply an unknown.

It holds many gifts and it’s a time to conserve and nourish your body rather than rushing back towards the light.

You can look at it like the Chinese yin/ yang symbol, which teaches you the dual nature of everything. 

It’s my favorite time of year as I journey inwards to find resources, inspiration and wisdom. 

How do you feel in the dark?

I’ve been working with the dark as a teacher for a long time.

 As a student and teacher of the feminine mysteries, I know the mystery won't reveal itself until you step into the unknown.

In Native American teachings the bat is the opposite pole to the Hummingbird.

The light loving Hummingbird is the symbol for my art studio in Tralee Co.Kerry. 

The Hummingbird is a symbol of joy and lightness of being. 

Its opposite the bat, is completely self sufficient in the dark, it uses sound instead of sight.

Bats can use returning echoes to detect objects as fine as a human hair in total darkness. Bat brains map the echoes in a way that lets them home in on insects or avoid obstacles.. 

Do you trust your other senses to guide you?

Studying the dark at a dark cave retreat August 2023

I did not know the bat was the opposite pole to the hummingbird when I booked a dark cave retreat in Italy in August 2023. 

A dark cave retreat is where you spend three days in complete silence and darkness in a room/ cave. 

I entered the dark at sunset on a Sunday and came back out at sunrise on Wednesday.The room was really basic with a bed, sink, prayer mat and it had three stone steps that led up to a bathroom. 

My food was collected from this hole that was built into the door but no light would get through. 

Alot of fear goes through the mind at first because you have no reference points or distractions.

It's quite an overwhelming experience having no reference points, but you can't allow the experience to swallow you up.

I had to command my own sense of inner authority within it. 

The warrior in me took center stage and it showed me you how to manage the intense darkness. 

And with nothing to do,no book to read, no phone or people, the only thing I could was set myself some tasks. 

Even though i’d no concept of time or day or night, a routine started to present itself.

I had to eat, shower, brush my teeth, use the bathroom, meditate and exercise.

These simple tasks can take quite some time as you're trying to sense your way through the room. 

After a few times crawling in the dark you start to get a bit cocky and think you know your way.

But you don't, each time you begin a new journey to drink a glass of water or roll out a yoga mat. 

The main sense I used was touch and I’d feel the different textures and their temperatures as I crawled instead of walked. 

You could sense roughly the times of the day by when you were given food once in the morning and once in the afternoon. 

I would feel the temperture of the walls cooling down which was an indication the day was over.

I also decided to do Dark paintings, on the second day when my system had adjusted.

I made the decision to create a painting everytime I returned from the bathroom. I placed a sketchbook and watercolour pens and a glass of water on the counter to the left of the three stone steps.

The first time I painted x’s, then I painted O’s , then I just made marks. I’d mark the page the corner of the page, so I’d know the next time there was a painting on that page.

Tools I used in the dark 

The worst thing I could do in the dark was panic.

Fear generated by the mind can quickly get out of control and conjure up all the horror stories . Fear serves its purpose too , it shows you what needs to be looked at and then transmuted back into power. 

Instead of allowing the fear to take over, I addressed the fears that I was holding in my body and rewired them through movement and mantra.

I used my tools to keep my mind and nervous system calm and steady. 

I used mantras and affirmations to focus my mind. 

I used non linear movement which is a type of  somatic movement that works with strengthening the nervous system.  

I also used meditation and body scanning.

When I got out of the dark cave retreat at sunrise on the Wednesday morning, the first thing I did was check my dark paintings. Did I paint anything in the dark? Were there any colours, what colours did I use?

Finding different ways to see

Learning how to see in the dark is also an opportunity to build your power and trust in yourself.

You learn how not to give your energy and power away, but instead embrace the darkness and see what it is trying to teach you. 

I’d everything I needed and through my skills I saw that the dark was my ally and it was nothing to fear.

x

Tricia

Dark paintings

Meditation Circle at Hummingbird Studio

My Meditation circle begins in Hummingbird Studio Collis Sandes House, Tralee Co.Kerry in January 2024

Meditation will help you to see yourself clearly, to understand who you are, how others see you, and how you fit into the world around you. 

Each week I respond to the moons, the wheel of the year and certain needs in your local community and wider society. 

This weekly practice opens you to positive emotions and outcomes. 

It also leads people into exploring how to maintain better professional and personal boundaries. When you learn to love yourself over time you learn to respect and cherish your own space and time more. 

There is a possibility of you becoming a zen master of meditation. But ultimately this circle is about cultivating more loving kindness, calm and joy in your life. 

The circle is the culmination of my study of meditation, moon cycle awareness and the wheel of the year. 

I work with a number of simple practices that can be used at work and at home.

You’ll develop a relationship with the self, which is your own being, identity and values 

Guided meditations also help you to develop your connection to your imagination and creativity. 

The tools have been used in art residencies in schools, community support work and outreach services.

Body Scanning and Grounding 

Before we do anything in a circle, first we slow down, ground and focus on the breath. 

Body scanning is a tool used to connect the mind and body and bring you back to the present moment.

You’ll learn how to focus your mind on certain points in the body, the top of the head, the tip of the nose, your left wrist etc.

Metta

I teach metta meditation which are loving kindness meditations. Metta meditation is a concentration practice. 

You direct loving kindness towards yourself,then it extends towards those you love,those you are indifferent about, then those you're having disagreements with.The loving kindness that is directed towards yourself has a ripple effect on everyone around you.

Example of a metta prayer

May I hold myself with compassion, may I treat others with kindness, may I be free of anger and aggression, may I let go of that which causes harm 

Over 6 weeks you’ll learn how to be the compassionate observer of your life rather than the active participant. 

To put it simply, you’ll be slower to engage in arguments or environments that are not good for you when you have a regular meditation practice. 

It’ll help you step back and ask yourself ‘’Is this fight worth it,does this matter in the grand scheme of things’’. 

Maintaining inner peace is a very positive result of a regular meditation practice. 

You’ll also have a stronger awareness of the present moment and the beauty that's contained in the mundane.

Guided Meditations

In class we meditate for 20 minutes at a time and the guided meditation works with the energies that each moon cycle contains. 

Meditating with the moons is all about learning open to the wisdom that each moon cycle brings

I know the power of connecting groups to the moons,and how it helps people navigate life's challenges 

For example on the new moon you plant seeds and on the full moon you let go of excess baggage and old emotions. 

Each moon contains specific information and the guided meditations are developed in a way that heals you.

Extra tools to support you in Meditation circle 

Visionary Card deck

You’ll also gain insights from my Visionary Card deck. I created a deck and wrote a book about 22 divine masters during lockdown 2020. Each divine master leads you to a path of transformation and enlightenment. They can help you with anything from creativity, confidence, personal power and self mastery. 

Each week you’ll gain specific information from them and about the moon phases that we’re in.

x

Tricia

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