Magic to Heal the World – from Cerne to Cern – Philip Carr-Gomm

‘Root and branch shall change places
And the newness of the thing shall seem a miracle.
The healing maiden will return, her footsteps bursting into flame.
She will weep tears of compassion for the people of the land,
Dry up polluted rivers with her breath,
Carry the city in her right hand, the forest in her left
And nourish the creatures of the deep.
With her blessing Man will become like God waking as if from a dream.’

from Merlin: The Prophetic Vision and The Mystic Life
by R. J. Stewart

In the online course many of you have joined – Lessons in Magic – I give examples of how simple acts of ‘magic’ have changed people’s lives dramatically for the better. You may well have an experience from your own life that demonstrates this rationalist-mindset-defying possibility. In the course we then dive into how we can work with this – to improve our own lives but also to effect positive change in the world.

More at the link below!

Source: Magic to Heal the World – from Cerne to Cern – Philip Carr-Gomm

Stonehenge: DNA reveals origin of builders – BBC News

The ancestors of the people who built Stonehenge travelled west across the Mediterranean before reaching Britain, a study has shown.Researchers in London compared DNA extracted from Neolithic human remains found in Britain with that of people alive at the same time in Europe.The Neolithic inhabitants appear to have travelled from Anatolia (modern Turkey) to Iberia before winding their way north.They reached Britain in about 4,000BC. Details have been published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.

See link for more information

Source: Stonehenge: DNA reveals origin of builders – BBC News

 

The migration to Britain was just one part of a general, massive expansion of people out of Anatolia in 6,000BC that introduced farming to Europe.

Before that, Europe was populated by small, travelling groups which hunted animals and gathered wild plants and shellfish.

One group of early farmers followed the river Danube up into Central Europe, but another group travelled west across the Mediterranean.

DNA reveals that Neolithic Britons were largely descended from groups who took the Mediterranean route, either hugging the coast or hopping from island-to-island on boats.

 

Whitehawk Woman

Podcasts

Lately I’ve been on a Podshow listening kick, and I wanted to share some of my favorites. They run a gamut between writing, Irish, Icelandic, and History.

podcast

Many of these podcasts have member-only content that you can obtain by becoming a patron. Definitely worth it! Support your podcasts! Also, leaving reviews REALLY help them.

What are you favorites? Let me know! I’m always willing to listen to more!

These are in alphabetical order, since I can’t choose favorites!

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The Allusionist – A lovely podcast about the love of the oddities of language

Bitesize Irish Gaelic – Interested in the Irish language? Bitesize is a fantastic resource, and their podcast gives glimmers behind learning the language and the culture

Blúiríní Béaloidis Folklore Podcast – Delve into the folklore of the Irish

Celtic Myth Podshow – dramatizations of the Celtic myths, including Irish, Welsh, and news from the pagan world. Gary and Ruth are a delightful pair!

Celtic Tomes – also by Gary and Ruth of Celtic Myth Podshow, Gary reads traditional texts about Celtic myths

Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History – not for the faint of heart. Dan goes on historical rants and delves deep into the gritty parts of history

Druidcast – all things Druid, hosted by the talented and fantastic Damh the Bard!  Check out episode 131 for me reading a segment from Misfortune of Vision!

Endless Knot – how random things are connected

Irish Fireside – Traveling to Ireland, either in real life or vicariously? Corey and Liam are a wonderful resource, full of fantastic information.

Irish History Podcast – Specializing in the Famine years, Finn Dwyer gives intense glimpses into Ireland’s past.

Literature and History – rather self-explanatory

Radiolab – the standard.

Radiolab: More Perfect – a breakdown of major Supreme Court decisions

Rex Factor – Grading each of the British Monarchs on scales including battliness, scandal, and legacy.

Ridiculous History – for the bizarre bits in history

Saga Thing – Grading each of the Icelandic sagas

Sawbones – the history of all we’ve done wrong in medicine throughout history. Hilarious!

Sidedoor – The Smithsonian’s Podcast

Story Archaeology – A fantastic and intriguing duo of women who analyze the Irish myths, their relation to culture and language, and their relation to other myths

Stuff to Blow Your Mind – General science stuff.

Stuff You Should Know – General but interesting. They ramble a bit more than most, but it’s fun. The SYSK network has a bevy of other interesting podcasts to delve into

The History of English Podcast – An incredibly detailed podcast about the origins of the English language, which definitely appeals to my inner etymologist! 3 years in and we’re not even into the 13th century yet!

The Once and Future Podcast – Interesting writing podcast with interviews with authors, actors, and other folks in the biz.

There’s no Such Thing as a Fish – created by the folks that research the British game show QI, full of fun trivia.

Viking Age Podcast – While his halting delivery is distracting at first, this has a lot of great information.

Words for Granted – the origins of words.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Past Storm and Fire

Past Storm and Fire

Amazon buy link – available in both print and ebook!

Release date April 15th, 2019

Escape can embolden your soul – or destroy it. 

Val Masterson created Vigdis in order to escape the drudgery of her life. Instead, Vigdis starts living it.

Val and Karl’s house is destroyed by a hurricane and her husband reveals he can’t have children. These catalysts inspire her to write a historical romance novel set in Iceland, rife with sorcery, sexy Vikings, a big family, and a volcano. Val’s dreams reveal historical details she can’t possibly know, details which prove to be factual, which both frightens and intrigues her.

Her obsession with writing puts a strain on her already troubled marriage, but she’s terrified of being on her own. In her novel, Val becomes Vigdis. She evades two amorous brothers and their sorcerous, drunken father. The brothers fight a duel, forcing her to make a very public choice between them. Their father refuses to bide by her choice and tries to use black magic to enchant her. A volcanic eruption throws their entire world into ash and fire.
The line between past and present grow blurred as Vigdis lives everything Val dreams of – true love, children, and family. An attractive Icelandic professor of history helps Val investigate the history behind her visions, but her husband draws the line – give up her writing or he’ll leave. Val must decide whether to resurrect the shambles of her marriage or take her chance in Iceland to discover if her dreams truly do come from the past.

Can she find vicarious solace and satisfaction in her fictional creation? Or will the escape take over and subsume her?

 

 

#OTD in 1873 – Birth of Blasket Island storyteller, Peig Sayers, in Dunquin, Co Kerry. – Stair na hÉireann/History of Ireland

IRISH HISTORY, CULTURE, HERITAGE, LANGUAGE, MYTHOLOGY

 

Born Máiréad Sayers in the townland of Vicarstown, Dunquinn, Co Kerry, the youngest child of the family. She was called Peig after her mother, Margaret “Peig” Brosnan, from Castleisland. Her father Tomás Sayers was a renowned storyteller who passed on many of his tales to Peig. At age 12, she was taken out of school and went to work as a servant for the Curran family in the nearby town of Dingle, where she said she was well treated. She spent two years there before returning home due to illness

More below:

Source: #OTD in 1873 – Birth of Blasket Island storyteller, Peig Sayers, in Dunquin, Co Kerry. – Stair na hÉireann/History of Ireland