I’ve come to realise that it’s so much harder to spiritually connect to nature in town or village and even semi-rural than it is if you live rural and all you have to do is open the door and step outside. I think having lived rural for a few years I found I had lost the ability to connect well in more suburban surroundings. In the past I would go to the nearby parks (big parks), or down by the river or up to the lough (lake). But here in pretty Blarney village where I live in Ireland, which is also on the commuter belt for the city, I admit I’m having problems. We have no garden only a courtyard. We do have some lovely trees around the perimeter (in the gardens of neighbours), willows, hawthorn, and beech. Foxgloves and other wildflowers grow on the bank at the side of the house.
It’s admittedly a short walk to the river. It’s another short walk to the castle gardens (we have a passes to get in), but in the summer months they are often awash with tourists. As a result, I’ve begun to appreciate the problems some people have connecting with nature. I’ve been lucky before with living in suburbia in that there was always somewhere quieter to connect in. We do have a lovely view of the hills from our windows upstairs. I have sat in there contemplating only to see neighbours peering at me through their own windows thinking I’m a bit touched (par for the course when you’re a witch though).
I really do realise now that when I was living in the forest and by the lake and woods, and on the Burren, I was truly blessed. My psychic awareness was sharper, I found in hedge riding an altered state of consciousness was easier to achieve.
I found lately I haven’t hedge ridden so much. And after failing last night to connect well, I finally admitted that I need to do something more proactive about my general spiritual connection. I should rise above the difficulties, after all their are people who live in cities and have no regular access to any countryside, garden space, or park. I need to try harder. Walk more. Find suitable spots I can keep returning to. The other thing is now I’ve got older I seem to have turned into a wimp. I used to go out in all weathers, wellies on, thick waterproof coat and so forth, or hat, scarf and gloves; and nothing, snow, rain, gales or hail would prevent me. Now I’m a bit like one of our cats and when I open the door and see yet another Storm Imogen (or whatever the latest storm is named) then I dither and close the door again. And lately it’s been wall to wall storms with El Niño or El Ninja or whatever it’s called, wanting to annihilate Ireland, which is apparently in its path!
So it’s time to stop making excuses and stop living in the past with wishful thinking and remember that it’s now much easier to get to the doctors surgery and hospitals (handy when you get older and all hell breaks loose), and make the best of what I have, as it could be much worse and then what will the excuse be?
Since writing this post I realise now that living in Blarney Village for several years was a great place to be. It was a hop skip and a jump to the coast and to the beautiful and wild West Cork. Off the beaten track and away from the tourist areas in Blarney Castle gardens was a fabulous place to be, even in winter. There was so much to see and discover. From Blarney we moved more rural and then again onto the beautiful Cooley Peninsula, a truly wonderful place. To the side of our house we had the Cooley Mountains and an uninterrupted view of blue Carlingford Lough and the Mourne Mountains stretching opposite us. Unfortunately, we were only there for a year before work took us to the UK. The benefits are living closer to children and grandchildren and that is important. Ireland though is the most magical place to live. We do miss it for many reasons. However, we still have much to explore and magic to find in our local semi-rural position close to the River Severn and the Malvern Hills, and, nearby, the quaint and pretty Cotswolds. We often go on the short drive to Wiltshire to visit daughter and granddaughters and visit the stone circles there at Stonehenge and Avebury. Even magical Cornwall is only three hours away and Wales not much over an hour and the Wye valley half an hour or so. Overall, we feel lucky to live and have lived in such beautiful places including four different countries during the past 20 years or so. There are always those magical connections and favourite new mystical places to discover, no matter where you live.
Snowcapped Mournes 
Rainbow over Carlingford Lough 
Blue Carlingford Lough 
View from the Malvern Hills
