Come meet a women of triple aspect,

I follow a stream deep into woodland,

To its source, to a spring.

By some magic I squeeze into the hole

And move into the dark waters.

Deeper I go and warmer it gets

Until its power soaks through me,

Washing my wounds,

Gently soothing them

And then covering them over.

I follow light out into the world

And chant the chant of Healing.

Come meet a woman of triple aspect.

I follow an old worn path across a field

And before me stands a mound.

Through its doorway I enter to meet ghosts!

Ancestors, memories come forth,

Flow through me and weave you wise words.

And this they do,

A creative spirit flashes across my mind

Like sparks whne striking a flint.

A web of words spring from my tongue

With threads of joy and sorrow.

I follow light out into the world

And chant the chant of Inspiration.

Come meet a woman of triple aspect.

I follow sounds of industry and thick black smoke

Rising from the mouth of a cave.

I enter its darkness and searing heat

Holding an ugly black stone.

I reach forward into a boiling vat of fire

Suffering the burning that writhes up my arm.

I retrieve my hand but the stone has gone

Leaving a shining sword with perfect blade

And perfect balance.

I follow light out into the world

And chant the chant of Transformation.

I meet Brigid of triple aspect

And I chant

Healing, inspiration, transformation.

Healing, inspiration, transformation.

Healing, inspiration, transformation.

This is the nature of her flame.

Hail Brigid!

Cold is being replaced by a warm breeze that indicates that spring is about to come. You can feel how the land is ready to receive the new seed and see signs of life that begins to appear on each corner at the Earth Sanctuary. Here we plant the "seeds" of our hopes and dreams for the coming summer months.

Adam’s thought’s: Coming to Spain I have a different experience of Imbolc time, it’s a bit like spring and temperatures even resemble summer just without the humidity. But the one thing that I do miss is seeing snowdrops. These little white flowers epitomise, for me, the Imbolc season, they can be seen growing up through snow and their drooping heads seem to whisper to the sleeping earth to wake up from winter. They truly are a little springtime in the last stretch of winter and so they have a special place in my heart.

Cunning devices to beat wild boar

If you go down the woods today you might spot a wild boar or... down in the Garden of the Goddess!

We had some juicy vegetables and fruit growing which the boar happened to find and take for themselves. After all the hard work on the garden, it feels devastating to find it all ploughed up.

Years ago the boar would be hidden deep in the forest but the hunters come along and pushed them out, which means you could find one virtually on your doorstep. The Earth Sanctuary is a safehaven for these creatures where they aren’t hunted which is why they are so brave and use our back garden as a restaurant.

Ok...we LOVE nature and its denizens but we still need to keep our hard work safe, and our lettuces! LOL !

So we set about digging and weaving to make the fences but we still lack a bloomin’ gate. Hopefully in the future we’ll get that gate up to show you AND keep the boar out!

From the masses of humanity,

From their souless masks,

I seek sanctuary

Intent upon the needs of my soul

And my humanity.

Somehow by a miracle of sacred truth,

Despite all delusions

Imposed by such soulless masks,

My soul touched a thread,

A thread of fate

That guided me to a truth never expected.

In the world of masks

The thread exists but is heavily obscured.

In this outward world of masks

The threads vital vision is threatened by destruction.

So I seek necessary sanctuary

And I look at the inward world,

Beyond the masks

And forces of destruction.

Here I find a mirror,

Polished and pure,

That reflects my mask

And the soul-filled eyes shining back.

Here I recognise the first glimmer of sanctuary

As I look deep beyond the mask

Into the truth of my soul

Through all distractions of the mask world.

The masks tell me I’m wrong,

They try hard to deny my truth

For they do not recognise their own

But I trust in truth and follow my thread.

Because of this I now see an outward sanctuary

Hidden from masks,

Where my thread weaves

In trust and truth

Among the threads of others.

I know it is well said that

No outward sanctuary is recognised

When the inward sanctuary is neglected.

-Adam-

Trevor

When we work in the garden Trevor is always nearby. Trevor is an Erithacus rubecula, more commonly known as a robin. You would think he’s just a bird searching for bugs and bits but the way that he observes our work makes us think he is up to something more than that... It’s the way he scans us! The way he flies from branch to branch, watching us from different angles that makes us a bit nervous. He looks so clever, so determined, like he’s making notes of our every move. He makes us suspect that Goddess Nature has sent a guard to keep everything in order and balance.

The Earth Sanctuary has a lot of beautiful places and “micro-sanctuaries”. One of those places we call the Garden of the Goddess, and it is there precisely where Trevor makes its appearance each time. Trevor likes us and we like him and that’s why he gets closer and more trustful each day that passes. We made a deal with a bird as eco-warriors that we will care about nature’s balance and harmony and that we will do good for the land that it is his and our home too.

Maybe he’s just a bird and maybe he’s just searching for bugs and bits but for us his care and observation opens our eyes to a spirituality that is friendly with Nature, and gives us the possibility and hope to celebrate the simple and beautiful moments that can still be found living on this planet Earth.

The Lothlórien-Nemeton Seed Group was created in 2006 as part of the OBOD Seed Groups programme. One of the main duties of our seed group´s core team is to protect and maintain the 108 acres of woodland where we work and live respectfully without interfering with nature and its wild ways of healing itself.

Where contemporary society constricts and erodes the human soul and nature´s soul, Lothlórien gives us the right space to recover and heal in the safety of sanctuary.

The word "nemeton" means "woodland sanctuary" or "sacred grove". This invokes in us a vision where nature is given freedom and respect and in return, nature allows the human beings that are its guardians and visitors to manifest their inner spiritual truth(s).

The Lothlórien-Nemeton Seed Group, then, stands for this inner star that we call the Self, so that it may shine in the dark, and act as a spiritual beacon in the otherwise self-destructive reality that we call "civilization". As Guardians, we work hard to preserve a sacred inner Forest that is as vital for human life than it is for nature itself. Thomas The Apocryph wrote : "The Kingdom is in you and also around you". Thus, taking care of the Kingdom, within and without, is our most important and freely elected task.

This is not an utopia. It is an inner vision come true.

(Imbolc 2007)