“On the path to whatsoever place one would travel, that place one’s own self becomes.” A.E.

The Welcome of the Door
In old cottages throughout the west and south of Ireland, the earthen floor just inside the threshold was known as ‘the welcome of the door.’ Upon entering, a visitor would stand there and say, ‘A blessing on this house.’ The entrance, an in-between place, marked a sacred space, neither here nor there. A place where the power of the OtherWorld could flow into your world.

Céad Mille Fáilte – One Hundred Thousand Welcomes. Please come in, make yourself at home. Let’s chat.


A TASTE OF OLD-ISH IRELAND . . .
Once upon a time, Ireland—like most places on the planet—was guilty of treating the female of the species as a second-class citizen. During the ‘Swinging Sixties,’ when women from London to San Francisco were busy liberating themselves from lower wages and confining bras, the average woman in the west of Ireland just wanted to get running water inside the house.

A popular image survives in folk memory of rural women in their headscarves gathered around the parish pump, exchanging gossip until it was time for their husbands to come in to have their tea (dinner) placed on the table. Insofar as this cliché had any basis in truth, the women supposedly loitering at the pump were there because of their husbands. From the moment there was the remotest chance of getting water piped straight into their homes, the vast majority of Irish housewives were ready, willing and eager to do away with their regular treks to the pump to fill back-breaking containers.

It was a daily toil. The ones standing in the way of such progress were the women's husbands. All through the 1950s and 1960s, the members of the Irish Farmers' Association vigorously opposed the direct supply of household water, fearful that it would increase the rateable valuation of their properties, thereby increasing taxes.

In 1961, the Irish Countrywomen's Association organised a Turn on the Tap exhibition at Dublin's Mansion House (Lord Mayor’s house) to support their case that the parish pump had had its day. Their husbands stood their ground. It was a struggle that would go on another two decades and more.

Where I live, in the beautiful remote countryside of the west, indoor water taps were not made available (i.e., accepted) until the late 1970s. Before that, women and children visited the local pump, usually once a day, and carried home as much water as they could. If your family needed more water than you could carry, too bad.

Today, if you visit rural Ireland, look for the water pumps in the countryside. They are dry reminders of the sweat and toil that women had to endure for a mere cup of water, in a landscape dominated by a desert of male oppression.

TRAVEL TIP:
Up until the 1970s, there were no self-serve grocery stores. Housewives had to shop daily in their local grocery store, giving their written orders or ‘messages’ to the person behind the counter. Today, groceries are still called ‘messages.’ Most items were sold loose, no bedevilment of plastic packaging, and the housewife put her purchases in a woven basket she’d brought with her from home.

Today, grocery stores continue to discourage plastic packaging. That’s why, if you visit Ireland and stop at a grocery store, you will be expected to bring your own reuseable bag. Alternatively, you can purchase a reusable bag for about one or two Euro. You’ll also be ‘bagging’ your own groceries.

For this reason, you may wish to pack a reusable bag to bring with you on your travels. Or buy one here, and reuse it for your shopping when you get back home. 

 

 A PILGRIMAGE

Are you feeling a burning need to travel but not sure if it’s safe yet? Welcome to my world.

Tomorrow promises to be sunny and warm so I’m going on a personal pilgrimage. That means I will journey somewhere (probably nearby), and make that journey a prayer to the Earth. Here in Ireland there are lots of possibilities for a one-day pilgrimage: curative springs, dark caves, sacred stone circles . . . For hundreds of years, long before Christianity, people made pilgrimages to holy wells and mountain tops where they left offerings and sought assistance for various challenges. 

In many of these places you can actually feel an in-dwelling spirit, or maybe it’s the collective energy of all the people who’ve visited the place before you.

 A pilgrimage is more than just a trip. It’s a soul journey that changes you in some way, gives you a new insight, and maybe the gift of elevating your mood. Going to a new place can also help you find a part of yourself you have lost somewhere along the way.

Recently, I read an article that said in order to slow down time, you should do something different, take a different route, make a different choice, as often as possible. I’m making a suggestion to myself, and anyone who cares to read this. Whether you travel to a distant land or to the park at the end of your block, try going to a different place within yourself while you’re there. Journey ‘through the Earth’ and ‘with the Earth,’ and really listen to what it has to say.

The Magical Holly Tree

Back at the summer solstice, you may not have noticed it, but the King of the Oaks did battle with the Holly King, and lost. But don’t despair. On the Winter Solstice they’ll do battle again, and this time the Oak King will regain his rule. This, according to Irish legend, is why the seasons change.

The holly tree is a native evergreen that stands out at this time of year among leafless hedges and woods, growing from tumbling stone walls, flashing bright, shiny, red berries, and waxy dark green leaves. Those ‘berries’ are actually called ‘droops’ and contain multiple seeds. Only the female holly trees produce the red fruits. The waxy leaves hold water which helps them stay green throughout winter. And each leaf stays on the tree from between five and eight years. Though not a big tree, it’s rugged enough to withstand winter frosts and summer droughts.

Ancient Brehon laws protected trees according to their particular value and utility. The holly tree, extremely valuable, was considered one of only five ‘Nobles of the Wood.’ It was believed to protect against lightning strikes, bring good luck, and enhance dreams.

It was used specifically in the shafts of chariots, but apart from its value to people, it’s great for birds and wildlife, and the tightly packed boughs give shelter to song birds.

In Ireland, it has always been considered a cheerful tree, joyfully flourishing even on harsh, barren land, and when the natural world has gone quiet in winter. To the ancient druids it was esteemed as a symbol of continued life and hope in the heart of winter.

The druids also chose holy for protection from bad spirits and esteemed it as a symbol for continued life and hope in the heart of winter.

So while we’re waiting for the Oak King to prevail and bring summer once more, it’s a good idea to appreciate the hope and mysteries hidden in the red and green Holly Tree.

Swan Totems

photo by Fiona Claire

The term Druid comes from the words ‘oak’ and ‘door’—with the symbol of the door being central in Druidic teaching. Like other shamanic paths, the symbolic door offers a way to enter into a different reality. Which is why I chose the main image for this website.

Shamanic teachings in cultures around the globe usually involve totems. A totem is an animal, bird or insect with whom you develop a special bond, sensing them in your consciousness via meditation, dreams, and physical encounters.

Perhaps because I live near a large body of water, the totem animals I encounter are often water fowl—swans, ducks, geese—and less often, otters, foxes and hares.

In Druidry, animals, including birds and insects, can be allies, guides and teachers. They enter our awareness to help us discover a path to personal growth. That’s why, when I encounter one of these creatures in my walks through the countryside, I’m always delighted. It’s an occasion for pause, reflection, and gratitude. Usually, I receive a meaningful message from these encounters.

Lately, I’ve encountered a lot of swans, either on my walks by the lake or flying in formation. In Ireland, the swans are mute, but their powerful wings vibrate with a whooping sound that can be heard for miles. Swans are totems of love and beauty, and they are particularly auspicious symbols for writers. Bards, the story-tellers of Celtic tribes, wore ceremonial cloaks made of swan’s skin and feathers. Perhaps most importantly, swans represent an inner call from the soul.

photo by Steve Chilton

Last week, as I sat outside compiling a list of agents to query with my novel (which follows a legend that inspired Swan Lake), a flock of ten swans flew past my house toward the lake. I jumped up and waved at them, like an idiot, sending them silent well-wishes.

It never ceases to amaze me, the gifts natures chooses to give!

Daughters of the Night Sky

Daughters of the Night Sky is Aimie Runyan's fourth novel. It's a tale of wartime valor about a group of Russian female pilots (and one in particular) who fought the Nazis during WWII. Here, Aimie tells us about the birth of this facsinating story.

F: When/How did you find out about these pilots? What inspired you to write about them?

A: I found these women by happy accident. I was hunting to shift away from the 17th century as my focus of research, and a lot of my critique partners and colleagues knew I was on the quest for the Next Big Idea as I finished up edits on my second book, Duty to the Crown. There was an article circulating on Facebook commemorating these women (I believe the last of them may have passed away, which sparked the post.) I had multiple friends send it to me with notes saying “this is what you do! Write this book!!!” and so I filed it away until it was time to start up the next project. When I was discussing the options with my agent, it was the idea that really stuck with us.

F: Did you travel to do research? If so, where did you go? If not, how did you research this story?

A: I got to go to Seattle to the Flying Heritage Collection to see an actual Polikarpov PO-2 which is the plane the women flew in combat. These machines were built in the late 20s and made from wood and linen. Open cockpit. Just about as sophisticated a machine as your average lawnmower. But they were flying at hundreds of meters up in the air in sub-zero temperatures. I wouldn’t trust my lawnmower with that job. It was fabulous to see the plane in person and to get a sense of its history. Sadly, it wasn’t flying that day, so I found a local pilot who owns a WWII era open cockpit biplane—somewhat fancier than the Polikarpov, but not much—and paid for a joyride. It was one of the highlights of my research career. Apart from that, my research was very traditional. Lots of library texts, Youtube videos, Google Maps, and beating my head against a wall. I DID have the chance to spend some time in Alaska several years ago, and used that as the basis for my descriptions of the Russian countryside. I’ve been told by people in the know, that it was a very good analogy.

F: I love the cover image. Did you have any part in choosing that?

A: A bit. Because the cover is pieced together from bits of various photographs, I got to weigh in on the model herself, the uniform, the planes, the background, the fonts, etc. We tweaked her hair, changed the position of the planes, and things of that sort. It was fantastic to feel like I was part of the process, though the cover designer and the good folks at Lake Union are far better at design than I am! I think the end result is spectacular, if I do say so myself.

F: What’s a typical day like for you? Is it easy or a challenge to make time for writing?

A: I am the mother of two small children, so I’m not sure if any day really qualifies as “typical”. Right now I get to write for about 6 hours Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, with a little smattering of time on Tuesdays. That includes drafting new projects, editing, and promotion. I’d love to have 8-9 hours 5 days a week to write, but what I have is pretty great. Next school year I’ll get Tuesdays and Fridays back, though I’ll get probably more like 5.5 hours a day, but the consecutive writing days will be wonderful for momentum. The secret is to be focused on what I’m doing when I’m working on it. It’s easy to waste a lot of time wishing I was writing when I’m doing the dishes or worrying about the kids when I’m writing, but if I am present where i am, all those things get more attention in the long run.

F: Are you working on another project now? If so, can you tell us a bit about it?

A: Yes! I am finishing up the first draft of another historical, GIRLS ON THE LINE. It has to do with the women who were telephone operators in France during the first world war, and it has been such a joy to write. I can’t wait for you all to meet Ruby!!!

If you'd like to know more about Aimie, check out her website, here: http://www.aimiekrunyan.com/