A Growing Spiritually

Compact Rush - Juncus conglomeratus Harvested Rushes. On a rainy Tuesday, I decided to renew our Brigid's cross . Traditionally, in Ireland, this is done on the first of February. Here in Sweden, the season is a little less advanced and the snows have not long gone. Above you can see the rush growing next to a small stream and the harvested rushes ready to be brought home and weaved. This particular form of woven reed cross is Irish in origin. It is called a St Brigid's cross after a 5th-century nun, but its origins almost certainly predate Christianity. That three armed crosses are also known alludes to its ancient roots. The crosses are created  by folding reeds in half and weaving them at right angles to the previous one. Traditionally they are made in  as spring returns and are associated with purification and protection, prosperity and blessings.  In pagan Ireland, the great Goddess Brigid, a member of the Tuatha-de-Da...

The Kombucha fermenting is going exceptionally well with the last batch being very fizzy and tasty. We are expanding how much we are making and trying some different varieties. Boiling ten liters of water to make the latest batch of Kombucha. The scoby was split into two pieces and each will grow again to become a new whole. We will bottle some and do a double fermentation, this time with some fresh ginger. This time we are making five liters of green tea and five liters of black Two new batches ready to ferment.  We found some cheap five-liter glass dispenser jars that are ideal for the kombucha and more effective than the bowl style jar we were using before. The taps will reduce any chance of cross-contamination and are much better suited than using a ladle to get kombucha out of the jar as we have done previously.

Apple (Malus pumila) Source; pexels.com Apple trees drilled neatly in lines on a sunny hillside full of pinkish white blooms are a pleasing sight in the countryside. The apple tree has lived alongside us and shared our lives for as long as there have been people to cultivate them.  We are, for obvious reasons, naturally drawn to fruit trees  i.e: the need for food.  We have planted, cared for, pruned and harvested them wherever we have settled. Unfortunately, in more recent times we have genetically modified them, and what a great loss this has been to natural diversity.  The domesticated apple tree and its wild cousin that we refer to as "crab" apple are small to medium-sized trees. They produce the well-known fruit after the attractive five-petaled flowers have been pollinated.  There is a characteristic of the apple tree which has led to a wide diversity of farming methods. This is the trees ability to be "grafted", which revolutio...

I am an addict. I've been so most of my life. From a young age up to the present day, there is a tendency in me to abuse my senses in every possible way. From sugar and food to drugs, alcohol and destructive emotions, I've struggled with addiction as long as I can remember. I think most people are addicted to something, in one way or another, whether it be to the more obvious and destructive things that we associate with addiction; alcohol and drugs, sex, gambling, and violence, to the more subtle addictions like behavior patterns or over-eating. source; pixabay.com My addictive tendency has come from a feeling of pain and emptiness. There has been, in my life, a need to fill up the emotional void inside of me where there should have been feelings of love, connectedness, and higher purpose. Yet, at least those of us who have gone through conventional education and shaping by popular culture, we are taught the very opposite principles. We are taught that we don't r...

  The garden of Gaura Nitai is growing well, the seeds are sprouting en masse. We planted some cress seeds behind the main stone seat and in the front corners of the altar, they sprouted within a day or two.  Some of the willows look like they will not grow whilst others look like they are taking root. If they do not grow then I will plant some climbing plants to grow over the trellis to create a similar effect. T his beautiful Hyacintha was a gift from friends on a delightful and unexpected visit, sweet fragrance now grace's Gaura's garden!         The kombucha was tasty and refreshing. I separated and bottled the gallon that we made last week. Two of the jars got pieces of grapefruit to flavour the kombucha and help add some extra fizz.  I also started a second batch of Kombucha using some of the old and the same recipe as previously. Next time I plan to try out black tea.    ...

 Mandalas - Finding Centre  Greetings! I love art that is shifting. Art that is for a brief moment in time and then gone. I have always been captivated by artists that comb out pictures on a sandy beach only for the breaking waves to wash it away hours later, by street artists on their knees chalking out some beautiful picture with dusty hands on city pavements. I'm captivated by the painstakingly intricate sand mandalas of Buddhist monks, or by the beautifully sweet Kolams made by the housewives   of southern India. All of these things inspired me to make my own humble mandalas and nature offerings. Celebrating the whole...

On this blog, we explore Vedic culture and ancient wisdom from around the world. Together we will find ways to cultivate some peace and wholeness in a hectic modern life.  There will be weekly uploads with new exciting content. Please comment, follow and share to join the journey. 

Yew (Taxus Baccata)  "The Blessed Lord said: There is a banyan tree which has its roots upward and its branches down and whose leaves are the Vedic hymns. One who knows this tree is the knower of the Vedas ." ( Bhagavad Gita, 15:1) Yews have held a fascination for me since a very young age. The very aura around this tree conjures the imagination and feelings of awe. Something of the infinite seems to reach out and touch you when standing under the boughs of a venerable and aged yew. It is this tree that sparked my lifelong love of trees.