Past, Present and Future

May grabbed me by the tail and swung me up high into the branches, then pulled me through the great green-ness and fragrant wildness of the flowers, jiggled me about a bit and tossed me into June where I landed in a field of bluebells. I have bobbed up - not gasping for air exactly - but a little goggle-eyed and breathless.

Here are a few pictures from Beltane - I know that's over a month ago but this year there was even more celebration than usual so I thought I'd share before the whirlwind that is this year takes me so far away from them they have no relevance at all.  First there was the rooted beauty that is the crowning of the May Queen and maypole dancing in Lustleigh.

The usual blissful walk home up the  hill, sniffing the air as we go and occasionally stopping simply to wallow in how delicious it all is at this time of year.

Then some friends and I concocted the first ever Jack In The Green procession to be held in Chagford. It was mostly the magical child of Andy Letcher and Nomi McCloud and it was fun and potent. Those that were there agreed that there was an authenticity to this, a raw wildness that overtook the participants and created something much more than spectacle; something ancient came along with us.

Jack in the Green is the moving shrub above, his companion is the Obby Oss.  They danced the length and breadth of the village, gathering in the magic of the moment and a merry band of followers as they processed to the sound of pipes and drum.  We stopped in all four of the local pubs to charge our glasses and then the dance danced on, ending with  Jack being stripped of his leaves in the central square to release the spirit of summer. Hopefully we'll do it again next year and it will take on a life of it's own and be done ever more.

The Jack needed much more work than we were able to put into him, he was a triumph of hope and last minute exertion.  Time will improve him.  

May rushed on; I saw beautiful butterflies mating in the garden, I saw a fresh born fawn in the woods (this is her mother - seeing me see her) and our bees swarmed.

Woven in among all this life, the upthrust of spring and the great inexorable turning of the wheel of the year, there has been a part of my life that has come shudderingly to a halt.  I am a woman of 'a certain age', I've been expecting the flames of the fires that sometimes burn inside me to die down, I thought I knew what was headed my way, but was unprepared for the sudden onslaught of aches and pains and emotional ups and downs that seem to be associated with menopause and they piled in on me this spring.  I love change, but I prefer it to be for the better.  So I did that thing that wise women do - I complained to a friend.  I am very fortunate in my friends, this one is the Homeopath - Sandra Joyce.  I encourage you to make homeopathy your friend too if you are 'suffering' from menopause. I would like to talk more about this in a future blog but for now I will recommend you a book.  If you are heading towards that time (that wonderful un-tamed time), or even in the midst of it, then I heartily recommend 'Passage to Power' by Lesley Kenton.  It's 20 years old but has aged very gracefully and is still totally relevant.