A little voice whispered in my ear, in a barely audible voice, ‘magic’

as she stared in wonder through the window. The make believe world

contained in the colourful plastic walls of her dolls house carried

her, wth the greatest of ease, into a magical kingdom where anything

was possible, and everything was magical.  Through the eyes of my two

year old grand daughter I was reminded that so much of our daily lives

are ‘magic’ and so much more is possible when we believe.

When the darkness of sorrow and loss threaten to overwhelm us it’s

easy to think we will never feel joy again, but when we believe that a

tiny spark of hope can bring about change then we allow the alchemy of

magic to happen.  Can we let ‘magic’ in through the door of our lives

with the same unqualified acceptance as a child?

When we go to bed drained from the demands and expectations of life,

and awaken the next morning refreshed ‘ magic occurred, but did we see

it?

When your partner makes a welcome cup of tea, or your child tosses an

unexpected ‘thanks’ your way, or you are flashed a warm smile from a

stranger passing by did you see the ‘magic’?

As you rushed to take children to activities, and forgot the essential

swimming kit; were late for that critical appointment; the cat threw

up for the third time, and you spilled the last of the milk, did you

see the ‘magic’ in your day?

When discomfort and pain are daily companions is there space for magic

in the struggle of living? Do you wonder at the capacity our lives

have to heal and the ways we can be restored to balance without barely

catching our attention?

From the mouths of babes we can be nudged to see our lives through the

lens of simplicity and find the magic in the mundane details of our

lives. Every moment of our days can be refreshed with the vibrancy of

seeing and feeling the magic within, and around us. As Spring slowly

erupts from beneath the hard, frozen ground can we take time to watch

in wonder and see the ‘magic’ show that reflects our lives so vividly?

My eyes have been opened to the kaleidoscope of life’s wonder through

the magic of playing with my grand daughter.  Now that’s magic!

A few words from a guest blogger, the wonderful Fuggo King, of  Woodland Treasures…

Since our Samhain sweatlodge I have been pondering on the seeds I am sowing in this dark, hibernating, quiet time of the year. Now the light is returning I am starting to feel a connection with the seeds that so many friends and acquaintances have sown during the dancing laughing and festivals of the last year. As we all celebrate 2012 in whatever way feels appropriate I would like to share my enthusiasm and love of life. That is what touches me in everyone I meet, what I search for, what I want to help people germinate, nurture, bring to flower, fruition. I am not sure that 2012 feels that different for me personally, but I am joyful in celebrating each moment and tracing back through the last year, special moments at festivals, in my new job, through friends on the internet. Then I see those seeds linking through into this year’s seasons and celebrations, the excitement of new projects, meeting of friends old and new, letting go of what I no longer need and welcoming in light and LOVE. I am also very excited to be reading my new Earth Pathways Diary and knowing how many of you are doing so at the same time.

Fuggo xxx

My experiences with Da Wild and Wicked Witches of Sensory Solutions by Sarah Arkle

I have had three encounters with Da Wild and Wicked Witches who are Sensory Solutions: Karen and Fiona. I found them through a random web search for a herbal “tonic”, a day’s workshop and a personal consultation. This was before I knew they were beneficiaries of the Earth Pathways Seed Fund. Suzi Goose from Earth Pathways asked me to write a few words on my experiences to give anyone who is interested a bit of detail on what to expect from these Wicked wicked gals!!

Random web search:
http://www.sensorysolutions.co.uk/catalog/

I was feeling a bit post winterish, a bit out of sorts, not ill – just not right, so hit the internet. Various things came up in my Google search, as they do, not least a company based in Hertfordshire, which is fairly local to me.  That “company” was Sensory Solutions”. I scanned their website. Going through their product list I wanted EVERYTHING. I selected a few things and ordered them. I decided I needed a personal consultation. The products arrived two days after I ordered them with e-mails from Karen and Fiona to say they were on their way . I really like high levels of service and the personal touch is always reassuring.  I started making arrangements for a consultation.

Meanwhile…

Day workshop
http://www.sensorysolutions.co.uk/events.html

The Clophill Centre (up the road from me) was having a herbal walk on their land focusing on Hypericum  Perforatum and guess what? It was being run by the Da Wild and Wicked Witches! I thought this would be a great chance to meet them before the consultation. We had an amazing day, walking the land finding out how to identify Hypericum Perforatum (I am just showing off – its St John’s Wort). Its quite tricky matching verbal descriptions and even photos in a “Spotters Guide”, to what there is in a field of grasses! We found out: what properties the plant has and what are their potential applications. We drank St John’s Wort tea and “met” the spirit of the plant through meditation and story. It was a restful insightful day. Holsitic in its fullest sense. I was really looking forward to my consultation

 Personal Consultation
http://www.sensorysolutions.co.uk/getintouch.html

My consultation was with Karen and for a variety of reasons it was at Karen’s own house. Being in a herbalist’s native habitat was quite a gift. Karen tends a garden burgeoning with herbs, vegetables, flowers and fruit. Barns for drying, brewing and mixing were evidence for me of a lifestyle heart felt choice. This is reflected in the quality and purity of the remedies and the intent in which they are mixed. Herbs that Karen and Fiona cannot grow themselves come from a carefully sourced, organic producer who sews and picks according to the moon.
The consultation was an hour and half of talking about me. No not my usual ramble. And not that daunting, well what can I tell you flibble flabble. Karen gave me 100% of her attention and led me through the information she needed to put together some beneficial herbs for me. Her opening question – for instance – was “What do you hope to change as a result of this process?” Karen made copious notes and oiled the process by pouring a couple of cups of herbal tea. It was friendly, professional and felt safe.
At the end of the consultation Karen said she would write up her notes and make up what she thought was appropriate and send it to me. She would  email me some links and the bill for the herbs.
The consultation cost £45
My herbs cost £31.50

My herbs: a tea mix, a bottle of oil and a bottle of drops arrived on the second day after my consultation. My package included a VERY long letter describing what herbs Karen had sent me and what I should do to maximize their benefit.
Karen’s recommendations for me included 2 rituals and a regime of herbal tea  to replace at least half my usual black tea and occasional coffee intake. I had some abdominal massage oil. And some drops. Karen warned me that they were bitter and oh boy was she right!
The tea is delicious. The oil (plus massage) seems to be having some small effect already but I think the drops had the most immediate impact. I won’t go into details but I am monitoring how this course of action progresses.
In her letter Karen suggested that we have a telephone review in August with possible a second consultation in September. I felt the level of care and well thought out process made me confident to follow her recommendations and to see what happens.
If you get an opportunity to go on one of Sensory Solutions herbal walks I think you’ll have fun and reconnect with the land in a specific and helpful way.  Buying products from well trained herbalists who eat, sleep and live their craft is inspiring. I think they are very worthy beneficiaries of the Earth Pathway SeedFund. Blessed Be

Hello to all you lovely people in the Earth Pathways Diary community. I haven’t checked in for a while so I thought I’d take five minutes to update you on my latest adventures since the tall people are busy working on their different projects and haven’t shared any eco-news here for a while (actually, I don’t really know what my Mummy does all day – I think she must sit reading her book and filing her nails. Her pace is S..L..O..W.. and there’s a lot of wafting and sighing going on, but absolutely nothing to compare with my 100-mile-an-hour crawling/climbing/’hanging on to the furniture to navigate around the room’ antics). Anyway, Mummy’s semi-catatonic state has given me the opportunity to hack in to her computer (apparently everyone’s at it) and negotiate my way round a couple of blogs – this one included – to post my own perspectives of the world for everyone to see! (more…)

Today we are pleased to welcome another guest blogger to this space! Jess Bundy very kindly put in the highest bid for the last copy of our 2011 Earth Pathways Diary in the auction that we held recently. She was thrilled to win it, and donated the money raised in memory of her grandmothers Muriel Ward and Una Bundy. Over to you Jess……

In memory of Muriel Ward and Una Bundy

I was very inspired when I saw my teacher thumbing through her copy of the Earth Pathways Diary 2011. It looked like an expensive gleaming jewel enticing me to look inside. To anyone who was the slightest bit arty, creative or perhaps someone with just a mere whiff of earth connection would be immediately captivated by its pages. I managed to catch a glimpse of the title and web address and from that point I was smitten!I heard that someone somewhere had found the last ever copy of the Earth Pathways Diary for 2011. It was being auctioned and I wanted it. So I put in a bid. Of course I wanted to look inside and feast on the art work and words that adorned its pages. I also saw this as an opportunity to support a fantastic charity in memory of my grandmother Muriel Ward. Muriel passed away in November 2010 very sadly with dementia. She was 94 years old. (more…)

Once again we are really pleased to welcome one of our guest bloggers, Fuggo King of Woodland Treasures. Fuggo sent us this wonderful blog post offering a little while ago but what with the excitement of the new diary launch this is the first opportunity we have had to post it here! Apologies, Fuggo – your wonderful musings upon our roles in life is presented here!….

Our recent trip south to see family also included working at a craft fair over the Easter weekend. This way we pay for our trip, combine business and pleasure and make the connections in our busy and eclectic lifestyle. (more…)

We are thrilled and excited to present our first guest blogger, Fuggo King. Fuggo has kindly written a few words about the experience of running a small business, Woodland Treasures, and we hope she will become a regular contributor to the Earth Pathways blog and share more of her insights with us. So it’s over to Fuggo………

Many of us are used to the regular round of wondering where the next piece of work, contact, or exciting new opportunity will come from. For us as a small business, we have learnt to TRUST that it always does arrive, maybe in a different guise from the one we were looking for. Here’s a recent example. Geoff loves carving dragons and sells them occasionally. Who should come across one but a woman looking to run a dragon meditation circle. She has some amazing opals that she has sent to Geoff so that he could design around them and a fantastic experience it has been in many ways.

(more…)

We are hoping to use this blog as a way of connecting to the Earth Pathways diary ‘community’ – an opportunity for like minded people to share ideas, experiences and day-to-day things that we can all relate to. If you are interested in becoming a guest blogger for a day, a week, a month or even longer please contact us and let us know about your ideas for the blog.