Showing posts with label Pagan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pagan. Show all posts

Monday, July 27, 2020

The Druid's Brooch Series is coming to an end!

Follow a family saga back through the centuries, all holders of a magical brooch whose origins are hidden in the mists of time and Irish legend...




Book #1 - FREE!

It started in 1846, with Legacy of Hunger. Valentia left her home in the United States to travel to Ireland. She traveled in search of her grandmother's family and a mystical brooch she'd heard tales of since childhood. A brooch which haunted her dreams....




Then, in 1800, Esme and Eithne were twins, ripped from their childhood home. Esme chose to stay in Ireland when her parents emigrated to America, and lived with her Traveler husband, Sean. Eithne married a local land-owner, but that would never be enough for her... see the rest in Legacy of Truth.




In 1746, Eamonn and Katy fell in love, but she was forced to marry a man not of her choosing. Her father sold her to a horse trader, and she had to come up with clever ways to escape brutality. Read their love story in Legacy of Luck.




Going back to the 12th century, Orlagh is a Seer to her chief in Misfortune of Vision, and has been for over forty years. However, when her visions only show death and war, he refuses to believe her prophecies, forcing her into a quest in the middle of winter to prove herself.




When Orlagh was a young girl in Misfortune of Song, she fell madly in love with a charming bard, but her grandfather, Maelan, is displeased with her choice of a man with no honor. She defies him and escapes, only to find her lover isn't what she imagined.




Maelan's childhood was full of pain and danger, as his grandmother, Etain, tried to shield her husband's abuses. Instead, she must escape in Misfortune of Time, finding a place of safety for herself and abandoning Maelan.




In the 6th century, Conall had vowed to his father to take care of Lainn, his little sister. Her studies with the druids and ability to sing to the birds made her a delightful child. But when their step-father grew cruel, they had to escape to another world in Age of Saints.




In Age of Secrets, Fingin had no friends or family, but when he rescued a half-drowned wolfhound from the river, Bran became his closest friend. Together they embarked on a quest for a mysterious woman into the land of Faerie.




Now, in the final installment of this epic family saga, Cliodhna must make a decision between her own family and her duties in another realm. Age of Druids, and the revelation of the origin of the Druid's Brooch, is due out later this year.



An excerpt from Age of Druids:



Clíodhna’s baby’s screech stabbed through her skull, making her want to abandon Aileran and escape into blessed silence. She wished to be somewhere in the forest, on a hill, surrounded by buzzing bees and yellow flowers. Perhaps flying over the rolling hills with a flock of starlings.


Her brief idyll crashed when another scream broke through. She sighed and picked him up, rocking him against her shoulder while stirring the iron pot. She cast an eye for her middle child, Donn, who helped a lot, but tended to wander off and get into trouble. She found no sign of him, but someone yelled at the horses outside. He must be doing farm chores.


Aileran cuddled into her shoulder, let out a wet burp, and promptly fell asleep, a warm weight against her neck. His hand curled around a hank of her black hair, pulling just enough to make her wince. At the same time, his adorable smile invoked her own. Despite her frustration, she loved her baby boy. It had been a dozen winters since her womb had quickened, but she’d been glad of the new child after so many winters, especially after losing one daughter at birth.


Clíodhna glanced out the window of the large roundhouse. She glimpsed Donn, unharnessing the plow with practiced hands. Though he counted but fourteen winters, he needed to be the man of the house since his father disappeared.


The baby fussed again, whimpering in his sleep. She rocked him, still stirring the stew in the pot. They’d only a few meals of dried lamb left from the autumn harvest, but still had plenty of onions and turnips, as well as chives and garlic. At least Oisinne left them a workable farm before he disappeared. She used to sell small wooden carvings she’d made, but who found time for such frivolity now?


The odor of char caught her attention, and she cursed as she tried to swivel the pot off the fire. She needed to add more water before it scorched. Baby still in hand, she bent to the bucket, trying to lift it without waking the child. She failed.


His screams shot right through her ears, a physical pain that made her drop the bucket. The water splashed on the flagstone floor.


“Son of a diseased donkey!”


“Clíodhna! Such language!”


She whirled to see Ita, a blond woman from the village, standing in the doorway, her hand upon her heart.


“Sorry, Ita. Can you help me for a moment? I need about five extra hands.”


“I can see that. Here, let me take the wee one.” She reached out to take Aileran, who yanked on Clíodhna’s hair so hard it brought tears to her eyes.


She tried to be patient with her son. “Let go, Aileran, there’s a good babe.”


A crash outside made her whimper.



#ireland #irish #mustread #newrelease #celt #celtic #magic #druid #historical #histfic #histfantasy #historicalfiction #teamtirgearr #ageofdruids #fairy #faerie #pagan #series

Monday, April 30, 2012

Beltane



Ahhh, Beltane, the time of the big sun has finally arrived!

Beltane, or La Baal Tinne (meaning Bright Fire), was one of the (pagan) Four Great Festivals. Traditionally, the festival started with open pasturing, the beginning of summer and the welcoming of the sun's heat to promote growth of livestock and crops. Bonfires were rekindled with sympathetic magick to encourage the sun's warmth to penetrate the earth.
The Celts believed that at this time in the Otherworld the sacred fire of Tamhair-na-Righ (Tara of the Kings) was lit every three years. There was great ceremony with this, by using a brazen lens to concentrate the sun's rays on dried wood, as all the sacred fires of the Sidhe were lit. They also believed the Faery were at their happiest on May eve, and the music of their harps and pipes were heard all through the night.
It was from the sacred fire that all participants lighted brands and took them home to light their domestic fires.
Bonfires always played a part in ceremonies. The men would draw lots to see who would jump over the flames three times when they were their highest, and the women when they were low. This was a practice to protect them from the powers of evil.
Cattle had their horns decorated with garlands of rowan and vervain to honor the May Queen, and driven between two bonfires, and sprinkled with water from The Purity of the Well.  Cows who's skin was singed became the sacrificial animal for the feast.
If a snow white heifer appeared among the cattle, The Celts believed it was good luck.
A May-bush was decorated and the women danced around it, wearing garland, and the men carried a green bough. At the end of the dance, the woman would toss her garland to the gentleman of her choice, if he was successful in catching it on his bough, he gained her affections. But if he dropped it, heartache was certain to follow.Throughout the night, music and story telling were heard around the fire, and then mystical dancing until dawn's early light.

Of course so many of these things do not, and cannot, apply to today's world. Time, space and basic laws would not allow big bonfires, or frightening animal sacrifices to be made. But there are many things we can do today to fit the traditions of the past.

One of our favorite things to do is pick wild flowers and place them in a paper cone, hang them on the front door, knock and run! Or for the elderly, just hand them the handful of flowers and see the smile it brings.
Make special breads and have an outdoor cookout, if weather allows.

Lately in my world, I've had the joy of just walking around and appreciating the simple beauty of all the activity going on in nature around me. I am fortunate enough to live in a forested wetland, so there is so much going on, I have to stop and really watch, or I miss it.
Just this morning, there were hummingbirds diving at us as we walked, woodpeckers drumming on trees and street signs, and jays laughing. The skunk cabbage is in full bloom, their bright yellow, pitchered flowers brightening the swampy ground, and makes forgiving their smell is a little easier. The cherry and apple trees are heavy with blossoms and the dark soil in my garden have leafy green rows just starting.

Just as in ancient times, the cycle is renewing, the soil is rewarming and life is returning. It's not so hard to find that fine line that time creates. Using imagination and some creativity, it seems so simple to step over, recreate, and celebrate life.

Happy Beltane!
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The North Cascade Mountains harbor many mysteries, and one of them is Adrian Dillon: man, werewolf and master of his domain. Manning the remote rescue cabin during the winter was his one ticket to unfettered freedom, until one day it comes to an abrupt halt.
Studying wolves had always been Jessica Allen's passion, not just for their preservation, but to find answers about herself and her bloodline. Opportunity and fate entangle, seeming to work against her until one man extends a helping hand.
When deceit and betrayal rock Jessica and Adrian's world, can love forge a bond that is more than physical?

~♥~ Hope you find magic in your day ~♥~

Thank you for stopping by!