The Nudge - Dispatch 19 | Spring Equinox
"It is spring again.
The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart."
– by Rainer Maria Rilke
Welcome to The Nudge | Spring Equinox | Cónocht an Earraigh
This seasonal care package has been prepared by Kathy and The Trailblazery team.
Dear Friends,
We are delighted to prepare for you our monthly care package, The Nudge, as we approach the Spring Equinox, also known as the Vernal Equinox in the northern hemisphere. This Equinox also marks the start of the new astrological year as the Sun enters Aries on March 19, 2024.
In the words of the great late Sínead O’ Connor, ‘ these are dangerous days’. Our world feels increasingly split, polarised and off kilter. We are being called to honour the oppositional forces within ourselves and meet the full spectrum of our shared human beingness. We have some powerful and tender things emerging at The Trailblazery in the coming weeks - Bígí linn, be with us.
Equinox means “equal day and night”, when the length of daylight and darkness are equal. This moment is a pivotal point in the Wheel of the Year, where night and day, winter and summer, masculine and feminine find equilibrium and harmony. The ancients erected monuments and structures to align with the rising sun on the Spring Equinox. Here in Ireland, at sunrise on the Spring Equinox, the sun enters cairn T and illuminates the back wall of the chamber of LoughCrew in Co. Meath.
Although the Spring Equinox is now celebrated all over the world as the St.Patrick’s Day global brand, this period in Ireland was once connected to Sheela, believed to be Patrick's wife and companion. Sheela's Day was an old Irish, pre-Famine tradition, which took place on March 18 around the time of Equinox indicating that she had distinct fertility associations and can be viewed as an equivalent to Brigid and Gobnait.
Just as the Equinox marked a threshold of balance, Sheela emerged as Patrick’s feminine counterpart. In her union with Patrick, she embodies the harmonious coexistence and dance of opposing forces and symbolises the cyclical nature of life. By remembering Patrick and Sheela, we embrace not only the ancient festivities of the season but also the deeper energetic significance of this pivotal moment when the masculine finally rises to meet the feminine after a period of dormancy.
Art: Harry Clarke
Looking further back to her/history, we encounter the enigmatic Síle-na-gig, an ancient stone carving with a large, skull-like head who squats in an act of display, thighs spread and hands revealing her vulva. The meaning of these carvings – whether fertility symbols or ancient bling status symbols is still a mystery. They have been discovered concealed in gate pillars and found at the bottom of rivers and even buried in shallow graves. Early theories claimed they were grotesque hag figures to warn against the sins of lust – a way of keeping the minds of monks and the faithful pure. Others suggest they are a talisman against evil: the act of women flashing their genitals has been believed to scare off demons as far back as the ancient Greeks. More recently, researchers have posited that the Síle is a pre-Christian pagan folk goddess and her exaggerated vulva a sign of life-giving powers and fertility.
One thing we know for sure is that Síle is a mysterious cosmic force who encapsulates the essence of the Great Mother and Creatrix and it's time to remember and reclaim her. She inspires us to look at where we have lost our way. She encourages us to dance freely amid the opposing forces and to be in right relationship with our wild selves and the wild world. This is a powerful time to consider: what has been forgotten, covered over, overlooked or left out? What has been lost and now, what wants to emerge?
Credits: Project Sheela
Journal Prompts to inspire you at spring equinox:
🌿 How do you sense your journey of growth and transformation since the last turning of the Wheel?
🌿 What areas of your life feel harmonious, and where do you sense polarisation or discord?
🌿 What aspects of you have been lost or out of balance? How does this manifest in your life?
🌿 Consider what new energies are beginning to emerge. How do you sense these changes unfolding within and around you?
🌿 How might you work towards restoring equilibrium in your life?
🌿 What agency can you take to prioritise your well-being and find a spring in your step during this time of renewal?
🌿 How can you encourage your 'neart' or creative life force to fuel your passions?
🌿 What seeds are ready to push forth and how can you support their growth?
🌿 Who are your allies and expanders as you prepare to cross this threshold? How do these relationships contribute to your growth and evolution?
What’s coming up over the next
6 weeks at The Trailblazery:
As the Great Wheel turns, we are invited to pause and remember what we have travelled through together. We are excited to let you know what the future holds for our community here at The Trailblazery.
Moon Medicine Live
"Rise Síle Rise"
on Mon 18
You are invited to gather with us online on Monday March 18 at 7pm for a special Moon Medicine gathering entitled “Rise Síle Rise”, to mark and honour a forgotten woman in Irish history. We will gather on Lá Fhéile Síle - Sheela’s Day to reclaim the story of Síle and the powerful archaeological manifestation that bears her name - Síle-na-gig. This event is a fundraiser organised in support of the Nabhan family to help them relocate from Rafah to Egypt. To join this gathering, we ask that you purchase a ticket as a donation which will go towards this cause.
Our guest luminaries for the evening will be Áine Tyrrell (songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and activist), Dee Mulrooney (artist, artivist and performer), Laura Murphy (poet, healer and activist) and host Kathy Scott. Like most of you, these four women have navigated hard times personally and politically in recent years, and have supported each other through thick and thin. They are coming together for this Moon Medicine special to honour Síle and celebrate all mná so that together we can RISE and lift each other up along the way.
Remember, if you can’t attend live, you will be sent the recording 24 hours after the event. For more information, go to our website here.
Recommended Resources
Here are a few reading, watching and listening pieces to nourish your senses in the days ahead:
❀ Listen: For your ears
The Hare’s Corner by Colm Mac Con Iomaire | Spotify
Saint Patrick, Síle & Sheela na Gigs - Ready to be Real podcast with Síle Seoige
Patrick + Sheela Forever (Maybe) - KnotWork Storytelling | Marisa Goudy
❀ Smell: For your nose & lips
As the Spring Equinox approaches, we will enter the season of the Willow in the Ogham tree calendar. Willow bark has been used as a pain-reliever and to reduce inflammation by medicine men and women for thousands of years. This tasty Willow bark tea can help soothe pain and quieten the mind.
❤ Touch: For your pleasure
Jerusha Marley’s hand-drawn Sheela-na-gig silk scarf is a real beauty. We are absolutely in love with Jerusha’s work at The Trailblazery.
✦ Connect: For your soul
We have two exciting things we would like to share with you:
From March 6th to April 6th, The Abbey Theatre is presenting a new Irish-language production of Aeschylus’s Greek masterpiece Na Peirsigh / Persians by renowned writer and poet Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill.
The play tells the story of a surprising Greek victory over an invading army, extraordinarily told from the perspective of the losing side. Through drama, music & song, it explores empathy, loss and our shared humanity, themes as relevant and important today as they were in ancient Athens.
The play will be performed in a variety of beautiful dialects as Gaeilge but will also be fully surtitled in English, making the experience accessible for a wide variety of people.Ticketsfrom €15.
The second piece we would like to share with you is the remarkable Project Sheela:
Project Sheela is a charity founded by two Irish artists which celebrates and commemorates women's rights in Ireland through street art. They place handmade ceramic sheela-na-gigs at various locations each year for International Women’s Day, symbolising female empowerment and strength. This project raises funds for women's charities and documents its impact through a limited edition zine.
You can follow them on Instagram@projectsheela
✮ Watch: For your eyes
We are thrilled to honour Cillian Murphy, who just took home the best Actor Oscar at The Academy Awards. Out top 3 recommendations of movies that Cillian has starred in are:
The Wind that Shakes the Barley
♡ Cherish: For your heart
Dana Walrath is an Armenian American writer, artist and anthropologist who turned to arts to open hearts. She is also part of our Moon Medicine family as a former luminary and dear friend. Her latest op-comic "Dreaming of Never Again" just came out in the latest issue of The Nation which integrates our histories and speaks to the genocide in Gaza. We share this powerFULL piece and artwork with you in hope that it can help alchemise pain into purpose.
EnJOY these days - may the force be with you.
Thank you for walking this path with us,
Beannachtaí,
Kathy and all at The Trailblazery
