Brigid's Healing Hearth

We just did our final presentations in my Guardians of the Sacred Earth Immersion. I do not exempt myself from the gnome work assignments. This is an invocation i wrote to call upon Brigid's healing to transmute the pollution generated by our hearths. In this time of climate change we all need to do what we can to reduce our carbon footprint. I invite you to speak it next time you build a fire in your hearth! Blessed be Her Eternal Flame and the smoke that rises into the air.

New Earth Healing Custom Essences!

dear readers,
i hope you have been well and enjoying the beauty of the unfolding seasons.  I am now easing into the darker, quieter side of the year and look forward to more time to connect and share news here.

It has been a very full and busy summer of teaching, dowsing, gardening, ceremony and dancing. I am in awe of the amazing people i get to teach, serve and guide, who are so committed to serving the land as spiritual stewards and Guardians.  You bring me such hope and affirmation!

Way back in 2002 i trained and became certified as a Flower Essence Practitioner with Delta Gardens.  I love working with the plants in this more subtle and sacred way;  bringing Nature's vibrational healing to the hearts and souls of people.  As my work has developed, i have gradually been called to do more and more of my healing work with the land.  As a consulting Geomancer, one of the questions i always ask of the land is if it needs healing.  If i get a YES to this question, i then dowse to see which essences the land wants, and apply them with my Earth Acupuncture process.
I have a vast repertory of essences at my finger tips, many of which i made myself, and they want to be used!  So in addition to the custom blends that i offer for people, i am now offering
Earth Healing Custom Essences.  

These are available for the first time to be applied to anyplace in the world that i can mail an essence bottle!  All I need is the information requested in my Earth Intake (available on request by email) a photo of the place, and its address.  This may be your home or any piece of land or water to which you have access and which needs healing.

How do you know if land/water needs healing?  Sometimes it is blatantly obvious, such as an old mine, a polluted river, or clear cut valley.  Sometimes its historic.  You know something intense, violent or traumatic happened there and has not be resolved.  Sometimes you don't know rationally what is going on, but it just feels sad, or hurt, or guarded.

We humans at our best when we listen and respond to the Earth.  We are Her Guardians!  It is our responsibility, or ability to respond, that will bring restoration and balance back to the places in Nature that humanity has destroyed.  The plants and trees are healers by design and they do their work where they are growing with wondrous proficiency.  Humans have legs, bikes, cars, and planes.  We can take these awesome plant potions beyond where they are able to grow to all the places that their medicine is needed. This is our symbiosis. We can begin to right the balance by acts of unconditional giving to Nature.

You don't need to be a Geomancer, dowser, or trained healer to make a difference.  All you need is a heart that cares, a bit of dosh and some follow thru action. (However if you are interested in learning more of these skills you can apply for my next Guardians of the Sacred Earth Immersion)

Here is how it works;

• You read this article and know that you are being called to serve the healing of a particular place.
• You get in touch and i email you the Earth Intake.  You fill it out and send it back to me along with $50 and a picture of the place you are working with.  Additional shipping charges will be added for international orders.
• Once i receive all of the above i tune in remotely to your place and dowse to find the essences that will best serve its needs. I have about 300 plants, trees, shrubs, gems, astrological and mushroom essences in my collection to choose from.  Allow up to two weeks to receive your essence package. 
• I put together a custom blend for your place and send it by mail along with clear and specific, simple instructions for how to apply it, including a prayer you can say for the land.  
• You also take some of this essence, for you and the land are One.  

To request your Earth Intake email me at Fearnessence@gmail.com.

In service to Her~
with love and blessings
Fearn

The last White Hind; a new faery tale

A month ago i returned from a two week pilgrimage to the UK with our latest clan of graduating Druids.  This story arose from my enchantment upon seeing the magical white hind and her young at the home of our friends Bob and Georgia who are the stewards of Diamond homestead.  It is my first original story; a weaving of folklore, fact and fantasy.  Enjoy! 

The last White Hind

My kind have been hunted down.  I may be the last. They want me and my family only for the trophy of our hide and antlers. Somewhere along the way, men became disconnected and greedy.  They forgot who they are and who they serve.  The Cailleach comes to them in dreams but they do not remember. 

I live now at the Diamond sanctuary.  It is safe here.  By day i graze in the pasture as a beautiful white hind.  By night i turn into a faery woman and dance in the stones under the moon with my friend, a gypsy pony named Star.  He understands and loves me.  i braid his mane and together we prance and play. 

I found this place 13 years ago when i was on the run, looking for safety.  The stones called me here and the Cailleach (old woman of the forest, wise grandmother) guided and protected my journey. She told me these stones were erected by a modern king who still honors the old ways.  I held this as a sign of hope in a dark time. 

My kind used to be protected, revered and honored as sacred by the people.  A sighting of the white hind or hart was seen as an omen from the otherworld, calling people to journey deep into the land… especially the king who needed to accrue wisdom and marry the land in order to rule well.  

If he was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the white hart, the king would go on the wild hunt, chasing the stag over hill and dale and thru the hedge to the otherworld.  There he was brought to the Cailleach who tested and challenged his merit and worth and if he passed would give him sacred teachings about life, land and loyalty.

When the word got out that the king had been called to the wild hunt, the people rejoiced.  They knew that such a king would rule with wisdom and grace.  The stories of the hunt would spread far and wide and be told over fresh brewed ale in pubs and around fires.  The White Hart pubs are a tribute to this tradition.  Any village that had a pub by that name meant that this was a kingdom that honored the land and all beings. 

The Cailleach prophesied that the white hart would return when the people are ready to remember again.  First a king will come to build a circle of stones.  He will honor the land and teach others to do the same.  The followers of this king and queen will marry the earth and come to this sanctuary as empowered Druids.  Many more will learn the old ways and become guardians of the sacred earth. This time it will not be just the king who wears the sovereign crown but all those who commit themselves to loving and healing the earth. There is much that needs healing and many need to take up the charge. 

And so the hart came.  He was strong and beautiful and not quite of this world. We courted and mated and then he disappeared. Some time later i gave birth to a male fawn.  I feared for his life.  He is brilliant white and stands out but i know he must fulfill the destiny of the wild hunt.  Will he be hunted down for greed and killed like our ancestors or will he lead the people to the teachings of the Cailleach so that they can live again in wisdom and grace? 

We stay close in the pasture and i introduced him to Cailleach.  As he grows bigger, she teaches him to know who he is and what he must do, but he is scared. 

It is almost time for him to leave my side.  i nudge him to leap the fence and find his freedom; to be brave and know that things are changing. The people are remembering and the Cailleach will always protect him.  He hesitates. 

But then the Druids come, led by the stone king.  They feel different than other humans. They enter the stone circle and they dance!  We have never seen humans do this.  They remember!  They are the ones the Cailleach prophesized.  The signs have come.  Together in exultation we run the fence line and my son jumps over. 

Without a backward glance he bounds into the forest. 

Briga’s Crossing

Transformation thru Rites of Passage

On Monday March 16^th my dear friend Barbara Molloy passed out of her body and was born to a new life in Spirit.  She was a woman of great clarity, conviction, grace, love and deep otherworldly connection. Her mantra is that “We are One”.  In life and beyond, she is dedicated to working as a bridge; connecting and healing beings across species and worlds. 

I feel that Barbara modeled a way of living and dying with sacred intent that deserves to be shared.  She was the third person in VT to benefit from The Patient Choice and Control at End of Life Act (Act 39) which provides Vermont residents with terminal disease the option to be prescribed a dose of medication to hasten the end of their life. This Act was signed into law on May 20, 2013.

I had the honor of being with her at the time of her final crossing as well as co-creating several passages for her since we met in 2006.

The importance of Rites of Passage

We all go thru changes in our lives.  Some of these are predictable such as first menses, marriage, motherhood and menapause.  Some are not, like cancer.  Rites of Passage are a way of bringing sacred intent, support and blessing to the inevitable changes of life and death.  They connect us to the greater circle of community, spirits and ancestors.  We remember that we are not alone and that we do not have to figure it all out for ourselves.  Change is rarely easy.  In some indigenous cultures, adolescents would have to undergo life threatening quests in order to be deemed worthy of initiation into adulthood.  Challenge hones us, strengthens us, forces us to break out of our comfort zone and to expand into our true potential.  It takes us to the next level of our quest. It is a one way gateway thru which we may not return. 

I will now describe the progression of Rites of Passage that transformed Barbara to Briga, with a focus on the recent events that led up to and followed her crossing. 

In 2007 we held a Croning Ceremony to mark Barbara’s shift into her post menopausal elder years.  In sacred space we honored her, offered blessings, and gifted her with a handmade staff.  We listened as she spoke from her crones’ throne of wisdom and power.  

In 2010 at the completion of the three year Druid Training, Barbara journeyed in pilgrimage with her clan and teachers to the Uk and was initiated as a Druid Priestess in Stonehenge where she made her vows to Gaia, in Marriage to the Earth.

In 2011 we gathered again for Barbara’s Breast Blessing. This was a women’s ceremony to prepare Barbara for her mastectomy.  It involved massaging, singing, toning, body painting, and topless dancing in celebration of the power and beauty of all our breasts.

Awakening Briga- Barbara turned 64 on Feb. 25^{th, 2015}.  On March 1^st, a close circle of her Druid family gathered at her home to feast, love and support Barbara in this final stage of her earth life.  Barbara had been given a spirit name; Briga Brigante, and this was her time to awaken and claim this name and a new level of her being.  We toned he spirit name, honored her life and transformation, and gave her a chance to forgive any with whom she had unfinished business.  A henna artist adorned each of us with a Brighid’s Cross to connect us to B and her crossing. This was also the time that the larger Faery Seership community around the country was activated on her behalf to work magically to unbind her from her life and body.

Opening the Way- March 13-15 with Orion Foxwood and “The Sexy Six”.  Orion is a dear friend, Faery teacher and Witch priest.  B wanted him with her at the time of her crossing so flew him in for the weekend. Orion and a small group of her Druid family spent the weekend involved in several magical workings around Barbara/Briga, her outdoor alter and her bedroom.  This included cutting ties, healing work, opening the Western Gate, calling the ancestors and threshold spirits, opening to the underworld, and chanting.  Many of these practises are specific to our path and cannot be shared in detail here.  This time also included delicious catered meals, visits by family and friends, laughter, cuddles, tears and deep conversation. 

Crossing- Barbara preferred to leave her body naturally but she had so much life force that it just wasn’t happening in the desired time frame (!), despite all our best efforts to support her spiritually.  Monday morning came and she said, Im done!.  She was ready to accept medical support in dying.  B had the drug on hand, having already gone thru the full legal and medical process of procuring it.  We made final arrangements and then gathered in sacred circle to empty the 90 capsules into a chalice together.  B mixed the powder in water and Orion blessed it.  A final puppy pile photo shoot took place on her couch and then we followed Barbara into her bedroom.  We cuddled around her in her bed as she drank the liquid.  We toned and sang as she closed her eyes and leaned back into her brother’s arms.  Within 10 minutes of drinking she passed thru the veil.  Her crossing was incredibly peaceful, gentle and beautiful.  We were all in awe and felt deeply moved to be so close to her process.  

Preparing her body- Four women prepared Barbara’s body for her 3 day home wake within an hour of her crossing.  It was important to do this before rigor mortis set in.  This was a very loving, intimate and ancient process enacted while the soothing sounds of celtic harp music played. Together we undressed her, sponge bathed and rubbed her body with herbal oils, and plugged her orifices with lavender soaked gauze.  She was dressed in her best cat print and her purple robe. Her hair and make up was done as she requested.  One of the women was a medium who was receiving feedback, comments and direction from B throughout.  This was at times humorous and brought levity to the process. I had ordered dry ice, which was delivered to the door and poured into the bottom of her hand made pine box, then covered with layers of plastic and blankets.  B was carried into the parlor and laid in her pine box draped with purple cloths.  She looked magnificent! 

Three day wakes are a cross cultural tradition that have been all but lost in this country.  I think this is because death brings up a lot of strong feelings in many of us and so we do our best to push it away, to avoid it, deny it and hide it. So often now this process is handled by funeral homes who have no connection to the deceased.

We believe that the spirit needs time to transition from its earthly body, life, home and loved ones, and that those who live on  also need time to say good bye.

Barbara opted for a home style wake and funeral.  There was a rotation of Druids holding space with her 24/7 for all three days plus two visiting times each day for B’s friends and colleagues.  Her brother and sister in law hosted these visitors with open hearts.

To our great surprise the dry ice evaporated in less than 24 hrs and we could not get more delivered in time. Luckily B has a lovely screen porch and the temps were still well below freezing.  We transferred her out there for the remaining two days.  It was her favorite place to sleep in the summer as it looks out to her yard which is always filled with birds, her beloved Burr Oak Sanctuary and her stone altar. 

On Thursday, March 19^th,  Ivan and I led a Funeral Ceremony for about 50 people representing several different parts of her life. We huddled around her one last time in her parlor.  We created sacred space, invoked her gods; Brighid and Pan, shared stories, laughter, and tears.  We sang to her and covered her with Hyacinth flowers, and toned her spirit name.  Briga Brigante was with us and she was full of love and gratitude.  Some of those attending did not know much of her spiritual life so i let her out of the broom closet!  It seemed well received. We got great feedback and lots of heart felt thanks for our part in her ceremony and her life. Afterward we shared food, and a few strong folk covered her box and carried her into the car to be taken to the crematorium.  It was the last day of winter. 

There will be a Memorial Fire Ceremony for Briga at Dreamland during our annual Druid Camp on Friday July 31^st at 8pm.  It will be open to our extended Druid community as well as friends and family of Barbara.  This will be a time of remembrance and celebration of her life and work with storytelling, songs and fireworks!  Some of her ashes will be offered to Dreamland. 

I thank you Briga for your love, generosity, friendship and for modeling such grace, fierceness and clarity in life and beyond.  It has been an honor and a gift to hold space and co create the many sacred passages of your transformation. 

 WE ARE ONE!

We behold you beautiful One

We behold you child of the Earth and Sun

Let our love wash over you
Let our love wash over you.

http://www.icontact-archive.com/OKL6XAZDiBDmjbFMHHgDQ3VncQ_gL3cj?w=0

http://www.icontact-archive.com/OKL6XAZDiBDmjbFMHHgDQ3VncQ_gL3cj?w=0

Home is where the Heart is.

They say the best way to learn something well is to teach it.  Today has been a day of extreme learning.  I have been preparing for my day long workshop Opening our Hearts to Gaia tomorrow at the Worcester Town Hall.  We will be journeying, sharing, learning about the wisdom and power of the heart, and doing ritual to open and connect our Hearts with the Earth.

Part of my preparation was to find some quiet reflective time to meditate and refresh my energy.
I went to a local ashram where there is an exquisitely beautiful meditation cave that is lovingly tended year round.  Being in that space felt like a home coming.  I was so grateful for the deep quiet and sacred  energy of that place.  I breathed in the support of the Earth and exhaled my love and gratitude, over and over. After a couple hours which passed very quickly, i made my way home.  Everything seemed more clear and bright.  I felt at peace and in touch with a still center in my being.  My heart was wide open and i felt blessed. I made a decision to go back regularly.

I came home to find that my dog Brinx was missing.  I figured he had probably followed a neighbor home as he has occasionally done before.  Soon my phone rang and it was indeed my neighbor friend saying she had my dog and would swing by on her way to town to drop him off.  I told her she could simply let him out where we park (a 5 minute walk from our home) and drive away.  He has been good about going home from this spot when i need to drive away without him.
After a while i got a text saying Brinx had ran after their car for almost a mile after they dropped him off.  They had to turn around and bring him back again.  I walked down to fetch him, starting to feel disturbed.  Once i got within sight and sound distance, i called him.  He saw me but kept trying to go back with them.  They had to keep telling him to go.  He finally came, reluctantly.  I gave him a treat and we walked up to the house.  I was now feeling very sad.  Sad and betrayed.  I have poured so much love and care into my dog companion.  How could he want to leave me?  I was bereft while judging myself for being ridiculous.  Brinx was crying and looking miserable.

So what is the lesson here?  I got to experience the bliss of an open connected heart and then, very quickly, a sad and abandoned heart.  The wound of abandonment is an old one for me.  It is a well worn emotional path of co dependance and victimhood, neediness, and conditional love.  I am not proud but i am human and i am healing.  I know the extremes and i know the center.  The old wound may continue to rear its sad self at times and i will do my best to surround myself with compassion and love.
Meanwhile i will continue to cultivate my open connected Heart.  My dog is free to love who he loves and i am free to love unconditionally.  Having re-membered this profound lesson personally, i am now that much more able to share it with others.

Life is a journey of Re-membering.
When our Hearts are open and connected to Gaia, we are truly Home.

with LOVE,
Fearn

Testimonials about Fearn's work

Fearn is deeply at home with the energies of the Earth Mother. She hears, sees and understands the language of the Earth beings, the wind and the sunshine. She is able to convey this profound connection to her students, allowing them to expand into joyful awareness of all that is.

~ Annie McCleary, director of Wisdom of the Herbs School, Woodbury, Vermont

Should you ever want to connect deeply with the mysteries of earth&sky,
attune to the rhythms of our natural world,
or integrate magic into the fabric of your daily life-
please do yourself the favor
of traveling these sacred paths with Fearn.
I am forever grateful for her teachings & wisdoms
and thrilled that she continues to share her gifts.

-- devon byers :: lumosapothecary.com

"We sought out Fearn's help when our spring suddenly dried up during last years drought.  We had not been living at our land for too long, and were still really getting to know the energy of the place.  We were without water for an entire month!  Fearn came out and spent some time checking in with the place, the spirits of the place, and communicating especially with the water.  She heard some very beautiful information, and served as a bridge between us and the land as well, helping us to understand some other perspectives of its history, as well as the lingering energies that we have to work with.  She helped us find powerful energetic points where we could check in with the land and create ceremony over time. She gave us empowering knowledge to help us understand, appreciate, work with, enjoy, and worship this beautiful place.  And, also very importantly, she dowsed a new location for a spring.  The well guy was a skeptic, but even he couldn't argue when the very spot she picked was full of rushing water in what seemed like an endless amount, even during the driest spell.  After this i took a class of hers, because i knew that the knowledge she has to impart is sacred to this world, and the skills of listening to the deep energies of this earth are not to be lost.  I look forward to continuing to learn from her, and encourage all who can to take part in her classes!"    Casy Ellison

Fearn's powerful and accurate intuition guides her healing work. In the 14 years that I have known her and witnessed her heart-centered work, I have been constantly amazed at her profound conversations with the earth. She joyfully brings the human body, mind and spirit in connection with that of the earth and all its creatures.  Lisa Mase~ Harmonious Cookery

I highly recommend the program Guardians of the Sacred Earth with Fearn Lickfield.  What an exceptional opportunity at this moment of evolution and transformation on earth, with a beautiful, humble, powerful woman who excels at encouraging others to find their roots and center, and pursue their authentic path of self healing, and earth care. If you are on the fence about taking this class, take my advice, sign up now! What receive in return will feed you, your home, and your community, many fold!

My history with Fearn's practical, magical and innovative educational offerings and healing work spans the last 13 years. Fearn is my teacher and friend, and has helped me navigate through many significant life events. Examples of ways I have experienced her abilities include: ley line property work, various forms of dowsing, pet health care, counsel along my personal health journey (with herbal formulas, flower essences, rites of passage, ritual and shamanic extraction), custom blends for our family’s health needs, as a guest teacher for my herbalism students, as an astrological gardening resource, and as a leader of community events and intimate ceremonies.

A consultation with Fearn, in any of her areas of expertise makes for a meaningful day in life. I find her work to be accurate and resonant. I experience a positive shift that lasts long after we have met. Fearn is incredibly strong, skilled and grounded. I trust her connection with the spirits, and her ability to connect humans with the wild and invisible realms in ways that benefit the greater whole. She is a gifted and professional facilitator. She creates inclusive process within a safe and sacred container. Fearn is a listener, is patient and wise, moves through the world with integrity, and she cares about justice. Fearn is helping to keep ancient systems of healing alive. Fearn is a true healer.

Fearn's geomancy services are a fundamental and active part of our farm’s permaculture design process. Recently during an outdoor consultation on a sub-zero winter’s day (did I mention Fearn is hard core?) Fearn facilitated a fruitful dialogue between my husband and I, and the natural energies and spirits of the land. From that conversation came specific ways to respectfully develop our relationship with the seen and unseen landscape, We also arrived at the location of our new home site. We are empowered  with practical tools, awareness, and a clear idea of how to proceed thanks to working with Fearn.

Sandra Lory~ Mandala Botanicals

The Power of Community

dear readers, I am moved to share a personal story in this post.
Crisis has a way of pulling us inward to tend to the most important, immediate issues of safety, survival and support.  It also has a way of bringing community together thru compassion and service.

On Saturday i brought Ivan to the Emergency Room.  He could barely walk.  He had been dealing with increasing nausea, weakness, diarrhea, on top of the the blood clots in lungs and leg.  His blood pressure was dangerously low, and his potassium level was off the charts.  It was kidney failure.  He was in mortal danger.

My personal stress level had already hit a high that day. i was trying to prepare for a trip, while wondering if i should go, and worrying about ivan.  I am a fairly empathic person and this tendency is strongest with those to whom i am closest, especially when they are experiencing pain and suffering.  Ivan was going thru intense emotional and physical pain that night, and i felt it all as if it were my own.  I lost it.  i wanted so much to be strong for him but i had run out of cope.

Meanwhile, my dog who had been with me in the car all day had also run out of cope.  He is also very empathic and felt that something was wrong.  He was in the car at the ER for about 4 hrs and ate my seat belt in a fit of anxiety.  I could feel that too.

Thank God/dess, our amazing and extensive support system kicked in quickly to offer hugs, grounding, chocolate, a shoulder to cry on, protection, crystals, dog care, a spare bed, flowers, food, massage, healing and love.  This awesome community continues to step up for both of us thru the rocky road of ivan's health these past few years.  I'm sure its why we are feeling so strong and resilient, and why ivan is alive and recovering.  I am humbled by the web of love and power that holds us, both human and spirit.  Ivan has had more near death experiences than anyone i know; more lives than a cat!  Each time i am reminded of the preciousness of life,  the powerful teachings of death, and how grateful i am for community.