New Life in the Dead of Winter

   Tomorrow will be New Year's Eve in human Western culture.  When I moved to Baile Eile from Cu Tailte as a young Faerie, I found it strange that humans, at least most of those in the Western hemisphere, celebrate the first day of the New Year during the winter.  This seemed entirely out of step with nature.  In Cu Tailte, the New Year is celebrated at the start of Spring.  This emphasizes the natural cycle of birth, death and rebirth.  Think about it. Spring is the time of new life. It is the time when most plants begin to grow and trees begin to flower.  Many animals are born in the Spring.  It is a season of new life, hope and promise.  Then that life comes to full blossom in the Summer and either is harvested or begins to fade or wither in the Autumn.  Winter is a dark, cold season when the trees are bare, food is scarce, and life seems to be buried  by the snow. Everything seems dead, but then in the Spring, color and abundance return to the earth. There is new life and new beginnings, a chance to start fresh.

     How strange, then, that humans celebrate the New Year in the dead of Winter.  Having spent some time now among humans, I've begun to realize that starting the new year in the middle of the season of dormancy is not so strange and is perhaps quite a good idea.  Winter can seem very long and sometimes it's hard to remember that Spring will come.  Celebrating the New Year, then, in the midst of Winter dreariness can be a call to hope and to the belief that, even in the midst of grayness and difficulty, the seeds of good things to come are being sown.  The song, "The Rose," points this out:

          "Just remember, in the winter,      

           Far beneath the bitter snows,

           Lies the seed that,             

           With the sun's love

           In the Spring becomes

           the rose."

     So, in the midst of Winter, as the New Year is about to begin, hope in the good things that will come to fruition this year.  Welcome the promise that comes with new life and rebirth.  Let go of discouragement and anything that keeps you in the darkness of winter.  You have the opportunity to come to new life, to start again.  What will you do with it?  What do you hope for?  What do you promise for yourself and for others?

I wish you a New Year of peace and joy.

Blessings!
Keena*

*If you are new to this blog and are wondering who Keena is (since Christine Dorman is listed as the person who does the posts) she is a guest blogger.  Please see the posts "The Faerie Who Lives Down the Block" and "Culture Shock" to learn more about her.  And in case you're wondering about the fact that I have a Faerie as a guest blogger...she is a character in my novel Music of Dragons. Which isn't to say that she isn't real :)

Undependable Human Magic--Technology

Although I have marveled at human technology (cell phones, computers and even televisions) ever since I arrived in Baile Eile, I have to say magic is more dependable.  Once you know how to perform a magical task, you can depend on using it effectively whenever you need it.  The only time it won't work is if you are not focused.  Even if you are sick, you can still use your magic.  In fact, it's when I'm sick that I appreciate my magical abilities the most.  I can clean dirty dishes by just saying a few words over them.  Works every time.

Computers, on the other hand, are not so dependable, especially in regards to the Internet.  It works often enough that I have come to depend upon it.  It works often enough that I am frustrated when it doesn't.  There are a variety of ways in which the Internet will suddenly become a road block rather than a path to information and / or communication.  "Can't connect to the website."  "Oops! The address no longer works." "The server has failed."  Then there are the times when the wind changes and there is no signal, no Internet access. Even when the Internet is available, there can be other problems. I've spent time carefully composing an email and have sent it off in the belief that I have communicated only to get a message the next day saying that the mail was undelieverable.  At times, picking up the phone is quicker--unless it's a cell phone and there is no signal.  Or the number, which I've successfully dialed before, comes up as a call restriction.

I use the computer for more than just the Internet and email.  I'm sure I'm not alone in this.  At this point, I have patient records in it, files containing my own personal information and a couple different calendars.  Also, I have written down many of the Cu Tailte myths and lists of important persons and events in Cu Tailte history. All of my music and many photographs and drawings are in my laptop.  Imagine my frustration, then, when the computer suddenly stopped working.  And I do mean suddenly.  I used it and two hours later it no longer worked.  I won't go into the details.  Suffice it to say, I was not only aggravated, but handicapped.  Abruptly I had no access to information and tools that I use on a daily basis.  Yes, there were alternatives. I could use the Internet through the computers at the library and use backup disks to view my patient files.  Even so, I felt the loss, most keenly in regards to my music.  Although much of the music on my computer was downloaded from CDs that I still have, I no longer have a CD player.  So I spent nearly three weeks without my music.  Music is vital to a Faerie.  Without regular exposure to music, our souls wither.  Not only did I quickly begin to lose energy, I became less patient and increasingly irritable.  A very bad condition for a healer to be in.

What I have learned from the experience is to have a backup.  Not just those disks or an external hard drive, but another way to save and access my music and important information.  I have discovered that I am more dependent on the computer than I had realized and so I am working on ways to return it to the status of  a tool rather than a vital necessity.

Oh!  I can hear some of you questioning why I didn't just use magic either to fix the computer or to make music for myself.  A gentle reminder: Faeries are not omnipotent.  Each Faerie has particular gifts.  It is possible to add to these by learning other magic from a generous mentor, but there is so much to learn that no Faerie will ever know every kind of magic.  I cannot create music magically, but since there is musical ability in my family, I have decided to learn how to play an instrument.  That way I can have music whenever I want or need it.  The instrument I've chosen to learn is the Irish whistle.  Fortunately I live alone.  No one should have to endure listening to me play at this stage.  The sound I am making is definitely not yet music!  Still, I trust that I will improve.  I found a wonderful tutor.  She gives lessons via the Internet--LOL!

Blessings!
Keena

The Adorably Deadly Capall Agamecht

     Happy Spring and welcome to my fantasy blog.  My name is Christine and I am writing a fantasy novel currently titled Music of Dragons.  For a while I had one of my characters, Keena Mythweaver, "writing" posts for this blog.  The post below is on a character in the book, the Capall Agamecht.  He is my invention, but is based on a couple of water horses from Celtic folklore.  Recently, he made his re-entry into my main character's life and I thought it might a good time to re-post his story.  I hope you enjoy it and enjoy getting to know a little about Keena.

The Capall Agamecht

       Many apologies for the blog silence over the past few weeks.  As I said previously, flu season hit in Baile Eile and my life got hectic with tending the sick.  Then I caught the flu myself.  After all these years of  treating ill humans, I would think that I should have built up an immunity to viruses such as the flu, but apparently I haven''t.  Not only that, but the flu wreaks even more havoc with a Faerie's body than it does a human's.  My body flirted with the idea of transforming the flu into pneumonia.  It nearly succeeded too, but fortunately, an extract of Willow bark, many doses of mint and chamomile tea, menthol vapor and a bit of rest turned the course of the infection.  It isn't entirely gone, but I am able to work again.

     I've started telling you a bit about my homeland of Cu Tailte, the five magical lands.  Today, I want to tell you about one of the creatures who lives in Ghost Sprite Grove: the Capall Agamecht.  He is beautiful to look at and has quite a charming personality.  The Capall Agamecht is a Water Horse.  Well, he falls into the category of Water Horses, magical horses that live in or near water.  He is a kin to the Irish Kelpie, the Irish Each Uisge and the Welsh Cffyl Dwr.  Those three actually are horses.  The Capall Agamecht, however, is a pony.  His pony size makes him particularly cute and harmless-looking.  Don't be fooled though.  He is far from harmless.  Indeed, he is both dangerous and malicious.  The Capall Agamecht is, by nature, black with a red mane.  His eyes burn with flame and he has two, large, feathery black wings.  If you saw him in his terrifying natural form, you would know instantly to avoid him.  Unfortunately, he has the ability to change his coloring.  Often, he appears as a purple pony with a silver or multicolored mane and large, innocent-looking violet eyes, looking something like those adorable stuffed Pegasus toys many human girls have had as childhood friends.

Want to go for a ride?

    Unlike human horses, the Capall Agamecht can talk and he will speak in honeyed tones pleasing words that you want to hear.  He is quite a charmer, as I mentioned above, and he will offer to give you a ride on his back.  Don't do it!  Once someone mounts his back, the Capall Agamecht flies high into the air then disappears, leaving his victim to fall to his or her death.  And that is his goal: to murder. Despite the toy Pegasus appearance he often adopts, he is, in the words of my sister, Keira, a cree du nathar--a serpent-hearted monster who kills for no reason other than the sport of it.

Want to reconsider?

     Blessings on your week.  I will leave you with one last thought, some advice that Cay the Unicorn once gave my niece, Siobhan: Beware of those who promise to give you all that your heart desires.

Keena Mythweaver, Faerie Healer

*Please note: Capall Agamecht, Cu Tailte, Baile Eile, Cree du Nathar, and Keena Mythweaver are copyright Christine Dorman and Christine Fallon

Quick Questions from Keena

     Hi!  I hope you are well.  There has been an outbreak of intestinal problems here in Baile Eile among the humans.  Of course, not all of the residents come to me.  Some go to traditional doctors and others treat themselves.  But I've been busy helping people through their distress.  It's hardest on the children.  They feel miserable and they get dehydrated so easily.

In the midst of the busyness, I have been thinking and here are some questions that I offer for you to reflect upon this week:

     We Faeries have gifts that are magical in nature, but all beings have gifts.  What are some of your gifts and how do you share them with others?

     What helps you get through times of distress?

     Who needs your help right now?  Is there anyone who needs you to reach out to him or her?

     How comfortable are you with asking for help when you need it?

I'd love to hear your answers, but the questions are primarily for you to mine for surprise treasures.

Blessings!

Keena

A Tour of Cu Tailte

Hello again!  I am Keena Mythweaver, guest blogger. Please check out the posts "The Faerie Who Lives Down the Block," "Faerie Among Humans," and "Culture Shock" if you're meeting me for the first time.

Today,  I thought I would show you a map of my homeland of Cu Tailte and its neighbor, Baile Eile.  Poor Ghost Sprite Grove isn't counted as a land, well not by Cu Tailte residents anyway.  It's considered a "natural barrier" between Cu Tailte and the human world.

Please allow me to take you on a brief tour of the different places that make up The Five Lands (the English translation of Cu Tailte).  First stop: my birthplace, Willowsong Woods.  It's as pleasant and as safe as it sounds, filled with Willow trees as well as Holly, Hazel and Ash.  It is a beautiful, peace-filled woodland.  The animals and other residents live together in relative harmony and respect.  Humans would recognize many of the animals that inhabit Willowsong Woods: squirrels, rabbits, deer, several species of songbirds, foxes, some free horses (humans would call them "wild" horses, but in truth, they are just free rather than conscripted to do work).  Among the two-legged beings, by far the largest number of residents are Faeries.  Now, as I've said before, there are different kinds of Faeries.  Many of the Willowsong Woods Faeries come from the same species as my family--human-sized and without wings, but there are a handful of Wood Sprites who might remind humans of Disney's Tinkerbell.  There are a few families that are middle-sized Faeries.  They stand about two-to-three feet high and some humans might mistake them for dwarfs, but they are Faeries.  The dwarfs up by the mountains just north of Cu Tailte so they can mine.  Some Pixies live in Willowsong Woods too.  These Pixies are not cute.  They are mischievous and some are simply malicious.  It's best not to have too much to do with them.  The southeastern portion of Willowsong Woods is rumored to be the home of Wood Elves, but I have never seen one, so I cannot verify this.  It is also rumored that the land of the Unicorn can be reached through a portal in Willowsong Woods, but no one can say exactly where the portal is.

To the northwest of Willowsong Woods is Nightshade Thicket.  This wooded area is more dense, a bit darker and less safe than my home woodland.  The land gets progressively darker and more dangerous the closer it is to Dragonsword Forest.  Nightshade Thicket is home to numerous Tree Spirits who are basically good and benevolent--except to those who threaten their trees!

Shadow Ash Glade is a delightful place, dotted with Ash, Hazel and Rowan trees, a variety of flowering shrubs and a number of animals, some of which are magical.  The Glade straddles the boundary between Willowsong Woods and Nightshade Thicket.

Silverleaf Meadow is a shining and peaceful open area at the center of the five lands.

Dragonsword Forest, in the North, is renowned for being treacherous and filled with evil beings.  As Cay, the Unicorn says, it's not a place that one should wander into lightly or unprepared.  No one has been known to return from there.  At its northern boundary sits Shadowshield Mountain, home to the powerful Dragon King, Riordan.  More about him another day.

You may have noticed two streams, one in the south and the other in the north.  In the south is Ice Thistle Brook.  It is fairly safe to cross on foot and is inhabited by a number of beings, most of whom are friendly.  My niece, Siobhan, has a friend who lives in the brook.  Her name is Kayla Reedtender and she is a Water Sprite.  She's a tiny Faerie of the winged variety and she is joyful and full of life.  Kayla also knows a good deal about healing, especially about how to use the leaves and berries from the Elder tree near the brook to make salves for healing and charms for protection.  Moonbreaker Creek, in the north, is quite the opposite of Ice Thistle Brook.  Its current is swift and changeable.  Its riverbed is jammed in places with tree roots which will wrapped themselves around the feet of anyone who tries to cross the creek and hold the person prisoner.  Some beings have died of fright, but most have been killed by some of the malevolent beings who live either in the creek or near it.  The worst, to my mind, are the Glashtyns, water goblins who love to lure children into the creek then drown and eat them.

Well, that's my short tour of Cu Tailte.  As I said, Baile Eile, which is a human town, and Ghost Sprite Grove are not a part of Cu Tailte.  I will write about them next time.  I hope you enjoyed this glance into my homeland. What do you think?  Would you like to live in Cu Tailte?  If so, where and why?

Keena

Culture Shock

     Athas aditch!  This is a Cu Tailte greeting meaning approximately "Joy to you!"  My name is Keena Mythweaver and last week I began writing a series of posts for this blog at the invitation of Christine Dorman and SOBS.  I am a Faerie who lives in the human town of Baile Eile and I "work" as a healer.  I think of it as service rather than work.  Christine and SOBS have asked me to share what it is like to be a Faerie living among humans and to tell a bit about my homeland of Cu Tailte.  It's a little difficult to talk about what it's like to "be a Faerie among humans" because I have been living in the human world for so long that it seems natural to me now.  I guess I've become acculturated.

     Recently, though, my niece, Siobhan, came to visit me.  Siobhan is my sister Keira's daughter.  She came just after the start of Beltane (about Mid-May) and stayed for two moonsongs--oh, sorry!  I mean two months.  Sometimes when I'm around my family or even think about them, I slip into Cu Tailte expressions.
Siobhan felt prepared to interact with humans.  I had given her a book of human fairytales when she was seven and she has been interested in humans and their world ever since.  As she grew up, she searched through the thousands of books in the Cu Tailte Basic School Book Keep for more stories by or about humans and read everything she could find.  So she felt quite the expert.  As soon as she stepped out of Ghost Sprite Grove and into Baile Eile, however, culture shock hit her. It started with something as simple as the way I was dressed.  I wore a lightweight summery blouse, a lavender skirt that came to my mid-calf and sandals.  Nothing unusual for a "middle-aged" human woman.  But Siobhan had never seen anyone dressed like this.  The people in the fairytale book illustrations dress a bit like the residents of Cu Tailte.  It is customary for Faerie women in my homeland to wear skirts that go to the ground and shoes that encase the whole foot.  Outdoors, most Cu Tailte residents--male and female--wear cloaks with hoods.  The hoods are left down except in cold or inclement weather.  My hair shocked my niece as well.  Cu Taitle Faeries only trim their hair to keep it healthy and neat. Although the women may wear their hair up, they never cut it short.  I, however, have cut it to just above shoulder length and I've put a permanent wave in it for body and bounce.  Although clothes and hair are superficial in themselves, they still can communicate many things about a culture.

     My sister, Keira, gave me a couple stern warnings about Siobhan.  She didn't want her daughter wearing short skirts or becoming "too human" during the visit.  Well, I dealt with the first edict (Keira's my older sister) by introducing Siobhan to jeans, which she quickly came to love.  The not letting Siobhan become "too human" part was harder to control.  Siobhan felt a bit awkward at first around human teenagers, but she soon began to enjoy hanging out with them.  All of the technology--cell phones, DVDs, the Internet and YouTube--were as magical to her as anything in Cu Tailte would be to a human.  Did she become "too human"?  Probably from my sister's perspective, but at least I kept her from cutting her hair and getting an Emma Watson "pixie" cut!

SIOBHAN IN JEANS

More stories next week.  For now, two questions.  What run of the mill human thing do you think a Faerie would find magical?  Can you imagine anything that would be culture shock for you if you  moved to live with Faeries?

Faerie Among Humans

    Mae fein!  It has been a busy time in Baile Eile.  I've hardly had a moment to breathe.  I am Keena Mythweaver and, though I am a faerie, I live among humans in a town called Baile Eile.  It is what humans call a "rural" community.  I am a healer.  The past couple of weeks, I have been busy helping both humans and animals, treating everything from allergies to an early outbreak of flu to calfing issues and "frozen foot," a Baile Eile name for laminitis in horses.
For the next few weeks, I will write posts for this blog, sharing a bit about my life in Baile Eile, as a faerie living among humans, and about my home world of Cu Tailte, a place humans erroneously refer to as "Fairyland."  I say that the term is erroneous because we Faeries are not the only ones who live there.  Many races of beings inhabit Cu Tailte and we Faeries neither rule it nor own it, so it is not our land.

     First, you might wonder how a faerie could live among humans and be accepted as one of them.  After all, faeries are only a few inches high and have wings, right?  No, that is incorrect.  Some types of Faeries, such as Pixies and certain Sprites, resemble butterflies: small, winged beings.  But Faeries come in many different sizes. My family's "species," if you will, are human-sized and we don't have wings, much to the disappointment of my niece, Siobhan.  If you have been reading this blog for a while, you have met my sister, Keira Nightsinger.  Siobhan is her daughter.  Siobhan loves dragons (don't tell her mother) and yearns to be able to fly. She is one faerie who would be thrilled to have wings.  Unfortunately for her, they don't run in our family.  On the other hand, this "lack" is a great gift to me.  It means I can enjoy a life among humans without their knowing that I'm a Faerie.  Why is that important?  If you are a human, I'm sure you can think of several reasons.  Just think about the typical human response to "aliens."  A magical alien?  Most human communities would react to that either with fear (and possibly violence) or they would try to exploit the magical being.  I love humans, which is why I am here, but they do sometimes have strange reactions to those they consider different.

     I come from a family of banshees, so we had more frequent contact with humans than most other beings who live in Cu Tailte.  From an early age, I had a great interest in and a growing love of humans.  I have a gift for healing, so when I was sixteen, I decided to leave Cu Tailte and move to Baile Eile to help heal humans of illnesses and problems that "modern medicine" struggles with.  The humans call me an herbalist since generally I use herbs in my treatments.  At first, most people were hesitant to come to me.  Some simply didn't believe in anything other than the traditional doctor / hospital route.  Others were wary of taking herbs, and some people actually suspected me of being a witch.  That was a worrying time for me considering the history between humans and people they thought were witches.  I've been in Baile Eile for ages now, though, and most people have accepted me.  Some think I'm a "quack," but at least now very few consider me dangerous.

     I am looking forward to sharing with you more about the people of Baile Eile, my experiences among humans and in my native land Along the way, I will tell you a bit about my family.  Please ask questions. Ask me whatever you'd like to know about my family, Cu Tailte and Baile Eile or my life as a faerie among humans.

Gurra mah aguth! *  Blessings on all who read this!

Keena

*The language of CuTailte has many things in common with the Irish language.  It is not Irish, however, so if you are an Irish speaker, don't think, "Oh, that's spelled wrong."  You may recognize words here and there, but many words are spelled differently than in the Irish, some might look similar to Irish or sound similar to Irish words but have different meanings.  I say this in the hope of clearing up any confusion.