It's been a minute, but hi!
I've been going through photos of our trip to Ireland in May, and it's giving me the itch to travel again. I did a podcast episode about the journey to and from the U.K. with two little ones, but I realized I haven't shared much about how the trip went. So, here are a few of my favorite photos!
All in all, the trip was magical. Ireland was somewhere I had only been to once before years ago, and it was just as green as I remembered. I expected to feel some heartache and longing for that very first trip when I saw Ireland again, and I did, but the feelings faded after the first jet-lagged, sleep-deprived day. Because this isn't a blog post about that old romantic nostalgia. This is one about the recent present and all the things I wanted to show my kids and all that we did see!
Ireland is a special place not only because of my personal history in the country but also because of my ancestry. Most of my family comes from England if you trace our roots back far enough. Before then, some relatives from both sides came from Norway. The men were sea merchants who sailed to the U.K. from Norway and met their future families. Translated, they were Vikings. I came to embrace my Viking side when I traveled to Norway with snowpea two summers ago.
But I have never truly leaned into my Irish heritage because my English side is decidedly English before Irish. And now, after seeing the "Kilbrittain" town signs, I understand the full history of hatred between the two lands. But I do know that my maternal grandmother's grandfather comes from Ireland. I can't deny that I also have Irish roots, and I intentionally wanted to learn more about them this time.
How did I do this? Through books, of course. The way I know best. I listened to an audiobook on Celtic witchcraft called Wild Magic by Danu Forest. And I was amazed to learn there was something in my bloodline before Christianity and patriarchy. I mean, I should have known, but I just assumed white people don't have indigenous roots? Well, they do.
Celtic paganism was the predominant religion in Ireland before Christianity. They worshiped goddesses, nature, the stars, and the moon. They made friends with the animals. And--get this--they had fairies for everything. House fairies, forest fairies, backyard fairies, stereotypical Leprechauns. All kinds of fairies.
Learning all this felt like coming home. Why? Because when I was a very young girl, I spent a lot of time playing with fairies, too. But this was all before I was told that magic doesn't exist. Reading this book just affirmed I'm the generation to bring it back.
Before I get carried away and you start to think I've turned too woo-woo, first of all, let me say, I fully understand your hesitation. I come from a family of scientists, and I've heard every argument of logic and reason that you could possibly throw at me. You don't have to take the magic and stardust and fairies literally. You can simply acknowledge them metaphorically as a part of my ancestry that was meant to bring us hope and make us feel connected to something bigger than ourselves. That's how I saw magic as a 3-year-old, and that's the mentality I'm returning to as a 30-something-year-old now.
And I'm returning to it through re-anchoring my attention to the earth. A big part of Celtic tradition is in making offerings to the land. These are meant to be small gestures of appreciation that are preferably biodegradable, like honey or cream. Folklore says these offerings are eaten by the fairies who protect the home and the wild. It's a way of intentionally connecting with the earth rather than continuously taking, and I liked the idea enough to try it.
The AirBnB we stayed in was in a beautiful seaside village that was walking distance of the water and the woods. I took stroller walks with Etsy around the trails each evening, and one night, I brought a small offering. Nothing elaborate--just golden raisin and walnuts that Etsy and I arranged in a circle next to a pillar on the ledge of the entry to the woods.
I don't know if our trail mix art was eaten by fairies or squirrels, but the next evening when we returned, we were gifted back. I could hardly believe my eyes, but there it was! An Irish Gatsby hat that was just my size. Could this be for me? I left it a day, came back with more nuts, and seeing it still there, I took it as a souvenir. It's amazing when nature gifts back.
Would you have taken it? Should I wear it? Have you ever made offerings to nature like this? And most importantly, do you believe in magic, too? I want to hear from you.
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