Julie Gibbons Blogs

Launching The Woven Land Network with a Midsummer Party

A Midsummer party you say? Foraging and medicinal herbs, creative conversations and a ceilidh to round it all off - all hosted at The Ecology Centre in Fife. It was a no-brainer for me to attend the launch event of The Woven Land Network, especially...

We are being called to pay attention : Summer Solstice ☀️

“Are you sure/That we are awake? It seems to me/That yet we sleep, we dream” ~ Midsummer Night's Dream, William ShakespeareLooking to the folklore, I find that the Summer Solstice celebrations here in Scotland were centred on Midsummer Eve and the morning...

A Slogan For Our Times

“We have an idea where the monsters are. So that’s where we're headed. Friends are forged on the dark road headed out of town.” And so it was that the day dawned and on offer was something we all had a feeling about, but weren’t quite sure exactly what was to occur....

Salt Circle of Tears

An invitation to a creative tending of our personal and cultural grief. Exclusive to members of Patreon Clans Adder, Deer + Beastie. June 2nd 2019 : 6pm BST (timezones here) An online event, hosted on Zoom. (Recordings for Patreon Clans Deer + Beastie.)"Grief is not a...

Beltane Big Sun ☼

Beltane welcomes the season of the ☼ big sun ☼ here in Scotland and together with Samhain - its opposite in the seasonal wheel of the year - marks one of the two most significant junctures in the annual solar cycle. As a cross-quarter day, Beltane occurs at the...

Spring Equinox, The Cailleach and our Way Back People

Already, we arrive at another of our markers in the solar cycle - the Spring Quarter Day that is the Vernal Equinox. Whilst researching Scottish folklore I find precious little that refers directly to this particular juncture. In K W Grant's Myth, Tradition and Story...

Imbolc and the creative cycle

It's easy to understand why in Scotland prior to 1600 CE the New Year wasn't celebrated until the end of March. The cold, short days and long, black nights of the Yuletide months are not practically conducive to energetic movement and lively social interaction. I have...

Sharing some favourites of 2018 with you : Audiobooks

Bedtime stories: I am a huge fan and the way I like them is in my ears, courtesy of technology. In contrast with my declining use of technology elsewhere this past year, I've been embracing the art of the audiobook in a big way. It's not new to me, but...

The Samhain Threshold

Samhain, Samhuinn, Hallowe'en ... it's a major threshold in the solar cycle and has long been witnessed in this land I call home. My ancestors were a pastoral people and lived with a more direct connection to the natural cycle than our modern lives...

I wrote this on the beach for you (and me)

Today I am sitting at the beach. The sun is shining brightly in an almost cloudless blue sky, the sea breeze is keeping us cool and the tide is heading out, pulling the water back towards the Isle of Arran, a long body of land in shadow front of us. Some kids are...

Life Book 2018 Blog Hop and Give Away

Yes, it's been absolutely ages since I last wrote here in this space - I've been super occupied by selling my house and moving to a completely new area and an everything-except-the-external-walls renovation project! The dust hasn't quite settled, but it...

Winter Solstice Mandala Ritual

Your Winter Solstice Mandala Ritual Guide Winter Solstice is a magical time. It's when I'm happiest to be still and cosy in the shortest dark day after a brisk walk up in the woods on top of our local hill. Celebrating with a circle of loved ones is also...