Animals

sexton beetle

Life, Death and the Sexton Beetle

There is a moment of being that exists between the letting go and the emergence of something new. It is a magical and mysterious space. We are each touched by it many times in our lives, from the psychological deaths that bring significant change to self and circumstance, to the...
swans

The Swan

Swans are the largest of the aquatic birds, closely related to the Goose. They are known for their grace and beauty and have long been considered ‘ornamental birds’ which float on ponds in zoos, parks, and botanical gardens. Swans are long necked and web-footed....
Magpie_samcem05

The Australian Magpie

The Australian Magpie is glossy black and white but the plumage pattern varies across its range. The female often has a greyish or mottled grey back and immature birds are also a generally duller bird with grey rather than black feathers....
beeskeps

The Very British Beehive

A bee skep, as a symbol, speaks to one’s soul. Its charm may inspire thoughts of happiness, health and home. The sight of a simple skep surrounded by an abundance of flora humming in the midday sun conjures notions of a thriving community, a bustling economy and a diligent harmony....
crane

The Wonder of Cranes

Cranes became extinct in the UK about 400 years ago. However, there has been a recent project to reintroduce them. Normally when cranes breed, they lay two eggs. When the first egg hatches, they leave the nest, and that’s it for the second egg. The Wildfowl and Wetland Trust were...
raven

The Raven

If you are fascinated with ravens, read incessantly about them, observe them in nature, can recognize their unique voice, collect their feathers, collect raven art and artifacts, and know their literature and folklore from around the world, you are probably an amateur CORVIDOLOGIST, which is the branch of Ornithology specializing...
Mom and cubs relaxing in Denali National Park.

The Bear

The bear has been worshipped, probably as a brother, for many thousands of years. In this it can probably be said to be the oldest human-animal relationship. It can be seen why the bear is regarded as a Brother – they can walk on two legs, are omnivorous and like...
stage-and-hind

Stags and Deer

The Myths and Lore surrounding the Stag run across the world from Meandash, the mythic Saami Reindeer, all the way back to the earliest history from Sumerian of Dara-Mah ‘The Great Stag’. Much information comes from Dr Bobula Ida’s 1953 comparative myth essay on “The Great Stag, a Mesopotamian Divinity”....
spiders in druidry

Spiders as Spiritual Guides

As we all know, Druidry is a spiritual path based in Nature. The knowledge we have can be found everywhere. In Druidry, the Spider represents The Bard, the Ovate and the Druid. As a Bard it produces works of art as depicted in the many kinds of webs it can...
magpies

Magpies – A Story of Seven

There are 20 species of Magpie and Treepie in the world and they are all confined to an area from India, then over the Himalayas to China and down through SE Asia except for Pica pica, the Common Magpie whose distribution stretches from Europe to China and on to Canada...
BumbleApple02

A Golden Triad: Druids, Bees and Trees

Druids, bees and trees form a golden triad, each sharing in a relationship of vital mutualism, cooperation and symbiosis. Bees pollinate trees, and trees feed and house bees. Druids interpret, protect and nurture both trees and bees as sources of health, wealth, wisdom, and access to the faerie world. Alan...