May the peace of the sleeping stones be upon you,
may the quiet strength of the ancient earth cradle your heart,
and may the wisdom of the land’s bedrock guide your steps.”
(An AI Generated Celtic Blessing)
We walked the land – the lands of Iowa, Michigan, Georgia, Mississippi, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin and the ancient lands of Sweden and Ireland.
We walked the land and felt the ground beneath our feet and remembered those we love. We honored mentors, celebrated graduations, blessed a grandchild’s marriage, ate birthday cakes, visited dear friends, sipped wine with those we love, and drank whiskey in Ireland.
We walked the land in Iowa, feeling the stones, rich soil, guided paths beneath our feet even as the winds of change and chaos of the world blow around us. We feel the head winds of polarized paradigms, the swirls of the soulless destruction of wars, the gusts of growing fear between culture and class, the plundering of the powerful and greedy.
Yet, we walk the land. For the land holds us through each step of our living. The land is reshaped, yet withstands the winds of the ancient sea gales, pounding its shores. The land softens, and the rocks may break apart under the rush of rivers, yet holds the edges with the currents.
In Ireland. I walked on the land touching the silent stones and listened. These ancient formations remained through centuries of change – wars, religions, kings, greed along with stories, circles of community, births, deaths, love, hope, storms, sun risings and sun settings. They have resisted and were reshaped by the winds of the world, yet held to the earth. Theses stones, broken from boulders were used to build places of refuge, to create homes, to honor the Sacred, to shelter for families, and ground people’s hearts.
The stones spoke of the Divine Presence within all – within the earth, the stones, the water, and the trees, and all people – whispers this truth… “Be steadfast, live love, do not lose hope. The strength of the ancient earth cradles our hearts.” God’s Love is bound with the earth.
Each heart shaped rock I find reminds me of this truth.
May God’s Divine Love, held steadfast within the land and stones, be affirmed for you this holy season.
