Getting Going Again


This new web site, BardsInTheWoods.com, now seemingly working smoothly,
is still all text and no design,
... but soon there will be pictures and video clips flodding these pages.

My own quest is to serve what I can to encourage more gatherings, more picnics, in the woodlands on Sunday afternoons.

On top of that more people finding their voice as bards in their own way
Being their own priest rather than give away soul, spirit and power away to other priests

On top of that, support for local growers and rearers, and doing your own growing and rearing, to create more local enterprise, trade and bartering, a new more sustainable local economy and less dependency on national government, corporations, supermarkets and retail parks.

Its is hard breaking the habits we were herded into, I think starting with when we started school as children. A process that was about reprogramming our minds and taking our bodies to "conform" and "confirm" while draining out our connection to spirit, inspiration, and even true unconditional love.

We were taught to fear anything outside of what we were taught to conform too, and confirm too, a couple of "cons".

Habits we find hard to break include

- choosing to go to the woodlands with a picnic
instead of to a church, a hotel with family,
watch the sport on TV on a Sunday afternoon,
head for the shops to catch a bargain or two
... or go to the beach (hey, that's a good alternative :-))

- choosing to shop with local growers
because at a supermarket its all there in one place
we think the supermarket is cheaper (big con !!!)
because our family and friends do
because its what everyone does
because the TV adverts told us to
someone said local grown food is full of germs

- expressing our inspirations through an art
because others tell us we not very good
because others tell us its a waste of time
because we fear others will not listen
because we are told to think and feel for others before ourselves
because our teacher, priest, politician etc ...
tell us that their words are more powerful, more meaningful than our own
because the main work so called leaders is to make us afraid and guilty.

- being inspired by closeness to nature
rather than from pictures in a book
images from a video
ramblings on online social network pages
all served to us by the corporations, priests
and gurus of all kinds we are taught to follow and be images of.

In the woods

we can all become and be bards
we can all share picnics as appreciation of local grown
we can all be truly within the spirit of nature
... and be our own sharing priests, guardians, healers, inspirers,
competing, encouraging, supporting, forgiving,
mentoring, inspiring, coaching, loving
and receiving all these things

In all a Bard is being a voice, and listening
because without listening we cannot be a Bard.

Listening to trees and the surrounding
earth, air, fire and water
listening to the sounds and voices around
and, most important, listening to the voice that connects them all.

I'm just trying to humbly encourage
more people to be in the woods more often
sharing with another or others

- because if we do not, the woodlands may be with us no more.

I was told the Irish Republic already has the least percentage land coverage by woodlands than any other country in Europe and from my travels seems to be the nation that uses the woodlands less than others.

Lets turn this around !!!

Be a bard and tell us what woods you will be in on which Sunday afternoons.

Invite me to come along too.
I may be available to help you get started
but please have a collection to cover my car expenses
as I do not have spare funds to cover that,

I do have some fund raisers in mind too
to help the cost of myself and other bards go around to woodlands
and help more bards get going with this fun activity.

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