January 16, 2023

It’s a rare and even Otherworldly experience when a book arrives that is so potent and profound that I want to clear my bookshelves of all others. A book that speaks so eloquently to the essence of my journey with Irish spiritual heritage that I bookmark every page and passage. Manchán Magan’s new publication, Listen to the Land Speak: A journey into the wisdom of what lies beneath us, is such a book. So I beg your indulgence while I drift into a bit of adulation. And just a warning to those who will join me in Ireland, I’m tempted to make this required reading. 

In the twenty plus years I’ve been going to Ireland, and the many years Machán has been wandering sacred places both global and Irish, it seems we have arrived at much the same place. It seems through many similar experiences and common acquaintances, we share a deep and resonant connection to the Otherworld and its influence on Irish spirituality. It’s both inspiring and affirming. I’m counting on Anthony Murphy to make good his promise to introduce us. I slip into an altered state just contemplating the possibilities.

There is so much to share, but let me begin with this. Manchán’s words. And a graphic I was inspired to create. The Ogham writing is soul friend. 

…our people were once rooted to a profound degree in the autonomy of the land and the energies that arose from it. As long as we had a connection with this world and the world beyond, and the knowledge of how these realms reacted to each other, we had power. 

As a sacred intention it is and was never about power over. It was and is always about an alliance with the Earth, Ancestral, and Otherworld energies. It was and is about power for the common good. This is the work of soul and it is, after all, why we are here. We embrace Otherworld wisdom and with that wisdom we shine a light of hope and possibility. 

I offer that it begins with a shift in consciousness that we might encounter the liminal landscapes with a Liminal LensScape. 

Beannacht,
Judith